Continuous plating method of filament bundle and apparatus therefor

Abstract

A filament bundle is rewound from a reel, and passes through various sorts of liquid in processing vessels to be used for plating. The filament bundle passes through a fixed guide roller and a movable guide roller while it travels within the liquid in the processing vessel. The movable guide roller is moved periodically, the filament bundle is stretched and slackened by turns, whenever the filament bundle is slackened or untied, the bundle is loosened. The filament bundle with each filament subjected to the plating is taken up to a take-up reel.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for applying plating to bundle of filaments or fibers continuously. [0003] 2. Prior Art [0004] First Prior Art (JP, 03-51831, B) [0005] This Prior Art is a method of applying electroplating to a bundle of carbon filaments continuously. A carbon filament bundle is rewound from a reel and then passes through an electrolytic degreasing vessel, a first electroplating vessel and a second electroplating vessel in sequence, and is subjected to electroplating and taken up to a roller. The electroplated carbon filaments are used as a reinforcing material of composite material or for shielding of electromagnetic wave. [0006] In order to apply electroplating to each carbon filament uniformly, the carbon filament bundle is untied during traveling within liquid of each vessel so that the carbon filaments are not contacted with each other. In the first electroplating v...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] The filament bundle becomes stretched and slackened by turns while it travels within the liquid of the processing vessel. Whenever the filament bundle is slackened or untied, the bundle is loosened. The liquid is easily exchanged between the inside and the outside of the filament bundle. The plating is easily applied uniformly to each filament of the filament bundle. The filament bundle with each filament subjected to electroless plating or electroplating uniformly can be manufactured continuously and efficiently.

[0024] In the electroless plating and the electroplating, copper plating, nickel plating, silver plating, palladium plating, gold plating, platinum plating or the like are exemplified.

[0025] In order to repeat the stretch and the slack in the filament bundle during traveling, the position of the movable guide roller may be moved periodically. A drive device of large scale having large output is not required.

[0026] The electroplating can be applied not only to the carbon filament with electric conductivity but also to the organic highpolymer filament without electric conductivity. In the organic highpolymer filament, acrylic resin, aramid, nylon, polyester, rayon, polyphenylene sulfide, polypropylene, polyethylene, vinylon, polyvinyl chloride, vinylidene, acetate, cuprammonium rayon or the like are exemplified. Carbon filament can be subjected to the electroless plating and further subjected to the electroplating. The adhesion property of the electroplating becomes higher.

[0027] When the organic highpolymer filament bundle is subjected to the electroless plating or is subjected to the electroless plating and further subjected to the electroplating, if silane coupling agent is adhered to the filament, adhesion of the catalyst to the filament becomes strong. The adhesion property of the electroless plating or the electroplating becomes higher.

[0028] When the filament bundle is loosened, its slackness amount is decreased. Therefore the tangling of the filament bundle with each other due to the increase of the slackness amount of the filament bundle, the drop of the filament bundle from the guide roller, the contact of the filament bundle with the processing vessel, can be prevented.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore the pump device to supply the plating liquid at high-pressure state is required, and the pump device of large scale having large output is necessary.

Therefore the efficiency of the plating is not high.

In the first prior art, the filament, which is subjected to the electroplating, is limited to the carbon filament having electric conductivity.

Further since the carbon filament is only degreased and then subjected to the electroplating, the adhesion property of the electroplating is not high.

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