High-speed continuous full-automatic local electroplating device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of electroplating, in particular to a high-speed continuous full-automatic local electroplating device, which comprises a sub-tank and a mother tank, the sub-tank and the mother tank are communicated, the lower end of the mother tank is provided with a drainage main pipe and a hot water main pipe, the drainage main pipe and the hot water main pipe cooperate to carry out water treatment, the sub-tank, the mother tank, the drainage main pipe and the hot water main pipe are fixed through a main body rack, the main body rack is fixedly connected with a main air extraction pipe and a main air supply pipe, the top of the main body rack is fixedly connected with a lamp holder, and the lamp holder is fixedly connected with a waste gas collection air extraction cover. The device adopts annular wire module layout, steel belt transmission system, sub-mother tank plating solution storage and exchange system, special tool hanger, pre / post treatment system, PLC intelligent control system, plating solution cleaning water recycling and purification circulation system and hanger online stripping system, and through combination, high-speed continuous electroplating treatment work can be carried out.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electroplating technology, specifically a high-speed, continuous, fully automatic local electroplating device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of automotive electronics, electrical automation, and 5G communication equipment, the performance requirements for electronic connectors and contact components are becoming increasingly stringent. These components typically require plating with precious metals such as gold, silver, and tin on specific areas (e.g., contact surfaces, soldering surfaces) to meet functional requirements such as high conductivity, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance. However, traditional partial plating processes for individual components are no longer adequate for the demands of modern large-scale, low-cost, and green manufacturing, primarily due to the following technical obstacles: 1. Complex processes and limited environmental protection. Current localized electroplating technology mainly relies on manual application of adhesives or wrapping of insulating layers to protect non-plated areas. Such operations are lengthy, resulting in high labor costs and the use of large amounts of chemical adhesives, generating a large amount of solid waste. During the de-adhesion process, improper operation can easily damage the surface of the component substrate, leading to increased rework rates. In addition, the open or semi-closed design of the work tank exposes workers to harmful exhaust gas environments, which does not meet the requirements of green production and occupational health and safety.

[0003] 2. Accuracy and consistency are difficult to guarantee. Traditional "manual immersion" methods are difficult to control the contact depth of the plating solution precisely, resulting in poor uniformity of plating height. This often leads to defects such as over-plating (wasting precious metals), under-plating (affecting electrical performance), and blurred plating boundaries (affecting assembly accuracy). As the structure of parts becomes miniaturized and more complex, the error amplification effect of manual control becomes more and more significant, and it can no longer meet the stringent requirements of micron-level plating thickness uniformity for precision components such as electrical connectors.

[0004] 3. Inefficient intermittent production mode Existing technologies mostly adopt intermittent production modes of manual handling and slot-by-slot processing. In this mode, parts need to be loaded and unloaded frequently, resulting in long production line downtime and high work intensity, making it difficult to achieve large-scale continuous production. When facing the demand for mass production, the changeover efficiency is low and it cannot adapt to the flexible production line requirements in the context of modern industrial internet.

[0005] 4. Significant material waste For plating precious metals such as gold and silver, traditional processes are difficult to precisely limit the plating range, leading to unnecessary losses of precious metals. In addition, conventional methods such as circulating agitation in filters or moving agitation in cathodes can cause violent fluctuations in the plating solution surface, further resulting in unstable plating dimensional accuracy and increasing the defect rate.

[0006] 5. Water waste Localized plating processes are extremely wasteful in terms of water consumption, with rinsing water typically accounting for over 70% of the total electroplating wastewater. These wastewaters are difficult and expensive to treat. Traditional processes lack effective digital management tools, making it difficult to achieve real-time monitoring and optimization of energy consumption.

