Electrolytic processing system

Abstract: An electrolytic processing system performs a continuous electrolytic process to discrete conductors such as metal coupling elements of a slide fastener chain (8) or conductive objects having a large electrical resistance. In the electrolytic processing system, an object is electrolytically processed while it is guided between intermediate rollers (30) and arc electrodes (31).

Description: This invention relates to an electrolytic process system, which continuously performs an electrolytic process such as plating, anode oxidation or coloring to discrete conductors such as a slide fastener chain which includes metal coupling elements embedded on fastener tapes. There are currently known a number of systems for continuously performing an electrolytic process such as plating to continuous conductors such as metal strips. Such a known system is for example disclosed in US 2 271 735. As shown in FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings, another such known system comprises an electrolytic bath 1, an intermediate roller 2 having a large diameter, an arc electrode 3, and a pair of feeding rollers 4. The intermediate roller 2 and the arc electrode 3 are disposed in the electrolytic bath 1 in a confronting manner. The feeding rollers 4 are positioned above the intermediate roller 2 on opposite sides thereof. The arc electrode 3 is connected to the anode of a power supply, and the feeding rollers 4 are connected to the cathode of the power supply. A conductor 5 is guided via one of the feeding rollers 4, the intermediate roller 2 and the other feeding roller 4. Then, the cathode current is applied to the conductor 5 from the feeding rollers 4. When passing between the intermediate roller 2 and the arc electrode 3, the conductor 5 has continuously applied a plating liquid ejected from nozzles of the arc electrode 3. With this type of electrolytic processing system, the cathode current is applied to an object to be processed from the pair of feeding rollers 4. If the object is a continuous conductor such as a metal strip, the cathode current can be continuously applied to the object while it passes through the space between the intermediate roller 2 and the arc electrode 3. However, with discrete conductors such as a slide fastener chain 8 having metal coupling elements 7 embedded thereon as shown in FIG. 7, no cathode current can be applied to any part of the discrete conductors passing between the intermediate roller 2 and the arc electrode 3, thereby preventing the conductors from being plated. Since the feeding rollers 4 are located far from the arc electrode 3, the cathode current is still applied from the feeding rollers 4 to the object at a portion which is passing through the space between the intermediate roller 2 and the arc electrode 3. When the object is a conductor such as a carbon strip having a large electrical resistance, the amount of cathode current is reduced since heat is generated by the current flow in the object. Therefore, a large cathode current must be to be applied to overcome such inconvenience, which means an increase in power consumption and a decrease in processing efficiency. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electrolytic processing system which can overcome the above inconveniences. As claimed, the invention proposes an electrolytic processing system for continuously performing electrolytic process to slide fastener chains. Said electrolytic processing system comprises a plurality of cylindrical intermediate rollers mounted in an electrolytic bath, each said intermediate roller being rotatable about a vertical shaft and being applied a current. The outer circumferential surface of each intermediate roller is provided with a conductive groove adapted to receive the coupling elements of a slide fastener chain, whereas the remaining portion of each intermediate roller, which is adapted to be in contact with the fastener tapes of the slide fastener chain, is insulated. Said system comprises also a plurality of arc electrodes mounted in said electrolytic bath and positioned in a manner to confront at least a part of said groove of outer circumferential surfaces of said intermediate rollers, each said arc electrode including nozzles for ejecting a processing liquid ; and means for guiding the slide fastener chains to be processed on each said intermediate roller through the area thereof where each said intermediate roller confronts each said arc electrode. The current applied to the intermediate rollers is applied to the object to be processed when it is in contact with the intermediate roller. No current flows to any portion of the object which is passing between the intermediate roller and the arc electrode to be electrolytically processed. Therefore, not only discrete conductors can undergo electrolytic process but also objects having a large electrical resistance such as carbon strips can be efficiently processed without using an excessively large current, since no current is applied to the object at a portion which is being electrolytically processed. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electrolytic processing system according one embodiment of this invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of the electrolytic processing system of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an outer circumferential surface of an intermediate roller; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a scraper; FIG. 5 shows an outer circumferential surface of a modified intermediate roller; FIG. 6 shows a prior art electrolytic processing system; and FIG. 7 is a front view of a slide fastener chain. An electrolytic processing system according to one embodiment of this invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIGS. 1 and 2 shows an electrolytic processing system for nickel-plating steel coupling elements 7 of a slide fastener chain 8. The coupling elements 7 are discrete conductors which need to be processed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrolytic processing system comprises a frame 10, which includes braces 11, and upper and lower horizontal members 12, 13. A brake 14, a guide 15, an electrolytic bath 16, a recovery bath 17, a rinsing bath 18, a vacuum drying unit 19, a dryer 20, a guide 21, and a feed roller 22 are mounted on the upper horizontal member 12 in this order. A box 23 for housing objects to be processed and another box 24 for storing the processed objects are positioned at opposite ends of the frame 10. The brake 14 has a stationary member 25 and a movable pusher piece 26 urged against to the stationary member 25 by a spring 27, horizontally holding the object to be processed, e.g. a slide fastener chain 8 in this embodiment. The guides 15, 21 respectively include two pairs of rollers 29 rotatable about respective vertical shafts 28, thereby guiding the slide fastener chain 8 so that the slide fastener chain 8 is kept vertical between the electrolytic bath 16 and the dryer 20. The electrolytic bath 16 includes a pair of intermediate rollers 30 and a pair of arc electrodes 31, which are positioned in a confronting manner. The slide fastener chain 8 is guided between one of the intermediate rollers 30 and one of the arc electrodes 31 so that one surface of the coupling elements 7 of the slide fastener 8 is plated. Then, the other surface of the coupling elements 7 is similarly plated while passing through the other intermediate roller 30 and the other arc electrode 31. The plated slide fastener chain 8 is removed from the electrolyte in the recovery bath 17, and is then rinsed in the rinsing bath 18, vacuum-dried in the vacuum drying unit 19, dried by the drier 20, sandwiched in a nip between a drive roller 32 and a pinch roller 33 of the feed roller unit 22 with a predetermined force, and received in the box 24. The slide fastener chain 8 is guided at a predetermined tension by the feed roller unit 22 and the brake 14. The rollers 29 of the guides 15, 21 have central small diameter portions 29a. The coupling elements 7 of the slide fastener chain 8 fit into the small diameter portions 29a and make fastener tape 6 contact with large diameter portions 29b of the rollers 29, so that the slide fastener chain 8 comes into uniform contact with the rollers 29. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 62 represents a pump for recovering the electrolyte from the electrolyte bath 17 and returning it to a tank 63; and 64, a pump for supplying water from a tank 65 to the rinsing bath 18; and 66, a vacuum pump. The following is a detailed description of the intermediate rollers 30 and the arc electrodes 31. Each of the intermediate rollers 30 is a cylindrical member made of stainless steel, and is rotatable in a horizontal plane about a vertical shaft 40. The vertical shaft 40 is set in motion by a motor 41 mounted on the lower horizontal member 13 of the frame 10, being connected to the cathode of the power supply in order to apply the cathode current to the intermediate roller 30. As shown in FIG. 3, an annular groove 42 is formed on the central portion of the intermediate roller 30. A ring-like conductive layer 43 is mounted in the annular groove 42 to receive the cathode current. The whole of the surface of the intermediate roller 30 except for the annular groove 42 is covered with insulating layers 44 made of synthetic resins such as plastics, urethane, or rubbers. Therefore, the coupling elements 7 of the slide fastener chain 8 fit into the annular groove 42 so as to come into contact with the conductive layer 43 and receive the cathode current. On the other hand, the fastener tapes 6 contact with the insulating layers 44 to prevent the application of the plating liquid. Although on the whole, the intermediate roller 30 is conductive, it is actually conductive at its annular groove 42 where the coupling elements 7 of the slide fastener chain 8 are contacted, and is non-conductive in other areas. Therefore, the electrolytic film such as the plating layer is only applied to the object to be processed, thereby guiding and carrying the processed object without any inconvenience since electrolyte film seldom sticks to the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. Even when the intermediate roller 30 is constructed as described above, a little electrolyte occasionally sticks to the surface of the intermediate roller 30. Therefore, means such as a scraper 45 is normally urged against the intermediate roller 30 at a portion opposite to the arc electrode 31 to scrape the electrolyte from the intermediate roller 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the scraper 45 whose cross-sectional shape is identical to the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30 is movably supported by a pin 46. The scraper 45 is biased by a spring 47 so that the tip of the scraper 45 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. The electrolyte may be removed not only by the scraper but also by a rotatable brush or a mechanism for chemically or electrically dissolving the plated film, for example. An electrolytic scraping method is conceivable as a means for electrically dissolving the plated layer. An additional bath may be disposed in the electrolyte bath 16 to be in partial contact with the intermediate roller 30. This bath 16 is filled with a scraping liquid, which is applied with the cathode current in order to dissolve the plating film which still adheres to the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. Each of the arc electrodes 31 is mounted on a support 50 with a