A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line

Abstract

This utility model discloses a vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line, including a frame, a conductive metal plate, and a drive mechanism. The frame has two parallel guide rails. The conductive metal plate is connected end-to-end and has multiple guide wheel sets, multiple conductive blocks, and multiple conductive clamps. The conductive metal plate is positioned on the two guide rails via the multiple guide wheel sets. Multiple conductive blocks moving to the electroplating station can contact the electrodes of the power system located at the electroplating station, ensuring that all conductive blocks moving to the electroplating station are electrically connected to the electrodes. Multiple conductive clamps are used to hold workpieces. The drive mechanism drives the conductive metal plate to move on the two guide rails, causing the multiple conductive clamps to carry the workpieces along a loop path. All conductive blocks moving to the electroplating station contact the electrodes, and the conductive metal plate is electrically connected to the multiple conductive clamps and conductive blocks, resulting in better and more uniform electroplating quality for the workpieces at the electroplating station.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of printed circuit board technology, and in particular to a vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line. Background Technology

[0002] In the production process of printed circuit boards, such as electroplating copper onto the substrate, electroplating processes and equipment are involved. The electroplating equipment uses multiple racks to transport workpieces one by one along a circular or loop-shaped transport path. This allows multiple workpieces to pass through loading stations, electroplating stations, and unloading stations set up on the electroplating equipment, thereby realizing the electroplating process on the workpieces. At present, the voltage on the workpieces in the electroplating equipment is not stable enough, and the voltage between workpieces on different racks is prone to large differences, which affects the electroplating quality of the workpieces and the uniformity of electroplating between the workpieces. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention proposes a vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line, which enables better uniformity of electroplating between various workpieces.

[0004] A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a frame, a conductive metal plate, and a drive mechanism. The frame is provided with two parallel guide rails. The conductive metal plate is connected end-to-end and is provided with multiple guide wheel groups, multiple conductive blocks, and multiple conductive clamps. The conductive metal plate is mounted on the two guide rails via the multiple guide wheel groups. Multiple conductive blocks moving to the electroplating station can abut against the electrodes of the power system located at the electroplating station, so that all conductive blocks moving to the electroplating station are electrically connected to the electrodes. Multiple conductive clamps are used to clamp workpieces. The drive mechanism is mounted on the frame and is used to drive the conductive metal plate to move on the two guide rails, so that the multiple conductive clamps carry the workpieces along a loop path.

[0005] It has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0006] All the conductive blocks that move to the electroplating station abut against the electrode, so that the conductive metal plate is electrically connected to the multiple conductive clips and the multiple conductive blocks. The voltage uniformity of the multiple conductive clips at the electroplating station is good, so that the electroplating quality of the workpiece held by the multiple conductive clips is good, and the electroplating of each area of ​​a single workpiece and between each workpiece is more uniform.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes copper bars and multiple telescopic terminals all disposed on the frame, the multiple telescopic terminals being electrically connected to the copper bars, and the conductive block being electrically connected to the electrode through the copper bars and at least two of the telescopic terminals.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, multiple telescopic terminals are disposed next to a guide rail, the multiple telescopic terminals are distributed along a straight line, and the straight line where the multiple telescopic terminals are located is parallel to the guide rail, and the distance between two adjacent telescopic terminals is less than the length of the conductive block.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the copper strip is electrically connected to multiple wires, which are respectively electrically connected to multiple telescopic terminals.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the telescopic terminal includes a mounting block, a contact block, and an elastic element. The mounting block is connected to the frame and is connected to the contact block via a sliding structure. The copper strip is electrically connected to the contact block of the telescopic terminal, and the elastic element is used to drive the contact block to move toward the conductive block of the electroplating station.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the sliding structure includes a sliding groove provided on the mounting block and a sliding part provided on the contact block, wherein the sliding part is provided in the sliding groove.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the guide wheel assembly includes a mounting plate and two guide wheels. The mounting plate is connected to the conductive metal plate, and the two guide wheels are respectively disposed at the upper and lower ends of the mounting plate, and the two guide wheels abut against the upper and lower ends of the guide rail.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this utility model, both the upper and lower ends of the two ends of the guide rail are provided with guide slopes.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame is provided with a protective cover, which covers the top, outside and bottom of the guide rail.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the mounting plate has conductive properties, the conductive block is connected to the conductive metal plate through the mounting plate, and the conductive block is located above the conductive metal plate.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

