US2439491A - Enclosed electroplating tank - Google Patents

Description

April 13, 1948. C? Scl-FFL V2,439,491

ENCLOSED E ILECTROPLATING TANK Filed June 2, V1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 IY I- y 19 B l H IMU!" im H/ if f`D Lllrnlw J1' INVENTOR.

ATICIFQEY 'Apri113,1948. 9 ..SH|'FFL 2,439,491

ENCLOSED ELEcTRoPLA-T1NG TANK Filed June 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTUFQNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNITED- saTATEs PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates in' general to electroplating apparatus and moreA particularly to a. tank for holding the electrolyte and to the structure and the mounting in the tank of anodes and cathodes.

In electroplating operations, and especially when chromium plating isbeing done, vapors and fumes rise from the electrolyte in the tank, which are unpleasant and detrimental to thehealth of operators and alsov contain appreciable quantities of the electrolytic solution. Ventilating systems have been utilized to carry off the vapors and fumes and thereby to reduce the possibility of physical injury to the personsin the vicinity of the tank. However, these systems in removing the vapors thereby steadily carry off small quantities of theelectrolyte, which deleteriously affects the plating operation and requires frequent replenishment with consequent addition to the cost of the electroplating operations. Also, the known Ventilating systems deleteriously affect the plating operations in other ways, for example, by excessively reducing the temperature of the electrolyte or by promoting corrosioniof the electrode supports.

Therefore, one object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved Ventilating system for electroplating apparatus whereby fumes or gases shall be prevented from escaping into the room in which the` electroplating operation is being conducted, removal of liquid from the electrolyte by the ventilation shall be reduced to the minimum, andI the ventilation shall not deleteriously affect the electroplating operation in any manner.

Other objects, advantages and results. of the invention will appear from the following. description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan View of an electroplating tank embodying my invention-with-the cover broken away for clearness in illustration.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged verticalsectional view on the line 3-3 ofV Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar View on the line 4-4 ef Figure l.

Figure'5- is a detached perspective view of the anodes and anode support.

Figure 6` is an enlargedA transverse sectional view through the cover ofthe tank.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of the cover on the scale shown in Figure 2, and

Figure 8 isa longitudinal vertical sectional- View on a similar scale through the cover taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 6.

Specifically describing the invention, the tank includes a container A for electrolyte B, which preferably has a glass lining C and is open at its top.` The container is enclosed within a heat insulated, housing!) which provides between two side walls andthe. sidewalls off the container, a chamber E. for hotpwat'er or` other heating liquid which may be circulated, through vthe chamber by suitable piping which, is connected to a source of steamer hot water by a supply pipe G.

The container and its housing D are enclosed within an outer casing H so thatall walls` of the casing are in spaced relation to the corresponding walls. of the housing D. `The top wall of the casing H has an opening I for access. to the container, said` opening being` normally closed by a cover I. which-is hingedlyn connected` at 2 to swing on a. horizontal axis. above the top of the tank. The hinged connection is shown, as comprising hinge brackets 2aA secured to the-top ofthe casing, one adjacent each end of the cover Lwhich. are pivotally connected to hinge arms 2b on the cover bya hinge rod 2C. The coverhasa top wall 3, side walls 4, endwalls` 5.and a partition Si beneath the top wall. whichhas portions 'I above and converging downwardly towardthe topY of the elec-` trolyteV container and meeting, each` other intermediate said side-walls above the liquid in said container when the cover is closed. With` this construction, any moisture that rises from the electrolyte will impinge upon the underside of the converging portions 'I` of the partition 6, and if said partitionis cooler than the moisture, the latter will condense. on the. partition` :and run downwardly toward the longitudinal center thereof and then drip, into the container;`

The side walls 4, ofthe cover have Derforations 8 above the` partition 6,. and said partition has perforations` 9 closely` adjacent the meeting line of said. portions 'I.. To the casing is connected a suitable suction pump, as by a suction. pipe IEB, so that whenthepump is operating and the cover I is closed, currentsof air willbe drawn inwardly throughthe perforations. 8 over the` upper side of the partition, 5,. thence downwardly through the perforations 9, transversely. of` the open top of the container A and thence downwardly through the spaces between the Walls of the casing` I-I and the corresponding walls of the housing D. These currents` of air will cool the partition 6` and will carry oi some of the gases that rise from `the electrolyte during electroplating operations so that such gases cannot escape from the tank into the room in which the tank isl located.