pair of pressure rollers 51. The arc electrode 31 is horizontally movable to and from the intermediate roller 30 along a pair of guide levers 52. A piston lever 53a of a cylinder 53 is extended to move the arc electrode 31, the pressure rollers 51 and the support 50 toward the intermediate roller 30. The pressure rollers 51 press the slide fastener chain 8 against the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. Then, the slide fastener chain 8 is brought into uniform contact with the intermediate roller 30 and is brought to the region where the intermediate roller 30 and the arc electrode 31 confront each other. After this, the piston lever 53a is retracted to move the arc electrode 31 and the pair of pressure rollers 51 away from the intermediate roller 30. Thereafter, the slide fastener chain 8 can be easily wound around the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. The arc electrode 31 has on its one side a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a processing liquid such as a nickel-plating liquid toward the circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. The arc electrode 31 is connected to the anode of the power supply in order to receive the anode current. Specifically, the arc electrode 31 is a hollow member, having the nozzles which are equally spaced on the side confronting the intermediate roller 30. The processing liquid, e.g. a nickel plating liquid, is supplied into the arc electrode 31 from the tank 54 by the pump 55. The arc electrode 31 applies the anode current and so supplies the plating liquid to the circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 30. The plating liquid is sprayed onto the coupling elements 7 of the slide fastener chain 8 to which the cathode current has been applied. Thus the coupling elements 7 are nickel-plated. The plating liquid falls down along the surface of the intermediate roller 30, gathering in a reservoir 16a of the electrolyte bath 16, and is then discharged by a pump. In the foregoing embodiment, one slide fastener chain 8 as the object to be processed is wound on the central portion of the intermediate roller 30. However, it is also possible to form a plurality of annular grooves 42 on the intermediate roller 30, and to wind a plurality of slide fastener chains 8 on the intermediate roller 30 with the fastener tapes 6 overlapping one another. The nickel plating liquid is exemplified in the foregoing embodiment. The object can however be processed by another plating method by simply changing the plating liquid. This invention is also applicable to anode oxidation or electrolytic coloring by changing the polarity of the current to be applied, or by changing the plating liquid. According to this invention, since the current is applied to the intermediate roller 30 for guiding the object to be processed, the object comes into contact with the intermediate roller 30 to receive the current. Therefore no current is applied to the object at its portion which is between the intermediate roller 30 and the arc electrode 31. Therefore, not only discrete conductors but also objects such carbon strips having a large electrical resistance can undergo the electrolytic process. Since no current is applied to the areas where such electrolytic process is not required, and since no heat is generated by the flowing current, the current to be applied can be reduced. Since the intermediate roller 30 is rotated in an horizontal plane about the vertical shaft 40, the plating liquid sticking to the surface of the intermediate roller 30 falls down by its own weight, and does not adversely affective transportation of the processed object. Since the current is applied only to the area where the object to be processed is in contact with the intermediate roller 30, the electrolytic film will be formed only on the necessary area of the object. Even if there is an electrolytic film on the intermediate roller 30, this film can be removed so as to enable the object to be carried reliably.

Claims: An electrolytic processing system for continuously performing electrolytic process to slide fastener chains, said electrolytic processing system comprising : (a) a plurality of cylindrical intermediate rollers (30) mounted in an electrolytic bath (16), each said intermediate roller (30) being rotatable about a vertical shaft and being applied a current ; the outer circumferential surface of each intermediate roller (30) being provided with a conductive groove (42) adapted to receive the coupling elements (7) of a slide fastener chain, whereas the remaining portion of each intermediate roller, which is adapted to be in contact with the fastener tapes (6) of the slide fastener chain, is insulated ; (b) a plurality of arc electrodes (31) mounted in said electrolytic bath (16) and positioned in a manner to confront at least a part of said groove of outer circumferential surfaces of said intermediate rollers (30), each said arc electrode (31) including nozzles for ejecting a processing liquid ; and (c) means for guiding the slide fastener chains to be processed on each said intermediate roller (30) through the area thereof where each said intermediate roller (30) confronts each said arc electrode. An electrolytic processing system according to claim 1, further including scraping means for removing the processing liquid sticking on the outer circumferential surface of each said intermediate roller (30), said scraping means (45) being located on each said intermediate roller at an area opposite to the area where each said intermediate roller confronts each said arc electrode.

Inventors: AKANUMA MASAAKI, HASEGAWA AKIRA, AKANUMA, MASAAKI, HASEGAWA, AKIRA
Applicants: YKK CORP, YKK CORPORATION
Application year: 1991
Main classification: C25D7
IPC codes: C25D21, C25D5, C25D7, C25D17