Patent ID: 7070688

Claim:
An electroplating tool for selectively plating a portion of the surface of each of a plurality of pieces, comprising: a first plate having a face defining a plurality of holes arranged in a pattern, each of the holes configured to receive a piece that is to be electroplated, each hole further being configured to mask a portion of the surface of a piece received in a hole and expose another portion of the surface of the piece for electroplating; a second plate having a plurality of retaining elements, the second plate being held in a predetermined spatial relationship with respect to the first plate; a mechanism for shifting one of the first and second plates with respect to the other of the first and second plates between a first orientation in which the retaining elements are in a position corresponding to disengagement with pieces received in the holes and a second orientation in which the retaining elements are in a position corresponding to engagement with pieces received in the holes; and a means for applying electrical current to cause electroplating on the surface of each piece that is exposed for electroplating.