JP2005529243A - Method and apparatus for processing flat and flexible workpieces - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus and method according to the present invention serve to treat a flat, flexible workpiece (1) with a fluid, preferably in an electroplating plant and an etching facility. With this apparatus and method, in particular, the foil-type work piece (1) can be moved in such a way that the work piece (1) is not deformed or hits the side walls or other built-in components of the processing vessel (3). Can be placed in a fluid, eg, a wet chemical or electrochemical processing fluid. For this purpose, the processing vessel (3) is assigned a protective carrier (5) into which the work piece (1) is lowered, said carrier (5) being almost empty. . For processing, the protective carrier (5) is lowered, for example, into a container (3) filled with processing fluid, and the processing fluid flows into the protective carrier (5). Means are provided on the protective carrier (5) to allow the processing fluid to flow into the protective carrier (5) in a controlled manner.

Description

  The apparatus and method is preferably flat and flexible in electroplating lines and etching equipment, especially when foil-type workpieces are immersed vertically in a processing bath during a wet chemical or electrochemical process. Useful for processing sex workpieces.

  Methods for processing particularly thin workpieces such as printed circuit foils in wet chemical processing lines, electroplating lines and etching equipment include, but are not limited to, cleaning, activation, electroplating and post-processing of printed circuit foils. Process method steps are included. In workpieces that are made of a non-conductive material on the inside, printed circuit patterns and through holes are created in several processing steps. For special applications, the foil thickness will be 30-50 μm or less, and these foils are very sensitive to mechanical pressure. Since the surface is soft, the workpiece often cannot be transported between rollers. In this case, a vertical processing line such as an electroplating line is used. In these lines, the printed circuit foil is secured to the carrier bar at its outer end by clips, clamps or screws for movement. In general, a plurality of foils are arranged on a carrier bar, arranged side by side, sometimes up and down.

  For electrolytic deposition of the conductive layer, the workpiece is connected to the cathode of the current source via a clamp and a carrier bar. Thus, the counter electrode, in this case the anode, is conductively connected to the anode. During electrolytic etching, the polarity is exchanged. The workpiece is then given the polarity of the anode.

  The carrier bar to which the work piece is fixed is held on the conveyor carriage so that the work piece is moved from one immersion tank to another, in which case each carrier bar has one immersion bar. It is lowered into the tank and pulled up again after the treatment.

  Treatment tanks used for different processes are operated with aqueous fluids. Depending on the composition, fluids have different surface tensions. For example, in order to drop a thin workpiece such as a foil into a processing bath, the workpiece must have a minimum rigidity and the surface should be as uniform as possible. Otherwise, the foil may be displaced nearby due to the surface tension of the fluid, for example when it is being lowered horizontally, such as the container edge or anode, heating equipment, cooling device, sensor, etc. There is a possibility of hitting parts.

  If the deflection is too strong, there is a risk that these sensitive foils will deform or bend, and if the deflected foil is brought into contact with the electrical counter electrode, it may even involve the risk of causing a short circuit in the electrolytic cell. is there. The reason for this is therefore the poor guidance of the workpiece by the clamps or racks or the lack of material stiffness. Tank fluid flow and air injection (convection) caused by the circulation pump can also cause the foil to escape. With current demands to reduce the thickness of the workpiece, the workpiece can no longer be immersed like a conventional thicker workpiece.

  One of the objects of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the known methods, in particular flat and possible, which costs little to secure and ensures that it is lowered into the processing fluid without damaging the workpiece. An apparatus and method for processing a flexible workpiece is provided.

  The present invention provides an apparatus according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 14. Preferred embodiments of the invention are listed in the dependent claims.

  Prior to disclosing and describing the present invention for processing flat and flexible workpieces in a processing fluid without damaging them, the present invention is directed to the specific apparatus, processing steps and materials disclosed herein. It should be understood that it is not limited. This is because these devices, processing steps and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. This is because the scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims. Accordingly, various modifications and replacements by technical means can be applied to what is described by the following examples and drawings of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Should be understood.

