JP5445427B2 - Electroless plating solution filter control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electroless plating solution filter control device for controlling a filter of a plating solution for electroless plating.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electroless plating is known in which plating is performed by reducing metal ions in a plating solution by the action of a chemical reducing agent without applying an electric current from the outside to an object to be plated (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  The plating solution used for this electroless plating is unavoidable that metallic by-products are generated in the solution as the electroless plating is performed. It will cause problems. Therefore, for example, a metallic by-product in the plating solution is filtered at regular time intervals or continuously by a filter or the like that combines a gear pump, a magnet pump, and a cartridge filter.

JP 59-143059 A

  Here, due to various factors, a large amount of metallic by-products in the plating solution described above may be generated, and at that time, it may not be possible to completely filter by a normal filtering operation with a filter. There is. If the plating operation and the operation of the filter are continued in such a state, metallic by-products that cannot be dealt with enter the filter, and there is a possibility of damaging the components of the filter. For this reason, it is necessary to temporarily suspend the plating operation and stop the operation of the filter to remove the metallic by-product manually.

  However, conventionally, there has been no means for monitoring the state of occurrence of metallic by-products in the plating solution, and therefore the state of occurrence could not be grasped. Therefore, the plating operation was interrupted periodically and the filter operation was stopped to remove the metal by-product manually, etc., but with this method, the metal by-product in the plating solution was removed. Even when the amount of secondary products is still small, the plating operation is interrupted and the operation of the filter is stopped when a predetermined time is reached, and the working efficiency is not good. Furthermore, in this method, on the contrary, even if a large amount of metallic by-products in the plating solution has been generated, if the predetermined time does not stand, the plating operation can be interrupted or the filter operation can be stopped. As a result, there was a risk of causing damage to the parts of the filter as described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to efficiently filter the plating solution by grasping the generation state of metallic by-products in the plating solution in electroless plating. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electroless plating solution filter control device that can prevent damage to the filter.

  In order to solve such a problem, the present invention is connected to the plating tank (20) for performing electroless plating by adding a plating solution (M), and to the plating tank (20) so that the plating solution (M) can enter and exit. And inserted into the plating solution filter (30) for filtering the metallic by-product generated in the plating solution (M) and the plating solution (M) in the plating tank (20). The cathode shaft (40) is connected to the plating tank (20) and the cathode shaft (40), gives a potential difference in the plating tank (20), and changes the amount of current in the plating tank (20). A monitoring device (50) for monitoring the occurrence of the metallic by-product in the plating solution (M) in the plating tank (20) by detection, and the monitoring device (50) were used for monitoring. The metallic secondary in the plating solution (M) in the plating tank (20) Depending on the occurrence of Narubutsu, characterized in that the control panel for controlling the operation of the plating solution is filtered (30) and (60), the electroless plating solution filtration machine controller having a (10).

  Here, in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, the description has been made in association with the reference numerals of the drawings representing the embodiments. However, it is needless to mention that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently filter the plating solution by preventing the occurrence of metallic by-products in the plating solution in electroless plating, and to prevent the filter from being damaged. It is possible to provide an electroless plating solution filter control device capable of performing

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the electroless-plating liquid filtration apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  Initially, the structure of the electroless-plating-solutions filter control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an electroless plating solution filtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The electroless plating solution filter control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention monitors and grasps the occurrence state of metallic by-products in the plating solution in electroless plating, and performs plating according to the occurrence state. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus controls the operating state of the liquid filter. As shown in FIG. 1, a plating tank 20, a plating liquid filter 30, a cathode shaft 40, a constant voltage DC power supply 50 as a monitoring device, and a control panel. 60. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described.

  The plating tank 20 contains a plating solution M to be used for electroless plating, and a plating object M (not shown) is immersed in the plating solution M so that the surface is plated by a reduction reaction of the plating solution M. belongs to. The plating tank 20 is connected to a plating solution filter 30, a cathode shaft 40, a constant voltage DC power source 50, and the like, which will be described later, in various states. The plating tank 20 is provided with a temperature raising device (not shown) such as a heater for raising the temperature of the plating solution M. The plating solution M according to the embodiment of the present invention is a plating solution for performing nickel plating on an object to be plated.

  The plating solution filter 30 circulates the plating solution M heated to a predetermined temperature in the plating tank 20 between the plating tank 20 and filters the metallic by-product generated in the plating solution M. It comprises a pump (not shown), a filter medium (not shown), a housing 33, and the like. The pump according to the embodiment of the present invention is a stainless steel gear pump, and has a maximum discharge capacity of 18 liters / minute. The filter medium according to the embodiment of the present invention is a cartridge type filter medium having a pore diameter of 1 μm and a total length of 10 inches. The housing 33 that covers the filter medium is made of stainless steel. The plating solution filter 30 is connected by a plating tank 20 and plating solution pipes 31 and 32, and the plating solution M is transferred between the plating tank 20 and the plating solution filter 30 by the plating solution pipes 31 and 32. It is possible to go in and out. The plating solution pipes 31 and 32 of the embodiment of the present invention are stainless steel pipes having an inner diameter of φ25 mm on both the suction side and the discharge side. Note that the metallic by-product refers to fine impurities existing in the plating tank 20 such as fine impurities attached to the object to be plated and plating fine particles dropped from the surface of the object to be plated. It precipitates and grows up to become granular.

