A vertical continuous electroplating apparatus and electroplating process

Abstract

The application relates to the field of electroplating equipment, in particular to a vertical continuous electroplating equipment and an electroplating process, which comprises an equipment rack, an electroplating tank body and a transmission steel belt, the electroplating tank body is installed on the equipment rack, two rows of chemical water nozzles are arranged in the interior of the electroplating tank body, and the two rows of chemical water nozzles are horizontally arranged oppositely; the equipment rack is provided with a fixed disc rack and a movable disc rack, the fixed disc rack is installed on the equipment rack, the fixed disc rack is rotationally matched with a fixed rotating disc, the movable disc rack is horizontally slidably matched with the equipment rack, the movable disc rack is rotationally matched with a movable rotating disc, the transmission steel belt is arranged between the fixed rotating disc and the movable rotating disc, and the transmission steel belt is used for loading a PCB to be electroplated; the equipment rack is provided with a tensioning assembly, the tensioning assembly is used for horizontally moving the movable disc rack away from the fixed disc rack; and the equipment rack is provided with a vibration assembly, the vibration assembly is used for horizontally vibrating the transmission steel belt. The application has the effect of ensuring that a copper plating layer can be uniformly filled in holes of a PCB.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electroplating equipment, and in particular to a vertical continuous electroplating equipment and electroplating process. Background Technology

[0002] In the printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing process, vertical continuous plating (VCP) equipment has become the mainstream equipment in the industry due to its significant advantages of small footprint and high plating efficiency. Its basic working principle is as follows: the circuit board is clamped by a conveyor belt, achieving stable vertical transport of the circuit board, allowing it to pass sequentially through multiple plating tanks containing plating solutions, completing the continuous plating reaction. For example, see utility model publication number CN 207369430 U.

[0003] In conventional through-hole or pattern plating processes, after a pre-cleaning process, the PCB board is conveyed to the plating tank by a steel belt. A small number of small air bubbles generated during the chemical circulation process have minimal impact on the plating quality of the workpiece surface. Even if a slight impact exists, it can often be compensated for by subsequent processes. Therefore, traditional VCP equipment pays little attention to proactive air bubble removal measures in the tank design phase, typically relying solely on the natural flow of the plating solution within the tank to passively expel the bubbles.

[0004] However, with the rapid development of electronic products towards high density and miniaturization, high aspect ratio through-hole (TH) and blind via (BVH) plating technologies have become core technologies in PCB manufacturing. The numerous microbubbles generated during the operation of traditional VCP equipment, if they adhere to the hole opening or remain inside the hole during high aspect ratio via plating, will directly block the deposition channels of copper ions. This results in the copper plating layer failing to uniformly fill the holes, leading to quality defects such as "voids" or "hole breaks." Summary of the Invention

[0005] To ensure that the copper plating layer can be uniformly filled into the holes of the PCB board, this application provides a vertical continuous electroplating device.

[0006] The vertical continuous electroplating equipment provided in this application adopts the following technical solution: A vertical continuous electroplating equipment includes an equipment frame, an electroplating tank, and a conveyor steel belt. The electroplating tank is installed on the equipment frame, and the interior of the electroplating tank is provided with two rows of chemical nozzles, which are arranged horizontally opposite to each other. The equipment frame is provided with a fixed plate frame and a movable plate frame. The fixed plate frame is installed on the equipment frame and is rotatably fitted with a fixed turntable. The movable plate frame is horizontally slidably fitted on the equipment frame and is rotatably fitted with a movable turntable. The transmission steel belt is wound between the fixed turntable and the movable turntable. The transmission steel belt is used to load the PCB board to be electroplated. The equipment frame is equipped with a tensioning assembly, which is used to move the movable disc frame horizontally away from the fixed disc frame. The equipment frame is equipped with a vibration assembly, which is used to make the transmission steel belt vibrate horizontally.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, after the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank, the vibration component causes the conveyor belt to vibrate horizontally, driving the PCB board to vibrate horizontally inside the electroplating tank. This causes air bubbles attached to the holes of the PCB board to overcome surface tension and adhesion under inertia and detach from the PCB board, thereby removing the air bubbles. In addition, the vibration of the PCB board disturbs the chemical boundary layer around the PCB board, accelerating the forced convection of old and new chemicals in the holes, ensuring a stable supply of copper ion concentration in the holes, thereby further improving the hole-filling ability and allowing the copper plating layer to fill the holes of the PCB board evenly.

[0008] When the transmission steel belt is horizontally vibrated by the vibration component, the movable disc frame is moved horizontally away from the fixed disc frame by the tensioning component, thereby keeping the transmission steel belt under appropriate tension. This helps to ensure that energy can be effectively and regularly transferred to the transmission steel belt and cause it to vibrate, reducing the energy absorbed by the deformation of the transmission steel belt, and thus ensuring that the vibration amplitude meets the requirements.

