Selectively electroplated terminal, selective electroplating process, and electroplating device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of electroplated terminals, and in particular to a selectively electroplated terminal, a selective electroplating process, and an electroplating device. The selectively electroplated terminal comprises a substrate and an electroplating layer on the surface of the substrate. The substrate comprises a contact portion and a non-contact portion. The electroplating layer comprises a base plating layer and a functional plating layer, wherein the base plating layer covers the surface of the substrate; the functional plating layer covers at least the contact portion and is located over the base plating layer; and when the functional plating layer covers the contact portion and at least part of the non-contact portion, the thickness of the functional plating layer on the contact portion is greater than that on the non-contact portion. The present application further relates to a selective electroplating process, comprising zoning, pre-electroplating treatment, electroplating a base plating layer, electroplating a functional plating layer, post-plating protection, and drying, and an electroplating device suitable for the selectively electroplated terminal and the selective electroplating process.

Description

Partitioned electroplating terminal, partitioned electroplating process and electroplating device

[0001] Related applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410964038.4 filed on July 18, 2024, and incorporates by reference the entire disclosure of the above patent application as part of the present application. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of electroplated terminals, and more particularly, to a partitioned electroplated terminal, a partitioned electroplating process and an electroplating device. BACKGROUND

[0004] New energy electric vehicles require high electrical performance and environmental tolerance of terminals to meet the design charging power and ensure the safety of the charging process, and need to meet various test requirements such as contact resistance, temperature rise, durability of plugging and salt spray test.

[0005] To achieve the above product performance and quality requirements, the traditional terminal generally adopts a plating layer design and electroplating process of overall electroplating nickel and then overall electroplating silver on the copper terminal. However, this plating layer design and electroplating process has the following disadvantages: the silver plating area is large, so the amount of precious metal silver material is large, resulting in high electroplating cost. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a partitioned electroplated terminal, a partitioned electroplating process and an electroplating device to solve the problem of high electroplating cost of the prior art terminal.

[0007] The partitioned electroplated terminal provided by the present application is used for mating contact installation and conducting electric energy with a matching electric device, and includes a base body and an electroplated layer on the surface of the base body. The base body includes a contact part connected with the electric device and a non-contact part not connected with the electric device. The electroplated layer includes a base plating layer and a functional plating layer. The base plating layer covers the surface of the base body, and the functional plating layer covers at least the contact part and is located above the base plating layer. When the functional plating layer covers the contact part and at least part of the non-contact part, the thickness of the functional plating layer in the contact part is greater than that in the non-contact part.

[0008] The partitioned electroplating process provided by the present application is used for manufacturing the above-mentioned partitioned electroplated terminal, and includes the following steps:

[0009] a. Partitioning: demarcating the contact part and the non-contact part of the terminal;

[0010] b. Pre-electroplating treatment: removing impurities on the surface of the base body of the terminal;

[0011] c. Electroplating base plating layer: electroplating a base plating layer on the terminal by immersing the terminal in a base electroplating solution;

[0012] d. electroplating functional plating layer: at least immersing the contact part of the terminal into functional electroplating liquid to electroplate, obtaining functional plating layer covering at least the contact part;

[0013] e. post-plating protection: immersing the terminal into protective agent;

[0014] f. drying: drying the terminal.

[0015] The electroplating device of the present application is used for zoned electroplating terminal, comprising power supply mechanism, electroplating bath mechanism, driving mechanism; the power supply mechanism comprises rectifier, anode piece, conductive piece, the cathode of the rectifier is in conductive connection with the conductive piece, and the anode is in conductive connection with the anode piece; the electroplating bath mechanism comprises electroplating bath, first conveying pump, valve, the first conveying pump is communicated with the electroplating bath to convey electroplating liquid to the electroplating bath, and the valve is used for controlling the flow of the electroplating liquid conveyed by the first conveying pump; the driving mechanism comprises power unit and metal material advancing belt in driving connection with the power unit, a plurality of metal hangers for hanging zoned electroplating terminal are arranged on the advancing belt; the conductive piece is in conductive contact with the advancing belt, the anode piece is arranged in the electroplating bath, the advancing belt drives the zoned electroplating terminal hung on the metal hanger to enter the electroplating bath, and the liquid level of the electroplating liquid in the electroplating bath is adjusted by the valve to control the position of the zoned electroplating terminal immersed in the electroplating liquid and electroplated.

[0016] The present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. The electroplating layer of the terminal is divided into at least two plating zones including contact part and non-contact part, a relatively thick functional plating layer is electroplated on the contact part, and no functional plating layer or a relatively thin functional plating layer is electroplated on the non-contact part, thereby reducing the amount of electroplating material of the plating zone outside the contact part, and further reducing the electroplating cost of the terminal without affecting the performance of the product.