  The apparatus and method according to the invention are useful for treating fluids, particularly flat and flexible workpieces, which are arranged substantially vertically, preferably in electroplating lines and etching equipment. With this apparatus and method, in particular foil-type workpieces can be placed in a fluid, for example a processing fluid (processing tank), in the following manner. That is, in such a way that the workpiece is not deformed and / or significantly repositioned and is prevented from hitting the side walls of the processing vessel (container) or other built-in components.

  The device according to the invention comprises at least one protective carrier holding a workpiece, which can be accommodated in a container containing fluid, and the workpiece in the protective carrier is deformed during at least the fluid inflow and filling process. And / or at least one means that allows fluid to flow into the protective carrier in a manner that does not significantly change position. The fluid is preferably a processing fluid for wet chemical or electrochemical processing. The fluid used may also be a gas, for example heated air for drying. For simplicity, the term “processing fluid” is used in the following description to denote any fluid.

  In order to carry out the method according to the invention, the workpiece is fixed, for example, on a carrier bar, which transports the workpiece to various processing vessels by means of a moving system. Thereby, according to the invention, the workpiece is not lowered into the fluid and is initially stored, for example, in a protective carrier that contains little processing fluid. The protective carrier is transferred to the processing container in which it is placed. The protective carrier is then filled with the processing fluid in such a way that the workpiece does not significantly deform and / or change position. Only then is the workpiece contacted with the processing fluid and processed.

  The protective carrier is made of a material suitable for the chemical used and the intended bath temperature, for example a plastic material or metal. The means provided for using gravity to enter the processing fluid into the protective carrier is at least one opening in the protective carrier. The protective carrier preferably includes a side wall and a bottom wall, and the openings are evenly spaced on these walls. The dimensions of the opening are sized so that the processing fluid flows slowly into the carrier in a controlled manner without bending or pushing the sensitive workpiece. The size of each opening (flow passage) preferably ranges from 1 to 500 square millimeters. In order to take into account specific requirements such as different surface tensions of the processing fluid used or the sensitivity of the workpiece, which may vary depending on the composition of the processing fluid, is the protective carrier opening manufactured differently? Or it can be adjustable. The flow passage portion at the opening may be varied and adjusted, for example, by a displaceable shutter or orifice plate. The shutter or orifice plate can be attached to the wall of the protective carrier. By displacing the shutter or orifice plate relative to the opening, the position of the opening in the orifice plate relative to the position of the opening in the wall of the protective carrier can be changed, and the opening in the protective carrier is partially Covered or closed. As a result, the fluid entering the protective carrier and the volumetric flow rate of this fluid can be varied. By displacing the shutter and orifice plate to partially close the protective carrier opening, the inflow per unit time is reduced.

  Depending on the flow velocity, for example, turbulence occurs in the processing fluid behind the opening in the protective carrier while the processing fluid flows into the carrier. In addition, a separate flow is formed that deviates from the opening and goes into the inside of the protective carrier and creates turbulence when it meets. These turbulences can cause sensitive workpieces to deform. The degree of influence on the workpiece caused by turbulence depends, for example, on the direction of the workpiece relative to the direction of the generated turbulence or flow and the distance from them. In one specific embodiment of the protective carrier, the processing fluid passes only through openings in the side wall of the protective carrier, oriented parallel to the workpiece, while possibly present on the other side wall. The opening is closed. This measure is intended in particular to prevent bending of workpieces that are prone to deformation. This is because in this case, the flows that almost hit the workpiece from the front cancel each other, and the workpiece does not deviate significantly from the position.

  After processing, for example during the lifting of the carrier, the protective carrier is lifted at the bottom of the protective carrier, for example via a lever rod pulling action or via a float, in order to quickly drain the processing fluid from the protective carrier. It is preferable to be able to provide a discharge baffle or a large surface discharge gate that sometimes opens automatically and closes again automatically when the protective carrier is lowered into the container.

  During the electrochemical treatment (by electroplating or electrochemical etching process) of the workpiece, the anode required for electroplating to form the electrolytic cell, or the cathode required for etching, in particular the anode, for example insoluble Can be fixed on the wall of the protective carrier. If the chemical resistance and electrochemical process of the protective carrier material is appropriate, the wall itself can perform the function of an anode or cathode.

