A horizontal electroplating device

Abstract

This application relates to a horizontal electroplating apparatus, including a main frame; an electroplating tank fixed relative to the main frame; the electroplating tank including a loading end and a unloading end, the direction from the loading end to the unloading end being a first direction; at least one main conductive mechanism disposed on the main frame and located above the electroplating area; the main conductive mechanism including a support frame, at least one busbar fixed on the support frame, and at least one conductive component; the conductive component including a plurality of first conductive brushes and a first conductive element electrically connected to each of the first conductive brushes; the first conductive element being electrically connected to a busbar; a conductive driving mechanism for driving the main conductive mechanism to move along the first direction with the workpiece to be plated, and driving the main conductive mechanism to reset; at least one conductive transfer mechanism fixed on the main frame and located on one side of the electroplating tank; the conductive transfer mechanism including at least one second conductive element electrically connected to a power source; when the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the workpiece to be plated, the busbar is electrically connected to at least one second conductive element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of horizontal electroplating apparatus, and in particular to a horizontal electroplating apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, horizontal electroplating equipment can achieve mass production of solar cells. A horizontal electroplating equipment includes an electroplating tank, rollers, and conductive brushes. When the workpiece to be plated moves horizontally forward driven by the rollers, the conductive brushes contact the upper surface of the workpiece, introducing current. The current is conducted and diffused throughout the entire workpiece through the silkscreened silver grid lines on its upper surface. In traditional horizontal electroplating equipment, there are many wires used to connect the conductive brushes to the power supply, which are prone to tangling. Utility Model Content

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a horizontal electroplating apparatus that can reduce wire entanglement.

[0004] This application provides a horizontal electroplating apparatus, comprising: Main frame; An electroplating tank is fixedly installed relative to the main frame; the electroplating tank includes a loading end and a unloading end, the direction from the loading end to the unloading end is a first direction, and an electroplating area is provided between the loading end and the unloading end; At least one main conductive mechanism is disposed on the main frame and located above the electroplating area; the main conductive mechanism includes a support frame, at least one busbar fixed on the support frame, and at least one conductive component; the conductive component includes a plurality of first conductive brushes and a first conductive element electrically connected to the plurality of first conductive brushes; each first conductive element is electrically connected to one of the busbars; A conductive driving mechanism is used to drive the main conductive mechanism to move along the first direction with the workpiece to be plated, and to drive the main conductive mechanism to reset; and At least one conductive adapter mechanism is fixedly mounted on the main frame and located on one side of the electroplating tank; the conductive adapter mechanism includes at least one second conductive element electrically connected to a power source; when the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the workpiece to be plated, the busbar is electrically connected to at least one second conductive element.

[0005] Optionally, the conductive component further includes an insulating mounting plate fixedly disposed on the support frame; the first conductive brush is fixedly disposed on the insulating mounting plate, and the brush head of the first conductive brush is located on the bottom side of the insulating mounting plate; the first conductive element is fixedly disposed on the top side of the insulating mounting plate.

[0006] Optionally, the first conductive element is a conductive mesh.

[0007] Optionally, when the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the workpiece to be plated, the busbar is higher than the first conductive element.

[0008] Optionally, the main conductive mechanism further includes an adapter electrically connected to the busbar, the adapter having an adapter surface extending parallel to the first direction; the conductive adapter mechanism further includes a second conductive brush fixedly disposed on the second conductive member and abutting against the adapter surface.

[0009] Optionally, there may be multiple second conductive brushes; along the first direction, the spacing between adjacent second conductive brushes is less than or equal to the width of the transition surface along the first direction.

[0010] Optionally, there may be multiple second conductive brushes, and when the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the workpiece to be plated, there may be multiple second conductive brushes that abut against the transition surface.

[0011] Optionally, the second conductive brush is arranged in a rectangular array.

[0012] Optionally, the busbar and the adapter are integrally formed.

[0013] Optionally, in one of the conductive switching mechanisms, there are multiple second conductive elements, which are arranged along a first direction.

[0014] In several embodiments provided in this application, a busbar is provided on the main conductive mechanism. Multiple first conductive brushes on the main conductive mechanism are electrically connected to a second conductive element of the conductive transfer mechanism via the busbar, reducing the number of wires used and minimizing wire tangling during use of the horizontal electroplating device. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a horizontal electroplating apparatus provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of the central structure.

