Process method for plating gold on fuzz button and special tool

Abstract

The invention discloses a technological method for plating gold on fuzz buttons and a special tool, and belongs to the field of surface treatment of electronic components. The method comprises the following steps: fixing the fuzz button on a special electroplating auxiliary tool, wherein the tool consists of a small positioning disc, a net-shaped connecting structure and an electrode plate; immersing the tool into a gold-containing electroplating solution, switching on a power supply through an electrode plate, and simultaneously starting an ultrasonic generating device to carry out vibration plating; gold ions are uniformly deposited on the surface of the fuzz button and a ten-micron-level random winding gap in the fuzz button by utilizing micro-stirring and strong infiltration capacity generated by an ultrasonic cavitation effect and cooperating with an electrochemical deposition effect; the problems that in the prior art, plating is not uniform, cost is high, and the structure of the fuzz button is prone to being damaged are solved, high-efficiency, low-cost and high-quality gold plating is achieved, the contact resistance consistency of the fuzz button is remarkably improved, and the mechanical life of the fuzz button is remarkably prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic connector technology, and in particular to a process and special tooling for gold plating of rough buttons. Background Technology

[0002] A bobble button is a columnar body composed of randomly wound metal wires. These wires serve as electrical and mechanical connections between systems, components, and elements, enabling the connection and separation of current or microwave transmission channels. It is an essential key component for current or microwave signal transmission. The electroplating quality of bobble buttons directly affects their contact resistance, mechanical life, and other properties. This invention proposes a suitable process for gold plating bobble buttons. It designs a special electroplating auxiliary fixture, employs the principle of electrode plates and wire conduction, and designs a small positioning disk and mesh connection. The positioning disk is submerged in an ultrasonic tank, relying on ultrasonic vibration plating and the principle of electrode plates and wire conduction to achieve gold plating of the bobble buttons. This ensures a uniform and consistent plating layer on the surface of the filling material inside and outside the tiny air gaps at the ten-micron level, thereby meeting the requirements for contact resistance and mechanical life of the bobble buttons.

[0003] The button's signal and elastic components are integrated, with no moving parts that could cause failure or reduce signal integrity. It is itself a direct mating point and can be widely used in integrated circuits, substrate stacking, and other fields requiring floating, zero-insertion, and solderless interconnection. Currently, two common gold plating methods are used for button plating: one involves first plating metal wire with gold and then randomly winding it into a button shape. This method has drawbacks such as high equipment costs and damage to the gold plating layer and loss of the gold-plated metal wire during the forming process, resulting in high electroplating costs. The other method uses a micro-roller with ultrasonic and vacuum negative pressure electroplating. However, the ultrasonic and vacuum negative pressure electroplating equipment is expensive, leading to high electroplating costs. Both existing button gold plating methods suffer from high electroplating costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide a process and special tooling for gold plating of raw buttons, aiming to solve existing technical problems.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a process for gold plating of rough buttons, comprising the following steps: S1: Fix the buttons to be plated onto a special electroplating auxiliary fixture, which includes a small positioning plate and a mesh connection structure for supporting and electrically connecting multiple buttons; S2: Immerse the fixture with the fixed buttons into an ultrasonic cleaning tank containing electroplating solution. The fixture is electrically connected to an external power source through an electrode plate and wires; S3: Turn on the ultrasonic generator and use the ultrasonic cavitation effect to perform electroplating in the electroplating solution; S4: Through the conduction principle of the electrode plate and wires, apply electroplating current to the buttons while performing ultrasonic electroplating, so that a gold plating layer is uniformly deposited on its surface and in the ten-micron-level micro air gaps; S5: After electroplating is completed, remove the buttons, clean and dry them, and perform dehydrogenation treatment.

[0006] Furthermore, the treatment process is plasma activation treatment, in which argon gas is used as the plasma gas, the gas flow rate is 5-15 sccm / min, the power is 300W, and the time is 120-180s.

[0007] Furthermore, the electroplating auxiliary tooling can be fully or partially immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, and multi-station simultaneous electroplating can be achieved through a mesh connection structure.

[0008] Furthermore, the ultrasonic frequency of the electroplating is 120-200 kHz, and the ultrasonic power is 350-500 W.