  If the anode (counter electrode) is fixed on either side of the workpiece, close to the edge of the container, in a manner well known in the art, the protective carrier is convective in the protective carrier. In addition to the function of protecting the workpiece against the flow, the function of shielding the counter electrode against the lines of electric force can be executed. For this purpose, openings, for example perforations, in the protective carrier for containing the processing fluid may, for example, preferably not be provided in the peripheral region of the protective carrier wall or with a smaller diameter. And / or the number may be reduced in these areas rather than in the central area of the wall. This makes it possible to avoid undesirably concentrated strong lines of electric force in the peripheral area of the workpiece. In this case, the carrier material is not allowed to have conductive characteristics at least on the surface of the carrier. This is because otherwise the lines of electric force cannot penetrate the carrier and reach the workpiece.

  In order to fill the protective carrier either after the work piece is stored in the protective carrier or when the work piece is placed in the protective carrier, the processing fluid is placed inside and outside the protective carrier. It is sent to the protective carrier by hydrostatic gradients caused by different tank levels. There are various possibilities for producing this gradient as a result of the difference in fluid levels inside and outside the protective carrier. The fluid in the processing vessel may be displaced, for example, when the protective carrier is being lowered into the vessel.

  The processing vessel may include, for example, a protective carrier that is stationary, ie securely attached. In this case, the work piece held on the carrier bar is transferred to an empty protective carrier located in an empty container using a moving system. In this case, the processing fluid is placed, for example, in a separate storage tank before the carrier bar is lowered into an empty container, the carrier bar is completely lowered into the work container, and the workpiece is placed on the protective carrier. Afterwards, it is delivered to the container space located outside the protective carrier using a delivery system (pump system or gravity) and tubing. When the wet chemical or electrochemical process is complete, the workpiece is lifted from the container using the transfer system and moved to the next process container. The processing fluid is recycled to the storage tank. At that time, the protective carrier is ready to contain the next workpiece.

  In another embodiment, the fluid level difference in the container is obtained by lowering the protective carrier holding the workpiece into the container and sending the processing fluid to the container only during or after the carrier is lowered. Can do. In this case, the processing fluid is placed in a separate storage tank, for example, after the carrier bar with the workpiece has been completely lowered into the container or while it is being lowered. Pump system or gravity) and tubes are used to feed the container space located outside the protective carrier. The storage tank can be arranged as a separate unit next to the work vessel or can be formed as a separate side compartment inside or in contact with the process vessel. For example, equipment for processing the processing fluid, such as a stirring device, a heating device, a cooling device, etc., can be installed in the storage tank. When the chemical or electrochemical process is complete, the carrier bar with the workpiece can be lifted from the container and the process fluid can be recirculated to the storage tank at the same time.

  In another embodiment, the fluid level difference in a container already filled with processing fluid is obtained by lowering the protective carrier already holding the workpiece into the processing container.

  Variations of the methods and apparatus described above with respect to alternatives for transferring a protective carrier to a container filled or unfilled with processing fluid can be freely combined with the embodiments described herein below. These embodiments relate to a method of transferring a protective carrier to a processing vessel and removing the protective carrier therefrom.

  The protective carrier can be lowered into the filled processing vessel using various means, for example. These means can preferably include a stationary protective carrier hoist associated with the container to transport the protective carrier to the container. In another preferred exemplary embodiment, a protective carrier hoist attached to the moving carriage of the workpiece transfer moving system can transfer the protective carrier to the container.

  In the case of a stationary protective carrier hoist, the hoist raises the protective carrier to the upper position before the carrier bar is lowered into the processing vessel. In this position, the protective carrier has been removed from the processing vessel to some extent so that the processing fluid is not soaked in the processing fluid when the workpiece is being lowered onto the protective carrier, leak. For the purpose of quickly draining the processing fluid after processing, the discharge baffles or large surface discharge gates provided at the bottom of the protective carrier can be opened, for example, when the protective carrier is pulled up, but these discharge baffles Alternatively, the discharge gate is automatically opened via a lever rod pulling action or via a float and is automatically closed again via a pulling action. Of course, the drain baffle and drain gate may also be opened and closed by a motor or any other actuation, such as manually.

