Abstract: An electroplating processor includes a base having a vessel body. A membrane assembly including a membrane housing is attached to a membrane plate. A membrane is provided on a membrane support attached to the membrane housing. An anode assembly includes an anode cup and one or more anodes in the anode cup. An anode plate is attached to the anode cup. Two or more posts on a first side of the anode plate are engageable with post fittings on the membrane plate. Latches on a second side of the anode plate are engageable with and releasable from a latch fitting on the membrane plate. The anode assembly is quickly and easily removable from the processor for maintenance, without disturbing or removing other components of the processor.

Abstract: An ultra-quiet rock tumbler has a barrel assembly supported on a barrel support having two uprights extending from a base. The barrel assembly has an inner barrel with a removable top, that fits into a middle barrel having a removable top and the middle barrel fits into an outer barrel having a removable top. Energy absorbing material, preferably polyurethane foam, surrounds both the inner barrel and the middle barrel. A motor is provided in the barrel support for rotating the barrel assembly.

Abstract: To provide a barrel electroplating method which is less prone to bare spots and adhesion failure such as blisters and peeling, and which makes it possible to obtain uniform plated coatings free from burnt deposits and poor brightness, irrespective of the amount of workpieces. The present invention provides a method for performing barrel electroplating by use of an aluminum or aluminum alloy plating bath, the method comprising rotating, swinging, or vibrating an anode (6) placed inside a barrel (4) receiving workpieces, and simultaneously rotating, swinging, or vibrating the barrel, with a voltage being applied between the anode and a cathode provided on an inner wall surface of the barrel.

Abstract: Manufacture of semiconductor products such as LCD driver requires a bump plating step for forming a gold bump electrode having a size of from about 15 to 20 ?m. This bump plating step is performed by electroplating with a predetermined plating solution, but projections intermittently appear on the bump electrode during a mass production process. In the invention, abnormal growth of projections over the gold bump electrode is prevented by adding, prior to the gold bump plating step, a step of circulating and stirring a plating solution while erecting a plating cup and efficiently dissolving/discharging a precipitate. This step is performed for each wafer to be treated.

Abstract: A system for mounting a prefabricated construction unit in an aperture in a building structure comprises a plurality of clips. The clips have exterior ends adapted to be affixed to a frame of the construction unit and interior ends adapted to be affixed to the building structure. The exterior ends may be bent to provide deep grooves which receive a flange of the construction unit. The clips permit a construction unit to be installed without the need for a worker to insert fasteners through the flange from outside the building structure.

Abstract: The orientation of a wafer with respect to the surface of an electrolyte is controlled during an electroplating process. The wafer is delivered to an electrolyte bath along a trajectory normal to the surface of the electrolyte. Along this trajectory, the wafer is angled before entry into the electrolyte for angled immersion. A wafer can be plated in an angled orientation or not, depending on what is optimal for a given situation. Also, in some designs, the wafer's orientation can be adjusted actively during immersion or during electroplating, providing flexibility in various electroplating scenarios.

Abstract: A method and device for sterilizing containers in which a plasma treatment is executed through excitation of an electromagnetic oscillation so that the plasma is excited in a vacuum in the vicinity of the container regions to be sterilized. Between arrival and discharge, the container regions to be sterilized are moved closer to the oscillation-generating device in the chamber, with continuous movement of the container and/or of the oscillation-generating device for one or more predetermined time intervals in such a way that a plasma is excited in these regions inside and/or outside the container. The chamber is provided with a transport apparatus inside it, which produces an essentially rotating motion of the container during the transport from the arrival to the discharge in the chamber.

Abstract: A plating apparatus and method which smoothly perform contact of a plating liquid with a surface of the substrate and which can prevent air bubbles from remaining on the surface to be plated. The plating apparatus includes a plating bath containing a plating liquid in which an anode is immersed, a head portion for holding a substrate detachably and bringing a lower surface, to be plated, of the substrate into contact with an overflow surface of the plating liquid held in the plating bath, a drive mechanism for rotating the head portion, and a tilt mechanism for tilting the head portion so that the substrate held by the head portion is inclined relative to a horizontal plane.

Abstract: In the invention, there is provided a plating treatment technique which permits uniform plating treatment and easy replacement of articles to be plated without the effect of bubbles in a plating solution by improving wet plating apparatuses of the contact type to thereby solve problems such as the removal of bubbles in a plating solution and the removal of an adhering plating solution. Provided is a plating apparatus having a plating tank, which comprises: an opening which has a solution seal to prevent a plating solution from leaking when an article to be plated is placed on the opening; a solution-supply portion which supplies the plating solution; a solution-discharge portion which discharges the plating solution; and an anode which is opposed to the article to be plated that is placed, wherein the plating tank has rotational means for rotating the plating tank itself.

Abstract: A system for mounting a prefabricated construction unit in an aperture in a building structure comprises a plurality of clips. The clips have exterior ends adapted to be affixed to a frame of the construction unit and interior ends adapted to be affixed to the building structure. The exterior ends may be bent to provide deep grooves which receive a flange of the construction unit. The clips permit a construction unit to be installed without the need for a worker to insert fasteners through the flange from outside the building structure.

