US3369988A

US3369988A - Debris collecting screen for electroplating tanks

Info

Publication number: US3369988A
Application number: US468251A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeffry L Williams
Original assignee: Plating Products Inc
Current assignee: Plating Products Inc
Priority date: 1965-06-30
Filing date: 1965-06-30
Publication date: 1968-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 1985-02-20

Description

Feb. 20, 1968 J. L. WILLIAMS DEBRIS COLLECTING SCREEN FOR ELECTROPLATING TANKS Filed June 50, 1965 .8 mm M W L m F E J Fig. 3.

United States Patent This invention relates generally to devices for collecting and removing debris from electroplating tanks and more particularly to a screen structure which may be placed in the bottom of such tanks for collecting debris and removed for cleaning the tank.

In conventional electroplating tanks it frequently happens that parts which are being plated, pieces of anode material or other miscellaneous objects, fall to the bottom of the tank. This often causes metallic contamination of the plating solution, and the only conventional method of removing such objects from the tanks is to drain the plating solution. This causes expensive delays while the plating apparatus is out of service. Unless the tanks are drained, the only other method of removing debris is by the use of rakes, magnets, hooks and the like, and such procedure can cause damage to the tank bottoms and the air agitation equipment located in the bottom of the tanks. Furthermore, there is no conventional apparatus provided for preventing damage to the tank bottoms and the air agitation equipment when anode spears or other heavy objects drop to the bottom of the tank.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide a collecting means which may be placed in relatively close proximity to the bottom of an electroplating tank for collecting any objects which may drop within the tank, the collecting means being readily removable from the tank for removing such objects.

A further object of this invention is to provide a screen structure which may be hung from the top of an electroplating tank and located in relatively close proximity to the bottom of the tank for collecting and removing debris.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a debris collecting screen for electroplating tanks comprising a piece of open mesh cloth formed of material which is not decomposable by an electroplating solution, the sides of said piece of cloth being reinforced by metallic rods, the ends of said piece of cloth being reinforced by flexible strips, and suspension means attached to the sides of said cloth for suspending the screen in close proximity to the bottom of an electroplating tank.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and the claims.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the debris collecting screen as provided in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the screen illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross section of an electroplating tank illustrating the screen of FIG. 1 suspended in said tank.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided a debris collecting screen consisting of a piece of cloth 10 formed of a material such, for example, as nylon, which is impervious to and is not attacked by electroplating solutions. The cloth is of relatively open mesh so that fluid will drain through it readily as the structure is removed from an electroplating tank. The sides of the cloth member are reinforced by steel rods 11 which may be coated with any material such, for example, as what is commonly called plastisol, having such characteristics that it will prevent any chemical reaction between the steel rod and the electroplating solution. The rods may be attached "ice to the cloth in any suitable manner such, for example, as by folding the edge of the cloth over the rods and sewing the folded-over portion to the main body of the screen. The central portion of the cloth member may also be reinforced by similarly coated steel rod 12 and attached to the screen by a cloth panel sewn or stitched to the screen structure.

The ends of the screen may be reinforced by a flexible member 14 formed of material such, for example, as polyethylene, or any other material which is impervious to electroplating solutions and which has sufficient stiffness to flatten the screen when it is suspended in an electroplating tank and sufficient resilienceto bend when the screen is lifted from the tank. Members 14 may, for example, be approximately 7 thick and in width and may be attached to the screen by means of the pocket forming members 15 formed of nylon cloth and sewn to the screen.

For suspending the screen in an electroplating tank there are provided a plurality of cords 16 formed of polyethylene material and attached to the screen by tying or otherwise fixing one end to the reinforced sides of the screen. The other end of each cord may be provided with a hook 17 formed of steel and coated with plastisol.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, conventional electroplating apparatus includes a tank 20 having anodes 21 suspended on hooks 22 from anode rods 23. The objects to be electroplated may be suspended from a cathode rod 24 and hung in the electroplated solution as illustrated at 25. At the bottom of the tank there are provided air emitting devices 26 for agitating the electroplating solution.

The debris collecting screen of this invention may be suspended within the tank 21 by placing the hooks 17 on the anode rods so that the screen assumes the position illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein the screen is spaced upwardly from the bottom of the tank and over the air agitating apparatus.

As previously mentioned, the reinforcing members 14 are sufliciently stiff to cause the screen to assume a flat position when suspended in the tank. Any debris which drops into the tank will be caught by the screen and the screen may then be periodically removed in order to remove collected debris. During removal the members 14 will bend upwardly to prevent collected material from dropping off the screen. I

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that this invention provides means for collecting debris in electroplating tanks which eliminates damage to the tanks which might result from removing such debris by the use of rakes, magnets, hooks, and the like. Debris may be removed at any time in order to prevent any metallic contamination of the plating solution, and it is not necessary to drain the plating solution from the tanks. Thus, the plating apparatus will not be out of service for any material length of time and expensive delays are eliminated.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an electroplating cell, a debris collecting screen comprising a fabric member having a fluid pervious mesh and a configuration corresponding to the bottom of a tank, stiff reinforcing rods fixed to the longitudinal edges of said member and extending substantially the entire length thereof, flexible reinforcing members fixed to ends of said member and extending substantially the full width of said fabric member, and means attached to said rods for suspending said fabric member adjacent the bottom of said tank, said flexible members having sufficient stiffness to maintain said fabric member parallel to said tank bottom.

2. A debris collecting screen according to claim 1 wherein said fabric member comprises a material which i immune from attack by an electroplating solution.

3. A debris collecting screen according to claim 1 wherein said rods comprise metal coated with a material which is immune from attack by an electroplating solution.

4. A debris collecting screen according to claim 1 wherein said suspending means comprises a plurality of flexible members attached to said rods intermediate the ends thereof and hooks attached to said flexible members.

5. A debris collecting screen according to claim 1 wherein said flexible reinforcing members comprise a plastic material immune to attack by an electroplating solution.

6. A debris collecting screen according to claim 1 wherein said fabric member includes at its corners pocket members for receiving the ends of said flexible members. 15

5 wherein said fabric member includes portions folded over said rods and stitched to said member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1950 Cates 210-237 HOWARD S. WILLIAMS, Primary Examiner.

D. R. JORDAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN ELECTROPLATING CELL, A DEBRIS COLLECTING SCREEN COMPRISING A FABRIC MEMBER HAVING A FLUID PREVIOUS MESH AND A CONFIGURATION CORRESPONDING TO THE BOTTOM OF A TANK, STIFF REINFORCING RODS FIXED TO THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID MEMBER AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF, FLEXIBLE REINFORCING MEMBERS FIXED TO ENDS OF SAID MEMBER AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL WIDTH OF SAID FABRIC MEMBER, AND MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID RODS FOR SUSPENDING SAID FABRIC MEMBER ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF SAID TANK, SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBERS HAVING SUFFICIENT STIFFNESS TO MAINTAIN SAID FABRIC MEMBER PARALLEL TO SAID TANK BOTTOM.