  For processing, it is preferred that the protective carrier and the workpiece are synchronously lowered into the processing vessel. Thereby, the fluid held in the processing vessel is displaced to such an extent that the fluid level in the vessel rises, resulting in a difference in the fluid level inside and outside the protective carrier. As a result, the processing fluid can flow uniformly into the protective carrier through the provided opening without damaging the workpiece by the inflow. For this purpose, the flow passage part in the opening is used, for example, by using a shutter on the side wall of the protective carrier so that the processing fluid that flows in is controlled in accordance with the characteristics of the workpiece. Can be adapted to the speed at which the hoist lowers the workpiece, for example. After processing, as is usual with such equipment, the workpiece can be removed directly using the moving carriage hoist of the moving system. Next, the workpiece is conveyed to the next processing container through the moving movement of the moving carriage. The protective carrier remains in the lower position of the processing container until the next workpiece is prepared and waits on the processing container so as not to disturb the moving movement of the moving carriage.

  In a particular embodiment of this variant of the invention, the work piece hoist normally attached to the moving carriage may be omitted, in which case the hoist for the protective carrier and the work piece hoist Attached to the container. After the hoist lifts the workpieces from the station and carries them to the upper position, the arriving moving carriage receives the workpieces placed on the carrier bar. The similarly raised protective carrier is lowered again with this hoist and the now free carrier bar can be moved to the next processing vessel, for example. Therefore, the protective carrier belonging to the container is pulled up, receives the carrier bar, and lowers it to the treatment tank. The moving carriage can then move to the next work station.

  When the protective carrier hoist is attached to the movable carriage, the protective carrier can be lowered and pulled up / out of the processing container using the hoist. For this purpose, the moving carriage transports the workpiece to be processed to the processing container. Prior to filling the wet chemical bath, a protective carrier is stored in each one of the processing vessels. As usual in this type of dip plant, the moving carriage arrives at the processing bath with the workpiece to be processed being pulled up. Unlike the prior art method, where the carrier bar is immediately lowered into the processing vessel, the present invention firstly lifts the protective carrier from the processing vessel with a protective carrier hoist so that the workpiece is thus an almost empty protective carrier. Propose to be stored in. The carrier bar and protective carrier are then slowly lowered into the processing fluid at the processing station at approximately the same speed. Thereby, the processing fluid is evenly delivered to the protective carrier holding the sensitive workpiece while the protective carrier is being lowered into the container without deflecting or deforming the workpiece. It is done. To remove them, only the carrier bar with the workpiece hoist is pulled up. The protective carrier hoist of the moving carriage and the protective carrier in the container remain in the lower position, and the moving carriage moves to the next processing station. This embodiment allows us to go without a stationary hoist for the protective carrier at the processing station, and the overall height required is almost identical to that required in prior art immersion plants.

