Electroplating equipment and electroplating method

Abstract

The invention discloses electroplating equipment and an electroplating method, and the electroplating equipment comprises an electroplating bath which is used for electroplating a battery piece so as to form a metal grid line on the battery piece; the cleaning tank is used for cleaning the electroplated battery piece or the carrier provided with the battery piece so as to wash away the electroplating liquid on the battery piece or the carrier provided with the battery piece; and the treatment device is used for treating the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank and enabling the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained through treatment to flow back to the electroplating tank. The cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank is treated, and the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained through treatment flows back to the electroplating tank, so that the electroplating liquid with the liquid can be recycled, and the copper electroplating cost of the battery piece is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electroplating, and in particular to an electroplating device and an electroplating method. Background Art

[0002] During the copper electroplating process for solar cells, as cells or carriers carrying them move from the plating tank to the downstream cleaning tank, they carry the plating solution from the plating tank into the cleaning tank (referred to in the art as "carryover"). In particular, the volume of plating solution carried from the plating tank into the cleaning tank by the carrier carrying the cells (referred to in the art as "carryover") is greater. In existing processes, the plating solution carried into the cleaning tank is treated and then discharged as wastewater, which still poses a risk of environmental pollution. Furthermore, the plating solution carried into the cleaning tank is wasted, increasing the cost of copper electroplating for solar cells. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electroplating device and an electroplating method to solve one of the technical problems mentioned in the background technology.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention are as follows.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electroplating device, comprising:

[0006] An electroplating tank, used for electroplating the cell to form metal grid lines on the cell;

[0007] A cleaning tank is used to clean the electroplated cells or the carrier containing the cells to wash away the electroplating solution on the cells or the carrier containing the cells;

[0008] The treatment device is used to treat the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank and return the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained through treatment to the electroplating tank.

[0009] In some embodiments, the treatment device is further used to return the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained through treatment to the cleaning tank.

[0010] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet of the treatment device is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank through a first pipe, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the cleaning tank can flow into the treatment device;

[0011] The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the electroplating tank through a second pipe to return the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank;

[0012] The weak liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the cleaning tank through a third pipeline, so that the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment can flow back to the cleaning tank.

[0013] In some embodiments, the electroplating equipment further includes a temporary storage tank for temporarily storing the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank and transferring the cleaning waste liquid to a processing device.

[0014] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank through a first pipe, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the cleaning tank can flow into the temporary storage tank;

[0015] The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device through a fourth pipe, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank can flow into the processing device;

[0016] The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the electroplating tank through a second pipe to return the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank;

[0017] The weak liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the cleaning tank through a third pipeline, so that the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment can flow back to the cleaning tank.

[0018] In some embodiments, the cleaning tank includes a plurality of sub-cleaning tanks arranged in sequence along a first direction, and the cleaning waste liquid overflows into each sub-cleaning tank step by step along a second direction; the first sub-cleaning tank arranged along the first direction is connected to a processing device; the first direction and the second direction are two opposite directions.

[0019] In some embodiments, the electroplating equipment also includes a drying tank for drying the cleaned battery cells or carriers containing battery cells; the drying tank is connected to a temporary storage tank or a processing device through a fifth pipe so that the cleaning waste liquid dropped during the drying process can be processed by the processing device and then flow back into the electroplating tank.

[0020] In some embodiments, a wind shear mechanism is provided near the inlet of the drying tank, and the wind shear mechanism is used to blow off the battery cells or the cleaning waste liquid on the carrier carrying the battery cells.

[0021] In some embodiments, a pretreatment tank for pre-treating the battery cells is provided upstream of the electroplating tank, and a liquid removal mechanism is provided between the pretreatment tank and the electroplating tank to remove the pretreatment liquid on the battery cells or the carrier carrying the battery cells.

[0022] In some embodiments, the electroplating equipment further includes a weighing mechanism for weighing the weight difference between the cell or the carrier containing the cell before and after the liquid removal to calculate the volume of the pre-treatment liquid removed by the liquid removal mechanism;

[0023] A flow meter and a valve are provided on the pipeline connecting the processing device to the electroplating tank. The flow rate of the refluxed electroplating solution is measured by the flow meter, and the flow rate of the refluxed electroplating solution is controlled by the opening size of the valve.

[0024] In some embodiments, the electroplating equipment further includes a rehydration tank, through which the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid flows back into the electroplating tank.