[0009] Optionally, the vibration assembly includes a vibration cylinder and a steel belt impact head. The vibration cylinder is mounted on the equipment frame, the piston rod of the vibration cylinder is horizontally oriented towards the transmission steel belt, and the steel belt impact head is mounted on the piston rod of the vibration cylinder.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solution, after the conveyor belt is tensioned by the tensioning component, the impact head of the steel belt moves towards the location of the conveyor belt under the action of the vibrating cylinder, thereby causing the conveyor belt to vibrate horizontally under the impact. Furthermore, the distance between the tensioned conveyor belt and the impact head is relatively constant, allowing the conveyor belt and the PCB board to vibrate within a relatively stable range. This reduces the adverse effects of insufficient vibration causing bubbles to detach, excessive vibration causing secondary bubbles, or disrupting chemical convection.

[0011] Optionally, the vibration component is located within the input segment L of the electroplating tank.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, the microbubbles generated during the pretreatment process before electroplating due to degreasing, water washing and hot washing are centrally removed by the vibration component located in the input segment L. This helps to balance cost and bubble removal effect, and reduces the excessive setting of vibration components.

[0013] Optionally, the tensioning assembly includes a tensioning traction rope and a tensioning counterweight, with the two ends of the tensioning traction rope respectively mounted on the movable turntable and the tensioning counterweight.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, the tensioning assembly tensions the transmission steel belt through the gravity of the tensioning counterweight. Due to the inertia of the tensioning counterweight, the transmission steel belt is less prone to excessive bending deformation when the steel belt impact head strikes it. This helps ensure that the steel belt impact head effectively and stably impacts the transmission steel belt, allowing the transmission steel belt and PCB board to vibrate within a relatively stable range. Furthermore, after long-term operation, the tensioning counterweight is less prone to fatigue, which also helps maintain the tension within a suitable range for a longer period.

[0015] Optionally, the vibration assembly is provided in several parts, and the several vibration assemblies are horizontally distributed along the conveying direction of the transmission steel belt. The equipment frame is provided with several support assemblies, and the several support assemblies and the several vibration assemblies are respectively located on both sides of the transmission steel belt. The support assembly includes a support drive and a steel strip support head, wherein the support drive is used to make the steel strip support head horizontally approach or horizontally move away from the transmission steel strip. When the steel strip impact head contacts one side of the transmission steel strip, the steel strip support head contacts the other side of the transmission steel strip; When the steel strip impact head detaches from one side of the transmission steel strip, the steel strip support head detaches from the other side of the transmission steel strip.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, when the steel belt impact head strikes the transmission steel belt, the steel belt support head supports the transmission steel belt on the other side, ensuring that the transmission steel belt maintains an appropriate distance from the impact head during impact, thereby ensuring stable energy transmission. Therefore, it reduces the occurrence of situations where the impact head fails to effectively contact the transmission steel belt due to synchronization errors of the vibration cylinder or the failure of the belt itself to recover from deformation in time. Furthermore, after the impact head detaches from the transmission steel belt, the support head also detaches, reducing interference from the support head to the vibration of the transmission steel belt.

[0017] Optionally, the steel strip support head is provided with a support head inclined surface, and the transmission steel strip is provided with a plurality of steel strip through grooves along its thickness. The plurality of steel strip through grooves are horizontally distributed along the length direction of the transmission steel strip, and all the steel strip through grooves extend horizontally along the length direction of the transmission steel strip. The support drive component includes a support base, a steel strip support rod, and a support spring. The support base is mounted on the equipment frame, the steel strip support rod slides horizontally and is fitted to the support base, the steel strip support head is mounted on one end of the steel strip support rod, and the support spring is located between the support base and the other end of the steel strip support rod.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, when the conveyor belt is transported forward, the steel belt support head extends into and then exits the steel belt groove, allowing the support head to regularly contact or detach from the conveyor belt as it is transported. When the steel belt impact head contacts one side of the conveyor belt, the support head is positioned between two adjacent steel belt grooves, ensuring the conveyor belt contacts the impact head at a predetermined position. When the impact head detaches from one side of the conveyor belt, the support head slides into the interior of the groove, detaching from the belt. This effectively reduces the structural, energy consumption, and assembly costs of the vibration assembly, and also ensures the support head moves precisely according to the conveyor belt, minimizing errors.