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

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the guide rail, protective cover, and conductive metal plate in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the guide wheel assembly and conductive block according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the telescopic terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Icon labels:

[0023] Frame 100, guide rail 110, protective cover 120, linear drive mechanism 130, tension wheel 140;

[0024] Conductive metal plate 200, guide wheel assembly 210, mounting plate 211, guide wheel 212, conductive block 220, conductive clip 230;

[0025] Copper bar 300;

[0026] Telescopic terminal 400, mounting block 410, contact block 420, elastic element 430, first wiring terminal 440, second wiring terminal 450;

[0027] Wire 500. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the directional or positional relationship based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0029] In the description of this utility model, the use of "first" and "second" is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features or the order of the technical features.

[0030] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "setting," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0031] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2This utility model discloses a vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line, including a frame 100, a conductive metal plate 200, and a drive mechanism. The frame 100 is provided with two parallel guide rails 110. The conductive metal plate 200 is connected end to end and is provided with multiple guide wheel sets 210, multiple conductive blocks 220, and multiple conductive clamps 230. The conductive metal plate 200 is mounted on the two guide rails 110 via multiple guide wheel sets 210. The multiple conductive blocks 220 that move to the electroplating station can all abut against the electrodes of the power system located at the electroplating station, so that all the conductive blocks 220 that move to the electroplating station are electrically connected to the electrodes. The multiple conductive clamps 230 are used to clamp the workpiece. The drive mechanism is located on the frame 100 and is used to drive the conductive metal plate 200 to move on the two guide rails 110, so that the multiple conductive clamps 230 carry the workpiece along a loop path.

[0032] The frame 100 supports two guide rails 110, which in turn support a conductive metal plate 200. A drive mechanism moves the conductive metal plate 200 along the two guide rails 110. The conductive metal plate 200 moves along a loop path on the two guide rails 110 via multiple guide wheel sets 210. The vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line is part of the electroplating equipment. Various stations of the electroplating equipment are set around the conductive metal plate 200, such as the loading station, electroplating station, and unloading station. When an empty conductive clamp 230 on the conductive metal plate 200 moves to the loading station, it can clamp the workpiece to be electroplated onto the empty conductive clamp 230. Then, the conductive clamp 230 carries the workpiece to be electroplated to the electroplating station, where electroplating can be performed. Afterward, the conductive clamp 230 carries the electroplated workpiece to the unloading station, where the electroplated workpiece can be removed from the conductive clamp 230. It is understood that the electroplating equipment includes a power supply system, and the electrodes of the power supply system are located at the electroplating station. All conductive blocks 220 that move to the electroplating station abut against the electrodes, so that the conductive metal plate 200 is electrically connected to the multiple conductive clips 230 and the multiple conductive blocks 220. The voltage uniformity of the multiple conductive clips 230 at the electroplating station is good, which in turn results in better electroplating quality of the workpieces held by the multiple conductive clips 230, and makes the electroplating more uniform in different areas of a single workpiece and between different workpieces.

[0033] The distinction between the positive and negative electrodes of the power supply system, as well as the setting method and location of the positive and negative electrodes, are existing technologies and will not be described redundantly here.

[0034] Reference Figure 3In some embodiments, the guide wheel assembly 210 includes a mounting plate 211 and two guide wheels 212. The mounting plate 211 is connected to the conductive metal plate 200. The two guide wheels 212 are respectively disposed at the upper and lower ends of the mounting plate 211. The two guide wheels 212 abut against the upper and lower ends of the guide rail 110, so that the guide wheel assembly 210 is in a state of hanging on the guide rail 110.