  In one particular embodiment of this variant of the invention, the protective carrier is fixed to a moving carriage for vertical movement and moves with the workpiece to each one of the processing stations. The protective carrier is comprised of at least two parts and is equipped with an automatically actuable baffle on the bottom and two opposite side walls that can open the protective carrier at the bottom and sides when needed. Once the baffle is opened, the protective carrier is separated into two halves, which hang parallel to each other and secured to the moving carriage so that the carrier bar with the workpiece is no longer completely It is not surrounded. The work piece and the two halves are preferably oriented substantially parallel to each other. Workpiece hoist or carrier bar hoist additionally provided on the moving carriage to receive the work piece protects the carrier bar holding the work piece open when the carrier bar is pulled up Pull into the carrier. Once the carrier bar holding the workpiece reaches the upper position, the bottom and side baffles are closed and the two carrier halves combine to form a closed carrier. In this state, the moving carriage moves to the next processing station where it lowers the closed protective carrier along with the carrier bar and workpiece into the processing station. Once the processing fluid has completely entered the protective carrier, i.e. once the bath level is almost the same inside and outside the protective carrier, the bottom and side baffles are opened and the protective carrier is It is pulled up again by the protective carrier hoist until it reaches the position, i.e. the moving position of the protective carrier. The workpiece is processed and the moving carriage resumes movement to perform the next movement mission with the protective carrier. The side walls and baffles are equipped with, for example, rounded edges and smooth surfaces so that sensitive workpieces are not deflected violently during the protective carrier pull-up process due to greater turbulence in the bath fluid. The reasonable flow must be considered and configured accordingly, so that there are no protruding parts. For this embodiment, it is not necessary to equip each processing station with a protective carrier, but this feature also has the disadvantage that the processing fluid attached to the protective carrier is each carried to the next station. This drawback can be mitigated, for example, by wiping or blowing wind on equipment provided on the moving carriage, but these equipment can be removed or at least adhered during the lifting process. The amount of fluid to be played can be significantly reduced. This embodiment is particularly well suited for processing very similar compositions, for example, for movement from one rinse tank to the next or for processing a workpiece, for example, a multi-stage rinse tank. Where the fluids carried together are not significantly penalized for transport to the tank, or it may even be desirable to continue scooping of the processing fluid, for example, to activate the tank composition It is. A closed baffle at the bottom of the protective carrier can simultaneously serve as a drip pan during movement of the moving carriage. Due to the moving movement, the processing fluid, which is preferably shaken off, is collected by a closed baffle. The baffle opens at the next processing station so that residual fluid can be drained. For this purpose, a recovery hopper may be provided that prevents any residual fluid from entering the treatment station, for example, instead of being directed directly into the wastewater treatment system.

  In a further embodiment of the invention, the protective carrier does not remain in the treatment tank after treatment. The protective carrier can be attached, for example, to a carrier bar that also holds the workpiece. For loading and unloading of the workpiece, the protective carrier may be provided with a door on the side facing the loading and unloading station. In this embodiment, the carrier bar is carried along with the protective carrier to each one of the processing stations where it is slowly lowered into the bath. During the descent process, the processing fluid flows uniformly into the protective carrier without deforming the workpiece. With this embodiment, the equipment cost is very low, but on the other hand, the amount of transported process fluid that is derived from the residual fluid adhering to the walls and openings of the protective carrier and carried from one tank to another. Are more and more.

  Indeed, various embodiments of the present invention can be combined together in an electroplating plant.

  The apparatus and method according to the invention will be further described with reference to the figures. The separate processing stations (containers) in the figure are shown in cut side view.

  FIG. 1 shows various processing stations 10 including containers 3, 3 'or 24, respectively. The container 3 ′ is connected to the storage tank 7 via the pipe 9 and the pump 8. A protective carrier 5 with an opening 6 that is stationary, ie firmly attached, is associated with the container 3 '. In contrast, a protective carrier 5 with an opening 6 that can be raised and lowered is associated with the container 3. A movement system for moving the workpiece 1 substantially consisting of the transfer arm 23, the carrier bar 2 and the holding device 4 is assigned to each processing station. In this case, the work piece 1, which is a thin printed circuit foil, extends perpendicular to the level of the drawing. The carrier bar 2, for example a rectangular copper bar, is shown in the same way as the transfer arm 23, but a moving carriage (not shown) receives the carrier bar 2 and separates it into a separate processing station of the electroplating plant. 10 to transport. The workpiece 1 is fixed to the carrier bar 2 by the holding device 4. In this installation, there is no protective carrier 5 associated with the container 24. The process intended to be performed here can be carried out, for example, in a gaseous environment, and the protective carrier 5 is not normally required. If a strong flow occurs during the process during this process, for example air circulation by a powerful fan, the protective carrier 5 can also be used and its opening 6 is adjusted accordingly.

  Through an opening 6 in the side wall of the protective carrier 5, the processing fluid circulates to the protective carrier 5 at a controlled rate. In the processing state, containers 3 and 3 'are filled with processing fluid up to bath level 21.