[0025] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an electroplating method, which is applied to an electroplating device, wherein the electroplating device includes a plating tank and a cleaning tank, wherein the plating tank is used to electroplate a product, and the cleaning tank is used to clean the product or a carrier containing the product, and the electroplating method includes:

[0026] Treat the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank;

[0027] The high-concentration cleaning wastewater obtained from the treatment is returned to the electroplating tank.

[0028] In some embodiments, the electroplating method further comprises: drying the cleaned product or the carrier containing the product;

[0029] The cleaning waste liquid dropped during the drying process is treated, and the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is returned to the electroplating tank, and the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is returned to the cleaning tank.

[0030] In some embodiments, the electroplating method further comprises: performing pre-treatment on the product before electroplating;

[0031] The pretreatment liquid carried by the product or the carrier containing the product is removed so that the volume of the pretreatment liquid removed per unit time is equal to or substantially equal to the volume of the refluxed electroplating liquid.

[0032] In some embodiments, returning the processed high-concentration cleaning wastewater to the electroplating tank comprises:

[0033] The high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is returned to the electroplating tank in the form of replenishment, so that the volume of the electroplating liquid that needs to be replenished in the electroplating tank remains equal or substantially equal to the volume of the electroplating liquid actually replenished.

[0034] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the embodiments of the present invention have the following advantages over the prior art: the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank is treated, and the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is returned to the electroplating tank, so that the electroplating liquid with liquid can be recycled, thereby reducing the cost of copper electroplating on the battery cell. On the premise that the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is returned to the electroplating tank, the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is also returned to the cleaning tank, so that all the cleaning waste liquid can be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Attachment Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0036] Attachment Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 2 of the present invention;

[0037] Attachment Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0038] Attachment Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 4 of the present invention;

[0039] Attachment Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 5 of the present invention;

[0040] Attachment Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 6 of the present invention;

[0041] Attachment Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 7 of the present invention;

[0042] Attachment Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating equipment in Example 8 of the present invention;

[0043] The meanings of the reference numerals are as follows:

[0044] Electroplating tank 1, first concentration meter 11, cleaning tank 2, first sub-cleaning tank 201, second sub-cleaning tank 202, third sub-cleaning tank 203, second concentration meter 21, processing device 3, first pipe 41, second pipe 42, third pipe 43, fourth pipe 44, fifth pipe 45, sixth pipe 46, temporary storage tank 5, drying tank 6, pretreatment tank 7, liquid removal mechanism 8, liquid replenishing tank 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the advantages and features of the present invention by those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the description of these embodiments is provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. Example 1 is not intended to be a single example, but rather a collection of examples with similar schemes or features. The same applies to the other examples.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] like Figure 1As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1 and a cleaning tank 2. The battery cell or the carrier equipped with the battery cell flows from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2. The electroplating equipment also includes a treatment device 3. The liquid inlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating solution) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the treatment device 3. The treatment device 3 can concentrate the inflowing cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., the refluxed electroplating solution). The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 through a second pipe 42 to reflux the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid into the electroplating tank 1, so that the electroplating solution with liquid can be recycled, reducing the cost of copper electroplating of the battery cell. At the same time, the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid formed in the treatment device 3 is discharged after treatment. Because the concentration of the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid is low, it is easy to handle and also saves the discharge treatment cost. The direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure is the moving direction of the battery cell, that is, the first direction.

[0048] Specifically, the treatment device 3 is a single-stage or multi-stage concentration structure, and some levels of the concentration structure include a high-pressure reverse osmosis membrane, which drives water molecules through the membrane pores by applying high pressure, thereby separating copper ions and water, thereby concentrating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0049] Specifically, a first concentration meter 11 is provided in the electroplating tank 1 to detect the concentration of the plating solution in the electroplating tank 1 in real time or periodically, and to send the plating solution concentration information to a controller, such as a PLC. The controller controls the opening of the valve on the second pipe 42 according to the received plating solution concentration information to adjust the volume of the refluxed plating solution. For example, when the concentration of the plating solution in the electroplating tank 1 is low, the controller controls the opening of the valve on the second pipe 42 to increase the volume of the refluxed plating solution. More specifically, the electroplating tank also includes a feeding system for replenishing high-concentration plating solution or copper powder. The controller needs to coordinate and control the feeding amount of the feeding system and the volume of the refluxed plating solution.

