Patent ID: 8518222

Claim:
A continuous plating apparatus capable of continuously plating workpieces transferred through a plating tank while continuously supplying power to the workpieces, the continuous plating apparatus comprising: a computer system coupled to the continuous plating apparatus to control operation of the continuous plating apparatus; one or more workpieces, a plurality of cathode relay members, and a plurality of power supply units, wherein, when a number of the one or more workpieces simultaneously transferred in the plating tank in a completely immersed state is N in a workpiece transfer direction, (N+1) cathode relay members that extend in the workpiece transfer direction, and (N+1) power supply units are provided outside the plating tank; a set of opposing anodes that extend in the workpiece transfer direction, the set of the opposing anodes being provided in the plating tank; a plurality of anode terminals of the power supply units connected to the set of opposing anodes; and a plurality of cathode terminals of the power supply units connected to the plurality of cathode relay members; wherein the computer system includes a period calculation portion that calculates a partially immersed period L/V based on a length L of the workpiece being extended in the workpiece transfer direction and a constant transferring speed V of the workpiece in the workpiece transfer direction, wherein power is supplied to each of the one or more workpieces transferred in the plating tank from a corresponding power supply unit among the plurality of power supply units through a corresponding cathode relay member among the plurality of cathode relay members, wherein each of the power supply units controls a current to be supplied to the workpiece under constant current control at a constant current Is when being transferred in the plating tank in a completely immersed state, under current gradual increase control to vary from zero to the constant current, Is, in the partially immersed period when the workpiece is carried into the plating tank in a partially immersed state, and under current gradual decrease control to vary from the constant current, Is, to zero in the partially immersed period when the workpiece is carried out from the plating tank in a partially immersed state; wherein a current of the current gradual increase control flows through the one or more workpieces being carried into a first end of the plating tank in the partially immersed state and a current of the current gradual decrease control flows through the one or more workpieces being carried out of a second end of the plating tank in the partially immersed state; and wherein a current value supplied per unit area of the one or more workpieces is substantially constant while being carried from the first end to the second end of the plating tank including in the partially immersed period when the workpiece is carried into the plating tank and the partially immersed period when the workpiece is carried out of the plating tank.