  The monitoring device (constant voltage DC power source) 50 gives a potential difference in the plating tank 20 and detects a change in the amount of current in the plating tank 20, and thereby, in the plating solution M in the plating tank 20. Monitors the occurrence of metallic by-products. In the embodiment of the present invention, electroless plating is prevented from being deposited on the bottom surface 21 and the wall surface 22 of the plating tank 20 by applying a constant voltage between the plating tank 20 and a cathode shaft 40 described later. The constant voltage DC power supply 50 is configured to serve also as a monitoring device.

  In the constant voltage DC power supply 50 as the monitoring device, electric cables 53 and 54 are connected to an anode terminal 51 and a cathode terminal 52, respectively. Of these electric cables 53 and 54, an electric cable connected to the anode terminal 51 is connected. The cable 53 is connected to the upper part of the plating tank 20. The electric cable 54 connected to the cathode terminal 52 is connected to the cathode shaft 40 inserted into the plating solution M in the plating tank 20.

  The constant voltage DC power supply 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a capacity with a maximum voltage of 6 V and a maximum current of 2 A, and includes a voltmeter (not shown) and an ammeter (not shown). Specifically, by setting the voltage to 0.9 V, it has an action of preventing and controlling the deposition of plating on the surface of the plating tank 20 in contact with the plating solution M. . In addition, when the voltage is lower than 0.9V, the effect of preventing and controlling the deposition of plating is lost, and when the voltage is higher than 0.9V, the effect of dissolving the surface of the plating tank 20 works. It is preferable to maintain at 0.9V. In this state, no current normally flows, and the ammeter disposed in the constant voltage DC power supply 50 displays 0A.

  The control panel 60 controls the operation of the plating solution filter 30 according to the state of occurrence of metallic by-products in the plating solution M in the plating tank 20 monitored by a constant voltage DC power supply 50 as a monitoring device. The control panel 60 is connected to the constant voltage DC power supply 50 and the plating solution filter 30 via signal cables 61 and 62, respectively. The control panel 60 is provided with an interlocking switch (not shown) that receives a current signal output from the constant voltage DC power supply 50 and controls the driving of the plating solution filter 30. In addition, this interlock switch can control the driving of the plating solution filter 30 according to the amount of current output from the constant voltage DC power supply 50. In addition to this, the control panel 60 is also provided with a manual switch (not shown) for arbitrarily controlling the driving of the plating solution filter 30. The control panel 60 also includes an indicator lamp (not shown) that indicates the driving and stopping of the plating solution filter 30.

  Next, a filtration control method during plating performed using the electroless plating solution filter control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, a predetermined amount of the plating solution M is put into the plating tank 20, and the plating solution filter 30 is driven by a manual switch of the control panel 60.

  Next, a switch (not shown) of the constant voltage DC power supply 50 is turned on to operate the constant voltage DC power supply 50, and the voltage is set to 0.9V. At this point, almost no current flows between the plating tank 20 and the cathode shaft 40, and the ammeter of the constant voltage DC power supply 50 shows 0A.

  Next, the control panel 60 is switched to the interlocking switch. Here, when the ammeter of the constant voltage DC power supply 50 showed 0.3A, it set so that the plating solution filter 30 could be stopped. And if the plating solution M in the plating tank 20 is heated to a predetermined working temperature by the temperature raising device of the plating tank 20, the object to be plated is put into the plating solution M in the plating tank 20 and the plating operation is started.

  While the plating operation is being performed, the plating solution M is filtered by the plating solution filter 30 at the same time, and the metallic by-product is captured by the filter medium of the plating solution filter 30. Yes.

  And the to-be-plated object processed by predetermined plating time is taken out from the plating solution M in the plating tank 20, and the next to-be-plated object is put into the plating solution M in the plating tank 20, and a plating operation is performed.

  During the repeated plating operation in this way, metallic by-products are gradually generated in the plating solution M in the plating tank 20 and gradually increase. This also causes plating to deposit on the bottom surface 21 and the wall surface 22 in the plating tank 20, exceeding the plating deposition preventing effect of the constant voltage DC power supply 50. Then, electrolysis occurs between the metallic by-product in the plating tank 20 and the cathode shaft 40, and the value of the ammeter of the constant voltage DC power supply 50 gradually increases.

  This will be described in detail. First, in a state where the amount of metallic by-products generated in the plating tank 20 is small, the metallic by-products are sucked into the plating solution filter 30 and captured by the filter medium, and the plating solution in the plating tank 20 is obtained. M is kept clean. However, as the amount of metallic by-products generated in the plating tank 20 increases, the metallic by-products are not sucked into the plating solution filter 30 and accumulate in the plating tank 20. Become. In this case, the metallic by-product becomes an anode because it is in contact with the bottom surface 21 and the wall surface 22 in the plating tank 20, and electrolysis occurs due to the voltage being applied, and between the cathode shaft 40. The current flows.