[0018] 2. The present application is suitable for various types of contact terminals.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic view of zoned electroplating terminal and plating layer in the embodiment 1 of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 2 is a structural schematic view of zoned electroplating terminal and plating layer in the embodiment 4 of the present application;

[0023] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the partitioned electroplating terminal and plating layer in Example 5 of the present application;

[0024] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the partitioned electroplating terminal and plating layer in Example 6 of the present application;

[0025] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electroplating device in Example 7 of the present application;

[0026] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the metal hanger and the partitioned electroplating terminal in Example 7 of the present application;

[0027] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure and positional relationship of the anode member and the nozzle in Example 7 of the present application.

[0028] In the figures: Figs. 1-4: 1, partitioned electroplating terminal; 11, base body; 2, contact portion; 3, non-contact portion; 4, base plating layer; 5, pre-plating layer; 6, functional plating layer; Figs. 5-7: 101, driving motor; 102, sprocket; 103, chain; 104, traveling belt; 105, metal hanger; 106, partitioned electroplating terminal; 201, electroplating tank; 202, liquid storage tank; 203, first delivery pump; 204, second delivery pump; 205, valve; 206, nozzle; 301, rectifier; 302, conductive wheel; 303, anode member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Various exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the relative arrangements, numerical expressions, and values of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments are not limiting to the scope of the present application unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0030] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the application or its application or uses.

[0031] Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art can not be discussed in detail herein, but should be considered as part of the specification, where appropriate.

[0032] In all of the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be interpreted as merely exemplary, and not as a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments can have different values.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] As shown in Fig. 1, a partitioned electroplating terminal 1 is used to be matched with a power device to install a contact and to conduct electric energy. The terminal 1 comprises a base body 11 and an electroplating layer on the surface of the base body 11. The base body 11 comprises a contact part 2 connected with the power device and a non-contact part 3 not connected with the power device. The electroplating layer comprises a base plating layer 4 covering the surface of the base body 11 and a functional plating layer 6 at least covering the contact part 2 and above the base plating layer 4. When the functional plating layer 6 covers the contact part 2 and at least part of the non-contact part 3, the thickness of the functional plating layer 6 in the contact part 2 is greater than that in the non-contact part 3, and the thickness direction of the functional plating layer 6 is smoothly transitioned at the junction of the contact part 2 and the non-contact part 3.

[0035] Further, the base plating layer 4 is a nickel / copper plating layer, and the functional plating layer 6 is a noble metal / noble metal alloy plating layer.

[0036] In the embodiment, the base plating layer 4 is a nickel plating layer, and the functional plating layer 6 is a silver-antimony alloy plating layer, and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer covers the contact part 2 and the non-contact part 3.

[0037] In order to ensure the electrical performance and environmental performance, improve the cost performance of material consumption, and meet the needs of terminal product development, production and promotion, the thickness of the nickel plating layer is usually in the range of 3-5 μm to meet the above needs. However, in the case of higher performance requirements, the thickness of the nickel plating layer can be reasonably increased to 15 μm, i.e. 3-15 μm to obtain better plating layer performance. Of course, the thickness of the nickel plating layer can be increased to a larger value, but 15 μm can basically meet the performance requirements of various terminals. Similarly, for the silver-antimony alloy plating layer, the plating layer performance requirement of the contact part 2 is higher than that of the non-contact part 3. The thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the contact part 2 is not less than 5 μm, and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the non-contact part 3 is not less than 3 μm, which is more reasonable to meet the basic electrical performance and environmental performance of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer. In addition, when the functional plating layer 6 does not cover the non-contact part 3, the non-contact part 3 can also meet the basic electrical performance and environmental performance by relying on the base plating layer 4, i.e. the nickel plating layer. The thickness of the functional plating layer 6 in the contact part 2 can be designed to be not less than 5 μm, but this type of terminal is suitable for lower performance requirements. Within the thickness range of the nickel plating layer and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer, the product performance is poorer when the thickness of each plating layer is smaller, which is suitable for lower performance requirements. The product performance is better when the thickness of each plating layer is higher, which is suitable for higher performance requirements. The corresponding electroplating material consumption is more. In practice, the thickness range can be flexibly selected according to the needs.

[0038] In the embodiment, the thickness of the nickel plating layer is 3 μm, the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the contact part 2 is 5 μm, and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the non-contact part 3 is 3 μm.

[0039] In order to further enhance the performance of the plating layer, improve the plating performance and firmness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer, a pre-plating layer 5 is arranged between the functional plating layer 6 and the base plating layer 4, and the pre-plating layer 5 is a noble metal plating layer. In this embodiment, the noble metal plating layer is a silver plating layer, and the thickness of the silver plating layer is not greater than 3 μm, and the thickness of the silver plating layer is preferably 1 μm.

[0040] A partitioned plating process for manufacturing the partitioned plating terminal described above, comprising the following steps:

[0041] a. Partitioning: demarcating the contact part and the non-contact part of the terminal;

[0042] b. Pre-plating treatment: removing impurities on the surface of the base of the terminal;

[0043] c. Plating base plating layer: immersing the terminal as a whole into a base plating solution to plate a base plating layer;

[0044] d. Plating functional plating layer: immersing at least the contact part of the terminal into a functional plating solution to plate a functional plating layer covering at least the contact part;

[0045] e. Post-plating protection: immersing the terminal into a protective agent;

[0046] f. Drying: drying the terminal.

