Anode configuration for nickel-phosphorus electroplating

An anode comprising:

• a pair of spaced bus bars;
• a wire disposed in a zig-zag configuration between said bus bars, with a great deal of void space between portions of the wire, and operatively attached to the bus bars;
• and
• said wire so dimensioned with respect to said bus bars that said anode has an anode current density of at least about 200 amperes per square foot, in use.

An anode comprising:

• a conductive metal bus;
• a wire, made of a material capable of serving as an anode, attached to said bus at at least one point along the length of said bus;
• and
• insulating material covering means covering said wire and said bus at the points of attachment of said wire to said bus, the remainder of said wire being exposed where not covered by said insulating cover.

An anode comprising:

• a conductive metal bus;
• and
• a tube selected from the group consisting essentially of platinum and rhodium which fits over said bus encircling said bus and making a mechanical bond thereto;
• said bus being longer than said tube.

A method of constructing an anode from a bus, wire, and a tube of insulating plastic material, comprising the steps of:

• (a) attaching the wire to the bus at spaced locations of the wire;
• (b) heating the tube to expand it;
• (c) placing a tube over each connection of the wire to the bus;
• and
• (d) cooling the tube so that the connection of the wire to the bus are covered, but the wire is exposed along the majority of the length thereof;
• whereby the bus, wire, and tube provide an anode construction, with the wire serving as an electrode.

A method of constructing an anode from a bus of conductive metal, and a tube of platinum or rhodium having an inside diameter just slightly greater than, or equal to, the outside diameter of said metal bus, comprising the steps of:

• heating the tube so that it expands;
• placing the tube over the bus so that the tube encircles the bus;
• and
• cooling the tube so it shrink fits on the bus and makes a mechanical bond thereto, whereby the tube serves as an electrode.