[0050] Specifically, a second concentration meter 21 is provided in the cleaning tank 2 to detect the concentration of the cleaning waste liquid in the cleaning tank 2 in real time or periodically, and transmit the cleaning waste liquid concentration information to the controller. The controller controls the opening and closing of the valve on the first pipe 41 based on the received cleaning waste liquid concentration information to realize whether the cleaning tank 2 is drained. For example, when the cleaning waste liquid concentration in the cleaning tank 2 reaches a high preset value, the controller controls the valve on the first pipe 41 to open and simultaneously replenish the cleaning tank 2 with new cleaning liquid. When the cleaning liquid concentration in the cleaning tank 2 reaches a low preset value, the controller controls the valve on the first pipe 41 to close and simultaneously stops replenishing the cleaning tank 2 with new cleaning liquid. Preferably, the new cleaning liquid is water, and both the cleaning waste liquid and the cleaning liquid are aqueous solutions containing electroplating solution.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1 and a cleaning tank 2. The battery cell or the carrier equipped with the battery cell flows from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2. The electroplating equipment also includes a treatment device 3, the liquid inlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating solution) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the treatment device 3. The treatment device 3 can concentrate the inflowing cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., the refluxed electroplating solution). The concentrated solution outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 through a second pipe 42 to reflux the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid into the electroplating tank 1, so that the electroplating solution with liquid can be recycled, reducing the cost of copper electroplating of the battery cell. The dilute solution outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the cleaning tank 2 through a third pipe 43 to reflux the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid in the treatment device 3 into the cleaning tank 2. All the cleaning waste liquid flowing out of the cleaning tank 2 can be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0053] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to Example 1.

[0054] Example 3

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1 and a cleaning tank 2, and the battery cells or the carrier equipped with the battery cells flow from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2. The electroplating equipment also includes a processing device 3 and a temporary storage tank 5. The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating solution) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the temporary storage tank 5. The temporary storage tank 5 is used to temporarily store the incoming cleaning waste liquid. The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device 3 through a fourth pipe 44, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 can flow into the processing device 3. In some scenarios, the liquid outlet speed of the cleaning tank 2 is greater than the processing speed of the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 cannot process the cleaning waste liquid in a timely and rapid manner. Therefore, a temporary storage tank 5 is provided to temporarily cache the cleaning waste liquid.

[0056] The processing device 3 is capable of concentrating the incoming cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., refluxed electroplating liquid). The concentrated liquid outlet of the processing device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 through a second pipe 42 to reflux the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid into the electroplating tank 1, so that the electroplating liquid with liquid can be recycled, reducing the cost of copper electroplating of the battery cell. At the same time, the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid formed in the processing device 3 is discharged after treatment. Because the concentration of the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid is low, it is easy to handle, which also saves the cost of discharge and treatment. The direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure is the movement direction of the battery cell.

[0057] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to Example 1.

[0058] Example 4

[0059] like Figure 4 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1 and a cleaning tank 2, and the battery cells or the carrier equipped with the battery cells flow from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2. The electroplating equipment also includes a processing device 3 and a temporary storage tank 5. The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating solution) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the temporary storage tank 5. The temporary storage tank 5 is used to temporarily store the incoming cleaning waste liquid. The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device 3 through a fourth pipe 44, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 can flow into the processing device 3. In some scenarios, the liquid outlet speed of the cleaning tank 2 is greater than the processing speed of the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 cannot process the cleaning waste liquid in a timely and rapid manner. Therefore, a temporary storage tank 5 is provided to temporarily cache the cleaning waste liquid.

[0060] The treatment device 3 is capable of concentrating the incoming cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., refluxed electroplating liquid). The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 via a second pipe 42 to reflux the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid back into the electroplating tank 1, allowing the electroplating liquid with liquid to be recycled, thereby reducing the cost of copper electroplating on the battery cells. The dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the cleaning tank 2 via a third pipe 43 to reflux the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid in the treatment device 3 back into the cleaning tank 2, allowing all the cleaning waste liquid to be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0061] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to Example 1.

