US3616281A - Selective plating of reeds in bulk - Google Patents

Selective plating of reeds in bulk Download PDF

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Publication number
US3616281A
US3616281A US10575A US3616281DA US3616281A US 3616281 A US3616281 A US 3616281A US 10575 A US10575 A US 10575A US 3616281D A US3616281D A US 3616281DA US 3616281 A US3616281 A US 3616281A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
container
reeds
cathode
members
batch
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US10575A
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English (en)
Inventor
Brian Ernest Head
Colin Stratford
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STC PLC
International Standard Electric Corp
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International Standard Electric Corp
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Publication date
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Publication of US3616281A publication Critical patent/US3616281A/en
Assigned to ITT CORPORATION reassignment ITT CORPORATION CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH CORPORATION
Assigned to STC PLC, 10 MALTRAVERS STREET, LONDON, WC2R 3HA, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY reassignment STC PLC, 10 MALTRAVERS STREET, LONDON, WC2R 3HA, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: ITT CORPORATION, A CORP. OF DE
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D7/00—Electroplating characterised by the article coated
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
    • C25D5/02—Electroplating of selected surface areas
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
    • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Definitions

  • the rim and the base of the pots are metallized and, with the blades, form the cathode of the plating surface During plating the major parts of the reeds are screened from the plating flow by the insulating sidewalls of the pots, gold being plated only on the exposed contact tips.
  • This invention relates to a method of selectively electroplating a batch of elongated members each over a region adjacent one end, and can be used for goldplating the contact tips of reeds for use in reed contact units.
  • FIG. I shows a typical reed of this type. It consists of a blade I and a shank 2, and the requirement is to goldplate the blade over a region adjacent its end 3, i.e. the region at which it will make contact with the cooperating reed, while keeping the shank substantially free of plating so that a good seal can be made when the reed is finally sealed into its envelope.
  • a conventional method of achieving this requires that each reed be loaded one by one manually into ajig, and then the jig inverted and lowered into a plating bath so that only the blades enter the bath.
  • this loading operation is very time consuming, and a further disadvantage of this method is that the electrolyte leaves a tide mark around the reed where the latter enters the surface of the electrolyte.
  • the invention provides a method of selectively electroplating a batch of elongated members each over a region adjacent one end, wherein the members are located in a container having walls of insulating material with the said one ends projecting out of an opening of the container, the container having at least one cathode making electrical contact with the batch of members, and while the members are completely immersed in electrolyte a potential difference is applied between the cathode and an anode arranged outside the container, the arrangement being such that the plating flow is screened from the major part of each member by the insulating walls but not from its said one end, and the members are agitated to expose them substantially uniformly to the plating flow.
  • FIGS. 2 to of the accompanying drawings An embodiment of the invention suitable for the plating of reeds will now be described, by way of example, with reference to FIGS. 2 to of the accompanying drawings, in which:
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of apparatus suitable for electroplating the contact tips of a batch of reeds of the type shown in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a view on the line 33 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;
  • FIG. 4 shows the orientation of the reeds in the insulating vessels of the apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3,
  • FIG. 5 shows a reed plated by the method described.
  • the apparatus comprises a number of containers or pots 4, in this case six, carried by a support member or rack 5.
  • Each pot 4 comprises side walls 6 and a base 7, and sandwiched between these, against an annular step 9 in the sidewalls is a disclike cathode 8.
  • a further cathode 10, in the form of a circular wire loop, is carried near the top of the sidewalls 9 on the inside of the pot.
  • the sidewalls and base of the pot are made of insulating material; we have found perspex to be suitable but other insulating materials can be used.
  • the loop 10 and the disc 8 can be of copper, the latter being goldplated to prevent contamination of the electrolyte in the pot.
  • the rack 5 carrying the pots 4 is itself carried by a tubular member 11.
  • the rack 5 and tubular member 11 are also of insulating material, and we have found PVC to be suitable for this purpose.
  • each wire loop extends through the respective sidewalls 6 and through the wall of the tubular member II and is there soldered to a respective lead 12.
  • the leads 12 extend to the top of the tubular member 11 to the cathode terminal 13.
  • Each disc 8 is connected to its respective loop 10 by an insulated lead 14 soldered at one end to the underside of the disc and at the other to the extension of the loop and passing through respective bores in the base 7 and rack 5.
  • the soldered connections of the lead 14 to the disc and loop are preferably given a coating of protective material, such as Araldite (R.T.M.).
  • An appropriate potential difference is applied between the cathode terminal 13 and the anode I6 and the pots are subjected to a high-speed horizontal orbital movement. This is achieved in known manner by applying a transverse orbital movement to the tubular member 1!.
  • the reeds in each batch take up orientations as shown in FIG, 4.
  • the pots are dimensioned so that the ends 3 of the blades project out of their open tops, approximately two-thirds of the blade length projecting above the rim.
  • the orbital vibration of the pots agitates the reeds and causes a general migration of the reeds around the pots in the same direction as the orbital vibration (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4).
  • the agitation ensures that gas bubbles forming on the reeds are removed, i.e. the reeds are depolarized, and exposes them substantially uniformly to the plating flow so helping in obtaining a consistent plating on all the reeds.
  • the position of the anode I6 is chosen so that the shanks of the reeds and the lower part of the blades are screened from the plating flow, which is directional, by the insulating sidewalls of the pots.
  • FIG. 5 A plated reed is shown in FIG. 5, the strength of shading indicating the thickness of the deposited gold layer. It can be seen that due to the screening of the pots the plated deposit is thickest at the contact tip and falls away rapidly down the blade. At the lower end of the shanks, however, there may be a slight deposit due to the drainage holes 17 in the bottom of the pots 4. This is no disadvantage since the major central part of the shanks, at which the reed is subsequently sealed into its envelope, is kept relatively free of gold by the screening effect of the sidewalls 6.
  • the method of the invention is not limited to the plating of reeds, nor to goldplating.
  • the apparatus described above has been found most satisfactory for our purpose, other arrangements are possible.
  • a disclike cathode 8 at the base or a circular cathode I0 at or near the top rim of the pot can be used on its own, although better contact is made to the batch, of reeds if both are used.
  • These cathodes can be formed in an alternative manner to that described by metallizing the base and the rim of the pots, and it is contemplated that other anode and cathode arrangements are possible.
  • a vibration of the pots other than an orbital movement would prove satisfactory, such as a random transverse vibration.
  • the pots lie on their sides with an opening facing horizontally.
  • the reeds would lie horizontally along the bottom wall of the pots, and could be suitably agitated by rotating the pots. Means would then be required to prevent the reeds from working their way out of the pots. This problem would not arise, however, if the pots were set at an acute angle to the horizontal.
  • Blades are plated in bulk (no individual mounting into plating jigs or racks).
  • the blades are completely immersed in the solution (thus avoiding the contamination and gassing which always occurs on the surface of the bath), but are plated only in the contact area, thus minimizing the gold cost.
  • a method for selectively electroplating a batch of elongated members each over a region adjacent one end comprising the steps of placing elongated members to be plated in a container, orienting the elongated members in the container so that portions to be plated protrude through an opening in the container while portions not to be plated are screened by the walls of the container, immersing the container with the elongated members in an electrolyte, and plating the protruding portions of the elongated members.
  • a method for selectively electroplating a batch of elongated members each over a region adjacent one end wherein the members are positioned in a container having walls of insulating material with the said one ends projecting out of an opening of the container, the container having at least one cathode making electrical contact with the batch of members, immersing the container in an electrolyte to completely cover the elongated members, applying a potential difference between the cathode and an anode arranged outside the container, the arrangement being such that the plating flow is screened from the major part of each member by the insulating walls but not from the said one ends, and agitating the members to expose them to substantially uniform plating flow.
  • a method for selectively electroplating a batch of reeds with gold each over a region adjacent the end of its contact blade wherein the reeds are located in a circular container having an opening at the top and sidewalls of insulating material with the contact blades projecting out of the opening, the container having at least one cathode making electrical contact with the batch of reeds, and while the reeds are completely immersed in a goldplating electrolyte applying a potential difference between the cathode and an anode ar ranged to the side of the container, the arrangement being such that the plating flow is screened from the major part of each reed by the insulating sidewalls but not from the end of its blade, and the container is vibrated to agitate the reeds to expose them substantially uniformly to the plating flow.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Electroplating Methods And Accessories (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
  • Lead Frames For Integrated Circuits (AREA)
US10575A 1969-02-26 1970-02-11 Selective plating of reeds in bulk Expired - Lifetime US3616281A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1025969 1969-02-26