  In the container 3 ′, the workpiece 1 to be processed is loaded for processing, and the processing fluid is initially held in the storage tank 7. For loading, the work piece 1 is transported to the container 3 ′ by means of a moving carriage and at this moment both are lowered into the empty protective carrier 5 and container 3 ′. The processing fluid is then pumped by the pump 8 from the storage tank 7 through the tube 9 to the container 3 ′. Container 3 'is filled with processing fluid. This at the same time leads to a difference in the fluid level inside and outside the protective carrier 5, so that the processing fluid flows in a controlled manner into the protective carrier 5 through the openings 6. The speed at which the fluid flows into the protective carrier 5 is determined by the output capacity of the pump 8 and by the size of the opening 6. In practice, the speed ranges from 0.01 to a maximum of 1 m / sec. During processing, the protective carrier 5 also needs to perform the function of keeping a stronger flow. This is because a stronger flow is generated away from the work piece 1, for example by a filter circuit or stirrer used for uniform temperature distribution or supply solution distribution.

  After processing, the carrier bar 2 holding the workpiece 1 is lifted from the processing fluid using a hoist (not shown), and the carrier bar 2 is attached to the moving carriage, for example for post-processing. And then rinsed. At the same time, the treatment solution is recycled to the storage tank 7 either by switching the valve (not shown) at the pump 8 or by taking advantage of the height difference between the container 3 'and the storage tank 7. Circulated.

  In order to process the workpiece 1 in the container 3, the protective carrier 5 must first be lifted from the container 3 by means of a protective carrier hoist, which has been shown heretofore in the present description. Instead, it is either stationary or attached to a moving carriage, and the processing fluid remains in the container 3. After the protective carrier 5 that has been pulled up and almost emptied stores the workpiece 1, the protective carrier 5 is lowered together with the workpiece 1 into the container 3. Depending on the speed at which the protective carrier 5 is lowered, the processing fluid is protected during the descent process or at a faster descent rate, controlled by the difference in fluid level between the inside and outside of the protective carrier 5. Circulate in carrier 5.

  FIG. 2 shows a processing station 10 with a container with a stationary protective carrier 5 in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 1 (container 3 ′), but the processing station 10 is attached directly to the container. A storage tank 25 is provided. The minimum amount of fluid that the reservoir 25 holds can be less than it can actually hold. This is because it is not necessary to transfer the entire contents of the container. In order to lower the workpiece 1 into the container according to the invention, the treatment fluid is kept until the remaining tank level remains at a level reaching just below the lower end of the workpiece 1 in the protective carrier 5. Just pump it out.

  FIG. 3 shows an empty container 24 and a processing station 10 containing a container 3 filled with processing fluid and assigned a protective carrier 5. The processing station 10 is equipped with a protective carrier hoist (not shown) which is assigned to the container 3 and can move the protective carrier 5 vertically in the direction of the arrow 26. This vertical path substantially coincides with the vertical movement of the carrier bar 2 that holds the workpiece 1. The carrier bar 2 is moved to its upper position by the moving carriage. Next, the protective carrier 5 is pulled up to the upper position, thereby accommodating the workpiece 1 inside thereof. At this moment, the protective carrier 5 has almost no processing fluid. Next, the protective carrier 5 and the work piece 1 are slowly lowered almost simultaneously into the container 3 until the intended position is reached. In order to remove the workpiece 1 after processing, the protective carrier 5 remains in its lower position and only the carrier bar 2 holding the workpiece 1 leaves the station by the hoist of the moving carriage.

  The processing station of FIG. 4 is shown horizontally rotated 90 degrees compared to the previous figure, and the processing station can be viewed from the loading side of the electroplating plant. The protective carrier hoist is associated with a moving carriage which is shown in a fragmentary manner. In this embodiment, a protective carrier 5 is provided on any side of the guide support 11, and the guide support 11 rests on the bearing surface 12 at the edge of the container 3 in a lowered position, thus protecting The carrier 5 is conveyed. A transport arm 17 is further attached to the protective carrier 5 so that a moving carriage, shown only in fragmentary form, can lift the protective carrier 5 using the receiving arm 18 and the traction system 20. In this embodiment, the moving carriage has two hoists, a work piece hoist and a protective carrier hoist. The general parts of the hoist that do not serve to explain in more detail how the invention functions, such as the hoisting spindle, the lifting gear motor, the protective carrier guide, etc., are not shown here. The workpiece 1 is fixed to the carrier bar 2 by the holding device 4. The carrier bar 2 is provided with a transfer arm 23 by which the work piece hoist or carrier bar hoist can use the receiving arm 22 to grab the carrier bar 2 and raise or lower it. it can. The carrier bar 2 is disposed on a guide support 13 provided on the carrier bar and a bearing surface 14 provided on the protective carrier transport device. The moving carriage conveys the workpiece 1 in the raised position to a processing station including the container 3. The protective carrier hoist is then lifted by the traction system 20 until its work piece 1 is completely positioned therein, while its receiving arm 18 is located below the transfer arm 17. The workpiece hoist has a lifting beam 15 and the protective carrier hoist has a lifting beam 16. An arrow 26 indicates the pulling direction of the workpiece.

