A production apparatus and method for large-size ceramic chips

Abstract

A production apparatus and method for large-size ceramic chips are disclosed. The production apparatus includes an electroplating apparatus and a cleaning apparatus. The electroplating apparatus electroplats the ceramic chips and includes a plating tank and multiple electroplating protective fixtures circumferentially distributed in the plating tank. The electroplating protective fixtures include multiple supports and multiple positioning mechanisms, with the supports arranged sequentially at intervals. The positioning mechanisms are sequentially spaced between adjacent supports for placing and positioning the ceramic chips. The cleaning apparatus cleans the electroplated ceramic chips and includes a frame, a cleaning tank mounted on the frame, a rotating shaft rotatably mounted on the frame and movable downwards into the cleaning tank, and cleaning fixtures mounted on the rotating shaft for mounting the ceramic chips. This application solves the adverse effects of barrel plating on large-size ceramic capacitors through fixture design and method matching, and can improve production efficiency and electroplating quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of ceramic chip fabrication, and specifically relates to a production apparatus and method for large-size ceramic chips. Background Technology

[0002] The fabrication of large-size ceramic chips requires electroplating and cleaning. Current electroplating processes use a barrel plating method, where a certain number of chips and steel balls are rotated in a plating tank to plate the ends. This process carries risks of collisions, defects, and internal damage to the ceramic. Furthermore, the randomness of the chip and steel ball positions during rolling results in unreliable plating uniformity and poor consistency. During cleaning, immersing the ceramic chips in the cleaning solution can lead to incomplete removal of the plating solution from the chip surface. Adding a stirring device for agitation during cleaning can cause collisions between the stirring device and the chips, posing a risk of chip defects and internal damage. Further improvements are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips. Another purpose is to provide a method for producing large-size ceramic chips based on the above-mentioned apparatus.

[0004] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips includes an electroplating unit and a cleaning unit.

[0006] An electroplating apparatus for electroplating ceramic chips includes a plating tank and multiple electroplating protective fixtures circumferentially distributed in the plating tank. The electroplating protective fixtures include multiple supports and multiple positioning mechanisms. The multiple supports are arranged sequentially at intervals. The multiple positioning mechanisms are arranged sequentially at intervals between adjacent supports for placing and positioning ceramic chips. Each positioning mechanism includes multiple connecting rods connected between adjacent supports and one or more positioning frames arranged on connecting rods for placing ceramic chips.

[0007] A cleaning device for cleaning electroplated ceramic chips includes a frame, a cleaning tank mounted on the frame, a rotating shaft that is rotatably mounted on the frame and moves downward into the cleaning tank, and a cleaning fixture mounted on the rotating shaft for mounting the ceramic chips.

[0008] Furthermore, the positioning frame includes two grid plates spaced apart on the connecting rod and multiple limiting rods connected between the two grid plates. A placement cavity for placing ceramic chips is formed between the two grid plates, and a clearance hole for the ceramic chips to enter the placement cavity is formed between the two grid plates.

[0009] Furthermore, the bracket includes a support rod and a mounting bracket disposed on the support rod. Multiple positioning frames are provided. The mounting bracket is formed with mounting holes for mounting adjacent grid plates. The end of the connecting rod extends into the opposite mounting hole for connecting the support grid plate.

[0010] Furthermore, the support rod includes a connecting section and an extension section extending upward and connected to the mounting bracket at the top of the connecting section, and both sides of the connecting section are provided with inwardly extending arc-shaped transition angles.

[0011] Furthermore, the cleaning fixture includes a rotating frame and multiple fixing mechanisms circumferentially distributed on the rotating frame for mounting and fixing ceramic chips. The fixing mechanism includes a fixing plate and two fixing members respectively disposed at both ends of the fixing plate and connected to the rotating frame. The fixing plate includes a fixing plate body and multiple mounting slots spaced apart on the fixing plate body for mounting ceramic chips.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotating frame includes two rotating disks arranged opposite each other and multiple positioning plates connected between the two rotating disks. Multiple fixing mechanisms are connected to the multiple positioning plates one by one, and the ceramic chip is fixed between the mounting slot and the opposite positioning plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the rotating disk includes a rotating ring, a positioning ring surrounding the rotating ring, and multiple reinforcing ribs connecting the rotating ring and the positioning ring; the positioning ring is polygonal and is composed of multiple plates spliced ​​together, with each of the multiple positioning plates corresponding to and connected to the multiple plates.

