Plating method and apparatus

A plating station for continuous plating of workpieces such as printed circuit boards suspended in a vertical plane by a hanger for horizontal transport comprising, in combination,

• horizontal conveyor means,
• work hangers in spaced relation suspended from the conveyor,
• workpiece securing means on said hangers,
• a plating tank having a vertical end entry slot and exit slot to pass the workpieces suspended from the hangers,
• a pair of sealing rollers in tangential contact flanking said slots,
• providing solution agitation directed at the anode and cathode.

A plating station for continuous plating of workpieces such as printed circuit boards suspended by a hanger for continuous transport comprising, in combination,

• a plating tank having end vertical workpiece slots for passing the workpieces,
• sealing means adjacent such slots,
• conveyor means suspending the workpieces in a vertical plane for horizontal transport into and out of the tank slots,
• and means for rendering the workpieces conductive while in the tank, whereby a plurality of workpieces may be continuously plated in the tank.

The method of continuous metal exchange for workpieces in a tank comprising the steps of

• conveyorizing the workpieces for continuous transport while the workpiece is in a vertical plane;
• means for transporting the workpiece into and out of the tank for plating;
• means for rendering the workpieces conductive while in the tank;
• providing a fluid in the tank energized for metal exchange in intimate contact with the workpiece;
• providing a chain plate at a mid-portion on the work hanger for supporting the workpieces at a point below the electrical contact means,
• positioning a cover over the tank having a slotted mid-portion narrower than the chain plates,
• positioning the chain plates to overlie the slot in the cover,
• moving the workpiece in a substantially horizontal path while the workpiece is in a vertical plane passing through the fluid in the tank which is energized;
• whereby plating or deplating or other forms of metal exchange can be continuously accomplished on the workpiece.

The method of continuous metal exchange for workpieces in a tank comprising the steps of

• conveyorizing the workpieces for continuous transport while the workpiece is in a vertical plane;
• means for transporting the workpiece into and out of the tank for plating;
• means for rendering the workpieces conductive while in the tank;
• providing a fluid in the tank energized for metal exchange in intimate contact with the workpiece;
• moving the workpiece in a substantially horizontal path while the workpiece is in a vertical plane passing through the fluid in the tank which is energized;
• providing a work hanger for the workpiece which depends from the means for conveyorizing the same,
• rendering the upper portion of the means for conveyorizing non-conductive and the lower portion conductive,
• providing electrical contact means on the conductive portion of the workpiece,
• providing electrically conductive track means for cooperative electrical contact relationship with the electrical contact means on the conductive portion of said workpiece support,
• providing a chain plate at a mid-portion on the work hanger for supporting the workpieces at a point below the electrical contact means,
• positioning a cover over the tank having a slotted mid-portion narrower than the chain plates,
• positioning the chain plates to overlie the slot in the cover, whereby plating or deplating or other forms of metal exchange can be continuously accomplished on the workpiece.

A plating station for continuous plating of workpieces suspended in a vertical plane by a hanger for substantially horizontal transport comprising, in combination,

• horizontal conveyor means,
• work hangers in spaced relation suspended from the conveyor,
• workpiece securing means on said hangers,
• a plating tank having a fluid in the tank energized for metal exchange in intimate contact with the workpiece,
• means for continuously transporting the workpiece into and out of the tank,
• a portion of said work hangers being electrically conductive,
• a plurality of inert chain plate members engaging each of said hangers for the workpieces,
• said chain plates being provided with slots at each end to receive an adjacent pair of work hangers,
• means for supporting said chain plates at a position beneath the non-conductive portion of the work hangers,
• a cover positioned atop the tank having a slot in a mid-portion,
• said chain plates being in spaced relation to the conveyor and the supports to overlie the slot in the cover,
• and means above the fluid in the tank for electrically contacting the conductive portion of the work hangers, whereby the workpieces may be the subject of metal exchange while continuously passing in a vertical plane into and out of the solution in the tank.

The method of continuous metal exchange for workpieces in a tank comprising the steps of

• conveyorizing the workpieces for continuous transport while the workpiece is in a vertical plane;
• means for transporting the workpiece into and out of the tank for plating;
• providing the workpiece with a pair of horizontally opposed yieldable shoes which are in electrical communication with the lower portion of the workpiece and,
• each of said shoes being yieldable in an opposed horizontal direction,
• and a pair of opposed parallel contact bars comprising a contact track assembly between which the opposed yieldable shoes slide and are thereby stabilized and in yieldable electrical contact,
• means for rendering the workpieces conductive while in the tank,
• providing a fluid in the tank energized for metal exchange in intimate contact with the workpiece,
• moving the workpiece in a substantially horizontal path while the workpiece is in a vertical plane passing through the fuid in the tank which is energized, whereby plating or deplating or other forms of metal exchange can be continuously accomplished on the workpiece.