Wire plating
AssigneeUnited Wire Limited
InventorAndrew Hughes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a method of continuously coating a conductive substrate such as brass wire to produce a desired cross-sectional size of coated material, the wire is drawn through a first die to produce an oversize wire, electroplate in a bath, and then drawn through a final die to reduce its area to the desired size and produce a controlled surface finish. The wire may be cleaned in an acid bath and rinsed in a rinsing bath prior to the electroplating bath. A further rinsing bath and dryer may be interposed upstream of the final die.
Claims15
A method for the production of surface treated, metal alloy pins of a preselected overall cross-sectional size, which comprises continuously coating a conductive metal alloy substrate by the steps of:
- a) drawing the metal alloy substrate through at least one die so as to produce a cross-sectional size which is greater than that desired for the pins;
- b) stress relieving the drawn alloy;
- c) electroplating the drawn, metal alloy substrate to a thickness not exceeding approximately 1 micron in a continuous manner as it passes through an electroplating bath;
- d) drawing the plated, metal alloy substrate through a final die to reduce the cross-sectional area to the predetermined pin size;
- and
- e) forming the pins.
Apparatus for producing surface treated, metal alloy pins comprising at least one die drawing means through which an elongate, metal alloy substrate in a continuous length can be drawn to achieve a first overall cross-sectional size, stress relieving means located after the first mentioned die drawing means, electroplating means through which the stress relieved drawn substrate passes for electroplating on the surface thereof, a final die drawing means through which the plated substrate is drawn to achieve a preselected cross-sectional area of the pins, and means for forming the pins, when operated to produce pins electroplated to a thickness not exceeding approximately 1 micron before the final die drawing means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.