[0047] Further, in order to obtain a functional plating layer with a thicker contact part and a thinner non-contact part, the step d of this embodiment adopts a separate plating mode, which specifically comprises:

[0048] d1. Adjusting the terminal to face the functional plating solution, and adjusting the liquid level of the functional plating solution until the contact part is immersed in the functional plating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional plating solution, and then plating, with a plating time of 30-90 min;

[0049] d2. Adjusting the terminal to face the functional plating solution so that the non-contact part of the terminal faces the functional plating solution, and then adjusting the liquid level of the functional plating solution until the non-contact part is immersed in the functional plating solution and the contact part is not immersed in the functional plating solution, and then plating again, with a plating time of 18-60 min, to obtain a functional plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part and having a thickness greater in the contact part than in the non-contact part.

[0050] Further, in order to obtain a pre-plating layer belonging to a noble metal plating layer before the formation of the functional plating layer, the pre-plating layer separates the base plating layer from the functional plating solution, reduces the adverse effects of the metal displacement reaction caused by the direct entry of the base plating layer into the functional plating solution, and improves the firmness between the base plating layer and the functional plating layer. In this embodiment, the step d further comprises a step d0 before the step d1, and the step d0 comprises: immersing the terminal as a whole into a pre-plating plating solution to plate a pre-plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part.

[0051] More specifically, in the electroplating process, the pre-plating electroplating solution is silver electroplating solution, and the thickness of the silver plating layer formed by electroplating is not more than 0.2 μm. In the embodiment, the thickness of the silver plating layer is 0.1 μm. In fact, the silver plating layer is a thin film covering the base plating layer. The proportion of the silver electroplating solution is as follows: the silver electroplating solution contains silver cyanide 4 g / L (the reference selection range is 3-5 g / L), potassium cyanide 65 g / L (the reference selection range is 60-70 g / L), potassium carbonate 8 g / L (the reference selection range is 5-10 g / L), and the pH value is 4.0 (the reference selection range is 3.5-4.5) based on the total volume of the electroplating solution. The electroplating parameters in the electroplating are as follows: the electroplating temperature is 25 °C (the reference selection range is 18-30 °C), the current density is 0.4 A / dm2(the reference selection range is 0.3-0.5 A / dm2), and the electroplating time is 30 s (the reference selection range is 20-60 s).

[0052] In the electroplating process, the base electroplating solution is nickel electroplating solution, and the proportion of the nickel electroplating solution is as follows: the nickel electroplating solution contains nickel sulfamate 400 g / L (the reference selection range is 300-450 g / L), nickel chloride 8 g / L (the reference selection range is 2-15 g / L), boric acid 40 g / L (the reference selection range is 30-45 g / L), and the pH value is 4.0 (the reference selection range is 3.5-4.5) based on the total volume of the electroplating solution. The electroplating parameters in the electroplating are as follows: the electroplating temperature is 55 °C (the reference selection range is 40-60 °C), the electroplating current density is 3 A / dm2(the reference selection range is 1-5 A / dm2), and the electroplating time is 20 min (the reference selection range is 20-100 min).

[0053] In the electroplating process, the functional electroplating solution is silver-antimony electroplating solution, and the proportion of the silver-antimony electroplating solution is as follows: the silver-antimony electroplating solution contains silver nitrate 40 g / L (the reference selection range is 35-45 g / L), potassium cyanide 85 g / L (the reference selection range is 80-90 g / L), potassium sodium tartrate 45 g / L (the reference selection range is 40-50 g / L), potassium antimony tartrate 2.5 g / L (the reference selection range is 1.5-3 g / L), and the pH value is 4.0 (the reference selection range is 3.5-4.5) based on the total volume of the electroplating solution. The electroplating parameters in the electroplating are as follows: the electroplating temperature is 20 °C (the reference selection range is 18-22 °C), the electroplating current density is 1.5 A / dm2(the reference selection range is 1-2 A / dm2), the electroplating time of step d1 is 30 min, and the electroplating time of step d2 is 18 min. (The electroplating time in the silver-antimony electroplating solution can be selected in the range of 18-90 min).

[0054] In this embodiment, the protective agent in step e is a silver post-treatment agent suitable for post-treatment protection of silver plating layer, which is a conventional material and technology in the art, and thus is not described in detail.

[0055] Those skilled in the art can understand that the above-mentioned plating solution and plating parameters can be flexibly selected and combined within the indicated range according to actual conditions, so as to finally electroplate a plating layer with a required thickness.