[0009] Furthermore, the electroplating auxiliary tooling can be fully or partially immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, and multi-station simultaneous electroplating can be achieved through a mesh connection structure.

[0010] A special tooling for electroplating auxiliary processes, comprising: A small positioning plate is used to provide support. Electrode plate, used to connect the positive electrode; A mesh connection structure, fixed to the small positioning plate, is used to connect multiple hair buttons and connect them to the electrode female.

[0011] Furthermore, the small positioning disc has a mesh or porous structure, which allows the electroplating solution to fully contact all surfaces and internal gaps of the button.

[0012] Furthermore, the small positioning disk is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material, and the mesh connection structure is made of conductive material.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are reflected in: This invention utilizes the synergistic effect of ultrasonic cavitation and electrochemical deposition to force the electroplating solution to penetrate and renew all surfaces and micro-gaps of the button, achieving the formation of a uniform, dense, and continuous gold plating layer inside and outside the ten-micron-level randomly wound structure. This greatly improves the deep plating capability and consistency of the coating, thereby ensuring the stability and low value of the product's contact resistance.

[0014] This invention abandons the expensive pre-plating and post-winding process (to avoid gold wire loss) and complex vacuum barrel plating equipment. Instead, it adopts a solution that combines a conventional ultrasonic cleaning tank with simple special tooling, which significantly reduces equipment investment and maintenance costs. At the same time, it reduces the ineffective loss of precious metal materials and significantly lowers the overall cost of the process.

[0015] This invention adopts a static positioning loading method, which completely avoids the physical deformation, structural damage or plating scratches caused by the collision and hooking of parts in traditional drum electroplating. It perfectly maintains the precise elastic mechanical properties of the raw button, directly improving the mechanical life and reliability of the product.

[0016] The special positioning fixture of this invention supports the parallel processing of large batches of raw buttons. The process flow is simple and stable, easy to implement process control, improves production efficiency, and ensures excellent consistency of performance of different batches of products, meeting the needs of large-scale production. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the special tooling structure for this invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the mesh connection structure of the present invention.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Small positioning plate; 2. Electrode plate; 3. Mesh connection structure; 4. Container; 5. Ultrasonic device. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] This invention provides a process for gold plating a wool button, comprising the following steps: S1: Fix the button to be plated onto the electroplating auxiliary fixture. The electroplating auxiliary fixture includes a small positioning plate and a mesh connection structure, which is used to support and electrically connect multiple buttons. Preferably, in order to achieve non-destructive and effective activation of the surface of the raw button, remove the oxide film on the surface of the metal wire, and avoid damaging the metal wire body, a step is included before step S1: pre-electroplating activation treatment of the raw button, wherein the activation treatment is a non-destructive activation process.

[0021] S2: Immerse the special fixture with the fixed buttons into the ultrasonic cleaning tank containing the electroplating solution. The special fixture is electrically connected to an external power source through an electrode plate and wires. Specifically, place the positioning plate of the electroplating auxiliary positioning fixture smoothly into the tank of the ultrasonic cleaning machine, ensuring that the positioning plate is placed horizontally and that there is a 5-10cm gap between the bottom of the positioning plate and the bottom of the tank to facilitate the propagation of ultrasonic vibrations. Fix the electrode plate at the edge of the positioning plate, ensuring that the electrode plate does not directly contact the positioning plate. The distance between the lower surface of the electrode plate and the upper surface of the mesh connection structure is 1-3cm to ensure a uniform electric field distribution. Connect the electrode plate to the anode of the electroplating power source through wires, and connect the cathode of the electroplating power source to the metal connection end of the positioning plate through a conductive clamp (the edge of the positioning plate is provided with metal conductive contacts that are connected to the mesh connection structure), forming a complete electroplating circuit. Spread the activated buttons evenly on the mesh connection structure of the positioning plate so that each button can independently contact the electroplating solution and the electric field.

[0022] S3: Turn on the ultrasonic generator and use the ultrasonic cavitation effect to perform electroplating in the electroplating solution; specifically, the electroplating solution is first put into a container, then a special tool containing a button is put in, and then an electrode plate is put in. The level of the electroplating solution is 5-10cm higher than the top surface of the electrode plate.