[0062] Example 5

[0063] like Figure 5As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1 and a cleaning tank 2. The cleaning tank 2 includes a plurality of sub-cleaning tanks, specifically a first sub-cleaning tank 201, a second sub-cleaning tank 202, and a third sub-cleaning tank 203. The cleaning liquid flows from the third sub-cleaning tank 203 to the second sub-cleaning tank 202 and the first sub-cleaning tank 201 in sequence. An overflow is set between the two adjacent sub-cleaning tanks so that the concentration of the cleaning waste liquid in the first sub-cleaning tank 201 is the highest. The battery cell or the carrier equipped with the battery cell flows from the electroplating tank 1 to the first sub-cleaning tank 201, bringing the electroplating liquid in the electroplating tank 1 into the first sub-cleaning tank 201. The electroplating equipment also includes a processing device 3 and a temporary storage tank 5. The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid outlet of the first sub-cleaning tank 201 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating liquid) in the first sub-cleaning tank 201 can flow into the temporary storage tank 5. The temporary storage tank 5 is used to temporarily store the incoming cleaning waste liquid. The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device 3 via a fourth pipe 44, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 can flow into the processing device 3. In some scenarios, the liquid discharge rate of the first sub-cleaning tank 201 is greater than the processing speed of the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 cannot promptly process the cleaning waste liquid. Therefore, the temporary storage tank 5 is provided to temporarily buffer the cleaning waste liquid.

[0064] The treatment device 3 can concentrate the incoming cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., refluxed electroplating liquid). The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 through the second pipe 42 to return the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank 1, so that the electroplating liquid with liquid can be recycled, reducing the cost of copper electroplating of the battery cell. At the same time, the dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the first sub-cleaning tank 201 through the third pipe 43 to return the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid in the treatment device 3 to the first sub-cleaning tank 201, so that all the cleaning waste liquid can be recycled, saving the treatment cost of the cleaning waste liquid. Of course, the dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 can also be connected to the second sub-cleaning tank 202 or the third sub-cleaning tank 203. In addition, the dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 can also be connected to a discharge treatment device (not shown in the figure), which is used to treat the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid so that the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid is discharged after meeting the standards. The direction indicated by arrow A in the figure is the direction of movement of the battery cell, that is, the first direction. The direction indicated by arrow B in the figure is the flow direction of the cleaning liquid, that is, the second direction.

[0065] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to Example 1.

[0066] Example 6

[0067] like Figure 6As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1, a cleaning tank 2, and a drying tank 6, which are arranged in sequence along the moving direction of the battery cells. The battery cells or the carriers carrying battery cells flow from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the plating solution in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2.

[0068] The electroplating equipment also includes a processing device 3 and a temporary storage tank 5. The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating liquid) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the temporary storage tank 5. The temporary storage tank 5 is used to temporarily store the incoming cleaning waste liquid. The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device 3 through a fourth pipe 44, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 can flow into the processing device 3. In some scenarios, the liquid outlet speed of the cleaning tank 2 is greater than the processing speed of the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 cannot process the cleaning waste liquid in a timely and rapid manner. Therefore, the temporary storage tank 5 is set to temporarily cache the cleaning waste liquid.

[0069] The treatment device 3 is capable of concentrating the incoming cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., refluxed electroplating liquid). The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 via a second pipe 42 to reflux the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid back into the electroplating tank 1, allowing the electroplating liquid with liquid to be recycled, thereby reducing the cost of copper electroplating on the battery cells. The dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the cleaning tank 2 via a third pipe 43 to reflux the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid in the treatment device 3 back into the cleaning tank 2, allowing all the cleaning waste liquid to be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0070] The drying tank 6 is used to dry the cleaned battery cells or the carriers containing the battery cells. The drying tank 6 generally uses a hot air knife for drying, so a small amount of cleaning waste liquid will fall into the drying tank 6. This part of the cleaning waste liquid is called the second cleaning waste liquid. The drying tank 6 is connected to the temporary storage tank 5 through the fifth pipe 45 so that the second cleaning waste liquid can flow into the temporary storage tank 5; the second cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 flows into the treatment device 3 through the fourth pipe 44, and the treatment device 3 concentrates the second cleaning waste liquid. The high-concentration second cleaning waste liquid formed by the concentration treatment flows back to the electroplating tank 1, and the low-concentration second cleaning waste liquid formed by the concentration treatment flows back to the cleaning tank 2, thereby realizing the recycling of the second cleaning waste liquid.

[0071] Preferably, the cleaning waste liquid and the second cleaning waste liquid are mixed in the temporary storage tank 5 and then flow into the treatment device 3 for treatment.