[0056] In this embodiment, in order to maximize the cleanliness of the surface of the terminal body, step b includes:

[0057] b1, ultrasonic degreasing: the terminal is subjected to ultrasonic degreasing, and the ultrasonic degreasing solution has the following composition and parameters: sodium hydroxide: 13 g / L (the reference selection range is 10-15 g / L), sodium carbonate: 25 g / L (the reference selection range is 20-30 g / L), trisodium phosphate: 60 g / L (the reference selection range is 50-70 g / L), sodium silicate: 13 g / L (the reference selection range is 10-15 g / L), temperature: 60°C (the reference selection range is 50-70°C), and time: 12 min (the reference selection range is 8-16 min);

[0058] b2, electrolytic degreasing: the terminal is subjected to electrolytic degreasing, and the electrolytic degreasing solution has the following composition and parameters: sodium hydroxide: 13 g / L (the reference selection range is 10-15 g / L), sodium carbonate: 25 g / L (the reference selection range is 20-30 g / L), sodium phosphate: 60 g / L (the reference selection range is 50-70 g / L), sodium silicate: 13 g / L (the reference selection range is 10-15 g / L), temperature: 60°C (the reference selection range is 50-70°C), current density: 5 A / dm2 (the reference selection range is 3-8 A / dm2), and time: 12 min (the reference selection range is 10-15 min);

[0059] b3, pickling: the terminal is cleaned with an acidic solution, and the acidic solution has the following composition and parameters: sulfuric acid (volume ratio): 15% (the reference selection range is 10%-20%), and time: 70 s (the preferred parameters are 60-90 s).

[0060] After steps b1, b2 and b3, a water washing process is performed, in which pure water is used for cleaning, the conductivity of the pure water is required to be less than 10 μS / cm, and the cleaning time is 60 s.

[0061] Based on the above description, the embodiment divides the plating layer of the terminal into two plating areas, i.e., a contact part and a non-contact part, and plating a thicker functional plating layer on the contact part and a thinner functional plating layer on the non-contact part, thereby reducing the amount of plating material used in the plating area other than the contact part, and further reducing the plating cost of the terminal without affecting the performance of the product. Therefore, compared with the conventional technology of uniformly plating a thicker functional plating layer on the surface of the terminal, the embodiment can save a large amount of precious metal material and greatly reduce the manufacturing cost of the terminal.

[0062] In addition, the embodiment is suitable for various types of contact terminals and has a wide range of applications and strong generalizability.

[0063] Of course, it can be understood that the above steps d1 and d2 in the embodiment can also be adjusted in the order, forming another embodiment which is different from the embodiment only in the order of the steps in step d, i.e., in the other embodiment, step d includes:

[0064] d1, the non-contact part of the terminal is directed towards the functional plating solution, and the liquid level of the functional plating solution is adjusted until the non-contact part is immersed in the functional plating solution and the contact part is not immersed in the functional plating solution, and then plating is performed, and the plating time is 18 min;

[0065] d2, the terminal is adjusted to direct the contact part of the terminal towards the functional plating solution, and then the liquid level of the functional plating solution is adjusted until the contact part is immersed in the functional plating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional plating solution, and then plating is performed again, and the plating time is 30 min, and a functional plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part and having a thickness greater in the contact part than in the non-contact part is obtained.

[0066] Embodiment 2

[0067] The difference between the embodiment and the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is the thickness of the nickel plating layer and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the zoned plating terminal, and the time parameters for plating the nickel plating layer and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the zoned plating process.

[0068] In the embodiment, the thickness of the nickel plating layer is 10 μm, and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer is 10 μm in the contact part and 5 μm in the non-contact part.

[0069] In the embodiment, the time parameter in the plating of the nickel plating layer is: plating time: 66 min.

[0070] In the embodiment, the time parameter in the plating of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer is: plating time in step d1: 60 min, and plating time in step d2: 30 min.

[0071] The thickness of each plating layer of the zoned plating terminal of the embodiment is greater than that of the zoned plating terminal of embodiment 1, and the electrical performance and environmental resistance of the zoned plating terminal of the embodiment are improved compared with those of the zoned plating terminal of embodiment 1.

[0072] Example 3

[0073] The difference between this example and the above-mentioned Example 1 is that the thickness of the nickel plating layer and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the zoned plating terminal, and the time parameters for plating the nickel plating layer and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the zoned plating process.

[0074] In this example, the thickness of the nickel plating layer is 15 μm, and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer is 15 μm at the contact portion and 10 μm at the non-contact portion.

[0075] In this example, the time parameter in the plating of the nickel plating layer is that the plating time is 100 min.

[0076] In this example, the time parameter in the plating of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer is that the plating time in step d1 is 90 min, and the plating time in step d2 is 60 min.

[0077] The thickness of each plating layer in the zoned plating terminal of this example is larger than that of the zoned plating terminals of Example 1 and Example 2, and the electrical performance and environmental resistance of the zoned plating terminal of this example are improved compared with those of the zoned plating terminals of Example 1 and Example 2.

[0078] Example 4

[0079] As shown in FIG. 2, the difference between this example and the above-mentioned Example 1 is that the functional plating layer 6, i.e. the silver-antimony alloy plating layer, of the zoned plating terminal 1 only covers the contact portion 2, and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer of the non-contact portion 3 is cancelled, and the zoned plating process is also slightly adjusted. Since the silver-antimony alloy plating layer of the non-contact portion 3 is cancelled in the zoned plating terminal of this example, the pre-plating layer 5, i.e. the silver plating layer, of the non-contact portion 3 is directly exposed, and the environmental resistance of the silver plating layer is poorer than that of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer, so that the environmental resistance of the zoned plating terminal of this example is poorer than that of the zoned plating terminal of Example 1.

