Patent ID: 9689073
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: B05C,C23C

Claim:
1. A roll-to-roll electroless plating system, comprising: a plating tank containing plating solution; a web advance system for advancing a web of media along a web-transport path that passes through the plating tank, wherein a plating substance in the plating solution is plated onto predetermined locations on a surface of the web of media as it is advanced through the plating solution in the plating tank; a gas bubble source by which gas bubbles are introduced into the plating solution in the plating tank; one or more fluid guides disposed within the plating tank that are positioned to redirect the plating fluid containing the gas bubbles away from the web of media as it is advanced through the plating solution in the plating tank; and a fluid bar disposed along the web-transport path, the web of media being guided as it passes the fluid bar with a first surface of the web of media facing an exterior bearing surface of the fluid bar, wherein plating solution extracted from the plating tank is pumped thorough holes in the bearing surface of the fluid bar and into a region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the fluid bar, thereby pushing the web of media away from the fluid bar, wherein the fluid bar is not submerged in the plating solution in the plating tank, and wherein the gas bubble source corresponds to plating solution that is returned to the plating tank after being pumped through the fluid bar, the returned plating solution including entrained gas bubbles.