[0072] Preferably, a wind shear mechanism (not shown) is provided on the side of the drying tank 6 near the cleaning tank 2, i.e., near the entrance of the drying tank 6. The wind shear mechanism blows off the cleaning waste liquid (referred to as the third cleaning waste liquid) carried by the battery cells. The third cleaning waste liquid also flows into the temporary storage tank 5 through the fifth pipe 45, thereby realizing the recycling of the third cleaning waste liquid.

[0073] In other embodiments, the drying tank 6 may be directly connected to the treatment device 3 via the fifth pipe 45. Preferably, the cleaning waste liquid and the second cleaning waste liquid are mixed in the treatment device 3 and then treated by the treatment device 3.

[0074] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to Example 1.

[0075] Example 7

[0076] like Figure 7 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes a pretreatment tank 7, a liquid removal mechanism 8, an electroplating tank 1, and a cleaning tank 2, which are arranged in sequence along the moving direction of the battery cells. The battery cells or carriers loaded with battery cells flow from the pretreatment tank 7 to the electroplating tank 1, bringing the pretreatment liquid in the pretreatment tank 7 into the electroplating tank 1. The battery cells or carriers loaded with battery cells flow from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the electroplating liquid in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2.

[0077] The electroplating equipment also includes a processing device 3 and a temporary storage tank 5. The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating liquid) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the temporary storage tank 5. The temporary storage tank 5 is used to temporarily store the incoming cleaning waste liquid. The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device 3 through a fourth pipe 44, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 can flow into the processing device 3. In some scenarios, the liquid outlet speed of the cleaning tank 2 is greater than the processing speed of the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 cannot process the cleaning waste liquid in a timely and rapid manner. Therefore, the temporary storage tank 5 is set to temporarily cache the cleaning waste liquid.

[0078] The treatment device 3 is capable of concentrating the incoming cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., refluxed electroplating liquid). The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 via a second pipe 42 to reflux the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid back into the electroplating tank 1, allowing the electroplating liquid with liquid to be recycled, thereby reducing the cost of copper electroplating on the battery cells. The dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the cleaning tank 2 via a third pipe 43 to reflux the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid in the treatment device 3 back into the cleaning tank 2, allowing all the cleaning waste liquid to be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0079] The liquid removal mechanism 8 is used to reduce or remove the pretreatment liquid brought from the pretreatment tank 7 to the electroplating tank 1 by the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells. Specifically, the liquid removal mechanism 8 can be a wind shear mechanism arranged on the path passed by the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells, and the wind shear mechanism is used to blow off the pretreatment liquid on the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells. The liquid removal mechanism 8 can also be a brush arranged on the path passed by the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells, so as to brush off the pretreatment liquid on the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells. The liquid removal mechanism 8 can also be an adsorption cotton arranged on the path passed by the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells, so as to adsorb and remove the pretreatment liquid on the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells. More specifically, the pretreatment tank 7 can be an acid soaking tank, and the pretreatment liquid can be a sulfuric acid solution.

[0080] In the prior art, a liquid removal mechanism 8 is generally not provided between the pretreatment tank 7 and the electroplating tank 1. The battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells will bring the pretreatment liquid into the electroplating tank 1 when passing through the pretreatment tank 7. In a unit time t, the volume of the pretreatment liquid brought into the electroplating tank 1 is L1, and the volume of the electroplating liquid brought out of the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2 by the battery cells or the carriers equipped with battery cells is L2. L1 is generally equal to L2, so that the amount of liquid brought in and taken out of the electroplating tank 1 can be kept balanced. However, when the electroplating liquid taken out of the cleaning tank 2 will be partially recovered and flow back to the electroplating tank 1, the volume of the refluxed electroplating liquid is L3, then the amount of liquid entering the electroplating tank 1 (L1+L3) and the amount of liquid taken out (L2) will not be able to keep a balance, resulting in a gradual increase in the liquid level of the electroplating liquid in the electroplating tank 1, and eventually the electroplating liquid will overflow abnormally. In addition, an increase in the plating solution level in the electroplating tank 1 will affect the electroplating effect. For example, in a horizontal electroplating process, the lower surface of the cell is single-sidedly plated, and the upper surface of the cell needs to be kept dry. If the plating solution level in the electroplating tank 1 rises abnormally, the plating solution will overflow the upper surface of the cell, causing the upper surface of the cell to also be plated. Therefore, in this embodiment, a liquid removal mechanism 8 is provided to pre-remove or lower the pretreatment liquid carried by the cell (or the carrier containing the cell) to reduce or eliminate the impact of the backflow of plating solution on the plating solution level in the electroplating tank 1.