[0035] As can be imagined, the guide rail 110 is plate-shaped, and the plane on which the guide rail 110 is located is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The guide rail 110 has an upper end face and a lower end face. The two opposite sides of the two guide rails 110 are parallel to each other, and the two opposite sides of the two guide rails 110 are perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The conductive metal plate 200 is connected end to end. The conductive metal plate 200 has an outer side face and an inner side face. The mounting plate 211 is connected to the outer side face of the conductive metal plate 200 by the first fastener. One side of the mounting plate 211 abuts against the outer side face of the conductive metal plate 200. Two guide wheels 212 are respectively disposed on the other side of the mounting plate 211. The two guide wheels 212 abut against the upper end face and the lower end face of the guide rail 110 respectively, so as to realize the upper limit of the guide wheel assembly 210 and the conductive metal plate 200 in the vertical direction.

[0036] Reference Figure 3 The guide wheel 212 and guide rail 110 can be made of insulating material. The shaft of the guide wheel 212 is horizontal and connected to the mounting plate 211. The guide wheel 212 has an annular limiting groove. The upper and lower ends of the guide rail 110 extend into the limiting grooves on the two guide wheels 212, respectively, thereby limiting the guide wheel 212, the guide wheel assembly 210, and the conductive metal plate 200 in the horizontal direction. The first fastener can be a bolt, screw, or rivet.

[0037] In some embodiments, guide ramps are provided at both the upper and lower ends of the guide rail 110. When the guide wheel assembly 210 approaches the end of the guide rail 110, the two guide wheels 212 of the guide wheel assembly 210 can abut against the guide ramps, so that the two guide wheels 212 can smoothly abut against the upper and lower ends of the guide rail 110. That is, the guide wheel assembly 210 is fastened or locked on the guide rail 110 and can move on the guide rail 110.

[0038] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the frame 100 is provided with a protective cover 120, which covers the top, outside and bottom of the guide rail 110, and serves to protect the guide rail 110 and the guide wheel assembly 210 that moves onto the guide rail 110. This can prevent personnel from accidentally touching the guide rail 110 and the guide wheel assembly 210 that moves onto the guide rail 110, thereby improving the safety of the equipment.

[0039] In some embodiments, the conductive block 220 is positioned above the conductive metal plate 200 so that it abuts against the electrodes of the power supply system. The mounting plate 211 is conductive, and the conductive block 220 is connected to the conductive metal plate 200 through the mounting plate 211, so that while the conductive block 220 is positioned above the conductive metal plate 200, it is also electrically connected to the conductive metal plate 200.

[0040] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The mounting plate 211 includes a vertical part and a horizontal part, which are connected and form a T shape. The vertical part is connected to the conductive metal plate 200 by a first fastener. The conductive block 220 is connected to the horizontal part. The horizontal part is outside the protective cover 120 and above the conductive metal plate 200 so that the conductive block 220 can contact the electrodes of the power supply system.

[0041] Multiple guide wheel assemblies 210 are evenly and closely distributed on the conductive metal plate 200, enabling the conductive metal plate 200 to move smoothly. Each guide wheel assembly 210 is equipped with a conductive block 220. The spacing between adjacent conductive blocks 220 is very small, and all conductive blocks 220 are at the same height. Because the trajectory of the multiple guide wheel assemblies 210 as the conductive metal plate 200 moves is U-shaped, the included angle between adjacent conductive blocks 220 will change, causing interference between adjacent conductive blocks 220. The cross-sectional shape of the conductive block 220 is an isosceles trapezoid, which avoids interference between the end face of one conductive block 220 corresponding to the isosceles trapezoid and the end face of another conductive block 220 corresponding to the isosceles trapezoid.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line also includes copper strips 300 and multiple telescopic terminals 400 evenly disposed on the frame 100. The positions of the multiple telescopic terminals 400 are fixed, and the multiple telescopic terminals 400 are electrically connected to the copper strips 300. The conductive block 220 is electrically connected to the electrodes of the power supply system through the copper strips 300 and at least two telescopic terminals 400, so that the voltage difference between different areas of the conductive block 220 is small.

[0043] The length of the conductive block 220 is greater than or equal to the distance between two adjacent telescopic terminals 400, so that one conductive block 220 can simultaneously abut against at least two telescopic terminals 400. When the conductive block 220 moves to the area of ​​the corresponding telescopic terminal 400, it can ensure that each conductive block 220 always maintains an electrical connection with the power system.

