WO2009089820A3 - Strip electroplating plant for the electrochemical reinforcement of an electrically conductive outer layer of a strip - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a strip electroplating plant for the electrochemical reinforcement of electrically conductive outer layers of a strip (2), particularly a foil strip (2), wherein the strip (2) having the electrically conductive outer layers passes through an electrolyte bath (3) in which the anodes (5) are disposed. A strip electroplating plant according to the invention comprises at least one rotatable contact roller (4), which is disposed in the electrolyte bath (3) and around which the belt (2) is wrapped at least in some regions and which has a segmented structure transversely to the rotational axis thereof, wherein the lateral surface of the contact roller (4) is formed by alternating electrically conductive (6) and electrically non-conductive segments (7), and wherein the electrically conductive segments (6) can be electrically contacted individually or in groups. An electrically conductive layer to be reinforced is cathodically contacted by those electrically conductive segments (6) that are completely covered by the strip (2). As a result of the cathodic contacting of the electrically conductive layer of the strip (2) in the electrolyte bath (3), those galvanic current-conducting regions of the electrically conductive layer on which no electrochemical material application takes place can be kept very short. This increases not only the effectiveness of the electroplating process, it also enables a very compact design of a strip electroplating plant.