[0007] 6. Lack of digital traceability and intelligent control Existing electroplating process parameters (such as current density, temperature, and pH value) mainly rely on operator experience for adjustment, lacking closed-loop feedback control. This not only leads to untraceable processes but also results in low product changeover efficiency, making it difficult to adapt to the flexible production needs of multi-variety, small-batch production. In the current context of Industry 4.0, this "human-controlled" model has become a bottleneck restricting the digital transformation of production lines. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a high-speed, continuous, fully automated local electroplating device.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is: a high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating device, including a sub-tank and a mother tank, the sub-tank and the mother tank are connected, the lower end of the mother tank is provided with a drainage main pipe and a hot water main pipe, the drainage main pipe and the hot water main pipe work together to perform water treatment, the sub-tank, the mother tank, the drainage main pipe and the hot water main pipe are fixed by the main frame, the main exhaust pipe and the air supply main pipe are fixedly connected to the main frame, the top of the main frame is fixedly connected to a lamp holder, and the lamp holder is fixedly connected to a waste gas collection exhaust hood; The exhaust gas collection hood is connected to the main exhaust pipe, which is connected to the sub-slot and the mother slot. The main air supply pipe is also connected to the air knife installed in the sub-slot.

[0010] Specifically, the mother tank is used for replenishing and exchanging solutions in the daughter tanks.

[0011] Specifically, the sub-slot is equipped with a stainless steel strip, and the stainless steel strip is equipped with a hanger for the conduction of the workpiece.

[0012] A high-speed, continuous, fully automated local electroplating method includes the following steps: S1. Upper clamping: The workpiece is clamped on a special tooling fixture with a closed-loop corrosion-resistant stainless steel strip to complete the positioning calibration and conductive connection. S2. Pretreatment: The workpiece is subjected to ultrasonic degreasing, electrolytic degreasing, multi-stage countercurrent water washing, acid pickling activation, and multi-stage countercurrent water washing in sequence to obtain a clean substrate. S3. Precise liquid level setting: The target coating height is input through the PLC, and the speed of the variable frequency circulating pump is automatically adjusted to stably deliver the mother tank plating solution to the daughter tank, so that the liquid level in the daughter tank matches the target coating height and the liquid surface is stable. S4. Continuous electroplating: The servo-driven steel belt is continuously transported at a steplessly adjustable speed of 0.5–6 m / min. The workpiece passes through the sub-tank continuously, and only the area in contact with the surface of the plating solution forms a local plating layer. S5. Post-treatment: The plated workpiece is subjected to the following steps in sequence: recycling wash, multi-stage countercurrent water wash, activation, silver protection, multi-stage countercurrent water wash, hot water wash, high-pressure air knife drying, and hot air drying. S6. Unloading and Return: The workpiece is unloaded, and the tooling hanger is returned to the loading area in a closed loop with the steel belt to achieve uninterrupted continuous production.

[0013] Specifically, the bottom of the sub-tank is equipped with a variable diameter inclined liquid outlet hole. The hole diameter gradually changes along the length direction and the liquid outlet direction is inclined downward. Combined with the liquid level difference circulation supply, the liquid surface is stable without fluctuation, and the coating height control accuracy is ±1mm.

[0014] Specifically, it adopts PLC digital closed-loop control to adjust transmission speed, liquid level, bath temperature, electroplating current, and circulating pump speed in real time, and supports process formula storage, one-click model change and data traceability.

[0015] Specifically, the special tooling fixture is a combination structure of a general base and a special positioning clamp, which can be quickly disassembled and changed, and is compatible with clamping and positioning of workpieces of various specifications.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. High precision: Coating height control accuracy ±1mm, uniformity deviation ≤1.5%; 2. High efficiency: Continuous automated production improves efficiency by more than 3 times; 3. Low cost: Saves 60% of labor costs and reduces precious metal consumption and environmental treatment costs; 4. Stable quality: Digital control ensures good consistency, with a yield rate of ≥99%; 5. Green and environmentally friendly: No adhesive coating waste, high recycling rate of plating solution, precious metals can be recycled online, and water, electricity and gas energy consumption is reduced by 30%; 6. High flexibility: One-click parameter switching adapts to multiple varieties, specifications, and large-scale production. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1-Main exhaust pipe, 2-Main air supply pipe, 3-Sub-tank, 4-Main tank, 5-Drainage pipe, 6-Hot water pipe, 7-Main frame, 8-Light fixture, 9-Exhaust gas collection exhaust hood. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0021] The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Example like Figure 1 As shown, a high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating device of the present invention includes a sub-tank 3 and a main tank 4, which are connected to each other. The lower end of the main tank 4 is provided with a drainage main pipe 5 and a hot water main pipe 6. The drainage main pipe 5 and the hot water main pipe 6 work together to treat water. The sub-tank 3, the main tank 4, the drainage main pipe 5 and the hot water main pipe 6 are fixed by a main frame 7. A main exhaust pipe 1 and an air supply main pipe 2 are fixedly connected to the main frame 7. A lamp holder 8 is fixedly connected to the top of the main frame 7. An exhaust gas collection hood 9 is fixedly connected to the lamp holder 8. The exhaust gas collection hood 9 is connected to the main exhaust pipe 1, the main exhaust pipe 1 is connected to the sub-slot 3, and the main air supply pipe 2 is connected to the air knife in the sub-slot 3.

