Patent DE-102009004249-A1 (DE)
Title: Plant for single-sided strip-electroplated deposition of metallic function layers on substrate strip, comprises an electroplating module having a strip guide and an electrolyte container, a compressed air supply, and a transportation unit
Inventor: SCHUETZE MARTIN
IPC: C25D19/00
Filed: 2009-01-08
Abstract: The plant comprises an electroplating module (2), which has a strip guide (6b) for horizontally guiding a substrate strip (1) through the electroplating module and an electrolyte container, a compressed air supply, and a transportation unit for the substrate strip. An anode (4) is arranged in the electrolyte container for strip-electroplating deposition and is designed to receive electrolytes, so that the electrolyte flows to an upper side of the guided substrate strip. The module has a plate, which is arranged in such a manner that the substrate strip is aligned with its upper side. The plant comprises an electroplating module (2), which has a strip guide (6b) for horizontally guiding a substrate strip (1) through the electroplating module and an electrolyte container, a compressed air supply, and a transportation unit for the substrate strip. An anode (4) is arranged in the electrolyte container for strip-electroplating deposition and is designed to receive electrolytes, so that the electrolyte flows to an upper side of the guided substrate strip. The module has a plate, which is arranged in such a manner that the substrate strip is aligned with its upper side parallel to the plate during the guidance. The plate contains air-guiding elements, through which compressed air (7) is conductible from the upper side of the plate to the lower side of the plate. The compressed air supply is designed to conduct the compressed air from the upper side of the plate to the lower side of the plate. An air bag forms itself in the guided substrate strip between the plate and the passing-through substrate strip. The module is implemented in two-parts, where a lower part comprises the electrolyte container and an upper part comprises the plate and the parts of the strip guide and air guide of the compressed air supply. The strip guide comprises two L-profiled rails, which are integrated into the upper part of the module and serve for laterally guiding the substrate strip. The L-profiled rails consist of high abrasion-resistant material. The upper part is removably fastened to the lower part by hinges. A maximum width of the guided substrate strip given by dimensioning the strip guide is less than or equal to the width of the anode. The electrolyte container has lateral openings for the flow of the electrolytes, which lie in the same horizontal plane as the substrate strip lying in the strip guide. The transportation unit comprises magnetic rollers and a convex plain bearing, which are arranged upstream and downstream to the module. The magnetic rollers and the plain bearing lie at the upper side of the guided substrate strip. The plain bearing consists of porous material, through which the compressed air is conductible, so that the air bag forms itself in the guided substrate strip between the plain bearing and the substrate strip. The plate has bores as air-guiding element, where the bores obliquely pass through the plate. The anode is formed from a central strip and two marginal strips, which are electrically insulated from each other and are connected at different electrical potentials.