[0019] Optionally, the support base has a support rod groove and a positioning cone groove. The steel strip support rod is fitted with the support rod groove with a clearance. The end of the positioning cone groove with a larger inner diameter is connected to the support rod groove, and the end of the positioning cone groove with a smaller inner diameter horizontally penetrates the support base. The steel strip support rod is provided with a positioning cone ring. The steel strip support rod is horizontally inserted into the positioning cone groove, and the positioning cone ring normally abuts against the side wall of the positioning cone groove under the action of the support spring.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution, under normal conditions, the positioning cone ring abuts against the positioning cone groove under the action of the support spring, allowing the steel strip support head to accurately fit the steel strip through groove as designed. However, if the transmission steel strip undergoes abnormal deformation due to reasons such as synchronization error of the vibration cylinder or failure to recover its deformation in time, causing changes in the shape and position of the steel strip through groove, and resulting in an oblique impact between the steel strip support head and the through groove, the positioning cone ring will retract from the positioning cone groove. This allows the steel strip support rod sufficient clearance for adaptive swinging and reduces the impact intensity, making it easier for the steel strip support head to fit the transmission steel strip through groove for a longer period. Furthermore, as the retraction amount of the positioning cone ring increases, the swing range of the steel strip support rod also increases, ensuring that the movement of the steel strip support head meets both accuracy and adaptability requirements.

[0021] Optionally, the support body has a keyway extending through it, the keyway extending along the length of the steel strip support rod, and the support body is installed on the equipment frame by bolts passing through the keyway.

[0022] By adopting the above technical solution, the position of the support body can be adaptively adjusted according to changes in the vibration amplitude of the transmission steel belt (e.g., when replacing PCB boards of different weights and specifications). This allows the inner wall of the steel belt groove to make contact with different positions of the inclined surface of the support head, thereby reducing the adverse effects of the steel belt support head on the vibration of the transmission steel belt. For example, when transmitting small-weight PCB boards, the frequency and amplitude of the transmission steel belt vibration are relatively large. In this case, the support body can be appropriately moved away from the transmission steel belt, thus causing the steel belt support head to also move away from the transmission steel belt. This reduces the possibility of the steel belt support head excessively extending into the steel belt groove or colliding with the upper and lower sidewalls of the steel belt groove.

[0023] A vertical continuous electroplating process is implemented using the aforementioned vertical continuous electroplating equipment.

[0024] Optionally, the vertical continuous electroplating process includes the following steps: S1. Pretreatment: The PCB board is sequentially degreased, hot washed, washed with water, and pre-soaked. S2. Electroplating of PCB board: The PCB board is loaded onto the conveyor steel belt and then immersed in the electroplating tank by the conveyor steel belt. When the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank, the transmission steel belt is vibrated horizontally by the vibration component. S3. Post-processing: The PCB board is sequentially washed with water, acid-washed, three-stage washed with water, and dried.

[0025] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: After the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank, the vibration assembly causes the conveyor belt to vibrate horizontally, which in turn causes the PCB board to vibrate horizontally inside the electroplating tank. This causes air bubbles attached to the holes of the PCB board to overcome surface tension and adhesion under inertia and detach from the PCB board, thus removing the air bubbles. In addition, the vibration of the PCB board disturbs the chemical boundary layer around the PCB board, accelerating the forced convection of old and new chemicals in the holes, ensuring a stable supply of copper ion concentration in the holes, thereby further improving the filling ability and allowing the copper plating layer to fill the holes of the PCB board evenly. When the transmission steel belt is horizontally vibrated by the vibration component, the movable disc frame is moved horizontally away from the fixed disc frame by the tensioning component, thereby keeping the transmission steel belt under appropriate tension. This helps to ensure that energy can be effectively and regularly transferred to the transmission steel belt and cause it to vibrate, reducing the energy absorbed by the deformation of the transmission steel belt, and thus ensuring that the vibration amplitude meets the requirements.

[0026] After the conveyor belt is tensioned by the tensioning assembly, the belt impact head moves towards the location of the conveyor belt under the action of the vibrating cylinder, causing the conveyor belt to vibrate horizontally under the impact. Furthermore, the distance between the tensioned conveyor belt and the belt impact head remains relatively constant, allowing the conveyor belt and PCB board to vibrate within a relatively stable range. This reduces the adverse effects of insufficient vibration causing air bubbles to detach, or excessive vibration leading to the formation of secondary air bubbles or disrupting chemical convection. The tensioning assembly tensions the conveyor belt using the gravity of the tensioning counterweight. Due to the inertia of the tensioning counterweight, the conveyor belt is less prone to excessive bending deformation when the belt impact head strikes it. This ensures effective and stable impact from the belt impact head, allowing the conveyor belt and PCB board to vibrate within a relatively stable range. Furthermore, the tensioning counterweight is less prone to fatigue after prolonged operation, which also helps maintain the tension within an appropriate range for an extended period. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the implementation of the vertical continuous electroplating equipment in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the fixed plate frame in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0029] Figure 3 This is an overall schematic diagram of the fixed plate frame in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the movable tray frame in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0031] Figure 5 This is an overall schematic diagram of the movable tray frame in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a partial schematic diagram of the transmission steel belt in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0033] Figure 7 This is an overall schematic diagram of the electroplating tank in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the electroplating tank in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0035] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the vibration component and the transmission steel belt in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0036] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the entire building component and the transmission steel belt in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0037] Figure 11This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the vibration component and support component in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0038] Figure 12 This is an overall schematic diagram of the support component in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0039] Figure 13 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the support component in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0040] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the support component in Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0041] Figure 15 This is an exploded view of the support component in Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0042] Figure 16 This is an exploded view of the support component in Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0043] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Electroplating tank; 11. Chemical nozzle; 2. Conveyor steel belt; 201. Steel belt through groove; 21. Electroplating fixture; 22. Negative electrode; 23. Conductive hanging ear; 24. Steel belt guide wheel; 3. Fixed disc frame; 31. First slider; 32. Fixed turntable; 33. First lead screw; 34. Gear motor; 4. Movable disc frame; 41. Tensioning pulley; 42. Tensioning traction rope; 43. Tensioning counterweight; 44. Second slider; 45. Movable turntable; 46. Second lead screw; 5. Vibration assembly; 51. Vibration cylinder; 52. Steel belt impact head; 6. Support assembly; 61. Steel belt support head; 611. Support head inclined surface; 62. Support base; 621. Base keyway; 622. Support rod slide groove; 623. Positioning cone groove; 63. Steel belt support rod; 631. Positioning cone ring; 64. Support spring. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-16 This application will be described in further detail.