[0044] An insulating plate is provided between the copper strip 300 and the frame 100 to separate the copper strip 300 and the frame 100 and prevent electrical conduction between them. The copper strip 300 is made of copper, but it can also be made of other conductive materials.

[0045] In another embodiment, the telescopic terminal 400 is replaced with a conductive wheel made of conductive material.

[0046] In some embodiments, multiple telescopic terminals 400 are disposed beside a guide rail 110. The multiple telescopic terminals 400 are distributed along a straight line, and the straight line where the multiple telescopic terminals 400 are located is parallel to the guide rail 110. The area of ​​the conductive metal plate 200 on the guide rail 110 is in a straight line. Therefore, the multiple conductive blocks 220 in the area of ​​the conductive metal plate 200 on the guide rail 110 are distributed in a straight line so that the multiple telescopic terminals 400 can abut against the conductive blocks 220.

[0047] The distance between two adjacent telescopic terminals 400 is less than the length of the conductive block 220, ensuring that the conductive block 220 maintains electrical connection with the copper strip 300 and the electrodes of the power system when corresponding to the telescopic terminal 400. It is conceivable that the installation positions of the copper strip 300 and the telescopic terminal 400 correspond to the electroplating station, so that the conductive block 220, when moved to the electroplating station, abuts against the telescopic terminal 400, thus achieving sequential electrical connection between the conductive block 220, the telescopic terminal 400, and the copper strip 300.

[0048] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments, multiple wires 500 are electrically connected to the copper strip 300, and the multiple wires 500 are electrically connected to multiple telescopic terminals 400 respectively, so that the wires 500 realize the electrical connection between the copper strip 300 and the telescopic terminals 400.

[0049] Multiple conductors 500 are of equal length. A copper strip 300 has multiple first terminals 440 evenly distributed along its length. A telescopic terminal 400 has multiple second terminals 450. One end of each conductor 500 is connected to the copper strip 300 via a first terminal 440, and the other end is connected to the telescopic terminal 400 via a second terminal 450. Both the first terminals 440 and the second terminals 450 can be bolts or screws.

[0050] Reference Figure 4In some embodiments, the telescopic terminal 400 includes a mounting block 410, a contact block 420, and an elastic element 430. The mounting block 410 is connected to the frame 100 and is connected to the contact block 420 via a sliding structure, allowing the contact block 420 to slide on the mounting block 410. The sliding structure guides the contact block 420 toward or away from the conductive block 220. The copper strip 300 is electrically connected to the contact block 420 of the telescopic terminal 400. The elastic element 430 drives the contact block 420 toward the conductive block 220 at the electroplating station, so that in its natural state, the contact block 420 is in a position close to the conductive block 220. When the conductive block 220 moves to the electroplating station, the conductive block 220 abuts against the contact block 420, thereby achieving an electrical connection between the conductive block 220 and the contact block 420.

[0051] In this embodiment, the mounting block 410 is located above the conductive metal plate 200 and the guide rail 110. The sliding direction of the sliding structure is up and down. The elastic element 430 drives the contact block 420 to move down onto the movement trajectory of the conductive block 220. When the conductive block 220 moves onto the movement trajectory, the contact block 420 abuts against the conductive block 220. The conductive block 220 forces the contact block 420 to move up a certain distance. The elastic element 430 is compressed to shorten a certain length.

[0052] Understandably, one end of the wire 500 is connected to the copper strip 300 via the first terminal 440, and the other end of the wire 500 is connected to the contact block 420 or mounting block 410 of the telescopic terminal 400 via the second terminal 450. The contact block 420 and the mounting block 410 are made of conductive material.

[0053] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments, the sliding structure includes a groove on the mounting block 410 and a sliding part on the contact block 420. The sliding part is disposed in the groove, and the groove defines the sliding direction of the sliding part, so that the moving direction of the contact block 420 on the mounting block 410 is unique, thereby enabling the contact block 420 to abut against the conductive block 220.

