Method for treatment fluid application and removal
AssigneeChemcut Corporation
InventorsDaniel L. Goffredo, Conrad Dale Shakely
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Treated articles such as printed circuit boards that have been etched with an etchant or treated with a solvent, are delivered into a zone of sufficiently high humidity to prevent drying of a liquid treatment fluid on the articles, and wherein the treatment fluid is "blown off" the articles by pressurized air, in the high humidity environment, with the treatment fluid then being delivered for re-use at a prior station. Alternately, the treatment fluid is atomized, entrained in the pressurized air stream and "blown on" the articles, whereby the treatment fluid is efficiently and uniformly applied thereto.
Claims23
A process for application of a film of chemical treatment fluid to an article wherein the film is of improved uniformity, comprising the steps of:
- A. providing a stream of gas having atomized particles of a treatment fluid entrained therein;
- B. moving said article along a predetermined generally planar path through a chamber;
- and
- C. exposing said article to said stream of gas by blowing a thin stream of said gas directly thereon across the path, through gas knife means that extend across the path, whereby a thin film of said entrained treatment fluid is applied directly to said article, while the article is moving along its generally planar path.
A process for application of a film of a chemical treatment fluid of improved uniformity to a series of generally planar articles comprising steps of:
- A. providing a chamber of predetermined width and having a generally planar path for conveyance of generally planar articles therethrough;
- B. driving conveying means associated with said chamber so as to convey said articles in a direction generally from an inlet to an outlet thereof along the planar path;
- C. providing a stream of gas from outside the chamber for conveying a mist of said chemical treatment fluid;
- D. providing a separate source of pressurized gas and a separate source of said chemical treatment fluid;
- E. combining said pressurized gas and said chemical treatment fluid in a suitable means for atomizing particles of said chemical treatment fluid directly prior to delivery of the gas and atomized particles to a mist delivery means;
- F. entraining said atomized particles of said chemical treatment fluid in said stream of gas, whereby a mist of said chemical treatment fluid is produced;
- G. distributing said mist in a thin film through at least one mist delivery means within said chamber, said mist delivery means being of the gas knife type and a narrow opening therein configured to extend generally across the width of said path;
- and
- H. conveying said articles upon which said chemical treatment fluid is to be applied along said path past said narrow opening in said mist delivery means, whereby said mist is discharged from said opening and said particles of said chemical treatment fluid entrained in said mist are uniformly applied to said articles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.