Patent ID: 7655117

Claim:
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, a system comprising: a tank containing a plating solution; a masking belt having a plurality of serially arranged openings and a plurality of guide holes; a drive wheel positioned partially out of the plating solution in the tank and partially in the plating solution in the tank, and having a periphery and a plurality of pins, the pins positioned along the periphery of the drive wheel to sequentially engage with the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt and sequentially engage with the plurality of guide holes of the lead frame when the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt are aligned with the plurality of guide holes of the lead frame, with each of the pins extending through one of the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt and one of the plurality of guide holes of the lead frame, and initial engagement of the pins with the masking belt and the lead frame occurring at a location out of the plating solution, to sequentially register each of the plurality of serially arrangement openings of the masking belt with the portion of different serially arranged parts of the lead frame for subsequent passage of the engaged masking belt and lead frame into the plating solution in the tank to sequentially pass the serially arranged parts through the plating solution in the tank; and a plurality of tracking rollers each having a periphery and a plurality of pins positioned along the periphery of the tracking roller to sequentially receive the plurality of guide holes of the masking belt to maintain alignment of the masking belt.