  When the protective carrier 5 is pulled up, the processing fluid contained therein leaves the protective carrier 5 through the opening 6 and returns to the container 3. In order to expel fluid from the protective carrier 5 quickly, a discharge baffle 27 is provided at the bottom of the protective carrier, this being for example via a lifting action of a lever rod (not shown) or via a float. Open automatically during the pulling process and automatically close again via the pulling down action. The way the discharge baffle moves is not shown in the figure.

  After the protective carrier 5 is emptied and reaches the upper position, the moving carriage uses the work piece hoist and the protective carrier hoist to slowly tune the protective carrier and carrier bar at the same time, ie almost the same. Lower to container 3 at speed. When the processing fluid held in the container 3 is displaced, the bath level 21 rises outside the protective carrier 5 and the fluid flows into the protective carrier 5 at a controlled rate according to the configuration of the opening 6. .

In an electroplating plant, it is a side view of the row | line | column of the container provided with the storage tank and the container provided with the protection carrier. It is an expanded side view of the container which provided the stationary protection carrier and attached the storage tank directly to itself. 1 is a schematic diagram of a container array in an electroplating plant with a stationary protective carrier hoist. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a processing station in an electroplating plant with a container and a protective carrier hoist placed on a moving carriage. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Workpiece 2 Carrier Bar 3 Container for Processing in Fluid (Working Container)
4 Holding Device for Holding Workpiece on Carrier Bar 5 Protective Carrier 6 Opening Port for Processing Fluid In / Out 7 Storage Tank 8 Pump 9 Pipe 10 Processing Station 11 Guide Support in Protection Carrier 12 Bearing Surface in Processing Station DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Guide support body in carrier bar 14 Bearing surface in conveyance apparatus of protection carrier 15 Lifting beam in workpiece hoist of moving carriage 16 Lifting beam in protection carrier hoist of moving carriage 17 Transfer arm in protection carrier conveyance apparatus 18 In protection carrier Lifting beam receiving arm 19 Workpiece hoist pulling system 20 Protective carrier hoist pulling system 21 Tank level 22 Workpiece lifting beam receiving arm 23 Carrier Movement direction 27 discharge baffle container 25 reservoir 26 protective carrier and the carrier bar for transporting arm 24 drying process in over

Claims (26)

