Terminal Plating Method Reducing Cost While Maintaining Wettability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing terminal production methods, particularly the post-plating and pre-plating methods, face challenges in reducing production costs while maintaining solder wettability, especially when bending is involved, leading to increased costs and potential deformation issues.
Innovation Solution
A terminal production method that applies plating to both surfaces of a plate material before stamping, followed by a rolling step to form inclined surfaces, allowing for the formation of a terminal with a base and exposed surfaces, which reduces production costs and maintains solder wettability without the need for bending, using electroplating and specific plating layer thicknesses to ensure adequate solder connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If pre-plating method is used (stamping after plating), then production cost is reduced, but terminal bending is required which increases cost and causes deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The plating layer is formed on the plate material before stamping to create the terminal shape. This preliminary plating action allows the terminal to be formed without subsequent bending operations, eliminating deformation issues while maintaining the cost advantages of pre-plating methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the sequence of manufacturing operations by performing plating before stamping rather than after. This parameter change in the manufacturing process sequence eliminates the need for bending while maintaining dimensional accuracy and reducing production costs.
2Reliability
If post-plating method is used (stamping then plating), then solder wettability is ensured, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plating layer is applied to the plate material before stamping to form the terminal. This preliminary plating ensures that the terminal surfaces have good solder wettability while avoiding the increased costs associated with post-plating methods, as the plating is performed on flat material which is more efficient to plate.
3Shape
If terminal bending is performed after plating, then connection shape is achieved, but production cost increases and deformation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal shape including connection portions is formed by stamping the plated plate material rather than by bending after plating. This preliminary shaping action eliminates the need for subsequent bending operations, reducing production costs and avoiding deformation of the plated surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of plating first and then bending to achieve the terminal shape, the invention inverts the sequence by stamping the plated material to form the shape. This inversion eliminates bending operations and their associated costs and deformation issues while maintaining the required connection shapes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method effectively reduces terminal production costs while maintaining suitable solder wettability and dimensional accuracy, ensuring a strong and reliable connection to the circuit board without the need for bending, thus improving the terminal's design flexibility and connection reliability.
Implementation Method 1
The terminal production method applies plating to both surfaces of a plate material before stamping
Data Source
AI summary
It is aimed to provide a terminal capable of realizing a cost reduction while maintaining solder wettability. The terminal has a board connecting portion to be connected to a circuit board, and includes a base and a plating layer. The base has a plated surface covered by the plating layer and an exposed surface. The plating layer on the board connecting portion has a first inclined surface for covering a slope connecting the plated surface and the exposed surface.