[0080] The above-mentioned adjustment is as follows.

[0081] In the zoned plating terminal of this example, the thickness of the nickel plating layer is 3 μm, and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer is 5 μm at the contact portion and 0 μm at the non-contact portion.

[0082] In the zoned plating process of this example, compared with Example 1, only step d0 and step d1 in Example 1 are retained in step d of this example, and step d2 is cancelled, i.e. step d of this example includes:

[0083] d1, plating the terminal as a whole by immersing it in the pre-plating plating solution to obtain a pre-plating layer covering the contact portion and the non-contact portion;

[0084] d2, the contact part of the terminal is directed to the functional electroplating solution, the liquid level of the functional electroplating solution is adjusted until the contact part is immersed in the functional electroplating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional electroplating solution, electroplating is performed for 30 minutes, and a functional plating layer covering the contact part is obtained.

[0085] Based on the above description, the plating layer of the terminal in the embodiment is divided into two plating areas, i.e., the contact part and the non-contact part, a relatively thick functional plating layer is plated on the contact part, and no functional plating layer is plated on the non-contact part. Therefore, the amount of electroplating material of the plating area other than the contact part is reduced, and the electroplating cost of the terminal is reduced without affecting the performance of the product. Therefore, compared with the conventional technology of uniformly electroplating a relatively thick functional plating layer on the surface of the terminal, a large amount of noble metal material can be saved, and the manufacturing cost of the terminal is greatly reduced.

[0086] In other embodiments of the same group as the embodiment 2, the thickness of the nickel plating layer can be adjusted in the range of 3-15 μm, and the electroplating solution ratio and the electroplating parameters are adjusted accordingly; the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer can be adjusted in the range of 5-15 μm, and the electroplating solution ratio and the electroplating parameters are adjusted accordingly; and the thickness of the silver plating layer can be adjusted in the range of 0-3 μm, and the electroplating solution ratio and the electroplating parameters are adjusted accordingly.

[0087] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the electroplating solution ratio and the electroplating parameters can be flexibly selected and combined within the range shown according to the actual situation, and the final electroplated plating layer thickness that meets the requirements is used as the criterion.

[0088] Embodiment 5

[0089] As shown in FIG. 3, the embodiment is different from the embodiment 1 in that the pre-plating layer is cancelled in the zoned electroplating terminal 1, and the process d0 of electroplating the pre-plating layer is cancelled in the zoned electroplating process. That is, the plating layer of the zoned electroplating terminal in the embodiment includes the base plating layer 4 and the functional plating layer 6 which both cover the contact part 2 and the non-contact part 3. The zoned electroplating terminal in the embodiment has no pre-plating layer, and the electroplating performance and firmness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer are lower than those of the zoned electroplating terminal in the embodiment 1.

[0090] In other embodiments of the same group as the embodiment 3, the thickness of the nickel plating layer can be adjusted in the range of 3-15 μm, and the electroplating solution ratio and the electroplating parameters are adjusted accordingly; the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the contact part can be adjusted in the range of 5-15 μm, the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer in the non-contact part can be adjusted in the range of not less than 3 μm, and the electroplating solution ratio and the electroplating parameters are adjusted accordingly.

[0091] Those skilled in the art can understand that the above plating solution and plating parameters can be flexibly selected and combined within the range shown according to the actual situation, and the final plating layer thickness that meets the requirements can be plated.

[0092] Example 6

[0093] As shown in FIG. 4, the difference between this embodiment and the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is that the functional plating layer 6 of the zoned plating terminal 1, i.e. the silver-antimony alloy plating layer, only covers the contact part 2, and the silver-antimony alloy plating layer of the non-contact part 3 is cancelled, and the pre-plating layer is also cancelled, that is, the plating layer of the zoned plating terminal of this embodiment includes the base plating layer 4 covering the contact part 2 and the non-contact part 3, and the functional plating layer 6 covering only the contact part 2, and the step d of the zoned plating process only includes step d1, and steps d0 and d2 are cancelled, that is, the step d of this embodiment includes: making the contact part of the terminal face the functional plating solution, adjusting the liquid level of the functional plating solution until the contact part is immersed in the functional plating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional plating solution, and then plating for 30 minutes to obtain a functional plating layer covering the contact part.

[0094] The zoned plating terminal of this embodiment has no pre-plating layer, and the non-contact part also has no silver-antimony alloy plating layer, so the plating performance and firmness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer of the contact part are lower than those of the zoned plating terminal of embodiment 1, and the non-contact part only has a nickel plating layer, and the nickel plating layer is directly exposed, so the electrical performance and environmental performance of the non-contact part are significantly lower than those of the zoned plating terminal of embodiment 1.

[0095] Based on other same group embodiments of this embodiment 4, the thickness of the nickel plating layer can be adjusted in the range of 3-15 μm as needed, and the plating solution and plating parameters are adapted; the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer on the contact part can also be adjusted in the range of 5-15 μm as needed, and the plating solution and plating parameters are adapted.