[0023] The mother tank 4 is used for replenishing and exchanging the solution in the daughter tank 3.

[0024] The sub-slot 3 is equipped with a stainless steel strip, and the stainless steel strip is equipped with a hanger for the conduction of workpieces.

[0025] A high-speed, continuous, fully automated local electroplating method includes the following steps: S1. Upper clamping: The workpiece is clamped on a special tooling fixture with a closed-loop corrosion-resistant stainless steel strip to complete the positioning calibration and conductive connection. S2. Pretreatment: The workpiece is subjected to ultrasonic degreasing, electrolytic degreasing, multi-stage countercurrent water washing, acid pickling activation, and multi-stage countercurrent water washing in sequence to obtain a clean substrate. S3. Precise liquid level setting: The target coating height is input through the PLC, and the speed of the variable frequency circulating pump is automatically adjusted to stably deliver the mother tank plating solution to the daughter tank, so that the liquid level in the daughter tank matches the target coating height and the liquid surface is stable. S4. Continuous electroplating: The servo-driven steel belt is continuously transported at a steplessly adjustable speed of 0.5–6 m / min. The workpiece passes through the sub-tank continuously, and only the area in contact with the surface of the plating solution forms a local plating layer. S5. Post-treatment: The plated workpiece is subjected to the following steps in sequence: recycling wash, multi-stage countercurrent water wash, activation, silver protection, multi-stage countercurrent water wash, hot water wash, high-pressure air knife drying, and hot air drying. S6. Unloading and Return: The workpiece is unloaded, and the tooling hanger is returned to the loading area in a closed loop with the steel belt to achieve uninterrupted continuous production.

[0026] The bottom of the sub-tank is equipped with a variable diameter inclined liquid outlet hole. The hole diameter gradually changes along the length direction and the liquid outlet direction is inclined downward. With the liquid level difference circulation supply, the liquid surface is stable and without fluctuation, and the coating height control accuracy is ±1mm.

[0027] It adopts PLC digital closed-loop control to adjust transmission speed, liquid level, bath temperature, electroplating current, and circulating pump speed in real time, and supports process formula storage, one-click model change and data traceability.

[0028] The special tooling fixture is a combination structure of a general base and a special positioning clamp, which can be quickly disassembled and changed, and is compatible with clamping and positioning of workpieces of various specifications.

[0029] 1. Overall Structure The device adopts a modular layout with a ring line and mainly includes: a steel belt conveyor system, a mother-daughter tank plating solution storage and exchange system, special tooling fixtures, a pre / post-treatment system, a PLC intelligent control system, a plating solution cleaning water recycling and purification circulation system, and an online stripping system for the fixtures.

[0030] 2. Steel belt conveyor system It adopts a closed-loop corrosion-resistant stainless steel strip for fixing tooling fixtures and continuously transporting workpieces; driven by a servo motor and reducer, the transmission speed is steplessly adjustable from 0.5 to 6 m / min; equipped with an automatic tensioning mechanism and a guiding mechanism to ensure straight operation without deviation or vibration; the steel strip has positioning holes for rigid positioning with the tooling fixture to ensure consistent immersion angle and depth.