[0045] Example 1: This application discloses a vertical continuous electroplating apparatus. (Refer to...) Figure 1 The vertical continuous electroplating equipment includes an equipment frame, an electroplating tank 1, and a conveyor steel belt 2. The equipment frame is long and narrow, with the electroplating tank 1 located in the middle section of the equipment frame. Fixed trays 3 and movable trays 4 are respectively located at both ends of the equipment frame, and the electroplating tank is situated between the fixed trays 3 and the movable trays 4.

[0046] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3A fixed plate frame 3 is fixedly installed on the equipment frame. The fixed plate frame 3 has two first sliders 31 that slide horizontally, and the two first sliders 31 are distributed vertically. A fixed turntable 32 is provided between the two first sliders 31. The top and bottom of the fixed turntable 32 are rotatably engaged with the two first sliders 31, allowing the fixed turntable 32 to be rotatably engaged with the fixed plate frame 3 via the first sliders 31. A first lead screw 33 is rotatably engaged with the first slider 31. The first lead screw 33 is horizontally positioned and threaded onto the fixed plate frame 3. By rotating the first lead screw 33, the first slider 31 can be driven to slide horizontally, allowing for fine-tuning of the position of the fixed turntable 32 according to actual working conditions. A reduction motor 34 is fixedly installed on the equipment frame. The output shaft of the reduction motor 34 is coaxially fixedly installed on the fixed turntable 32 to drive the fixed turntable 32 to rotate.

[0047] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The movable tray 4 is horizontally slidable to the equipment frame via four rectangular sliding rods that are fixedly installed on the equipment frame. The equipment frame is equipped with a tensioning assembly, which is used to move the movable tray 4 horizontally away from the fixed tray 3. The tensioning assembly can be of the elastic type or the gravity type, that is, the movable tray 4 is moved away from the fixed tray 3 by the elastic force of the elastic element or the gravity of the counterweight.

[0048] In this embodiment, the tensioning assembly is preferably a gravity-type assembly with a relatively constant tension. Specifically, the tensioning assembly includes tension pulleys 41, tension traction ropes 42, and tension counterweights 43. Several tension pulleys 41 are provided, some of which are rotatably fitted to the movable disc frame 4, and others are rotatably fitted to the equipment frame. Two tension traction ropes 42 are provided, distributed vertically. The starting ends of the tension traction ropes 42 are fixedly installed on the movable disc frame 4, and the tension traction ropes 42 are sequentially wound around each tension pulley 41 in a zigzag pattern. The ends of the tension traction ropes 42 pass through traction holes opened in the movable disc frame 4. Two tensioning counterweights 43 are provided. The two tensioning counterweights 43 are fixedly connected to the ends of the two tensioning traction ropes 42 through reversing fixed pulleys (not shown in the figure). Thus, under the gravity of the tensioning counterweights 43, the movable plate frame 4 can move horizontally away from the fixed plate frame 3 through the reversing fixed pulleys and each tensioning pulley 41.

[0049] The movable plate frame 4 has two second sliders 44 that slide horizontally, and the two second sliders 44 are distributed vertically. A movable turntable 45 is located between the two second sliders 44. The top and bottom of the movable turntable 45 are rotatably engaged with the two second sliders 44, allowing the movable turntable 45 to be rotatably engaged with the movable plate frame 4 via the second sliders 44. A second lead screw 46 is rotatably engaged with the second sliders 44. The second lead screw 46 is horizontally positioned and threaded into the movable plate frame 4. By rotating the second lead screw 46, the second sliders 44 can be driven to slide horizontally, thereby allowing for fine-tuning of the position of the movable turntable 45 according to actual working conditions.

