Patent ID: 8277629

Claim:
A method for plating a portion of each of a plurality of serially arranged parts of a lead frame with plating solution, the lead frame having a plurality of guide holes, the method comprising: providing a tank containing a plating solution; providing a masking belt having a plurality of serially arranged openings and a plurality of guide holes; providing a drive wheel having a periphery and a plurality of pins; positioning the drive wheel partially out of the plating solution in the tank and partially in the plating solution in the tank; providing a plurality of tracking rollers each having a plurality of pins; sequentially engaging the plurality of pins of the drive wheel with the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt and the plurality of guide holes of the lead frame such that each engaged pin of the drive wheel extends through one of the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt and one of the plurality of guide holes of the lead frame to sequentially register each of the plurality of serially arranged openings of the masking belt with a different one of the portions of the serially arranged parts of the lead frame, initial engagement of the pins with the masking belt and the lead frame occurring at a location out of the plating solution; passing the engaged masking belt and lead frame into the plating solution in the tank to sequentially pass the serially arranged parts through the tank of plating solution; and sequentially engaging the plurality of pins of each of the plurality of tracking rollers with the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt to assist in maintaining alignment of the masking belt and the registering of the serially arranged openings with the serially arranged parts.