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the main conductive mechanism.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the electrical connection structure between the main conductive mechanism and the conductive transfer mechanism.

[0019] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the electrical connection structure between the main conductive mechanism and a conductive transfer mechanism.

[0020] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of part A in the image.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 110. Main frame; 120. Electroplating tank; 121. Loading end; 122. Unloading end; 123. Electroplating area; 130. Main conductive mechanism; 131. Support frame; 132. Busbar; 133. Conductive component; 1331. First conductive brush; 1332. First conductive element; 1333. Insulating mounting plate; 134. Adapter; 1341. Adapter surface; 140. Conductive drive mechanism; 150. Conductive adapter mechanism; 151. Second conductive element; 152. Second conductive brush; M. First direction. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the technical solution and beneficial effects of this application more apparent and understandable, a detailed description is provided below by listing specific embodiments. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and local features may be enlarged or reduced to more clearly show the details of the local features; unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those in the technical field to which this application pertains.

[0023] See Figures 1 to 6 An embodiment of this application provides a horizontal electroplating apparatus, including a main frame 110, an electroplating tank 120, at least one main conductive mechanism 130, a conductive driving mechanism 140, and at least one conductive transfer mechanism 150. The electroplating tank 120 is fixedly disposed relative to the main frame 110. The electroplating tank 120 includes a loading end 121 and a unloading end 122, with the loading end 121 pointing towards the unloading end 122 in a first direction M. An electroplating area 123 is disposed between the loading end 121 and the unloading end 122. At least one main conductive mechanism 130 is disposed on the main frame 110 and located above the electroplating area 123. The main conductive mechanism 130 includes a support frame 131, at least one busbar 132 fixedly disposed on the support frame 131, and at least one conductive component 133. The conductive component 133 includes a plurality of first conductive brushes 1331 and first conductive elements 1332 electrically connected to the plurality of first conductive brushes 1331; each first conductive element 1332 is electrically connected to a busbar 132. The conductive drive mechanism 140 is used to drive the main conductive mechanism 130 to move along the first direction M with the workpiece to be plated, and to drive the main conductive mechanism 130 to reset. The conductive transfer mechanism 150 is fixedly mounted on the main frame 110 and located on one side of the electroplating tank 120; the conductive transfer mechanism 150 includes at least one second conductive element 151 electrically connected to the power supply; when the main conductive mechanism 130 moves along the first direction M with the workpiece to be plated, the busbar 132 is electrically connected to at least one second conductive element 151.

[0024] In the aforementioned horizontal electroplating apparatus, a busbar 132 is provided on the main conductive mechanism 130. Multiple first conductive brushes 1331 on the main conductive mechanism 130 are electrically connected to the second conductive element 151 of the conductive transfer mechanism 150 via the busbar 132, reducing the number of wires used and minimizing wire tangling during use of the horizontal electroplating apparatus.

[0025] In addition, the main conductive mechanism 130 is provided with a first conductive element 1332, and multiple first conductive brushes 1331 are electrically connected to the first conductive element 1332. Then, the first conductive element 1332 is electrically connected to the busbar 132, which reduces the number of wires connected to the busbar 132 and reduces the phenomenon of wire tangling.

[0026] Furthermore, reducing the number of wires can improve the cleanliness of the horizontal electroplating equipment and facilitate its maintenance.

[0027] In this embodiment, the conductive component 133 further includes an insulating mounting plate 1333 fixedly mounted on the support frame 131; a first conductive brush 1331 is fixedly mounted on the insulating mounting plate 1333, with the brush head of the first conductive brush 1331 located on the bottom side of the insulating mounting plate 1333; and a first conductive element 1332 is fixedly mounted on the top side of the insulating mounting plate 1333. The insulating mounting plate 1333 increases the structural strength of the conductive component 133. It reduces the risk of deformation of the first conductive element 1332 in the conductive component 133, reduces the risk of displacement of the first conductive brush 1331 relative to the first conductive element 1332, and facilitates the stable movement of the conductive component 133.

[0028] In addition, the increased structural strength of the conductive component 133 can improve the stability of the electrical connection between the first conductive brush 1331 and the workpiece to be plated, so as to better maintain a high electroplating efficiency.