[0031] 3. Mother-daughter plating solution system The mother tank is used for liquid storage, temperature control, and circulation filtration to maintain the stability of the plating solution's composition, temperature, and cleanliness. The daughter tank is the working electroplating tank, located above the mother tank, forming a liquid level difference circulation with it. A variable frequency circulating pump lifts the plating solution from the mother tank to the daughter tank, and the liquid supply is controlled by adjusting the pump speed, achieving precise and adjustable liquid level in the daughter tank. The bottom of the daughter tank is equipped with a variable diameter inclined liquid outlet hole, with the hole diameter gradually changing along the length direction and the liquid outlet direction tilting downwards to ensure a stable and undisturbed liquid surface.

[0032] 4. Specialized tooling hangers It adopts a combination structure of universal base and special positioning fixture, which enables quick assembly and disassembly without tooling changes; the fixture is customized according to the shape of the contact / connector, with precise positioning, good conductivity and firm clamping; it is compatible with multiple specifications of products, and one production line can adapt to the production of parts of different sizes and structures within a certain range.

[0033] 5. Pre- / Post-processing system Pretreatment: Ultrasonic degreasing → Two-stage electrolytic degreasing → Multi-stage countercurrent water rinsing → Acid pickling activation → Multi-stage countercurrent water rinsing; Posttreatment: Recovery rinsing → Multi-stage countercurrent water rinsing → Activation → Multi-stage countercurrent water rinsing → Silver protection → Multi-stage countercurrent water rinsing → Hot water rinsing → High-pressure air knife drying → Hot air drying; The air knife + water knife structure significantly reduces plating solution carry-out losses.

[0034] 6. PLC Intelligent Control System It uses a PLC as the main control unit, paired with a touch screen human-machine interface; it provides closed-loop control of transmission speed, liquid level, tank temperature, electroplating current, and circulating pump speed; it supports process formula storage, one-click switching, abnormal alarm, automatic protection, and data traceability.

[0035] Technical solution (control methods / process flow) 1. Hanging and clamping: The workpiece is clamped onto a special hanger fixed on a steel strip to complete the positioning calibration and hanging; 2. Pretreatment: Complete degreasing, activation, and water washing according to the preset process to obtain a clean substrate that ensures coating deposition; 3. Liquid level setting: Input the target coating height into the PLC, and the system will automatically adjust the speed of the circulating pump to stabilize the liquid level in the sub-tank; 4. Continuous electroplating: The steel strip drives the workpiece through the sub-tank at a constant speed, and only the area in contact with the liquid surface forms a local coating; 5. Post-treatment: After plating, the following steps are performed in sequence: recovery washing, activation, protection, water washing, blowing dry, and drying. 6. Unloading and Recirculation: After the workpiece is unloaded, the fixture returns to the loading area along with the steel strip, realizing closed-loop continuous production. The following solution was adopted in this case. 1. Liquid level controlled plating replaces adhesive coating protection: Local plating is achieved by precisely controlling the liquid level of the mother and daughter tanks, eliminating the adhesive coating / removal process, resulting in no solid waste and no pollution.

[0036] 2. Closed-loop continuous transmission of steel belt: Servo-driven steel belt replaces manual handling, enabling 24-hour uninterrupted continuous electroplating and improving efficiency by more than 2 times.

[0037] 3. Variable diameter inclined smooth liquid distribution structure: The diameter of the liquid outlet at the bottom of the sub-tank gradually changes along the length direction and is inclined downward, so that the liquid supply is uniform and the liquid surface is not fluctuating.

[0038] 4. PLC full-parameter digital closed-loop control: speed, liquid level, temperature and current are fully automatically adjusted, one-click model change and multiple specifications are compatible; water, electricity and steam are all quantitatively controlled; major process parameters are automatically stored during production.

[0039] 5. Quick-change flexible tooling: universal base + special fixture, quick changeover, suitable for multi-variety small-batch production.

[0040] During implementation: the static contact tip of the electrical connector is locally silver-plated at 2-4µm. 1. Workpiece: Static contact of electrical connector, requiring a silver plating height of 8.0mm ± 1mm ​​at the end; 2. Sub-tank level setting: 8.0mm, control accuracy ±0.5mm; 3. Steel belt conveyor speed: 2m / min; 4. Plating solution temperature: 25±1℃; 5. Electroplating mode: Constant current control; 6. Process flow: Hanging → Ultrasonic degreasing → Electrolytic degreasing → Multi-stage countercurrent water washing → Pickling → Multi-stage countercurrent water washing → Pre-plating silver → Silver plating → Recycling wash → Multi-stage countercurrent water washing → Activation → Multi-stage countercurrent water washing → Silver protection → Multi-stage countercurrent water washing → Hot water washing → Blow drying → Drying → Unloading.

