Method for regenerating plating liquid, plating method, and plating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017283953-A1
Application number	US-201715630372-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 22, 2017
Priority date	Nov 30, 2011
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A problem to be solved is to provide a method for regenerating plating liquid from plating waste liquid in a simple and easy way and a plating method utilizing the regenerating method.
A method for regenerating plating liquid from plating waste liquid that is produced as a result of performing a copper plating on steel and that contains respective ions of Fe, Cu and Sn comprises repetitively performing processing steps of applying electric current with the plating waste liquid 11 side taken as a cathode 15 and electrolytic solution 12 side taken as an anode 16 in the state that the plating waste liquid 11 and the electrolytic solution 12 are connected through an anion exchange membrane 13 ; separating copper by making a copper deposition electrode as a result of depositing copper on the cathode 15 being in contact with the plating waste liquid 11 , to turn the plating waste liquid to processed remaining liquid; and using as the anode 16 a copper deposition electrode formed previously and dissolving copper in the electrolytic solution 12 to generate copper ion-containing solution.

First claim

1 . A plating liquid regenerating method for regenerating plating liquid from plating waste liquid that is produced as a result of performing a copper plating on steel and that contains Fe ions and Cu ions, the method being characterized by repetitively performing the following processing steps:
applying electric current with the plating waste liquid side taken as a cathode and electrolytic solution side taken as an anode in the state that the plating waste liquid and the electrolytic solution are connected through an anion exchanger; separating copper from the plating waste liquid by making a copper deposition electrode as a result of depositing copper on the electrode being in contact with the plating waste liquid, to turn the plating waste liquid to processed remaining liquid; and using as the anode a copper deposition electrode formed previously and dissolving copper in the electrolytic solution to generate copper ion-containing solution.

2 . The plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 1 , wherein stannous ions are contained in the plating waste liquid.

3 . The plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 1 , comprising:
an iron removal step of depositing a substance containing iron elements by taking the processed remaining liquid as a cathode side and new electrolytic solution, connected to the processed remaining liquid through an anion exchanger, as an anode side and then by applying electric current; and the method including using water solution on the anode side after the iron removal step as the electrolytic solution at the processing steps.

4 . The plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 3 , provided, before the iron removal step, with a pH control step of adding an oxygen-containing chemical compound comprising H 2 O, O 3 or H 2 O to raise pH.

5 . The plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 1 , comprising applying, at the processing steps, electric current of an amount that corresponds to a greater one of a current amount corresponding to the amount of copper ions contained in the plating waste liquid and a current amount corresponding to the amount of copper adhered to the copper deposition electrode.

6 . The plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 1 , comprising:
an iron removal step of depositing a substance containing iron elements by taking the processed remaining liquid as a cathode side and new electrolytic solution, connected to the processed remaining liquid through an anion exchanger, as an anode side and then by applying electric current; and the method including using water solution on the cathode side after the iron removal step as the electrolytic solution at the processing steps.

7 . A plating method for plating a wire made of steel with plating liquid containing Cu ions, the method comprising:
a pretreatment step including an electrolytic degreasing step of performing electrolytic degreasing on the surface of the wire by applying electric current with the wire immersed in degreasing liquid, to turn the wire to a pretreated wire; a plating step of plating the pretreated wire by immersing the wire in the plating liquid to turn the wire to a plated wire; and a finishing step including a washing step of washing the surface of the plated wire by immersing the plated wire in cleaning liquid taking water as major constituent and a drying step of drying the washed wire; the method including: a regenerating step of regenerating the plating liquid by the plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 1 while plating waste liquid produced from the plating liquid at the plating step is made to contact the cathode and waste liquid at the washing step is made to contact the anode; adding the processed remaining liquid at the regenerating step to the degreasing liquid at the electrolytic degreasing step and adding the copper ion-containing solution to the plating liquid at the plating step; processing the degreasing liquid at the electrolytic degreasing step by an iron removal step of removing Fe ions contained in the degreasing liquid, to reduce an Fe ion concentration; and approximately equalizing the amount of water added to the cleaning liquid at the washing step with the amount of water vaporizing at the electrolytic decreasing step.

8 . The plating method described in claim 7 , wherein:
the pretreatment step includes, before the electrolytic degreasing step, an oxide film removal step of removing oxide films on the surface of the wire; the removal of the oxide films is carried out by a surface treatment device for a long wirelike article that performs a surface treatment on the long wirelike article movably passing through powder which is charged in an elastic tube to be supplied to, or discharged from, the tube; and the surface treatment device includes at least one surface treatment unit, the surface treatment unit being characterized by comprising: the tube charged with the powder which can be supplied to or discharged from the tube, and having the long wirelike article movably passing through the powder; pressing means for cyclically pressing and releasing the tube; and feed means for moving the long wirelike article passing through the powder.

9 . A plating apparatus for plating a wire made of steel with plating liquid containing Cu ions, the apparatus comprising:
a pretreatment section including an electrolytic degreasing section that performs electrolytic degreasing on the surface of the wire by applying electric current with the wire immersed in degreasing liquid, to turn the wire to a pretreated wire; a plating section that plates the pretreated wire with the pretreated wire immersed in the plating liquid, to turn the wire to a plated wire; and a finishing section including a washing section that washes the surface of the plated wire immersed in cleaning liquid taking water as major constituent, and a drying section that dries the washed wire; the apparatus including: a regenerating section that regenerates the plating liquid by the plating liquid regenerating method described in claim 1 while plating waste liquid produced from the plating liquid in the plating section is made to contact the cathode and waste liquid in the washing section is made to contact the anode; adding the processed remaining liquid in the regenerating section to the degreasing liquid in the electrolytic degreasing section and adding the copper ion-containing solution to the plating liquid in the plating section; processing the degreasing liquid in the electrolytic degreasing section by an iron removal section that removes Fe ions contained in the degreasing liquid, to reduce an Fe ion concentration; and approximately equalizing the amount of water added to the cleaning liquid in the washing section with the amount of water vaporizing in the electrolytic decreasing section.

Assignees

• Fuji Shoji Co Ltd

Inventors

• BANNO Tatsuya
• Goto Katsuhiro
• Kanazawa Nobuhiro

Classifications

• C25D21/14

  Controlled addition of electrolyte components · CPC title

• C25D3/38

  of copper · CPC title

• C25D21/22

  by ion-exchange · CPC title

• C25D5/36

  of iron or steel · CPC title

• C25D3/58

  containing more than 50% by weight of copper · CPC title