Workpiece clamp assembly for electrolytic plating machine
AssigneeNapco, Inc.
InventorLeonard C. Maron
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a plating machine the circuit board workpieces are held in clamp assemblies which grip the leading edge of each board so that the lower edges of the boards can be plated as the clamps travel around the machine. These clamps are adjustably mounted on a chain, and can be quickly removed for varying the spacing between them. Each clamp is designed to be loaded by the machine operator in a one handed operation without any separate clamp opening motion by him.
Claims12
A plating machine having an electrolytic solution and electrode means for plating marginal lower edge portions of flat planar workpieces comprising:
- a machine frame including a base having various rinsing and plating stations, including an elongated superstructure spaced above said base,
- a workpiece transport conveyor having a chain and at least two sprockets supported in opposite ends of said superstructure for rotation on vertical axes so that said chain moves in a closed path defined by generally parallel straight runs and generally semi-circular end turns,
- elongated tracks supported in said superstructure adjacent and parallel said straight chain runs,
- a plurality of workpiece clamp assemblies slidably received on said tracks, and each assembly having a clamping portion and a base portion,
- said chain having individual roller links connected to one another by conventional means, and having rollers supported on vertically extending pins, at least some of said pins having projecting portions which are received in pin openings provided in said clamp assembly base portions to connect said clamp assembly base portions to said chain at spaced locations thereon, and
- clamp assembly support means located at the ends of said superstructure, at least one such support means being movable from an active position to support said clamp assemblies as they move around a sprocket to an inactive position such that said clamp assemblies can be removed or replaced to vary the spacing of said clamp assemblies on said chain.
In a plating machine which includes a frame for supporting the various rinsing and plating tanks required for treating and plating depending portions of planar workpieces, and which includes a transport conveyor movable horizontally along a predetermined path between a load and an unload station, and electrode means associated with an electrolytic solution at a plating station in said machine, the improvement comprising workpiece clamping assemblies coupled to the transport conveyor, each such assembly including a base portion connected to the conveyor and a workpiece clamping portion movably mounted to the base portion and adapted to clamp a workpiece therebetween by gripping a vertical edge portion of the workpiece, said base portion including a vertically elongated clamp body defining a vertically elongated marginal edge guide surface for locating the workpiece during its movement along the path, said clamping portion including a lever pivotally mounted in said clamp body, a vertically elongated member coupled to said lever for movement toward and away from said vertically elongated edge guide surface, biasing means to urge said member toward said guide surface, said biasing means including compression springs acting on said member and said clamp body defining a ramp surface to engage said elongated member and cooperate with said springs in urging said member toward said guide surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.