[0041] The coating has clear boundaries, no over-plating, and uniform thickness (the thicknesses of five randomly sampled pieces were 2.25µm, 2.31µm, 2.24µm, 2.40µm, and 2.33µm, with an average thickness of 2.306µm and a thickness range of 2.24-2.40µm), meeting the requirements for high-end electrical equipment. Compared with the traditional partial plating method, the uniformity of the coating obtained by this invention and its method is improved by 25%, production efficiency is increased by 4 times, water consumption is reduced by 30%, and the number of workers is reduced from 6 to 2.

[0042] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A high-speed, continuous, fully automatic local electroplating device, characterized in that: It includes a sub-tank (3) and a main tank (4), which are connected. The lower end of the main tank (4) is provided with a drainage main pipe (5) and a hot water main pipe (6). The drainage main pipe (5) and the hot water main pipe (6) work together to treat water. The sub-tank (3), the main tank (4), the drainage main pipe (5), and the hot water main pipe (6) are fixed by the main frame (7). The main frame (7) is fixedly connected with a main exhaust pipe (1) and an air supply main pipe (2). The top of the main frame (7) is fixedly connected with a lamp holder (8), and the lamp holder (8) is fixedly connected with a waste gas collection exhaust hood (9). The exhaust gas collection hood (9) is connected to the main exhaust pipe (1), the main exhaust pipe (1) is connected to the exhaust gas collection port in the sub-slot (3), and the main air supply pipe (2) is connected to the air knife installed in the sub-slot (3).

2. The high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mother tank (4) is used for replenishing and exchanging the solution in the daughter tank (3).

3. The high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sub-groove (3) is provided with a stainless steel strip, and the stainless steel strip is provided with a hanger for the conduction of the workpiece.

4. A high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating method, employing the high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating apparatus described in claim 3, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: S1. Upper clamping: The workpiece is clamped on a special tooling fixture with a closed-loop corrosion-resistant stainless steel strip to complete the positioning calibration and conductive connection. S2. Pretreatment: The workpiece is subjected to ultrasonic degreasing, electrolytic degreasing, multi-stage countercurrent water washing, acid pickling activation, and multi-stage countercurrent water washing in sequence to obtain a clean substrate. S3. Precise liquid level setting: The target coating height is input through the PLC, and the speed of the variable frequency circulating pump is automatically adjusted to stably deliver the mother tank plating solution to the daughter tank, so that the liquid level in the daughter tank matches the target coating height and the liquid surface is stable. S4. Continuous electroplating: The servo-driven steel belt is continuously transported at a steplessly adjustable speed of 0.5–6 m / min. The workpiece passes through the sub-tank continuously, and only the area in contact with the surface of the plating solution forms a local plating layer. S5. Post-treatment: The plated workpiece is subjected to the following steps in sequence: recycling wash, multi-stage countercurrent water wash, activation, silver protection, multi-stage countercurrent water wash, hot water wash, high-pressure air knife drying, and hot air drying. S6. Unloading and Return: The workpiece is unloaded, and the tooling hanger is returned to the loading area in a closed loop with the steel belt to achieve uninterrupted continuous production.

5. The high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the sub-tank is equipped with a variable diameter inclined liquid outlet hole. The hole diameter gradually changes along the length direction and the liquid outlet direction is inclined downward. With the liquid level difference circulation supply, the liquid surface is stable and without fluctuation, and the coating height control accuracy is ±1mm.

6. The high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating method according to claim 5, characterized in that: It adopts PLC digital closed-loop control to adjust transmission speed, liquid level, bath temperature, electroplating current, and circulating pump speed in real time, and supports process formula storage, one-click model change and data traceability.

7. The high-speed continuous fully automatic local electroplating method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The special tooling fixture is a combination structure of a general base and a special positioning clamp, which can be quickly disassembled and changed, and is compatible with clamping and positioning of workpieces of various specifications.

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