An apparatus for processing a flat and flexible workpiece (1) using a fluid, comprising:
i. At least one protective carrier (5) for holding the workpiece (1), the protective carrier (5) configured to be accommodated by a container (3) containing the fluid for processing. )When;
ii. After the work piece (1) has been stored in the protective carrier (5), the fluid can be used to prevent the work piece (1) from being significantly deformed and / or repositioned. At least one means allowing to flow into the protective carrier (5);
Including the device.   The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid is a wet chemical or electrochemical process fluid.   The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means for putting the processing fluid into the protective carrier (5) comprises at least one opening (6) in the protective carrier (5).   Device according to claim 3, wherein the protective carrier (5) comprises a side wall and a bottom wall, and the opening (6) is evenly distributed in the side wall and / or the bottom wall. .   Device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the size of each opening (6) ranges from 1 to 500 square millimeters.   6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the opening (6) is provided with a displaceable shutter and / or orifice plate to change its size.   For the purpose of realizing an electrical shield against the counter electrode, the opening (6) is not provided in the end region of the wall in the protective carrier (5) or the opening (6) 7. The device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the device is provided with a smaller diameter in the end region than in the central region and / or fewer in the end region.   A device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the bottom wall comprises at least one discharge baffle (27) or at least one discharge gate.   At least one means for creating a difference in the level of the processing fluid inside and outside the protective carrier (5) is provided so that the processing fluid can flow into the protective carrier (5) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein   The means for producing the difference in the level of the processing fluid inside and outside the protective carrier (5) comprises at least one storage tank (7) and the processing fluid from the storage tank (7). 10. An apparatus according to claim 9, comprising at least one delivery system that allows circulation to a container space located inside the container (3) and outside the protective carrier (5).   The means for producing the difference in the level of the processing fluid inside and outside the protective carrier (5) is associated with the container (3) and transports the protective carrier (5) to the container (3) 11. An apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, comprising at least one stationary protective carrier hoist to enable.   The means for producing the difference between the levels inside and outside the protective carrier (5) is attached to a moving carriage for the workpiece (1) and the protective carrier (5) is attached to the container ( Device according to claim 9 or 10, comprising at least one protective carrier hoist that is transportable in 3).   The protective carrier (5) includes a bottom baffle and two opposing side baffles that are automatically operable and can be opened before the protective carrier (5) is lifted from the container (3). 13. Device according to claim 12, wherein the device is made of at least two parts and the workpiece (1) remains in the container (3). A method of processing a flat and flexible workpiece (1) using a fluid in a container (3), comprising:
i. A method step of storing said workpiece (1) in a protective carrier (5);
ii. Conveying the protective carrier (5) to the container (3) or placing the protective carrier (5) in the container (3); and
iii. Filling the protective carrier (5) with the fluid without significantly deforming and / or changing the position of the work piece (1);
iv. Processing the workpiece (1) with the fluid;
Including methods.   15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the fluid is a wet chemical or electrochemical processing fluid and is supplied to the protective carrier (5) through at least one opening (6).   In order to fill the protective carrier (5) with the processing fluid, a difference in the level of the processing fluid occurs inside and outside the protective carrier (5), which causes the processing fluid to pass through the protective carrier ( The method according to claim 15, wherein the method is adapted to flow into 5).   The difference in the level of the processing fluid between the inside and outside of the protective carrier (5) is that the protective carrier (5) is removed from the container (3) while the processing fluid is being supplied to the container (3). The method according to claim 16, which occurs by transporting to a container or placing the protective carrier (5) in the container (3).   17. The difference in the level of the processing fluid inside and outside the protective carrier (5) occurs by transporting the protective carrier (5) to the container (3) holding the processing fluid. The method described in 1.   The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the protective carrier (5) is conveyed to the container (3) using a stationary protective carrier hoist associated with the container (3).   Method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the protective carrier (5) is transported to the container (3) using a protective carrier hoist attached to a moving carriage for the workpiece (1). .   21. A process according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the processing fluid is circulated from a storage tank (7) into a container space located in the container (3) and outside the protective carrier (5). the method of.   The processing fluid is circulated through the opening (6) of the protective carrier (5), the protective carrier (5) includes the side wall and bottom wall, and the opening (6) is evenly spaced from the wall. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the method is opened and distributed.   For the purpose of realizing an electrical shield for the counter electrode, the opening (6) is not provided in the end region of the side wall of the protective carrier (5) or the opening (6) 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the method is provided with a smaller diameter in the partial region and / or a reduced number in the end region.   In order to fill the protective carrier (5) with fluid, the processing fluid can only flow through the openings (6) in the two side walls of the protective carrier (5), the side walls being 24. A method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the method is oriented parallel to the workpiece (1).   In order to fill the protective carrier (5) with a fluid, a shutter and / or orifice plate whose size of the at least one opening (6) can be displaced according to the mechanical sensitivity of the workpiece (1). 25. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein the method is adjusted by:   In order to expedite the fluid from the protective carrier (5) after treatment, the bottom wall of the protective carrier (5) is provided with at least one discharge baffle (27) or at least one discharge gate opened. 26. A method according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the process fluid can be drained therethrough.

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