Abstract: An e-coating line for small parts includes a series of load carriers, each having a rotatable shaft supporting an apertured metal barrel with parts to be treated. Electrically conductive drive chains and sprockets connect the rotatable shaft to barrel shafts to suspended the barrel from the carrier for submersion of the barrel into treating tanks including an e-coating tank. The chain/sprocket units are self cleaning and establish a reliable grounding of the barrels through the load carrier and slide rail conveyor conducting the load carriers to ground. A rack is mounted on a support secured to move with the load carriers. The rack engages a drive sprocket on the rotatable shaft. A push cylinder secured to the rack, moves the rack with the slide rail held stationary to rotate the shaft and coupled barrel. The system provides a low cost and effective grounding of the barrels and minimizes maintenance requirements and costs.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electroplating barrel whose barrel shell consists of a plurality of plastic shell elements (11) which are firmly interlinked across the circumference of the shell by gluing or welding without preheating. The shell elements (11) facilitate the production of polygonal barrel shells (10) of different cross-sections. To this end, the shell elements (11) have respective integrally formed rib-shaped projections (16 and 18), whose outer surfaces (21, 22) form between them an angle &agr;. The sides of said angle intersect in the barrel axis a-a and the degree of angle is determined, for example, for a maximum number of shell elements (11) that are to be firmly interlinked. The profile of the rib-shaped projections (16, 18) is chosen in such a manner that in the present case the angle &agr; can be increased to produce an electroplating barrel from a smaller quantity of shell elements (11) by machining the rib outer surfaces (21, 22).

Abstract: Conveyors are provided for tumbling and transferring parts to be subjected to treatments, including electroplating in a series of treatment tanks. The conveyors are supported on the treatment tanks for pivotal movement between a position in which the parts are received from a parts feeder to a treatment position in which the parts are subjected to tumbling and immersion within a treatment solution to a drain position for during of the treatment solution and drying and next to a discharge position where they are discharged either to another conveyor in a next treatment tank or to a subsequent station for further processing. Movement of the conveyors to the several positions is carried out by tilt devices which vary the slope of the upper run of each conveyor.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for obtaining an intensive and continuous exchange of electrolyte on the surfaces of workpieces (11, 21) subjected to chemical or electrolytical treatments wherein the exchange is achieved by subjecting the workpieces (11, 21) to strong pulsating oscillations of a frequency of at least 1 Hz and of an amplitude of less than 10 mm, when immersed in the electrolyte. The vibrations are transmitted from an oscillation generator (3) mounted on a workpiece carrier, such as a rack (1, 4) or a rotating dipping drum 92). These high frequency low amplitude oscillations may be combined with low frequency, relatively long oscillations (7, 9, 10, 18), occurring simultaneously. The oscillation generator (3) is arranged on the individual transportable workpiece carriers (1, 2, 14). The workpieces may be boards (11) for printed circuits having through holes (12) or a pourable mass of parts (21).

Abstract: A relatively great number of materials such as forged or cast motor parts of relatively small sizes are loaded into a basket. The basket is suspended from a front conveyor, and is conveyed thereby to a position in front of a coating section comprising a plurality of tanks arranged in a required order and containing liquids required for the coating. After reaching the foregoing position, the basket is carried by, or suspended from, a basket carrier and is immersed in the liquids in the tanks in the order of arrangement thereof. The basket is swung in each tank several times. After being immersed in the liquids in all tanks, the basket is conveyed, by a rear conveyor, to a furnace for baking the materials coated. The basket is passed through the furnace, and then is suspended again from the front conveyor and conveyed thereby to a section where the basket is overturned to unload the materials coated and baked. Then, the basket, which is now empty, is conveyed to the initial position.

Abstract: A barrel plating apparatus in which a barrel accommodating a large number of works is successively soaked in a plurality of baths filled with treatment liquid, the barrel comprising a peripheral wall, a pair of end walls at opposite ends of the peripherial wall, an opening provided at a central portion of the end wall without a cover or a cap, and a space for accommodating the works which is formed by a space lower than the opening inside the barrel when the central longitudinal axis of the barrel is horizontal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a single electroplating apparatus capable of utilizing varying numbers and sizes of drums for electroplating batches of small elements. All drums have a common end portion which connects with the apparatus to orient the drum with an essentially horizontal axis of rotation permitting interchangeability of drums. The drums in a preferred embodiment are diecast from a synthetic plastic and have mesh sides to facilitate electrolyte circulation and current flow.

Abstract: In a procedure of preparing fibrous metal material by electrolytically deiting metal on conductive fibres forming a skeleton, the fibres are carded during deposition of the metal. The fibres are carded in a rotatable drum containing a fibre carding device which operates during rotation of the drum to card fibres while metal is being electrolytically deposited on the fibres.

Abstract: An electroplating barrel for immersion in an electroplating electrolyte or other treatment liquid and for tumbling therein a bulk-mass of small parts, made of either electrolessly metal-coated plastics (synthetic resins) or of metals. The tumbling barrel consists essentially of a pair of spaced end walls, an annular treatment chamber defined by inner and outer peripheral walls between the end walls, and cathodic contacts, the length of the barrel being significantly less than the average overall diameter thereof.

Abstract: A hanger bracket for supporting a rotatable barrel within a fluid treatment tank, which bracket is in turn mounted on a support frame. A metal strip is sealed within the plastic hanger bracket in fluid tight arrangement to strengthen the bracket against bending and twisting. The bracket itself is curved inwardly from its connection to the frame toward its connection with the barrel to compensate for changes in the length of the barrel due to thermal expansion and contraction when the barrel is moved from one environment to another.