Method for electrochemically treating articles and apparatus and method for cleaning articles
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsRobert B. Parrish, Christopher T. Shallow
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for performing electrochemical processes using an array of dedicated cells is disclosed. Various construction details and steps of the method are developed which promote, in one embodiment, automating the method of performing the processes and cleaning the articles between electrochemical processes. In one embodiment, the array of dedicated cells includes rinsing cells which have a rinse chamber adapted to receive an article and flow rinse fluid such that the fluid impinges against the article at predetermined locations.
Claims21
A method for electrochemically treating a plurality of tubings using at least two electrochemical processes that employ a first electrode and a second electrode for each tubing, each of the processes having a steady-state operative condition, comprising:
- disposing an array of dedicated cells which includes an array of electrochemical processing cells in proximity one to the other such that the closeness between cells enables relative movement of each tubing in sequential fashion from dedicated cell to dedicated cell, each electrochemical processing cell being dedicated to performing an associated electrochemical process step and each electrochemical processing cell having the first electrode which bounds at least a portion of an electrode chamber for use in carrying out the electrochemical process;
- moving the plurality of tubings relative to the array of dedicated cells such that each tubing moves in sequential fashion through the array of dedicated cells and each tubing is disposed one after the other in the electrode chamber of said electrochemical processing cell to form the second electrode;
- disposing a volume of electrolytic fluid in the electrode chamber of each cell for performing one of said electrochemical process steps by flowing electrolytic fluid through the electrochemical cell, the flowrate of electrolytic fluid being flowed to the cell at any given time during the steady-state operative condition of the flow being about equal to the flowrate of electrolytic fluid being flowed through the electrode chamber at said given time for carrying out said associated electrochemical process step on a single tubing.
A method for electrochemically plating a plurality of articles using electrochemical processes for the article which requires at least two preparatory process steps and a plating process step, comprising:
- providing a plurality of cells, each electrochemical cell being dedicated to and containing during a step the necessary solutions for carrying out the step in the plating process, each electrochemical cell having a first electrode and a second electrode formed by the article, wherein the first electrode is circumferentially disposed about the article and has an interior having a size for receiving the article and a volume of fluid connected with that step which is appropriate for carrying out the process step on a single article at that cell;
- flowing a volume of fluid connected with that step which is appropriate for carrying out the process step on a single article at that cell;
- and
- moving the article relative to the cells such that a single article moves in sequential fashion through the dedicated cells.
A rinsing cell for rinsing electrolyte from the end of a tubing, the tubing being disposed in the rinsing cell under an operative condition, which comprises:
- a housing having a rinse chamber disposed about an axis R, the housing having an opening for receiving the tubing and having a bottom surface which faces in the axial direction which bounds the rinse chamber, the rinse chamber having a bottom adjacent the bottom surface;
- a guide member extending axially from the bottom of the chamber toward the opening;
- a first conduit for supplying rinse fluid to the rinse chamber under operative conditions;
- a second conduit for removing rinse fluid from the rinse chamber under operative conditions;
- wherein the housing has a plurality of passages disposed circumferentially about th guide member and directed toward the chamber;
- wherein at least one of said passages is in flow communication with said first conduit for directing rinse fluid toward the tubing under said operative condition.
A method of rinsing a tubing for removing unwanted material including contaminants, from the surface of the tubing, comprising:
- disposing a rinsing cell in flow communication with a conduit for supplying rinsing fluid to the rinsing cell, the rinsing cell having a rinse chamber having a center which includes passages directed toward the center of the chamber and further includes a locating pin extending longitudinally in the center of the chamber about an axis R;
- disposing the tubing in the rinsing cell which further includes the steps of moving the tubing relative to the cylindrical chamber and further includes sliding the tubing over the locating pin through relative movement between the pin and the tubing;
- flowing rinse fluid axially through the pin and radially outward through the pin such that the fluid impinges on the interior of the tubing while simultaneously flowing fluid through the passages in the wall that are directed toward the tubing disposed in the center of the chamber and flowing at least a portion of the used rinse fluid from the cylindrical chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.