A drip flange I I is secured to the inside of the cover I and extends longitudinally of the cover approximately parallel to the axis of the hinge 2 so that the flange will be disposed over the open top of the container when the cover is both opened andy closed. when the cover is partially open for example, duringinsertion and removal of the-articles being'plated, any l-iquid'colleted on the partition 6 will run along the par- 3 tition clown the side wall of the cover, onto the flange II from where it will drip into the container.

With this construction, it will be observed that some of the gases that Inight be injurious to the health of persons working in the vicinity of the tank will be carried off by the Ventilating appa-l ratusand loss of liquid from the electrolyte will be reduced by condensation of some of the moisture in the gases on the partition -6 and the return thereof to the electrolyte container.

The tank has mounted therein a plurality of flat anode plates I2. As shown, there are-twosets of anode plates and the plates of each set are secured as by welding to a bar I3. These bars are separably mounted as by screw and slot connections I4 on two opposite parallel side pieces I5 of an annular or rectangular conductor and support K. Preferablyall portions of the support electrolyte as shown in Figure `2. The conductor and support K may be connected in an electric circuit through a buss bar I 8.

A cathode conductor and support I 9 is mounted on and extends across the anode support K, being mounted in seats 20 of insulating material that are secured on the anode support. From this cathode support bar I'llimay be suspended article hanging racks 2I or articles themselves to be plated. Suitable article holding racks are described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 445,424, filed June 2, 1942, now abandoned.

With my invention, there is aminimum of corrosion of the electrodes and their mountings, thesebeing maintained substantially dry by the condensation of the vapors from the electrolyte on the partition 6 and by the air currents passing over the electrodes and the mountings thereof. Moreover, the ventilation has a minimum tendency to reduce the temperature of the electrolyte. due to the path of the air currents along the walls of the insulated housing D which are between. the air currents and the electrolyte container.

While I haveshown and described the new preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that many modifications and changes may be made in the details of structure without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. f

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An electroplating tank comprising a cnn.- tainer for an electrolyte having an open top, a casing completely enclosing said container and having a top wall provided with an opening above said container for access to the latter, a remov-y able cover for said opening having top, side and end walls and a partitlonbeneath said top wall of the cover formed withportions extending from the side walls that converge downwardly toward and meet above the open top of the container so that moisture rising from the electrolyte in said container will impinge on said converging portions, perforations in said converging portions 4 closely adjacent the meeting line of said portions and perforations in the side walls of said cover above said partition, and means for drawing air through said perforations and transversely of the open top of said container for cooling said converging portions to cause condensation of moisture thereon and to withdraw some of the gases that rise from said electrolyte.

2. The electroplating tank set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover is hingedly mounted to swing about a horizontal aXis above the open top of said container, and with the addition of a drip ange on the inside of said cover adjacent and approximately parallel with the hinged side thereof, whereby when the cover is partially opened liquid on the underside of said partition will run downwardly thereover onto said llange and then drip into said container.

3. An electrolytic apparatus-comprising a con'- tainer for electrolyte having an open top and wherein relatively warmmoisture and gases are formed during operation of the apparatus, a casing completely enclosing said container with spaces between said container'and said casing,

said casing having a top wall provided with an opening above said container for access to the latter, a removable cover for said opening having top, side and end walls and a partition beneath said top wall of the cover formed with portions extending inwardly from the side walls that conn verge downwardly toward and meet above the open top of the container so that moisture rising from the electrolyte in said container will impinge on said converging portions, perforations in said converging portions closely adjacent the meeting line of said portions and perforations in said side walls of said cover above said partition, and means for drawing air through said perforations and transversely of the open top of said container above said electrolyte anddownwardly through the spaces between said container and said casing and out of the casing, whereby said converging portions will be cooled so that some of the moisture rising from said electrolyte will condense on said portions vand drip into the container while at the same time some of the gases that rise from the electrolyte will be withdrawn.

' CHARLES SCHIFFL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 692,597 Baum Feb. 4, 1902 1,008,383 Sparre Nov. 14, 1911 1,057,788 Walker Apr. 1, 1913 1,144,271 Weber June 22, 1915 1,243,384 Christman Oct. 16, 1917 1,344,030 Greenwalt June 22, 1920 1,435,671 Stewart Nov. 14, 1922V 1,444,787 Greenawalt Feb. 13, 1923 1,545,352 Rodriguez July 7, 1925 1,664,482 Pfanhauser Apr.l3, 1928 1,723,480 Hannon ,Aug. 6, 1929 1,857,903 Wensley May 10, 1932 1,917,657 MacChesney July 11, 1933 2,110,991 Gabrielson Mar. 15, 1938 2,111,377 Wales Mar. 15,1933

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Y Country Date 493,223 y Germany Mar. 11, 1930

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