[0054] Another insulating plate is provided between the mounting block 410 and the frame 100, separating the mounting block 410 and the frame 100 to prevent electrical conduction between the frame 100 and the mounting block 410 and the contact block 420. The mounting block 410 and the other insulating plate are connected by a third fastener, and the other insulating plate and the frame 100 are connected by a fourth fastener, or the other insulating plate and the frame 100 are connected by adhesive. Both the third and fourth fasteners can be bolts or screws.

[0055] One end of the elastic element 430 abuts against or is connected to the mounting block 410, and the other end of the elastic element 430 abuts against or is connected to the contact block 420. The elastic element 430 is a spring, and a bolt is threaded onto the mounting block 410. One end of the spring is sleeved on the bolt, and the other end of the spring abuts against the upper surface of the contact block 420. The spring drives the contact block 420 to move downward.

[0056] Reference Figure 2 The frame 100 is provided with a linear drive mechanism 130. The driving direction of the linear drive mechanism 130 is parallel to the length direction of the guide rail 110. The output end of the linear drive mechanism 130 is rotatably connected to a tension wheel 140. The linear drive mechanism 130 drives the tension wheel 140 to press against the inner side of the conductive metal plate 200, so that the conductive metal plate 200 is tensioned.

[0057] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0058] Of course, this utility model is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of this utility model. All such equivalent modifications or substitutions are included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line, characterized in that, include: The frame (100) is equipped with two parallel guide rails (110). A conductive metal plate (200) is connected end to end. The conductive metal plate (200) is provided with multiple guide wheel groups (210), multiple conductive blocks (220) and multiple conductive clamps (230). The conductive metal plate (200) is set on two guide rails (110) through multiple guide wheel groups (210). Multiple conductive blocks (220) that move to the electroplating station can all abut against the electrodes of the power system set at the electroplating station, so that all the conductive blocks (220) that move to the electroplating station are electrically connected to the electrodes. Multiple conductive clamps (230) are used to clamp the workpiece. A drive mechanism is provided on the frame (100). The drive mechanism is used to drive the conductive metal plate (200) to move on the two guide rails (110) so that the multiple conductive clamps (230) carry the workpiece along a loop path.

2. The vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes copper strips (300) and multiple telescopic terminals (400) all disposed on the frame (100), the multiple telescopic terminals (400) being electrically connected to the copper strips (300), and the conductive block (220) being electrically connected to the electrode through the copper strips (300) and at least two of the telescopic terminals (400).

3. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple telescopic terminals (400) are disposed next to a guide rail (110). The multiple telescopic terminals (400) are distributed along a straight line, and the straight line where the multiple telescopic terminals (400) are located is parallel to the guide rail (110). The distance between two adjacent telescopic terminals (400) is less than the length of the conductive block (220).

4. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 2, characterized in that, The copper strip (300) is electrically connected to multiple wires (500), and the multiple wires (500) are electrically connected to multiple telescopic terminals (400) respectively.

5. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 2, characterized in that, The telescopic terminal (400) includes a mounting block (410), a contact block (420), and an elastic element (430). The mounting block (410) is connected to the frame (100). The mounting block (410) is connected to the contact block (420) through a sliding structure. The copper strip (300) is electrically connected to the contact block (420) of the telescopic terminal (400). The elastic element (430) is used to drive the contact block (420) to move toward the conductive block (220) located in the electroplating station.

6. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sliding structure includes a sliding groove on the mounting block (410) and a sliding part on the contact block (420), wherein the sliding part is located in the sliding groove.

7. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that, The guide wheel assembly (210) includes a mounting plate (211) and two guide wheels (212). The mounting plate (211) is connected to the conductive metal plate (200). The two guide wheels (212) are respectively located at the upper and lower ends of the mounting plate (211) and abut against the upper and lower ends of the guide rail (110).

8. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 7, characterized in that, The guide rail (110) has guide slopes at both the upper and lower ends.

9. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 7, characterized in that, The frame (100) is provided with a protective cover (120), which covers the top, outside and bottom of the guide rail (110).

10. A vertical continuous copper plating conveyor line according to claim 7, characterized in that, The mounting plate (211) has electrical conductivity, and the conductive block (220) is connected to the conductive metal plate (200) through the mounting plate (211). The conductive block (220) is located above the conductive metal plate (200).

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