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US 5,401,379 AGranted
Chrome plating process
OwnerJames L. Mazzochiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This is to a process for chromium plating metal articles spray rinsing the metal article after it has been cleaned, acid treated, nickel plated, and chromium plated over rinse tanks which are empty except for the rinse collected therein. The rinse water is recirculated to the respective treating tanks as needed.
Claims26
A plating process comprising the steps of:
- cleaning and acid treating a metal article;
- electroplating the acid treated metal article in an electroplating solution;
- spray rinsing the plated article with water over a rinse tank to provide a rinsed plated article;
- collecting spray rinse water from said spray rinsing step in said rinse tank and heating said collected water in said rinse tank to a temperature sufficient to cause evaporation and concentration of said collected rinse water;
- transferring said collected and concentrated spray rinse water from said rinse tank to said electroplating solution;
- immersing the rinsed plated article in a metal plating solution;
- electroplating the immersed plated article;
- removing a plated article from the plating solution;
- spray rinsing the plated article with water over a second rinse tank to provide a completed plated article;
- and
- transferring at least a portion of the spray rinse water collected in the second rinse tank from said second rinse tank to said plating solution.
8 more elements
A metal plating process comprising the steps of:
- immersing an article in a cleaning solution;
- spray rinsing the article;
- collecting rinse water from said rinsing step and transferring said collected rinse water to the cleaning solution;
- immersing the rinsed article in a pretreatment tank;
- spray rinsing the article;
- immersing the article in a pre-metal electroplating solution;
- spray rinsing the article over a rinse tank;
- collecting and heating rinse water in said rinse tank to a temperature sufficient to cause evaporation and thereby concentrating said rinse water;
- transferring remaining collected, heated, and concentrated rinse water from said rinse tank to the pre-metal electroplating solution;
- immersing said article in a plating solution;
- spray rinsing the article;
- and
- collecting rinse water in a second rinse tank and transferring said collected rinse water to the plating solution.
10 more elements
A method for plating an article comprising the steps of:
- immersing said article in a plating tank of electroplating solution, plating said article and removing said plated article from said plating tank;
- spray rinsing said plated article over a rinse tank and collecting rinse solution from said plated article in said rinse tank;
- heating said rinse solution in said rinse tank to evaporate and concentrate said solution;
- and
- conveying said concentrated solution from said rinse tank to said plating tank, whereby a need for wastewater discharge is eliminated and a need for continual addition of plating solution to said plating tank is reduced.
2 more elements
A method for plating an article comprising the steps of:
- immersing said article in an electroclean tank of cleaning solution, cleaning said article and removing said cleaned article from said electroclean tank;
- spray rinsing said cleaned article over a rinse tank and collecting rinse solution from said cleaned article in said rinse tank;
- heating said rinse solution in said rinse tank to evaporate and concentrate said solution;
- and
- conveying said concentrated solution from said rinse tank to said electroclean tank, whereby a need for wastewater discharge is eliminated and a need for continual addition of cleaning solution to said electroclean tank is reduced.
2 more elements
A method for plating an article comprising the steps of:
- immersing said article in a pickling tank of acid solution, pickling said article and removing said pickled article from said pickling tank;
- spray rinsing said pickled article over a rinse tank and collecting rinse solution from said pickled article in said rinse tank;
- evaporating said rinse solution in an air evaporator at a location separate from said pickling step without heating to concentrate said solution by evaporating water vapor to atmosphere.
A method for plating an article comprising the steps of:
- immersing said article in an electroclean tank of cleaning solution, cleaning said article and removing said cleaned article from said electroclean tank;
- spray rinsing said cleaned article over a first rinse tank and collecting rinse solution from said cleaned article in said first rinse tank;
- heating said rinse solution in said first rinse tank to evaporate and concentrate said solution;
- and
- conveying said concentrated solution from said first rinse tank to said electroclean tank, whereby a need for wastewater discharge is eliminated and a need for continual addition of cleaning solution to said electroclean tank is reduced;
- immersing said rinsed, cleaned article in a pickling tank of acid solution, pickling said rinsed, cleaned article and removing said pickled article from said pickling tank;
- spray rinsing said pickled article over a second rinse tank and collecting rinse solution from said pickled article in said second rinse tank;
- evaporating said rinse solution from said second rinse tank to concentrate said solution at a location separate from said pickling step, whereby a need for wastewater discharge is eliminated;
- immersing said article in a plating tank of electroplating solution, plating said article and removing said plated article from said plating tank;
- spray rinsing said plated article over a third rinse tank and collecting rinse solution from said plated article in said third rinse tank;
- heating said rinse solution in said third rinse tank to evaporate and concentrate said solution;
- and
- conveying said concentrated solution from said third rinse tank to said plating tank, whereby a need for wastewater discharge is eliminated and a need for continual addition of plating solution to said plating tank is reduced.
10 more elements
A method of chemically treating an article comprising the steps of:
- providing a working tank having a treatment solution of a first concentration;
- immersing said article in said treatment solution in said working tank;
- removing said article from said working tank and spray rinsing said article with a liquid to remove dragout treatment solution therefrom;
- collecting and heating said liquid in a rinse tank to evaporate said liquid and concentrate said treatment solution in said liquid;
- and
- conveying said liquid with said concentrated treatment solution from said rinse tank to said working tank, thereby eliminating a need for disposing of waste liquid.
3 more elements
A method of chemically treating an article comprising the steps of:
- providing a working tank having a treatment solution of a first concentration;
- immersing said article in said treatment solution in said working tank;
- removing said article from said working tank;
- spray rinsing said article to remove dragout treatment solution therefrom;
- collecting and heating said collected spray rinse and said removed dragout treatment solution in an evaporation tank having a heater, thereby evaporating and concentrating said spray rinse and removed dragout treatment solution;
- and
- transferring said evaporated and concentrated spray rinse and removed dragout treatment solution from said evaporation tank to said working tank, thereby eliminating a need for disposing of waste water.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.