[0029] Furthermore, the increased structural strength of the conductive component 133 reduces the risk of movement of the first conductive brush 1331 relative to the workpiece to be plated, thereby better maintaining the uniformity of electroplating.

[0030] In this embodiment, the multiple first conductive brushes 1331 are arranged in an array, and the distribution of the first conductive brushes 1331 is relatively uniform, improving the uniformity of electroplating. Specifically, in this embodiment, the multiple first conductive brushes 1331 are arranged in a rectangular array. Of course, it is understood that in other embodiments, the multiple first conductive brushes 1331 may also be arranged in other regular or irregular ways.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first conductive element 1332 is a conductive mesh, which facilitates electrical connection with the first conductive brush 1331.

[0032] In this embodiment, when the main conductive mechanism 130 moves along the first direction M with the workpiece to be plated, the busbar 132 is higher than the first conductive component 1332. This reduces the splashing of plating solution onto the busbar 132, reduces the risk of moisture absorption of the busbar 132, and improves the electrical connection stability of the busbar 132.

[0033] In this embodiment, the main conductive mechanism 130 further includes a converter 134 electrically connected to the busbar 132. The converter 134 has a converter surface 1341 whose extending direction is parallel to the first direction M. The conductive converter mechanism also includes a second conductive brush 152 fixedly disposed on the second conductive member 151 and abutting against the converter surface 1341. The brush head of the second conductive brush 152 is flexible, and the second conductive brush 152 undergoes a certain deformation when it abuts against the converter surface 1341. Therefore, even if the distance between the converter 134 and the second conductive member 151 changes to a certain extent, the stability of the electrical connection between the converter 134 and the second conductive member 151 can be maintained, reducing the accuracy requirements for the relative position of the converter 134 and the second conductive member 151.

[0034] In this embodiment, the adapter 134 is plate-shaped, with a simple structure and easy processing.

[0035] In this embodiment, the busbar 132 is plate-shaped, with a simple structure and easy processing. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the busbar 132 is in surface contact with the support frame 131, improving the stability of the fixed connection between the busbar 132 and the support frame 131.

[0036] In this embodiment, there are multiple second conductive brushes 152; along the first direction M, the distance between adjacent second conductive brushes 152 is less than or equal to the width of the transition surface 1341 along the first direction M, so that the transition surface 1341 can maintain electrical contact with the second conductive brushes 152, thereby enabling the electroplated part to maintain the electroplating state continuously, improving the electroplating uniformity and electroplating efficiency.

[0037] Optionally, there are multiple second conductive brushes 152. When the main conductive mechanism 130 moves along the first direction M with the workpiece to be plated, there are multiple second conductive brushes 152 that abut against the transition surface 1341, so that the busbar 132 and the transition component 134 remain in a continuously energized state, so that the electroplated workpiece remains in an electroplated state, thereby improving the electroplating uniformity and electroplating efficiency.

[0038] In addition, even if some of the second conductive brushes 152 are damaged or fall off, the busbar 132 and the adapter 134 can remain continuously energized.

[0039] In this embodiment, the second conductive brush 152 is arranged in a rectangular array. It is understood that in other embodiments, the second conductive brush 152 is not limited to a rectangular array arrangement, but may also be arranged in other regular or irregular ways.

[0040] In this embodiment, the busbar 132 and the adapter 134 are integrally formed so that the busbar 132 and the adapter 134 remain in contact.

[0041] In this embodiment, a conductive transition mechanism 150 contains multiple second conductive elements 151, arranged along the first direction M. Reducing the size of the second conductive elements 151 facilitates maintenance. Furthermore, when some of the second conductive elements 151 are damaged, only the damaged elements need to be replaced or maintained, reducing replacement costs.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, multiple second conductive elements 151 are spaced apart to facilitate the lightweight design of the horizontal electroplating apparatus.

[0043] In this embodiment, there are two conductive transition mechanisms 150, located on both sides of the electroplating tank 120. Correspondingly, the main conductive mechanism 130 is provided with two busbars 132 and two transition members 134. The two transition members 134 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the two busbars 132. The two busbars 132 are located on both sides of the support frame 131, so as to be electrically connected to the second conductive member 151 of the conductive transition mechanism 150 on the corresponding side.