[0096] Those skilled in the art can understand that the above plating solution and plating parameters can be flexibly selected and combined within the range shown according to the actual situation, and the final plating layer thickness that meets the requirements can be plated.

[0097] Example 7.

[0098] This embodiment relates to a plating device, as shown in FIGS. 5-7, which is suitable for the zoned plating terminal and the zoned plating process in the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes a power supply mechanism, a plating tank mechanism, and a driving mechanism.

[0099] The power supply mechanism includes a rectifier 301, an anode member 303, and a conductive member, the rectifier 301 serving as a power supply unit, the cathode of which is in conductive connection with the conductive member, and the anode of which is in conductive connection with the anode member 303.

[0100] The electroplating tank mechanism comprises an electroplating tank 201, a first conveying pump 203 and a valve 205, the first conveying pump 203 is communicated with the electroplating tank 201 to convey the electroplating solution to the electroplating tank 201, and the valve 205 is used to control the flow of the electroplating solution conveyed by the first conveying pump 203.

[0101] The driving mechanism comprises a power unit and a metal traveling belt 104 in driving connection with the power unit, and a plurality of metal hangers 105 for mounting the partitioned electroplated terminals 106 are arranged on the traveling belt 104.

[0102] In operation, the conductive member is in conductive contact with the traveling belt 104, the anode member 303 is arranged in the electroplating tank 201, the traveling belt 104 drives the partitioned electroplated terminals 106 mounted on the metal hangers 105 to enter the electroplating tank 201, and the liquid level of the electroplating solution in the electroplating tank 201 is adjusted by the valve 205 to control the position of the partitioned electroplated terminals 106 immersed in the electroplating solution and electroplated.

[0103] In the embodiment, the electroplating tank mechanism further comprises a liquid storage tank 202 for storing the electroplating solution, and the first conveying pump 203 is communicated with the liquid storage tank 202 and the electroplating tank 201 respectively, and the electroplating solution flowed out of the electroplating tank 201 is recovered into the liquid storage tank 202.

[0104] In the embodiment, in order to strengthen the flow effect of the electroplating solution at the electroplated position of the partitioned electroplated terminals 106 and ensure the uniformity of electroplating, especially for the terminals with inner holes such as the split-slot terminals of the charging base adopted in the embodiment, the electroplating tank mechanism further comprises a plurality of nozzles 206 fixedly arranged at the bottom of the electroplating tank 201, and a second conveying pump 204 communicated with the plurality of nozzles 206 to convey the electroplating solution, and the second conveying pump 204 is also communicated with the liquid storage tank 202 to obtain the electroplating solution, and when the plurality of partitioned electroplated terminals 106 enter the electroplating tank 201 for electroplating, the plurality of nozzles 206 respectively spray the electroplating solution to the downward end of the corresponding partitioned electroplated terminals 106 to improve the flow effect of the electroplating solution at the downward end of the partitioned electroplated terminals 106. If the target terminal is a terminal with an inner hole, i.e. the split-slot terminal of the charging base in the embodiment, the nozzles 206 spray the electroplating solution into the inner hole of the terminal to prevent the poor flow ability of the electroplating solution in the inner hole from causing the electroplating quality to decrease, and the flow and height of the electroplating solution sprayed by the nozzles 206 can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation to meet the needs of electroplating.

[0105] In the embodiment, in order to facilitate the arrangement of the anode member 303 and the nozzles 206 and ensure the electroplating effect, the anode member 303 is in a grid structure and located at the bottom of the electroplating tank 201, and the plurality of nozzles 206 pass through the anode member 303 from the corresponding grids of the anode member 303.

[0106] In the embodiment, the power unit comprises a 101, a sprocket wheel 102 connected with the power output end of the 101, and a chain 103 adaptively connected with the sprocket wheel 102, and the traveling belt 104 is fixedly connected on the chain 103 by a conventional fixing method such as welding to follow the movement of the chain 103. The traveling belt 104 can be a flexible metal woven belt. In order to meet the convenience and continuous operation of mounting and removing the partitioned electroplating terminal 106, the traveling belt 104 is in the same loop shape as the chain 103. The outer side of the traveling belt 104 and the metal hanger 105 can be coated with a non-conductive coating to prevent interference with electroplating. The metal hanger 105 is not coated with a coating at the part in contact with the partitioned electroplating terminal 106.

[0107] In other embodiments, the power unit can also be other mechanical mechanisms with the same effect, such as including a driving motor, a belt pulley connected with the power output end of the driving motor, and a belt adaptively connected with the belt pulley. The traveling belt can be connected with the belt to follow the movement of the belt.

[0108] In the embodiment, the rotating axis of the traveling belt 104 extends in the up-down direction, the metal hanger 105 comprises a fixed sheet and two elastic hanging arms provided on the fixed sheet and suspended, the middle parts of the two elastic hanging arms are bent close to each other to form a dumbbell-shaped hanging gap, and one end of the indexed electroplating terminal is extruded into the end close to the fixed sheet from the end away from the fixed sheet of the hanging gap, so as to realize the hanging of the metal hanger 105 on the partitioned electroplating terminal 106.