[0014] Furthermore, the plating tank includes multiple circumferentially distributed side plates, two sealing plates disposed at the front and rear ends of the side plates, and a rotating shaft connected between the two sealing plates. Liquid permeable holes are provided on the side plates and sealing plates, and multiple electroplating protective fixtures are connected to the multiple side plates one by one.

[0015] Furthermore, the electroplating protective fixture also includes a base plate connected to the side plate, and a plurality of the brackets are spaced apart on the base plate; a plurality of liquid permeable holes are formed on the base plate; the side plate is formed with connection holes for mounting the base plate, and the side plate and the base plate are connected by bolt assembly.

[0016] A method for producing large-size ceramic chips, using the production apparatus described above, is as follows:

[0017] Step 1: Install the ceramic chips one by one into the relative positioning frame, and then install the protective fixtures containing the ceramic chips one by one into the plating tank;

[0018] Step 2: Place the plating tank with protective fixtures horizontally in the plating bath, and then adjust the rotation speed of the plating tank and the ratio of steel balls to form a plating layer on the ceramic chip.

[0019] Step 3: Remove the electroplated ceramic chips from the positioning frame and install them one by one on the cleaning fixture. Then fix the cleaning fixture on the rotating shaft and move it downwards to the cleaning tank for cleaning. During cleaning, first use polishing liquid at room temperature to rotate and clean for 25-30 minutes, and then use pure water at a temperature of 60-70℃ to clean 2-3 times to complete the electroplating and cleaning of the ceramic chips.

[0020] As can be seen from the above description of the present invention, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] This application solves the adverse effects of barrel plating on large-size ceramic capacitors by designing fixtures and matching methods, and can improve production efficiency and electroplating quality.

[0022] During the electroplating process, the ceramic chip rotates within the plating tank under the constraint of a positioning frame. Steel balls pass through the positioning frame and contact the chip tip for conductive electroplating. This addresses the problem of inconsistent plating quality caused by the random positioning of the chip and steel balls in traditional barrel plating. By defining the structure of the electroplating protective fixture, the relative positions of the ceramic chip and steel balls are forced to change, thereby improving electroplating efficiency and quality. Furthermore, the barrel plating quality can be manually controlled by adjusting the rotation speed of the plating tank and the steel ball ratio. The plating tank needs to alternate between forward and reverse rotation during the electroplating process. Additionally, arc-shaped transition angles are set on both sides of the support rod to assist in agitation of the steel balls during electroplating, further improving electroplating efficiency.

[0023] Ceramic chip electroplating is a low-speed electroplating process. Under low-speed conditions, the ceramic chip is allowed to come into contact with and slightly collide with the steel ball. Therefore, the structure of the electroplating protective fixture is specifically limited, and a positioning frame is set to allow the ceramic chip a certain degree of freedom under low-speed conditions to improve electroplating efficiency. The cleaning of ceramic chip after electroplating is a high-speed cleaning process. First, the soft particles in the polishing solution remove surface stains, solder marks, and other residues after electroplating, and then it is rinsed with pure water. The high-speed cleaning process does not allow the ceramic chip to have any free points and requires rigid fixation. Therefore, the structure of the fixing mechanism is specifically limited to fix the ceramic chip. Only with the cooperation of electroplating and post-electroplating cleaning processes can the surface quality of the ceramic chip and the product appearance be improved while meeting the reliability requirements of the ceramic chip. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the electroplating apparatus Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the electroplating apparatus Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of electroplating protective fixture Figure 1 ;

[0027] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of electroplating protective fixture Figure 2 ;

[0028] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of electroplating protective fixture Figure 3 ;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning device.

[0030] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the cleaning fixture Figure 1 ;

[0031] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the cleaning fixture Figure 2 ;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating frame.

[0033] In the diagram, 1-electroplating device, 2-cleaning device, 3-ceramic chip, 11-plating tank, 111-side plate, 112-sealing plate, 113-rotating shaft, 114-connecting hole, 12-electroplating protective fixture, 121-substrate, 122-bracket, 1221-support rod, 1222-mounting bracket, 1221a-first support rod, 1222a-first mounting bracket, 1221b-first support rod, 1222b-second mounting bracket, 1223-connecting section, 1224-extension section, 1225-arc transition angle, 1226-positioning rod, 1227-mounting hole, 123-positioning mechanism, 1231-connecting rod, 1 232-Positioning frame, 1233-Grid plate, 1234-Limiting rod, 1235-Placement cavity, 1236-Leaving hole, 14-Liquid permeation hole, 21-Frame, 22-Cleaning tank, 23-Rotating shaft, 24-Cleaning fixture, 25-Rotating frame, 251-Rotating disk, 252-Positioning plate, 253-Rotating ring, 254-Positioning ring, 2541-Plate body, 255-Reinforcing rib, 26-Fixing mechanism, 261-Fixing plate, 262-Fixing component, 263-Fixing plate body, 264-Mounting groove, 265-Fixing block, 266-Connecting block, 267-Fixing bolt, 31-Ceramic chip body, 32-Pin end. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments.