[0023] S4: Utilizing the conductive principle of the electrode plate and wires, an electroplating current is applied to the button during ultrasonic plating, ensuring a uniform gold plating layer is deposited on its surface and within the ten-micron-level micro-gaps. Specifically, the ultrasonic waves are continuously activated during the electroplating process. The cavitation micro-stirring effect breaks down the diffusion layer on the button's surface, promoting the migration of gold ions from the plating solution to the button's surface. Simultaneously, the plating solution within the ten-micron-level micro-gaps is continuously renewed, preventing the plating layer from becoming too thin due to excessively low gold ion concentration. Relying on the conductive principle of the electrode plate and wires, the current forms a circuit through the plating solution, causing gold ions to gain electrons on the button's surface (cathode) and be reduced to metallic gold, thus depositing the gold plating layer. S5: After electroplating, the button is removed, cleaned, and dried. Specifically, after the electroplating time reaches the set value, first turn off the electroplating power supply, then turn off the ultrasonic cleaner; remove the positioning plate, remove the button from the mesh connection structure, and ultrasonically clean it in deionized water for 5-10 minutes to remove residual electroplating solution from the surface; then soak the button in anhydrous ethanol for 3-5 minutes to further clean the surface; finally, dry it with high-purity nitrogen, and place the button in a nitrogen-protected oven at 190±5℃ for 3 hours to remove hydrogen, thus completing the entire gold plating process.

[0024] The present invention also provides a special tooling for electroplating auxiliary for implementing the above-mentioned process, including a small positioning disk 1 for supporting the process. Electrode plate 2 is used to connect the positive electrode; The mesh connection structure 3 is fixed on the small positioning disk 1 and is used to connect multiple hair buttons and connect them to the electrode female.

[0025] Specifically, the small positioning disc 1 has a mesh or porous structure, which allows the electroplating solution to fully contact all surfaces and internal gaps of the button.

[0026] Specifically, the small positioning disk 1 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, and the mesh connection structure 3 is made of conductive material.

[0027] Furthermore, the small positioning plate 1 is provided with multiple positioning holes or clamps for fixing the hair buttons.

[0028] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc., the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture as shown in the attached figure. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0029] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the meaning of "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions; for example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied. Furthermore, "multiple" refers to two or more. Moreover, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent.

[0030] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A process for gold plating a wool button, characterized in that: Includes the following steps; S1: Fix the buttons to be plated onto a special electroplating auxiliary fixture, which includes a small positioning plate and a mesh connection structure for supporting and electrically connecting multiple buttons; S2: Immerse the fixture with the fixed buttons into an ultrasonic cleaning tank containing electroplating solution. The fixture is electrically connected to an external power source through an electrode plate and wires; S3: Turn on the ultrasonic generator and use the ultrasonic cavitation effect to perform electroplating in the electroplating solution; S4: Through the conduction principle of the electrode plate and wires, apply electroplating current to the buttons while performing ultrasonic electroplating, so that a gold plating layer is uniformly deposited on its surface and in the ten-micron-level micro air gaps; S5: After electroplating is completed, remove the buttons, clean and dry them, and perform dehydrogenation treatment.

2. The process for gold plating a wool button according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before step S1, there is a step: performing a pre-electroplating activation treatment on the wool button, wherein the activation treatment is a non-destructive activation process.

3. The gold plating process for the wool button according to claim 2, characterized in that, The activation process is plasma activation, wherein the plasma gas is argon, the gas flow rate is 5-15 sccm / min, the power is 300W, and the time is 120-180s.

4. The gold plating process for the wool button according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electroplating auxiliary tooling can be fully or partially immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, and multi-station simultaneous electroplating can be achieved through a mesh connection structure.

5. The gold plating process for a wool button according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic frequency of the electroplating is 120-200KHZ, and the ultrasonic power is 350-500W.

6. A special tooling for electroplating auxiliary processes according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: include: A small positioning plate (1) is used to provide support; Electrode plate (2) is used to connect the positive electrode; The mesh connection structure (3) is fixed on the small positioning disk (1) and is used to connect multiple hair buttons and connect to the electrode negative.

7. The electroplating auxiliary tooling according to claim 6, characterized in that: The small positioning disc has a mesh or porous structure, which allows the electroplating solution to fully contact all surfaces and internal gaps of the button.

8. The electroplating auxiliary tooling according to claim 6, characterized in that: The small positioning disk is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, and the mesh connection structure is made of conductive material.

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