[0050] Reference Figures 1 to 5 The conveyor belt 2 is wound between the fixed turntable 32 and the movable turntable 45, so that the fixed turntable 32 and the movable turntable 45 can drive the conveyor belt 2 to rotate horizontally along the conveying direction Vs. Furthermore, it also facilitates the movement of the movable turntable 45 away from the fixed turntable 32 via the tensioning assembly, the first lead screw 33 and / or the second lead screw 46, thereby tensioning the conveyor belt 2. This ensures that the conveyor belt 2 is always within a suitable tension range, reducing the possibility of the conveyor belt 2 being too loose, affecting the vibration transmission efficiency, or being too tight, causing wear and tear on the equipment frame's clamps due to resonance.

[0051] Reference Figure 6 The conveyor belt 2 is equipped with several electroplating clamps 21, which are distributed sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 2. Each electroplating clamp 21 includes a fixed handle fixedly mounted on the conveyor belt 2, a movable handle rotatably engaged with the fixed handle, and a spring between the fixed handle and the movable handle. This spring force clamps the PCB board, allowing the PCB board to be electroplated to be loaded onto the conveyor belt 2 and move horizontally in a straight line along the conveying direction Vp. Depending on the specifications of the PCB board, different numbers of electroplating clamps 21 can be selected to clamp and fix the top of the PCB board.

[0052] The equipment frame is equipped with a negative electrode component 22 connected to the negative terminal of the power supply. The transmission steel belt 2 is electrically connected to the negative electrode component 22 via a conductive lug 23 at the top. The electroplating fixture 21 is electrically connected to the transmission steel belt 2, so that the PCB board is electrically connected to the electroplating cathode through the electroplating fixture 21 and the transmission steel belt 2, thereby enabling copper ions to be stably deposited on the PCB board and forming a copper plating layer. In addition, the conductive lug 23 is also rotatably fitted with a steel belt guide wheel 24, which rolls and adapts to the steel belt guide rail of the equipment frame, so that the transmission steel belt 2 can move stably in the horizontal direction.

[0053] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8The electroplating tank 1 is located at the bottom of the conveyor belt 2, and its interior is used to hold electroplating solutions for electroplating PCBs loaded at the bottom of the conveyor belt 2. The electroplating tank 1 is divided into several sections, and two adjacent sections are connected by bolts and sealing rings (not shown in the figure) to allow for the assembly of electroplating tanks 1 of different specifications according to site and production needs. The electroplating tank 1 has two rows of chemical nozzles 11 inside, distributed along the width of the tank and extending along its length. Both rows of nozzles 11 are connected to the chemical tank via a pump (not shown in the figure) to spray electroplating solutions onto the PCBs between the nozzles. The two rows of nozzles 11 are horizontally opposite each other, allowing the electroplating solutions to pass horizontally through or inject into the holes of the PCBs, thus ensuring efficient chemical exchange and electroplating efficiency within the holes.

[0054] Reference Figure 1 The equipment frame is equipped with several vibration components 5, which are horizontally and linearly distributed along the conveying direction of the transmission steel belt 2, that is, along the length of the electroplating tank 1. Combined with... Figure 1 Several vibration components 5 are located within the input segment L of the electroplating tank 1, so that the PCB board vibrates when it first enters the electroplating tank 1, thereby reducing the adverse effects of microbubbles generated in the PCB board pretreatment process and reducing the excessive setting of vibration components.

[0055] Reference Figure 8 and Figure 9 The vibration assembly 5 includes a cylinder housing, a vibration cylinder 51, and a steel belt impact head 52. Both the cylinder housing and the vibration cylinder 51 are fixedly mounted on the equipment frame, with the cylinder housing covering the vibration cylinder. The piston rod of the vibration cylinder 51 is horizontally oriented towards the transmission steel belt 2. The insulated steel belt impact head 52 is fixedly mounted on the piston rod of the vibration cylinder 51 so that, under the action of the vibration cylinder 51, the steel belt impact head 52 impacts the transmission steel belt 2, thereby causing the transmission steel belt 2 and the PCB board to vibrate.

[0056] When a PCB board vibrates, air bubbles adhering to the orifices of the PCB board undergo inertial shedding. Under the influence of inertia, the bubbles overcome surface tension and adhesion, detaching from the PCB board and thus removing them. Additionally, the vibration of the PCB board disturbs the chemical boundary layer around the board, promoting convection exchange between old and new chemicals within the orifices. This ensures a stable supply of copper ions within the orifices, further enhancing the filling capacity and allowing the copper plating layer to fill the PCB board holes uniformly and quickly. Furthermore, the higher efficiency of electroplating within the orifices allows engineers to design thinner surface copper (copper plating formed on the PCB board surface rather than inside the orifices), reducing the workload of subsequent surface copper processing, disposal, or recycling, thereby also helping to lower production costs.