[0035] Reference Figures 1 to 9As shown, a production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips includes an electroplating device 1 and a cleaning device 2, which first electroplat the ceramic chip 3 and then clean it to remove excess electroplating solution to obtain a large-size ceramic chip. Specifically, the size of the ceramic chip 3 is between 5mm*5mm*2mm and 30mm*30mm*6mm. Further, the ceramic chip 3 includes a ceramic chip body 31 and two pin ends 32 disposed opposite to each other at both ends of the ceramic chip body 31. The width of the pin ends 32 is slightly larger than the width of the ceramic chip body 31.

[0036] The electroplating apparatus 1 electroplats the ceramic chip 3 and includes a plating tank 11 and multiple electroplating protective fixtures 12 circumferentially distributed in the plating tank 11. Specifically, the plating tank 11 includes multiple circumferentially distributed side plates 111, two sealing plates 112 disposed at the front and rear ends of the side plates 111, and a rotating shaft 113 connected between the two sealing plates 112. The side plates 111 and the sealing plates 112 are provided with liquid permeation holes 14 to facilitate the exchange of electroplating liquid and gas. Furthermore, the plating tank 11 is also equipped with a conductive device, but this is not the point of this invention and its specific structure will not be described in detail here.

[0037] Multiple electroplating protective fixtures 12 are connected to multiple side plates 111 one by one. Each electroplating protective fixture 12 includes a base plate 121, multiple supports 122 and multiple positioning mechanisms 123. Specifically, the side plates 111 have connection holes 114 for mounting the base plate 121, and the side plates 111 and the base plate 121 are connected by bolt assemblies. Furthermore, the base plate 121 also has multiple liquid permeation holes 14.

[0038] Multiple supports 122 are arranged sequentially at intervals on the substrate 121. Each support 122 includes a support rod 1221 and a mounting bracket 1222 disposed on the support rod 1221. Specifically, the support rod 1221 includes a connecting section 1223 and an extension section 1224 extending upward and disposed at the top of the connecting section 1223 and connected to the mounting bracket 1222. Both sides of the connecting section 1223 are provided with inwardly extending arc-shaped transition angles 1225. By providing arc-shaped transition angles 1225 on the support rod 1221, the electroplating process is facilitated by... The steel balls are agitated to improve electroplating efficiency. Furthermore, the multiple supports 122 include two first supports spaced apart and a plurality of second supports spaced apart between the two first supports. The first support includes a first support rod 1221a and a first mounting bracket 1222a disposed on the first support rod 1221a. The second support includes a second support rod 1221b, two second mounting brackets 1222b spaced apart on the second support rod 1221b, and a plurality of positioning rods 1226 connected between the two second mounting brackets 1222b.

[0039] Multiple positioning mechanisms 123 are sequentially and spaced apart between two adjacent mounting brackets 1222 for placing and positioning ceramic chips 3. Each positioning mechanism 123 includes multiple connecting rods 1231 sequentially and spaced apart between two adjacent mounting brackets 1222, and one or more positioning frames 1232 disposed on the connecting rods 1231 for placing the ceramic chips 3. Specifically, each positioning frame 1232 includes two grid plates 1233 spaced apart on the connecting rods 1231 and multiple limiting rods 1234 connecting the two grid plates 1233. A placement space for placing the ceramic chips 3 is formed between the two grid plates 1233. The cavity 1235 and the grid plates 1233 form a clearance hole 1236 for the ceramic chip 3 to enter the placement cavity 1235; further, the positioning frame 1232 is provided with multiple, the mounting bracket 1222 is circular and has mounting holes 1227 for mounting adjacent grid plates 1233, and the end of the connecting rod 1231 extends into the opposite mounting hole 1227 for connecting and supporting the grid plate 1233; further, the grid plate 1233 is square, and multiple limiting rods 1234 are arranged sequentially on three sides of the placement cavity 1235, so that the remaining side forms the clearance hole 1236.

