Patent ID: 6521103
Filing Date: 2003-02-18
Classification: C25D

Abstract:
A plating clamp assembly for use with a plating system including a plating bath and an article transport assembly to selectively engage an article to be plated as the article is moved through the plating bath by the article transport assembly to coat at least a selected portion of the surface of the article with material without creating faults on the selected portion of the surface of the article, said plating clamp assembly comprises a first clamp assembly and a second clamp assembly, said first clamp assembly comprises a first clip assembly moveable between an article engagement position and article disengagement position and a first clip assembly positioning mechanism to selectively position said first clamp assembly in the plurality of clamping configurations to load and unload an article into and from said plating clamp assembly and to selectively engage and disengage the article traveling through the plating bath during the plating process and said second clamp assembly comprises a second clip assembly selectively moveable between an article engagement position and an article disengagement position and a second clip assembly positioning mechanism to selectively position said second clamp assembly in the plurality of clamping configurations to load and unload an article into and from said plating clamp assembly and to selectively engage and disengage the article traveling through the plating bath during the plating process.