[0109] In the embodiment, in order to ensure good contact with the traveling belt 104, the conductive part is a conductive wheel 302 made of metal material, and the rotating shaft of the conductive wheel 302 is connected with the cathode of the rectifier 301.

[0110] In other embodiments, the conductive part can also be graphite brush and other existing devices that can meet the conductive contact during mutual movement.

[0111] In the embodiment, the traveling belt 104 and the conductive wheel 302 are both made of steel.

[0112] The mounting and fixing of the above-mentioned conductive wheel 302, power unit and other components can be easily realized by those skilled in the art, which belongs to the conventional technology and does not belong to the innovation point of the present application, so it will not be described in detail.

[0113] The electroplating device mounts and drives the partitioned electroplating terminal 106 by setting the traveling belt 104 and the metal hanger 105, so that the partitioned electroplating terminal 106 can move and be electroplated in the electroplating tank 201. At the same time, the liquid level of the electroplating solution can be adjusted by the valve 205, so that the partitioned electroplating terminal 106 can be immersed in the electroplating solution as a whole or partially, and the mounting end of the partitioned electroplating terminal 106 can be exchanged to realize the whole electroplating or the local electroplating at different positions, so as to meet the needs of partitioned electroplating and different thicknesses of plating layer.

[0114] While certain embodiments of the application have been described in detail as examples, those skilled in the art should appreciate that other embodiments can be practiced without the details (e.g., not all components, some permutations, etc.) provided herewith and with the possession of the general knowledge acquired over the years and should not be construed to limit the scope of the application to the particulars of the embodiments given. The scope of the application should be determined from the following claims.

Claims

1. A zoned electroplated terminal for matingly engaging a mating electrical device contact and installing and conducting electrical energy therethrough, wherein, The partitioned electroplating terminal comprises a base body and an electroplating layer on the surface of the base body, wherein the base body comprises a contact part connected with the electric device and a non-contact part not connected with the electric device, the electroplating layer comprises a base plating layer and a functional plating layer, the base plating layer covers the surface of the base body, the functional plating layer covers at least the contact part and is on the base plating layer, and when the functional plating layer covers the contact part and at least part of the non-contact part, the thickness of the functional plating layer on the contact part is greater than that on the non-contact part.

2. A zoned electroplated terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein, The thickness direction of the functional plating layer is smoothly transitioned at the junction of the contact part and the non-contact part.

3. A zoned electroplated terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein, The base plating layer is a nickel / copper plating layer, and the functional plating layer is a noble metal / noble metal alloy plating layer.

4. A zonal electroplated terminal as defined in claim 3, wherein, The noble metal / noble metal alloy plating layer is a silver-antimony alloy plating layer, the silver-antimony alloy plating layer covers the contact part and the non-contact part, and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer on the contact part is 5-15 μm and the thickness of the silver-antimony alloy plating layer on the non-contact part is at least 3 μm.

5. A zoned electroplated terminal as defined in claim 3, wherein, The base plating layer is a nickel plating layer, and the thickness of the nickel plating layer is 3-15 μm.

6. A zoned electroplated terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein, A pre-plating layer is further arranged between the functional plating layer and the base plating layer, and the pre-plating layer is a noble metal plating layer.

7. A zonal electroplated terminal as defined in claim 6, wherein, The noble metal plating layer is a silver plating layer, and the thickness of the silver plating layer is not greater than 0.2 μm.

8. A zonal electroplating process for manufacturing a zonal electroplated terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: a. Partitioning: demarcating the contact part and the non-contact part of the terminal; b. Electroplating pretreatment: removing impurities on the surface of the base body of the terminal; c. Electroplating base plating layer: immersing the terminal in a base electroplating solution to electroplate a base plating layer; d. Electroplating functional plating layer: immersing at least the contact part of the terminal in a functional electroplating solution to electroplate a functional plating layer covering at least the contact part; e. Post-plating protection: immersing the terminal in a protective agent; and f. Drying: drying the terminal.

9. A partitioned electroplating process as claimed in claim 8, wherein, The step d comprises: d1. Orienting the contact part of the terminal towards the functional electroplating solution, adjusting the liquid level of the functional electroplating solution until the contact part is immersed in the functional electroplating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional electroplating solution, and then electroplating, the electroplating time being 30-90 min; and d2. Adjusting the orientation of the terminal so that the non-contact part of the terminal is oriented towards the functional electroplating solution, and then adjusting the liquid level of the functional electroplating solution until the non-contact part is immersed in the functional electroplating solution and the contact part is not immersed in the functional electroplating solution, and then electroplating again, the electroplating time being 18-60 min, to obtain the functional plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part and having a thickness on the contact part greater than that on the non-contact part; Alternatively, the step d comprises: d1. Orienting the non-contact part of the terminal towards the functional electroplating solution, adjusting the liquid level of the functional electroplating solution until the non-contact part is immersed in the functional electroplating solution and the contact part is not immersed in the functional electroplating solution, and then electroplating, the electroplating time being 18-60 min; and d2. Adjusting the orientation of the terminal so that the contact part of the terminal is oriented towards the functional electroplating solution, and then adjusting the liquid level of the functional electroplating solution until the contact part is immersed in the functional electroplating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional electroplating solution, and then electroplating again, the electroplating time being 30-90 min, to obtain the functional plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part and having a thickness on the contact part greater than that on the non-contact part.