[0057] The implementation principle of a vertical continuous electroplating device in Embodiment 1 of this application is as follows: the transmission steel belt 2 rotates continuously under the action of the reduction motor 34, driving the PCB board loaded on the transmission steel belt 2 to be immersed in the electroplating tank 1, and causing the PCB board to move horizontally in a straight line along the conveying direction Vp until the PCB board completes electroplating and leaves the electroplating tank 1.

[0058] The vibrating cylinder 51 extends and retracts the steel belt impact head 52 at a preset frequency, causing the transmission steel belt 2 to vibrate horizontally, thereby driving the PCB board to vibrate horizontally inside the electroplating tank 1. Microbubbles attached to the orifices of the PCB board overcome surface tension and adhesion under inertia and detach from the PCB board, thus removing the bubbles. In addition, when the PCB board vibrates horizontally, the electroplating solution sprayed from the two rows of solution nozzles 11 can more easily enter the interior of the PCB board and disturb the solution boundary layer around the PCB board, which helps to accelerate the circulation of old and new solutions in the holes, ensuring a stable supply of copper ion concentration in the holes, thereby further improving the hole-filling ability, so that the copper plating layer can be uniformly and quickly filled into the holes of the PCB board.

[0059] Example 2: This application discloses a vertical continuous electroplating equipment, which, in addition to all the technical features of Example 1, also includes the following technical features: Reference Figure 10 The equipment frame is equipped with several support components 6, and several vibration components 5 are located on both sides of the transmission steel belt 2, with the vibration components 5 respectively positioned directly opposite each support component 6. Figure 11 The support assembly 6 includes a support drive and a steel strip support head 61. The support drive is used to move the steel strip support head 61 horizontally closer to or horizontally away from the transmission steel strip 2.

[0060] When the steel belt impact head 52 contacts one side of the transmission steel belt 2, the steel belt support head 61 contacts the other side of the transmission steel belt 2. The steel belt support head 61 provides temporary support and limit for the transmission steel belt 2, making it easier for the steel belt impact head 52 to accurately impact the transmission steel belt 2 at the required position and time. This reduces the problem of the transmission steel belt 2 vibrating and becoming unstable due to excessive looseness or deformation of the transmission steel belt 2 causing the impact position to deviate.

[0061] Reference Figure 10 The conveyor steel belt 2 has several elliptical steel belt through-slots 201 extending through its thickness. These through-slots 201 are horizontally distributed along the length of the conveyor steel belt 2, and all extend along this length. The height of the through-slots 201 is greater than the thickness of the steel belt support head 61. The steel belt support head 61 has a support head inclined surface 611, which makes its shape approximately triangular. The wider end of the steel belt support head 61 is connected to a support drive component, allowing the support drive component to extend the steel belt support head 61 into the through-slots 201, or to abut against the conveyor steel belt 2.

[0062] In some other embodiments, the support drive element can be selected as an existing power output element such as a cylinder or an electric telescopic rod. In the embodiments of this application, reference is made to... Figure 12 and Figure 13 The support drive components include a support base 62, a steel strip support rod 63, and a support spring 64. The support base 62 has a vertically extending keyway 621 that extends along the length of the steel strip support rod 63. The support base 62 is mounted to the equipment frame by bolts (not shown in the figure) passing through the keyway 621, allowing for fine-tuning of the horizontal position of the support base 62 by tightening or loosening the bolts. Adaptively adjusting the position of the support base 62 according to changes in the vibration amplitude of the transmission steel strip 2 ensures that the inner wall of the steel strip through-groove 201 contacts different positions of the inclined surface 611 of the support head, thereby reducing the adverse effects of the steel strip support head 61 on the vibration of the transmission steel strip 2.

[0063] The support base 62 has a support rod groove 622 inside, and the steel strip support rod 63 slides horizontally with the support base 62 through the support rod groove 622. The protrusion of the steel strip support rod 63 fits against the side wall of the support rod groove 622, so that the steel strip support rod 63 can stably extend and retract horizontally. The steel strip support head 61 is fixedly installed at one end of the steel strip support rod 63, and the support spring 64 is located between the support base 62 and the other end of the steel strip support rod 63. The two ends of the support spring 64 are respectively installed on the support base 62 and the steel strip support rod 63, so that the steel strip support rod 63 can be promptly reset after retraction through the support spring 64.