[0044] In this embodiment, the first conductive element 1332 and the busbar 132 are electrically connected via a wire. It is understood that in other embodiments, the first conductive element 1332 and the busbar 132 may be electrically connected in other ways, which are not limited here.

[0045] Optionally, the conductive drive mechanism includes a drive motor and an annular transmission mechanism connected to the output shaft of the drive motor to drive the main conductive mechanism to move in an annular motion. Specifically, when the main conductive mechanism moves with the workpiece to be plated, the conductive drive mechanism drives the main conductive mechanism to move in a first direction; when it moves to the unloading end, the conductive drive mechanism drives the main conductive mechanism to move upward and flip, and then moves in the opposite direction of the first direction; when it moves to the loading end, the conductive drive mechanism drives the main conductive mechanism to move downward and flip, so that it can move with the workpiece to be plated again, and so on in a cycle.

[0046] Of course, in some embodiments, the conductive driving mechanism can also drive the main conductive mechanism to reciprocate along the first direction, so that the main control point mechanism can move together with the workpiece to be plated, or it can be reset to the loading end.

[0047] In this application, the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "height," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the purpose of simplifying the description of this application and do not indicate that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. In other words, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0048] In this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating the relative importance of the indicated features or the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly include at least one of those features. In this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc.; "several" means at least one, such as one, two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0049] In this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," "fixing," "setting," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can also refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0050] In this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, the terms "above," "on top of," "over," "above," "below," "below," "below," or "below" for "first feature over second feature" can refer to the first and second features being in direct contact, or to the first and second features being in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "below" for "first feature over second feature" can mean the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than the horizontal height of the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "below" for "first feature over second feature" can mean the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than the horizontal height of the second feature.

[0051] It should be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not intended to encompass all possible implementations included in the claims. Various modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Similarly, the various technical features of the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined to form other embodiments of this application that may not be explicitly described. Therefore, the above embodiments only illustrate several implementations of this application and do not limit the scope of protection of this patent application.

Claims

1. A horizontal electroplating apparatus, characterized by comprising: The horizontal electroplating device comprises: a main frame; an electroplating tank fixedly arranged relative to the main frame; the electroplating tank comprises a feeding end and a discharging end, the direction in which the feeding end points to the discharging end is a first direction, and an electroplating area is arranged between the feeding end and the discharging end; at least one main conductive mechanism arranged on the main frame and located above the electroplating area; the main conductive mechanism comprises a support frame, at least one busbar fixedly arranged on the support frame, and at least one conductive assembly; the conductive assembly comprises a plurality of first conductive brushes and a first conductive member in electrical connection with the plurality of first conductive brushes; each first conductive member is electrically connected with one busbar; a conductive driving mechanism for driving the main conductive mechanism to move along the first direction with a piece to be plated and driving the main conductive mechanism to reset; and at least one conductive switching mechanism fixedly arranged on the main frame and located on one side of the electroplating tank; the conductive switching mechanism comprises at least one second conductive member in electrical connection with a power supply; when the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the piece to be plated, the busbar is electrically connected with at least one second conductive member.

2. The horizontal plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The conductive assembly further comprises an insulating mounting plate fixedly arranged on the support frame; the first conductive brush is fixedly arranged on the insulating mounting plate, and the brush head of the first conductive brush is located on the bottom side of the insulating mounting plate; the first conductive member is fixedly arranged on the top side of the insulating mounting plate.

3. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The first conductive member is a conductive mesh.

4. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein When the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the piece to be plated, the busbar is higher than the first conductive member.

5. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The main conductive mechanism further comprises a switching member in electrical connection with the busbar, the switching member has a switching surface with an extension direction parallel to the first direction; the conductive switching mechanism further comprises a second conductive brush fixedly arranged on the second conductive member and in abutment with the switching surface.

6. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The number of second conductive brushes is a plurality; along the first direction, the spacing between adjacent second conductive brushes is less than or equal to the width of the switching surface along the first direction.

7. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The number of second conductive brushes is a plurality, and the number of second conductive brushes in abutment with the switching surface is a plurality when the main conductive mechanism moves along the first direction with the piece to be plated.

8. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein The second conductive brushes are arranged in a rectangular array.

9. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein The busbar and the switching member are integrally formed.

10. The horizontal electroplating apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein In one conductive switching mechanism, the number of second conductive members is a plurality and arranged along the first direction.

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