Patent ID: 7204918

Claim:
An apparatus for treating plate-like workpieces with a designated chemical solution that is made to flow around said workpieces, including printed circuit boards, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of trays for holding said flowing chemical solution, each tray having an open top which is configured to receive said plate-like workpiece when said workpiece is oriented so that its largest-surface-area surface is oriented horizontally, said tray having a top edge with a portion of said edge forming a dam over which said solution flows, an opening in the lower portion of said tray where said solution enters said tray at a point that is below the bottom of where said workpiece sits when said workpiece is horizontally situated in said tray, an anode is configured to sit within each tray, a reservoir tank situated below said tray, a feed line connecting said reservoir tank and said tray opening, a drain that returns said solution that overflows said tray top edge to said reservoir tank; and a housing having interior top and bottom surfaces, sidewalls and an open front, wherein said plurality of trays are attached to the interior sidewalls of said housing, and wherein said reservoir tank is attached proximate said bottom interior surface.