Abstract: A method and apparatus for conveying and stripping electro-deposited metal sheets from cathode plates. A plurality of stations including a feed station, initial horizontal parting station, main vertical stripping station, replacement station, and discharge station are sequentially arranged within the stripping apparatus and cathode plates having metal sheet deposits thereon are conveyed through the apparatus by means of a reciprocating transfer carriage in combination with supporting slide bars and indexing means.Metal sheet deposits are stripped in a fast, simple and efficient manner by using closed entry horizontal knives to effect initial parting of each deposit and vertical stripping knives to remove the deposits from the two sides of the cathode plate without clamping of the cathode plate while controlling cathode plate sway. Liberated metal sheets are quickly removed from the apparatus and stripped cathode plates are conveyed from the apparatus at a discharge station.

Abstract: In the electrodeposition of metals in electrowinning and electrorefining processes, the current between end electrodes in a cell is generally higher than the average current between all electrodes in the cell thereby causing warping of the end electrodes, overheating of the electrical contacts at the end electrodes and a majority of the electrical shorts to occur at these end electrodes. These problems are alleviated by controlling the current between the first two and between the last two electrodes at a value that is not greater than the average value of the current between all electrodes in the cell, by increasing the lateral spacing between the end electrodes and their immediate neighboring electrodes.