[0064] The implementation principle of a vertical continuous electroplating device according to Embodiment 2 of this application is as follows: When the conveyor belt 2 is conveyed forward, the belt support head 61 extends into the belt through groove 201 and then leaves, allowing the belt support head 61 to regularly contact or detach from the conveyor belt 2 as it is conveyed. When the belt impact head 52 contacts one side of the conveyor belt 2, the belt support head 61 is located between two adjacent belt through grooves 201 and presses against the conveyor belt 2, allowing the conveyor belt 2 to contact the belt impact head 52 at a predetermined position. When the belt impact head 52 detaches from one side of the conveyor belt 2, the belt support head 61 slides into the interior of the belt through groove 201, causing the belt support head 61 to detach from the conveyor belt 2. This effectively saves on the structure, energy consumption, and assembly costs of the vibration assembly 5, and also ensures that the belt support head 61 moves strictly according to the conveyor belt 2 without easily making mistakes.

[0065] Example 3: This application discloses a vertical continuous electroplating device. The difference from Example 2 is that the protrusion of the steel strip support rod 63 is not attached to the side wall of the support rod groove 622. Instead, the protrusion of the steel strip support rod 63 is fitted with the side wall of the support rod groove 622 with clearance.

[0066] Furthermore, the vertical continuous electroplating equipment described in this application embodiment also includes the following technical features: Reference Figures 14 to 16 The support base 62 has a positioning conical groove 623. The end of the positioning conical groove 623 with a larger inner diameter connects to the support rod slide groove 622, and the end with a smaller inner diameter horizontally passes through the support base 62. A steel strip support rod 63 horizontally passes through the positioning conical groove 623, and the steel strip support rod 63 is in clearance fit with the positioning conical groove 623 and the support rod slide groove 622, allowing the steel strip support rod 63 to swing freely within the positioning conical groove 623 and the support rod slide groove 622 when unrestricted. The steel strip support rod 63 has an integrally formed positioning conical ring 631, the shape of which is adapted to the positioning conical groove 623. The positioning conical ring 631 is in clearance fit with the support rod slide groove 622, allowing the positioning conical ring 631 to swing freely within the support rod slide groove 622 when unrestricted. Under the action of the support spring 64, the positioning cone ring 631 normally abuts against the side wall of the positioning cone groove 623, so that the steel strip support rod 63 and the positioning cone ring 631 are kept coaxial and horizontal due to the restriction of the positioning cone groove 623.

[0067] The implementation principle of a vertical continuous electroplating device according to Embodiment 3 of this application is as follows: Under normal conditions, the positioning cone ring 631 abuts against the positioning cone groove 623 under the action of the support spring 64, so that the steel strip support head 61 can be accurately adapted to the steel strip through groove 201 according to the design. However, if the transmission steel strip 2 undergoes abnormal deformation due to synchronous error of the vibration cylinder 51 or failure to recover its own deformation in time, the shape and position of the steel strip through groove 201 will change, and the steel strip support head 61 will collide obliquely with the steel strip through groove 201. At this time, the positioning cone ring 631 will withdraw from the positioning cone groove 623, so that the steel strip support rod 63 has sufficient clearance to swing adaptively and reduce the impact intensity, thereby making it easier for the steel strip support head 61 to adapt to the steel strip through groove 201 of the transmission steel strip 2 for a long time. Furthermore, as the withdrawal amount of the positioning cone ring 631 increases, the swing range of the steel strip support rod 63 will also increase, so that the movement of the steel strip support head 61 meets both the accuracy requirements and the adaptability requirements.

[0068] Example 4: This application discloses a vertical continuous electroplating process, implemented using the vertical continuous electroplating equipment described in Examples 1, 2, or 3, including the following steps: S1. Pretreatment: The PCB board is subjected to degreasing, hot washing, water washing and pre-soaking in sequence.

[0069] In step S1: Degreasing refers to removing oil stains from the surface of a PCB board using an alkaline degreasing agent. Hot washing refers to immersing the PCB board in a hot washing bath at 40 to 60 degrees Celsius.

[0070] Water washing refers to cleaning the PCB board with room temperature water (such as ultrasonic water washing or high-pressure water washing).

[0071] Pre-impregnation refers to the process of removing the metal oxide layer and impurities from the surface of a PCB board using a pre-impregnation solution (such as a dilute sulfuric acid solution with a concentration of less than 10%).

[0072] S2. Electroplating of PCB Board: The PCB board is loaded onto the conveyor belt 2, and then immersed in the electroplating tank 1 by the conveyor belt 2. When the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank 1 within the input segment L, the conveyor belt 2 is vibrated horizontally by the vibration component 5. After the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank 1, electroplating solution is sprayed onto the middle PCB board through two rows of chemical nozzles 11 to promote the circulation of the electroplating solution in the holes of the PCB board; S3. Post-processing: The PCB board is sequentially washed with water, acid-washed, three-stage washed with water, and dried.

[0073] In step S3, the three-stage water washing refers to: the first stage (rough wash): rinsing off most of the residual acid to reduce the concentration of contaminants; the second stage (intermediate wash): further diluting the residue with running clean water; and the third stage (fine wash): using deionized water or ultrapure water, combined with high-pressure spraying or ultrasonic vibration, to further remove trace acid ions from the plates and holes, reducing the occurrence of plating corrosion or subsequent processing defects caused by residual acid.