Publications (1)

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US3616281A true US3616281A (en) 1971-10-26

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ID=9964578

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US10575A Expired - Lifetime US3616281A (en) 1969-02-26 1970-02-11 Selective plating of reeds in bulk

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (1) US3616281A (de)
JP (1) JPS4825616B1 (de)
BE (1) BE746533A (de)
CH (1) CH519583A (de)
DE (1) DE2008064A1 (de)
DK (1) DK132234C (de)
ES (1) ES376944A1 (de)
FI (1) FI50347C (de)
FR (1) FR2032422B1 (de)
GB (1) GB1227036A (de)
NL (1) NL163572C (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3915832A (en) * 1972-07-17 1975-10-28 Western Electric Co Electroplating apparatus for forming a nonuniform coating on workpieces
US6036837A (en) * 1998-11-02 2000-03-14 Celex, Incorporated Process and machine for partially plating test probes

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3820516A1 (de) * 1988-06-16 1989-12-21 Leitz Louis Verfahren und vorrichtung zum herstellen von metallisierten drahtformteilen
JP2578389B2 (ja) * 1992-08-12 1997-02-05 湖北工業株式会社 電解コンデンサ用リード線端子の化成用容器

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3915832A (en) * 1972-07-17 1975-10-28 Western Electric Co Electroplating apparatus for forming a nonuniform coating on workpieces
US6036837A (en) * 1998-11-02 2000-03-14 Celex, Incorporated Process and machine for partially plating test probes

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI50347C (fi) 1976-02-10
ES376944A1 (es) 1972-05-01
DK132234B (da) 1975-11-10
GB1227036A (de) 1971-03-31
BE746533A (nl) 1970-08-26
JPS4825616B1 (de) 1973-07-30
CH519583A (de) 1972-02-29
FI50347B (de) 1975-10-31
NL7002545A (de) 1970-08-28
DK132234C (da) 1976-04-05
DE2008064A1 (de) 1970-09-10
NL163572C (nl) 1980-09-15
FR2032422A1 (de) 1970-11-27
FR2032422B1 (de) 1974-03-01
NL163572B (nl) 1980-04-15

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AS Assignment

Owner name: ITT CORPORATION

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:004389/0606

Effective date: 19831122

AS Assignment

Owner name: STC PLC, 10 MALTRAVERS STREET, LONDON, WC2R 3HA, E

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:ITT CORPORATION, A CORP. OF DE;REEL/FRAME:004718/0781

Effective date: 19870423