[0081] Specifically, to determine the volume L1 of the pretreatment solution introduced into the electroplating tank 1, a weighing mechanism can be provided to measure the weight of the cell or carrier containing the cell while dry, referred to as the first weight G1. The cell or carrier containing the cell is then weighed after passing through the pretreatment tank 7, referred to as the second weight G2. The density ρ1 of the pretreatment solution and the gravity coefficient g are known parameters. Given the number n1 of cells or carriers containing cells entering the electroplating tank 1 per unit time t, the volume L1 of the pretreatment solution introduced into the electroplating tank 1 can be calculated using the formula: L1 = n1(G2 - G1) / ρ1g.

[0082] To determine the volume L2 of the plating solution removed from plating tank 1, a weighing mechanism can be used to measure the weight of the cells or carriers carrying cells after passing through plating tank 1, referred to as the third weight G3. The density ρ2 of the plating solution and the gravity coefficient g are known parameters. Given that the number of cells or carriers carrying cells entering cleaning tank 2 per unit time t is n2, the volume L2 of the plating solution removed from plating tank 1 can be calculated using the formula: L2 = n2(G3 - G1) / ρ2g.

[0083] The pipeline (e.g., second pipeline 42) connecting processing device 3 to electroplating tank 1 is equipped with a flow meter to measure the flow rate of the returning electroplating solution; and a valve to control the flow rate of the returning electroplating solution by adjusting the opening of the valve. For example, if the flow meter measures the flow rate of the returning electroplating solution per unit time t as q, the volume L3 of the returning electroplating solution can be calculated as: L3 = qt.

[0084] Therefore, the volume L4 of pretreatment liquid that needs to be removed by liquid removal mechanism 8 must satisfy L4 = L1 + L3 - L2. When L1 is approximately equal to L2, L4 = L3. That is, ensuring that the volume of pretreatment liquid removed by liquid removal mechanism 8 and the volume of the reflowing plating liquid are equal or substantially equal per unit time can maintain a stable plating liquid level in plating tank 1.

[0085] Furthermore, to determine the volume L4 of the pretreatment liquid removed by the liquid removal mechanism 8, a weighing mechanism can be provided to measure the weight of the battery cells or carriers containing battery cells after the liquid is removed, referred to as the fourth weight G4. The density ρ1 of the pretreatment liquid and the gravity coefficient g are known parameters. Given that the number of battery cells or carriers containing battery cells that undergo liquid removal per unit time t is n3, the volume L4 of the pretreatment liquid removed by the liquid removal mechanism 8 can be calculated using the formula: L4 = n3(G2 - G4) / ρ1g.

[0086] More specifically, the weighing mechanism may be a weight sensor provided on a manipulator, which can weigh the weight of the battery cells or the carrier containing the battery cells during the process of transferring the battery cells or the carrier containing the battery cells by the manipulator.

[0087] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to Example 1.

[0088] Example 8

[0089] like Figure 8 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank 1 and a cleaning tank 2. The battery cells or the carriers carrying the battery cells flow from the electroplating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2, bringing the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 1 into the cleaning tank 2.

[0090] The electroplating equipment also includes a processing device 3, a temporary storage tank 5 and a liquid replenishing tank 9. The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank 2 through a first pipe 41, so that the cleaning waste liquid (whose components include electroplating liquid) in the cleaning tank 2 can flow into the temporary storage tank 5. The temporary storage tank 5 is used to temporarily store the incoming cleaning waste liquid. The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device 3 through a fourth pipe 44, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank 5 can flow into the processing device 3. In some scenarios, the liquid outlet speed of the cleaning tank 2 is greater than the processing speed of the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 cannot process the cleaning waste liquid in a timely and rapid manner. Therefore, a temporary storage tank 5 is set to temporarily cache the cleaning waste liquid.