[0040] The cleaning device 2 cleans the electroplated ceramic chip 3, and includes a frame 21, a cleaning tank 22 mounted on the frame 21, a rotating shaft 23 rotatably mounted on the frame 21 and movable downward into the cleaning tank 22, and a cleaning fixture 24 mounted on the rotating shaft 23 for mounting the ceramic chip 3. Specifically, the frame 21 is provided with a drive mechanism that connects to and drives the rotating shaft 23 to rotate, and a moving mechanism that connects to and drives the rotating shaft 23 to move up and down. The drive mechanism and the moving mechanism that drive the rotating component to rotate and move the component up and down are commonly used devices in the mechanical field and are not the inventive point of this application. Therefore, their specific structure and working principle will not be further described here. Furthermore, the frame 21 is provided with a temperature control mechanism to maintain the temperature of the ceramic chip 3 during the cleaning process. The temperature control mechanism is a conventional setting and is not the inventive point of this application. Therefore, its specific structure and working principle will not be further described here.

[0041] The cleaning fixture 24 includes a rotating frame 25 connected to a rotating shaft 23 and multiple fixing mechanisms 26 circumferentially distributed on the rotating frame 25 for mounting and fixing ceramic chips 3. Specifically, the rotating frame 25 is connected to the rotating shaft 23 by fastening bolts.

[0042] The rotating frame 25 includes two rotating disks 251 arranged vertically opposite each other and multiple positioning plates 252 connected between the two rotating disks 251. Specifically, the rotating disk 251 includes a rotating ring 253 connected to the rotating shaft 23, a positioning ring 254 arranged around the rotating ring 253, and multiple reinforcing ribs 255 connected between the rotating ring 253 and the positioning ring 254. This specifically defines the structure of the rotating frame 25, reducing the weight of the rotating frame 25 while ensuring its strength, thereby reducing the rotational burden on the rotating shaft 23. Furthermore, the positioning ring 254 is polygonal and is composed of multiple plates 2541 spliced ​​together. The multiple positioning plates 252 are connected one-to-one with the multiple plates 2541, and the positioning plates 252 are connected to the middle of the two vertically opposite plates 2541.

[0043] Multiple fixing mechanisms 26 are connected one-to-one with multiple positioning plates 252. Each fixing mechanism 26 includes a fixing plate 261 and two fixing members 262 respectively disposed at both ends of the fixing plate 261 and connected to the positioning plates 252. Specifically, the fixing plate 261 includes a fixing plate body 263 and multiple mounting slots 264 spaced apart on the fixing plate body 263 for mounting ceramic chips 3. The length of the mounting slots 264 is adapted to the height of the ceramic chip body 31, so that the ceramic chip 3 can be stably installed in the mounting slots 264 and will not detach laterally from the mounting slots 264 under the action of the pin end 32, so as to ensure the cleaning effect of the ceramic chip 3. Furthermore, the fixing members 262 include fixing blocks 265 disposed at the ends of the fixing plate 261, connecting blocks 266 disposed on the plate body 2541 opposite to the fixing blocks 265, and fixing bolts 267 passing through the fixing blocks 265 and connecting to the connecting blocks 266.

[0044] The specific production method is as follows:

[0045] Step 1: Install the ceramic chip 3 into the relative positioning frame 1232 one by one with the clearance hole, then seal the clearance hole 1236 with cable ties, and then connect the multiple electroplating protective fixtures 12 with the ceramic chip 3 installed to the multiple side plates 111 of the plating tank 11 one by one.

[0046] Step 2: Place the plating tank 11, which is equipped with multiple electroplating protective fixtures 12, horizontally in the plating bath so that the liquid level of the plating solution occupies more than 80% of the plating tank 11. Then, by adjusting the rotation speed of the plating tank 11 and the ratio of steel balls, a plating layer is formed on the ceramic chip 3.

[0047] Step 3: Remove the electroplated ceramic chip 3 from the positioning frame 1232 and install it one by one on the mounting slot 264. Then fix the fixing plate 261 on the positioning plate 252. Next, fix the cleaning fixture 24 on the rotating shaft 23 and move it down to the cleaning tank 22 for cleaning. During cleaning, first use polishing liquid to rotate and clean for 25-30 minutes at room temperature, and then use pure water to clean 2-3 times at a temperature of 60-70℃ to complete the electroplating and cleaning of the ceramic chip 3.