  Then, if the value of the ammeter of the constant voltage DC power supply 50 indicates 0.3 A which has been set in advance during the further plating operation, this current enters the control panel 60 through the constant voltage DC power supply 50 as a signal. Thus, the driving of the plating solution filter 30 is stopped simultaneously. As a result, a large amount of metallic by-product is not sucked into the plating solution filter 30, and damage to the members of the plating solution filter 30 can be prevented.

  The plating operation performed at this time is continued and taken out after a predetermined time has elapsed. Thereafter, the plating solution M is transferred to another tank (not shown), and the metallic by-product is removed by squeezing out in a small container. Then, the plating solution M in a clean state is returned to the original plating tank 20 and the plating operation is resumed.

  As described above, the electroless plating solution filter control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the plating bath 20 that performs the electroless plating with the plating solution M, and the plating bath 20 that allows the plating solution M to enter and exit. The plating solution filter 30 is connected to filter the metallic by-product generated in the plating solution M, the cathode shaft 40 is inserted into the plating solution M in the plating bath 20, the plating bath 20 and the cathode. It is connected to the shaft 40, gives a potential difference in the plating tank 20, and detects the occurrence of metallic by-products in the plating solution M in the plating tank 20 by detecting fluctuations in the current amount in the plating tank 20. The constant voltage DC power supply 50 as a monitoring device to be monitored, and plating according to the state of occurrence of metallic by-products in the plating solution M in the plating tank 20 monitored by the constant voltage DC power supply 50 as the monitoring device. Control to control the operation of the liquid filter 30 A board 60, and having a.

  And according to the electroless-plating-solution filter control apparatus 10 of embodiment of this invention, by grasping | ascertaining the generation | occurrence | production state of the metallic by-product in the plating solution M in electroless plating, It is possible to provide the electroless plating solution filter control device 10 that can efficiently perform the filtration and prevent the plating solution filter 30 from being damaged.

In addition to the above configuration, the electroless plating solution filter control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a constant voltage DC power source in which the monitoring device applies a constant voltage between the plating tank 20 and the cathode shaft 40. characterized in that it comprises a 50.

And according to the electroless-plating-solution-filter control apparatus 10 of embodiment of this invention, in addition to the said effect, the monitoring apparatus contains the constant voltage DC power supply 50 , and simplifies the structure of an apparatus. Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where the constant voltage DC power source and the monitoring device are separately provided.

  The embodiment described above is described in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not described in order to limit the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the constant voltage DC power supply 50 is configured to serve also as the monitoring device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the constant voltage DC power supply and the monitoring device are provided separately. It may be. However, the configuration in which the constant voltage DC power supply also serves as the monitoring device as in the above-described embodiment can be simplified without complicating the configuration of the device, and the cost can be reduced compared to the case where they are separately provided. There is an advantage of being able to plan.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, nickel plating is applied to the object to be plated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to an apparatus for performing other types of plating such as copper and silver. It is.

  Moreover, the various numerical values in the above-described embodiment are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention. For example, by lowering the set current amount for stopping the plating solution filter 30 below the value of the above-described embodiment, the driving of the plating solution filter 30 is stopped at a time when the generation of metallic by-products is less. be able to.

  Moreover, in above-mentioned embodiment, when the metal by-product in the plating solution M exceeded predetermined amount, it controlled to stop the plating solution filter 30, but this invention is limited to this. It is not a thing. Depending on the performance and specifications of the plating solution filter, for example, the filtration function of the plating solution filter is controlled to be raised or lowered, or the filtration state is changed from the normal mode to a large amount of metallic by-products. Control other than stopping the plating solution filter, such as changing to another mode to be used in some cases, may be performed.

10 Electroless Plating Solution Filter Control Device 20 Plating Tank 21 Bottom 22 Wall 30 Plating Filter 31, 32 Plating Pipe 40 Cathode Shaft 50 Constant Voltage DC Power Supply (Monitoring Device)
51 Anode terminal 52 Cathode terminal 53, 54 Electric cable 60 Control panel 61, 62 Signal cable M Plating solution

Claims (2)

A plating tank for performing electroless plating with a plating solution;
A plating solution filter connected to the plating tank so that the plating solution can come in and out, and performing filtration of metallic by-products generated in the plating solution;
A cathode shaft inserted into the plating solution in the plating tank;
The metallic secondary in the plating solution in the plating tank by being connected to the plating tank and the cathode shaft, giving a potential difference in the plating tank, and detecting a change in the amount of current in the plating tank. A monitoring device for monitoring the generation status of the product;
A control panel for controlling the operation of the plating solution filter according to the state of occurrence of the metallic by-product in the plating solution in the plating tank monitored by the monitoring device;
An electroless plating solution filter control device characterized by comprising: 2. The electroless plating solution filter control device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device includes a constant voltage DC power source that applies a constant voltage between the plating tank and the cathode shaft.

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