US 4,781,799 AGranted

Electroforming apparatus and process

AssigneesXerox Corporation, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

InventorsWilliam G. Herbert, Jr., Toru Nozaki, Akio Onishi

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Abstract

A device is described comprising an elongated electroforming mandrel, the mandrel comprising at least a first segment having at least one mating end and a second segment having at least one mating end, the mating end of the first segment being adapted to mate with the mating end of the second segment, means to temporarily maintain the mating end of the first segment mated with the mating end of the second segment during an electroforming process, each of the segments having a circumferential, electrically conductive electroforming surface located at at least the mating end. This elongated electroforming mandrel may be employed in an electroforming process comprising temporarily mating the segments together, electroforming a metal layer on the electroforming surface of each segment, establishing a parting gap between each metal layer and the underlying segment and removing each metal layer from the underlying segment by sliding the metal layer axially along the underlying segment, the end of the metal layer adjacent the mating end of the underlying segment having a smooth rounded outer edge.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An electroforming process comprising providing an elongated electroforming mandrel, said mandrel comprising a first segment having at least one mating end and at least a second segment having at least one mating end, said mating end of said first segment being adapted to mate with said mating end of said second segment, means to temporarily maintain said mating end of said first segment mated with said mating end of said second segment during an electroforming process, each of said segments having a circumferential, electrically conductive electroforming surface located at at least said mating end, temporarily mating said mating end of said first segment with said mating end of said second segment in substantially perfect alignment to form a junction free of any groove discernible by passage of the edge of an adult human fingernail, electroforming a metal layer on said electroforming surface of said first segment, said metal layer adjacent said mating end of the underlying first segment having a smooth rounded outer edge and electroforming a metal layer on said electroforming surface of said second segment, said metal layer adjacent said mating end of the underlying second segment having a smooth rounded outer edge, establishing a parting gap between said metal layer and said underlying first segment, establishing a parting gap between said metal layer and said underlying second segment, and removing said metal layers from said underlying segments by sliding said metal layers axially along said underlying segments, the end of said metal layers adjacent said mating ends of said underlying segments having a smooth rounded outer edge.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.