10. A partitioned electroplating process as claimed in claim 9, wherein, The step d further comprises a step d0 before the step d1, the step d0 comprises: electroplating the terminal as a whole in a pre-plating plating solution to obtain a pre-plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part.

11. A partitioned electroplating process as claimed in claim 8, wherein, The step d comprises: d1, electroplating the terminal as a whole in a pre-plating plating solution to obtain a pre-plating layer covering the contact part and the non-contact part; and d2, adjusting the liquid level of the functional plating solution until the contact part of the terminal is immersed in the functional plating solution and the non-contact part is not immersed in the functional plating solution, and then electroplating for 30-90 minutes to obtain a functional plating layer covering the contact part.

12. A partitioned electroplating process as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein, The pre-plating electroplating solution adopts a silver electroplating solution; the silver electroplating solution contains silver cyanide: 3-5 g / L, potassium cyanide: 60-70 g / L, potassium carbonate: 5-10 g / L, and the pH value is 3.5-4.5, based on the total volume of the electroplating solution; the electroplating temperature is 18-30 ℃, the current density is 0.3-0.5 A / dm 2 , and the electroplating time is 20-60 s.

13. A zonal electroplating process as claimed in claim 8, wherein, The base plating solution is a nickel plating solution, the nickel plating solution contains nickel sulfamate: 300-450 g / L, nickel chloride: 2-15 g / L, boric acid: 30-45 g / L, and the pH value is 3.5-4.5, based on the total volume of the plating solution; the plating temperature is 40-60℃, the plating current density is 1-5 A / dm 2 , and the plating time is 20-100 min.

14. A partitioned electroplating process as claimed in claim 8 or 9 or 11, wherein, The functional electroplating solution adopts silver-antimony electroplating solution; the silver-antimony electroplating solution contains silver nitrate: 35-45 g / L, potassium cyanide: 80-90 g / L, sodium potassium tartrate: 40-50 g / L, potassium antimony tartrate: 1.5-3 g / L, and the pH value is 3.5-4.5, based on the total volume of the electroplating solution; the electroplating temperature is 18-22 ℃, the current density is 1-2 A / dm 2 , and the electroplating time is 18-90 min.

15. A zonal electroplating process as claimed in claim 8, wherein, The step b comprises: b1, ultrasonic degreasing: ultrasonic degreasing the terminal; b2, electrolytic degreasing: electrolytic degreasing the terminal; and b3, pickling: pickling the terminal with an acidic solution.

16. An electroplating apparatus for electroplating a zoned electroplated terminal, characterized by The power supply mechanism, the electroplating tank mechanism, and the driving mechanism are provided. The power supply mechanism comprises a rectifier, an anode member, and a conductive member, the cathode of the rectifier is in conductive connection with the conductive member, and the anode is in conductive connection with the anode member. The electroplating tank mechanism comprises an electroplating tank, a first conveying pump, and a valve, the first conveying pump is connected to the electroplating tank to convey the plating solution to the electroplating tank, and the valve is used to control the flow of the plating solution conveyed by the first conveying pump. The driving mechanism comprises a power unit and a metal traveling belt in driving connection with the power unit, and a plurality of metal hangers for mounting the partitioned electroplated terminals are arranged on the traveling belt. The conductive member is in conductive contact with the traveling belt, the anode member is arranged in the electroplating tank, the partitioned electroplated terminals mounted on the metal hangers are driven by the traveling belt to enter the electroplating tank, and the liquid level of the plating solution in the electroplating tank is adjusted by the valve to control the position of the partitioned electroplated terminals immersed in the plating solution for electroplating.

17. An electroplating apparatus as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that The electroplating tank mechanism further comprises a plurality of nozzles fixedly arranged at the bottom of the electroplating tank, and a second conveying pump in communication with the plurality of nozzles to convey the plating solution, and when the plurality of partitioned electroplated terminals enter the electroplating tank for electroplating, the plurality of nozzles respectively spray the plating solution to the downward end of the corresponding partitioned electroplated terminals to improve the flow effect of the plating solution at the downward end of the partitioned electroplated terminals.

18. An electroplating apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein, The anode member is in a grid structure and is arranged at the bottom of the electroplating tank, and the plurality of nozzles pass through the anode member from the corresponding grids of the anode member.

19. The electroplating apparatus of claim 16, wherein The power unit comprises a driving motor, a sprocket connected to the power output end of the driving motor, and a chain in adaptive connection with the sprocket, and the traveling belt is connected to the chain to move with the chain.

20. The electroplating apparatus of claim 16, wherein The conductive member is a metal conductive wheel.

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