Electroplating device and method for manufacturing plated product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12351930-B2
Application number	US-201917780006-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 24, 2019
Priority date	Dec 24, 2019
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Electroplating apparatus includes an electroplating tank that stores an electrolyte solution in which at least objects to be electroplated and magnetic media sink, and at least one magnetic rotator rotatably arranged under the electroplating tank so as to generate an alternating magnetic field. The magnetic rotator is arranged to section an internal space of the electroplating tank into a first space occupying a space above the magnetic rotator and a second space occupying a remaining space other than the first space. The magnetic rotator is arranged to be movable in a lateral direction intersecting a rotational axis of the magnetic rotator, allowing the objects to be shifted between a condition of being present in the electrolyte solution and in the first space and a condition of being present in the electrolyte solution and in the second space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing electroplated objects, the method comprising:
electroplating to-be-electroplated objects in an electroplating tank that stores an electrolyte solution in which at least the objects and magnetic media have sunken;
rotating a magnetic rotator under the electroplating tank so as to move the magnetic media in the electrolyte solution in accordance with magnetic attraction and magnetic repulsion, an internal space of the electroplating tank being sectioned into a first space occupying a space above the magnetic rotator and a second space occupying a remaining space other than the first space; and
transferring the magnetic rotator in a lateral direction intersecting a rotational axis of the magnetic rotator such that the objects are shifted between a condition of being present in the electrolyte solution and in the first space where polishing is dominant over electroplating and a condition of being present in the electrolyte solution and in the second space where electroplating is dominant over polishing,
wherein each of the objects is shifted between a condition of being electroplated at a first rate in the electrolyte solution and in the first space and a condition of being electroplated at a second rate in the electrolyte solution and in the second space, the second rate being greater than the first rate.

2. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein the electroplating tank is sectioned into the first and second spaces which are internal volumes of the electroplating tank, and the electroplating tank has a bottom first region defining the first space from a bottom side of the electroplating tank and a bottom second region defining the second space from the bottom side of the electroplating tank, an area of the bottom second region greater than an area of the bottom first region.

3. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein the electroplating tank is shaped to be elongated so as to have first and second ends, and the magnetic rotator is moved to reciprocate between a first end position directly under the first end and a second end position directly under the second end.

4. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotational force generator that supplies rotational force to the magnetic rotator; and
a transferring assembly configured to transfer the rotational force generator in the lateral direction.

5. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein said electroplating, said rotating, and said transferring are simultaneously performed.

6. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein the electroplating tank is shaped to be elongated in the lateral direction so as to have first and second ends.

7. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 6 , wherein the magnetic rotator is only one rotator located under the electroplating tank.

8. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 7 , wherein at a first time point, the magnetic rotator is located at least partially under the first end of the electroplating tank, and
at a second time point, the magnetic rotator is located at least partially under the second end of the electroplating tank.

9. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein the first and second spaces are internal volumes of the electroplating tank.

10. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein each of the to-be-electroplated objects is sized to be stirred in the electrolyte solution by the magnetic media which moves in the electrolyte solution in accordance with said magnetic attraction and magnetic repulsion.

11. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic media moves randomly as being subjected to an alternating magnetic field caused by the magnetic rotator.

12. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 11 , wherein in a given time window, a first subset of the objects moves in a same direction as the magnetic media in the first space, and a second subset of the objects moves out from the first space into the second space.

13. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein said electroplating the objects includes supplying a cathode potential to the objects via the electroplating tank itself which is electrically conductive.

14. The method of producing electroplated objects of claim 1 , wherein said electroplating the objects includes supplying a metal block in a receptacle which is elongated in the lateral direction.

Assignees

• Ykk Corp

Inventors

• Iimori Masayuki
• Takeda Ryosuke

Classifications

• C25D21/10

  Agitating of electrolytes; Moving of racks · CPC title

• C25D17/28

  with means for moving the objects individually through the apparatus during treatment · CPC title

• C25D17/18

  having closed containers · CPC title

• C25D5/22

  Electroplating combined with mechanical treatment during the deposition · CPC title

• B24B31/112

  using magnetically consolidated grinding powder, moved relatively to the workpiece under the influence of pressure · CPC title