[0074] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A vertical continuous electroplating equipment, characterized in that: It includes an equipment frame, an electroplating tank (1) and a conveyor steel belt (2). The electroplating tank (1) is installed on the equipment frame. The electroplating tank (1) is provided with two rows of chemical nozzles (11) inside. The two rows of chemical nozzles (11) are arranged horizontally opposite each other. The equipment frame is provided with a fixed plate frame (3) and a movable plate frame (4). The fixed plate frame (3) is installed on the equipment frame and is rotatably fitted with a fixed turntable (32). The movable plate frame (4) is horizontally slidably fitted on the equipment frame and is rotatably fitted with a movable turntable (45). The transmission steel belt (2) is wound between the fixed turntable (32) and the movable turntable (45). The transmission steel belt (2) is used to load the PCB board to be electroplated. The equipment frame is equipped with a tensioning assembly, which is used to make the movable disc frame (4) move horizontally away from the fixed disc frame (3); The equipment frame is equipped with a vibration assembly (5), which is used to make the transmission steel belt (2) vibrate horizontally; The vibration assembly (5) includes a vibration cylinder (51) and a steel belt impact head (52). The vibration cylinder (51) is mounted on the equipment frame. The piston rod of the vibration cylinder (51) is horizontally oriented towards the transmission steel belt (2). The steel belt impact head (52) is mounted on the piston rod of the vibration cylinder (51).

2. The vertical continuous electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration component (5) is located within the input segment L of the electroplating tank (1).

3. The vertical continuous electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tensioning assembly includes a tensioning traction rope (42) and a tensioning counterweight (43), with the two ends of the tensioning traction rope (42) respectively installed on the movable turntable (45) and the tensioning counterweight (43).

4. The vertical continuous electroplating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration component (5) is provided in several ways, and the vibration component (5) is horizontally distributed along the conveying direction of the conveying steel belt (2). The equipment frame is provided with several support components (6), and the support components (6) and the vibration components (5) are respectively located on both sides of the conveying steel belt (2). The support assembly (6) includes a support drive and a steel strip support head (61), the support drive being used to move the steel strip support head (61) horizontally closer to or horizontally further away from the transmission steel strip (2); When the steel strip impact head (52) contacts one side of the transmission steel strip (2), the steel strip support head (61) contacts the other side of the transmission steel strip (2); When the steel strip impact head (52) detaches from one side of the transmission steel strip (2), the steel strip support head (61) detaches from the other side of the transmission steel strip (2).

5. A vertical continuous electroplating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The steel strip support head (61) is provided with a support head inclined surface (611), and the transmission steel strip (2) is provided with a plurality of steel strip through grooves (201) along the thickness. The plurality of steel strip through grooves (201) are horizontally distributed along the length direction of the transmission steel strip (2), and the steel strip through grooves (201) all extend horizontally along the length direction of the transmission steel strip (2). The support drive component includes a support base (62), a steel strip support rod (63), and a support spring (64). The support base (62) is mounted on the equipment frame. The steel strip support rod (63) slides horizontally and is fitted to the support base (62). The steel strip support head (61) is mounted on one end of the steel strip support rod (63). The support spring (64) is located between the support base (62) and the other end of the steel strip support rod (63).

6. A vertical continuous electroplating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The support base (62) has a support rod groove (622) and a positioning cone groove (623). The steel strip support rod (63) is fitted with the support rod groove (622) with a clearance. The end of the positioning cone groove (623) with a larger inner diameter is connected to the support rod groove (622). The end of the positioning cone groove (623) with a smaller inner diameter horizontally passes through the support base (62). The steel strip support rod (63) is provided with a positioning cone ring (631). The steel strip support rod (63) is horizontally inserted into the positioning cone groove (623), and the positioning cone ring (631) normally abuts against the side wall of the positioning cone groove (623) under the action of the support spring (64).

7. A vertical continuous electroplating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The support base (62) has a keyway (621) extending through it. The keyway (621) extends along the length of the steel strip support rod (63). The support base (62) is installed on the equipment frame by bolts passing through the keyway (621).

8. A vertical continuous electroplating process, characterized in that: This is carried out using the vertical continuous electroplating equipment described in claim 1.

9. A vertical continuous electroplating process according to claim 8, characterized in that: S1. Pretreatment: The PCB board is sequentially degreased, hot washed, washed with water, and pre-soaked. S2, Electroplating of PCB board: The PCB board is loaded onto the conveyor steel belt (2), and then the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank (1) through the conveyor steel belt (2); When the PCB board is immersed in the electroplating tank (1), the transmission steel belt (2) is vibrated horizontally by the vibration component (5); S3. Post-processing: The PCB board is sequentially washed with water, acid-washed, three-stage washed with water, and dried.

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