[0048] The electroplating of ceramic chip 3 is a low-speed electroplating process. Under low-speed conditions, ceramic chip 3 is allowed to contact and slightly collide with steel balls. Therefore, the structure of the electroplating protective fixture 12 is specifically defined, and the positioning frame 1232 is set to allow ceramic chip 3 to have a certain degree of freedom under low-speed conditions to improve electroplating efficiency. The cleaning of ceramic chip 3 after electroplating is a high-speed cleaning process. First, the soft particles in the polishing liquid remove surface stains, tin marks and other residues after electroplating, and then it is washed with pure water. The high-speed cleaning process does not allow the ceramic chip to have free points and requires rigid fixation. Therefore, the structure of the fixing mechanism 26 is specifically defined to fix the ceramic chip. With the cooperation of electroplating and post-electroplating cleaning processes, the surface quality and product appearance of ceramic chip 3 can be improved while meeting the reliability requirements of ceramic chip 3.

[0049] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the specification of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips, characterized in that: Includes electroplating equipment and cleaning equipment. An electroplating apparatus for electroplating ceramic chips includes a plating tank and multiple electroplating protective fixtures circumferentially distributed in the plating tank. The electroplating protective fixtures include multiple supports and multiple positioning mechanisms. The multiple supports are arranged sequentially at intervals. The multiple positioning mechanisms are arranged sequentially at intervals between adjacent supports for placing and positioning ceramic chips. Each positioning mechanism includes multiple connecting rods connected between adjacent supports and one or more positioning frames arranged on connecting rods for placing ceramic chips. A cleaning device for cleaning electroplated ceramic chips includes a frame, a cleaning tank mounted on the frame, a rotating shaft rotatably mounted on the frame and movable downward into the cleaning tank, and a cleaning fixture mounted on the rotating shaft for mounting the ceramic chips. The cleaning fixture includes a rotating frame and multiple fixing mechanisms circumferentially distributed on the rotating frame for mounting and fixing ceramic chips. Each fixing mechanism includes a fixing plate and two fixing members respectively disposed at both ends of the fixing plate and connected to the rotating frame. The fixing plate includes a fixing plate body and multiple mounting slots spaced apart on the fixing plate body for mounting ceramic chips. The rotating frame includes two rotating disks arranged opposite each other and multiple positioning plates connected between the two rotating disks. Multiple fixing mechanisms are connected to the multiple positioning plates one by one, and the ceramic chip is fixed between the mounting slot and the opposite positioning plate.

2. The production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning frame includes two grid plates spaced apart on the connecting rod and multiple limiting rods connected between the two grid plates. A placement cavity for placing ceramic chips is formed between the two grid plates, and a clearance hole for the ceramic chips to enter the placement cavity is formed between the two grid plates.

3. The production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bracket includes a support rod and a mounting bracket disposed on the support rod. Multiple positioning frames are provided. The mounting bracket is formed with mounting holes for mounting adjacent grid plates. The end of the connecting rod extends into the opposite mounting hole for connecting the support grid plate.

4. The production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support rod includes a connecting section and an extension section that extends upward and is located at the top of the connecting section and connected to the mounting bracket. Both sides of the connecting section are provided with inwardly extending arc-shaped transition angles.

5. The production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating disk includes a rotating ring, a positioning ring surrounding the rotating ring, and multiple reinforcing ribs connecting the rotating ring and the positioning ring; the positioning ring is polygonal and is composed of multiple plates spliced ​​together, with each positioning plate corresponding to one of the multiple plates.

6. The production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plating tank includes multiple circumferentially distributed side plates, two sealing plates disposed at the front and rear ends of the side plates, and a rotating shaft connected between the two sealing plates. Liquid permeable holes are provided on the side plates and sealing plates, and multiple electroplating protective fixtures are connected to the multiple side plates one by one.

7. The production apparatus for large-size ceramic chips according to claim 6, characterized in that: The electroplating protective fixture also includes a base plate connected to a side plate, and a plurality of brackets are spaced apart on the base plate; a plurality of liquid permeable holes are formed on the base plate; the side plate is formed with connection holes for mounting the base plate, and the side plate and the base plate are connected by bolt assemblies.

8. A method for producing large-size ceramic chips, characterized in that: The production method using the production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is as follows: Step 1: Install the ceramic chips one by one into the relative positioning frame, and then install the protective fixtures containing the ceramic chips one by one into the plating tank; Step 2: Place the plating tank with protective fixtures horizontally in the plating bath, and then adjust the rotation speed of the plating tank and the ratio of steel balls to form a plating layer on the ceramic chip. Step 3: Remove the electroplated ceramic chips from the positioning frame and install them one by one on the cleaning fixture. Then fix the cleaning fixture on the rotating shaft and move it downwards to the cleaning tank for cleaning. During cleaning, first use polishing liquid to rotate and clean at room temperature for 25-30 minutes, and then use pure water at a temperature of 60-70℃ to clean 2-3 times to complete the electroplating and cleaning of the ceramic chips.

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