[0091] The treatment device 3 is capable of concentrating the incoming cleaning waste liquid to form a high-concentration cleaning waste liquid (i.e., refluxed electroplating liquid). The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the rehydration tank 9 via the sixth pipe 46, and the rehydration tank 9 is connected to the electroplating tank 1 via the second pipe 42, so that the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid concentrated by the treatment device 3 can be refluxed into the electroplating tank 1, so that the electroplating liquid with liquid can be recycled, reducing the cost of copper electroplating of the battery cell. The dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device 3 is connected to the cleaning tank 2 via the third pipe 43, so that the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid in the treatment device 3 can be refluxed into the cleaning tank 2, so that all the cleaning waste liquid can be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0092] The plating solution is continuously consumed during the cell electroplating process, necessitating regular or real-time replenishment. Ignoring the impact of recirculating plating solution, per unit time t, the volume of plating solution required to be replenished in plating tank 1 is L5, the volume of pretreatment solution introduced into plating tank 1 is L1, the volume of plating solution removed from plating tank 1 is L2, and the volume of recirculating plating solution is L3. Recirculating plating solution is equivalent to replenishing plating tank 1, so the plating solution level in plating tank 1 can be balanced by reducing the volume of plating solution required to be replenished, resulting in a volume of plating solution actually replenished equal to L5 - L3.

[0093] In this embodiment, the refluxed electroplating liquid first enters the refill tank 9, and then flows back into the electroplating tank 1 in the form of refill. The volume of the electroplating liquid that needs to be replenished in the electroplating tank 1 is L5, and the actual volume of the electroplating liquid replenished is also L5, which can maintain the stability of the electroplating liquid level in the electroplating tank 1.

[0094] For details not described in this embodiment, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments 1 to 7.

[0095] Example 9

[0096] An electroplating method is applied to electroplating equipment comprising a plating tank and a cleaning tank. The plating tank is used to electroplate products, while the cleaning tank is used to clean products or carriers containing products. The electroplating method includes: treating the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank; and returning the resulting high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the plating tank. This method allows the electroplating solution to be recycled, reducing the cost of copper electroplating on solar cells.

[0097] Preferably, the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is returned to the cleaning tank. On the premise that the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is returned to the electroplating tank, the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is also returned to the cleaning tank, so that all the cleaning waste liquid can be recycled, saving the cost of discharging and treating the cleaning waste liquid.

[0098] Preferably, the electroplating equipment also includes a drying tank for drying the product or the carrier containing the product; the cleaning waste liquid dropped during the drying process is treated, and the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is returned to the electroplating tank, and the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is returned to the cleaning tank.

[0099] Preferably, the electroplating equipment further comprises a pretreatment tank to reduce the volume of pretreatment liquid brought into the electroplating tank by the product or a carrier containing the product from the pretreatment tank, so as to maintain a balance between the amount of liquid entering the electroplating tank and the volume of electroplating liquid removed from the electroplating tank by the product or a carrier containing the product to the cleaning tank. Specifically, when no liquid removal mechanism is provided, the volume of pretreatment liquid brought into the electroplating tank by the product or a carrier containing the product is L1, the volume of electroplating liquid removed from the electroplating tank by the product or a carrier containing the product to the cleaning tank is L2, the volume of refluxed electroplating liquid is L3, and when a liquid removal mechanism is provided, the volume of pretreatment liquid removed by the liquid removal mechanism is L4. Maintaining balance means that the volume of liquid entering the plating tank (L1 - L4 + L3) and the volume of plating liquid carried out of the product or carrier carrying the product from the plating tank 1 to the cleaning tank 2 (L2) are essentially equal, for example, 0.99 ≤ (L1 - L4 + L3) / L2 ≤ 1.01; when 0.99 ≤ L1 / L2 ≤ 1.01, 0.99 ≤ L4 / L3 ≤ 1.01 can be achieved. Reducing the volume of pretreatment liquid carried into the plating tank by the product or carrier carrying the product from the pretreatment tank includes pre-installing a liquid removal mechanism to remove or reduce the pretreatment liquid carried by the product or carrier carrying the product. This method can reduce or eliminate the impact of backflowing plating liquid on the plating liquid level in the plating tank by reducing the volume of pretreatment liquid carried into the plating tank by the product or carrier carrying the product from the pretreatment tank. The product referred to in this method includes at least a battery cell.

[0100] Preferably, returning the processed high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank includes returning the processed high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank in a replenishing manner, so that the volume of the electroplating solution that needs to be replenished in the electroplating tank is kept equal to or substantially equal to the volume of the electroplating solution actually replenished. Specifically, returning the processed high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank in a replenishing manner includes first flowing the processed high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to a replenishing tank, and then returning the processed high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank in a replenishing manner.

[0101] Specifically, the method in this embodiment can be applied to the electroplating equipment in the aforementioned embodiments 1-8, or the electroplating equipment in the aforementioned embodiments 1-8 can be used to implement the method in this embodiment.

[0102] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electroplating device, characterized in that: include: An electroplating tank, used for electroplating the cell to form metal grid lines on the cell; A cleaning tank is used to clean the electroplated cells or the carrier containing the cells to wash away the electroplating solution on the cells or the carrier containing the cells; The treatment device is used to treat the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank and return the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained through treatment to the electroplating tank.

2. The electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The treatment device is also used to return the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained through treatment to the cleaning tank.

3. The electroplating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The liquid inlet of the treatment device is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank through a first pipe, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the cleaning tank can flow into the treatment device; The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the electroplating tank through a second pipe to return the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank; The dilute liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the cleaning tank through a third pipeline to return the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the cleaning tank.

4. The electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a temporary storage tank for temporarily storing the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank and transferring the cleaning waste liquid to the processing device.

5. The electroplating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The liquid inlet of the temporary storage tank is connected to the liquid outlet of the cleaning tank through a first pipe, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the cleaning tank can flow into the temporary storage tank; The liquid outlet of the temporary storage tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the processing device through a fourth pipe, so that the cleaning waste liquid in the temporary storage tank can flow into the processing device; The concentrated liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the electroplating tank through a second pipe to return the concentrated high-concentration cleaning waste liquid to the electroplating tank; The weak liquid outlet of the treatment device is connected to the cleaning tank through a third pipeline, so that the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment can flow back to the cleaning tank.

6. The electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning tank includes a plurality of sub-cleaning tanks arranged in sequence along a first direction, and the cleaning waste liquid overflows into each sub-cleaning tank step by step along a second direction; the first sub-cleaning tank arranged along the first direction is connected to the processing device; the first direction and the second direction are two opposite directions.

7. The electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a drying tank for drying the cleaned battery cells or carriers containing battery cells; the drying tank is connected to a temporary storage tank or a processing device through a fifth pipe so that the cleaning waste liquid dropped during the drying process can be processed by the processing device and then flow back into the electroplating tank.

8. The electroplating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: A wind shear mechanism is provided near the entrance of the drying tank, and is used to blow off the battery cells or the cleaning waste liquid on the carrier equipped with the battery cells.

9. The electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pretreatment tank for pre-treating the battery cells is also provided upstream of the electroplating tank, and a liquid removal mechanism is also provided between the pretreatment tank and the electroplating tank to remove the pretreatment liquid on the battery cells or the carrier carrying the battery cells.

10. The electroplating equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a weighing mechanism for weighing the weight difference between the battery cell or the carrier containing the battery cell before and after the liquid removal, so as to calculate the volume of the pre-treatment liquid removed by the liquid removal mechanism; A flow meter and a valve are provided on the pipeline connecting the processing device to the electroplating tank. The flow rate of the refluxed electroplating solution is measured by the flow meter, and the flow rate of the refluxed electroplating solution is controlled by the opening size of the valve.

11. The electroplating equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a liquid replenishing tank, through which the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid flows back into the electroplating tank.

12. An electroplating method, applied to an electroplating device, the electroplating device comprising an electroplating tank and a cleaning tank, the electroplating tank being used to electroplate a product, the cleaning tank being used to clean the product or a carrier containing the product, characterized in that: The electroplating method comprises: Treat the cleaning waste liquid discharged from the cleaning tank; The high-concentration cleaning wastewater obtained from the treatment is returned to the electroplating tank.

13. The electroplating method according to claim 12, wherein: Also includes: Dry the cleaned products or the carriers containing the products; The cleaning waste liquid dropped during the drying process is treated, and the high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is returned to the electroplating tank, and the low-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by the treatment is returned to the cleaning tank.

14. The electroplating method according to claim 13, wherein: Also includes: Pre-treatment of products before electroplating; The pretreatment liquid carried by the product or the carrier containing the product is removed so that the volume of the pretreatment liquid removed per unit time is equal to or substantially equal to the volume of the refluxed electroplating liquid.

15. The electroplating method according to claim 12, wherein: Returning the treated high-concentration cleaning wastewater to the electroplating tank includes: The high-concentration cleaning waste liquid obtained by treatment is returned to the electroplating tank in the form of replenishment, so that the volume of the electroplating liquid that needs to be replenished in the electroplating tank remains equal or substantially equal to the volume of the electroplating liquid actually replenished.

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