Device and method for separating metals and/or metal alloys from metallo-organic electrolytes

Abstract

The invention relates to a device ( 1 ) for separating metals and/or metal alloys from metallo-organic electrolytes and depositing the same on products ( 7 ), said device comprising at least one coating section ( 3 ) for coating the products ( 7 ), at least one other treatment section ( 2,4 ), and at least one lock chamber ( 20,40 ) for introducing and discharging the products ( 7 ) into and out of the device ( 1 ) essentially without permeation of oxygen and/or humidity. The inventive device is provided with at least one siphon rinsing unit ( 60,61 ) comprising a separating element ( 53,54 ) for the gas-related separation of the other sections ( 2,4 ) of the device from the coating section ( 3 ), or for sealing said other sections ( 2,4 ) in relation to the coating section ( 3 ), and at least one hood part ( 5 ) that can be flooded with an inert gas and tightly surrounds essentially the coating section ( 3 ), the at least one siphon rinsing unit ( 60,61 ), and the at least one other treatment section ( 2,4 ). The invention also relates to a corresponding method whereby products ( 7 ) are introduced into the device in such a way that there is essentially no solvent loss, said products are delivered to at least one coating section ( 3 ) essentially in a gas-tight manner, they are then coated, and delivered to at least one output section ( 4 ) essentially in an gas-tight manner, and the finished products ( 7 ) are discharged. An inert-gas atmosphere cap is provided over all of the sections ( 50,51,52 ) of the inventive device.

1 . Device for depositing metals and/or metal alloys from metal-organic electrolytes, in particular metal-organic complex salts in organic solvents, onto products, said device comprising at least one coating section for coating the products, at least one additional processing section, and at least one sluice chamber for sluicing the products into and out of the device essentially without oxygen and/or moisture penetrating, wherein at least one siphon rinsing device with a separating device for gas-related separation of the other sections of the device from, or sealing of, these other sections with respect to the coating section and at least one hood component which can be flooded with inert gas and essentially tightly encloses the coating section, the at least one siphon rinsing device, and the at least one additional coating section.  
     
     
         2 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one transport device is disposed, or can be disposed, within the siphon rinsing device for traversing the products below the partition so that during the filling of the siphon rinsing device with a rinsing fluid the transport device is positioned below the level of the fluid.  
     
     
         3 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one oxygen monitoring device is provided in the at least one sluice chamber and/or the sections of the hood component and/or at least one device for monitoring the solvent concentration is provided in the sluice chambers.  
     
     
         4 . Device according to  claim 3 , wherein on overshoot of threshold values which can be set, or are set, the at least one oxygen monitoring device triggers an adaptation of the pumping times to the introduction of gas into and discharge of gas from the sluice chamber and/or an additional rinsing phase with an inert gas during pumping cycles to reduce the oxygen content in the at least one sluice chamber.  
     
     
         5 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one pressure maintenance device for maintaining a constant pressure in the hood component and/or a slight overpressure in the hood component with respect to the outer or ambient atmosphere is provided, in particular to maintain an essentially constant pressure in the hood component and/or hood sections at least one gas buffer device is provided and is connected, or can be connected, to it/them, in particular in the first and/or last section of the device.  
     
     
         6 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one cleaning and/or activation section for cleaning and/or pre-treating the surface of the products is provided.  
     
     
         7 . Device according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least one cleaning and/or activation section comprises one or more sealable treatment basins with a cleaning fluid for cleaning the products to be coated and/or an activation fluid for activating their surfaces, in particular for producing an adhesion promoter layer and/or the at least one cleaning and/or activation section comprises at least one rinsing device disposed after the at least one treatment basin for rinsing the pretreated products and preventing any carry-over of chemicals from the cleaning and/or activation section.  
     
     
         8 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one coating section comprises at least one coating basin which can be sealed to prevent uncontrolled evaporation of solvent into the hood component and/or at least one output rinsing basin for rinsing the coated products.  
     
     
         9 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one solvent preparation and/or regeneration device is provided, in particular the at least one solvent preparation device for the at least one cleaning and/or activation section is provided in the bypass to it.  
     
     
         10 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sluice chamber is connected, or can be connected, to a solvent separation and recycling device and/or a gas oscillation system.  
     
     
         11 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one cooling device with a condensate separation device for the recovery of carried-over and/or evaporated solvent residues is provided, in particular in the hood component and/or coating section and/or connected to the at least one sluicing chamber.  
     
     
         12 . Device according to  claim 11 , wherein the one or more cooling devices in the hood sections and/or in the hood component comprise solvent recycling devices for recycling solvents into treatment and/or coating basins and/or which comprise at least one siphon rinsing device, in particular which comprise at least one cooling device for condensing evaporated solvent and at least one collection device for collecting the condensed solvent in the gas space of the at least one coating basin are provided.  
     
     
         13 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one electrolyte/solvent separating device is provided in the area of the coating section, in particular the electrolyte/solvent separating device(s) comprise(s) a distillation device for distilling solvent from the electrolyte/solvent bath fluid drained from the at least one coating basin and in particular devices for recycling the clean solvent obtained into an output rinsing basin are provided.  
     
     
         14 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one sluice chamber is provided at the entrance of the cleaning and/or activation section and/or at least one sluice chamber is provided at the exit of the output section for the sluicing out of products.  
     
     
         15 . Device ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the hood component ( 5 ) comprises at least one transport device for traversing the products between individual basins and devices.  
     
     
         16 . Device ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one siphon rinsing device is filled with an inert solvent.  
     
     
         17 . Process for depositing metals and/or metal alloys from metal-organic electrolytes, in particular metal-organic complex salts in organic solvents, onto products, said method comprising: 
 essentially solvent-free sluicing of the products through at least one sluice chamber into a device to deposit metals and/or metal alloys,    transferring the products to at least one coating section essentially excluding gas,    coating the products in the at least one coating section, transferring the coated products from the coating section via at least one siphon rinsing device to at least one output section essentially excluding gas, and    sluicing out the finished products via at least one additional sluice chamber, where an inert gas atmosphere bell is held up over all the sections of the device.    
     
     
         18 . Process according to  claim 17 , wherein the products are pre-treated, in particular their surfaces are cleaned and/or activated for further treatment.  
     
     
         19 . Process according to  claim 18 , wherein after the cleaning and/or the activation, the products are introduced via at least one additional siphon rinsing device essentially excluding gas into the at least one coating section.  
     
     
         20 . Process according to  claim 17 , wherein electrolyte fluid and/or solvents is/are conducted in essentially closed circuits, in particular there is cleaning or preparation of electrolyte fluid and/or solvent and/or a rinsing fluid to avoid any carry-over of chemicals.  
     
     
         21 . Process according to  claim 17 , wherein to avoid any carry-over of cleaning fluid and/or activation fluid and/or electrolyte fluid adhering to the products, they are rinsed in rinsing devices.  
     
     
         22 . Process according to  claim 17 , wherein in the sluicing-in step the products are introduced into the at least one sluice chamber, the sluice chamber is filled with the exterior atmosphere, sealed, and subsequently evacuated, the exterior atmosphere is conveyed out of the chamber, the chamber is subsequently flooded with inert gas, and subsequently the products are brought into a first treatment section of the device.  
     
     
         23 . Process according to  claim 22 , wherein the pumped-out sluice atmosphere is prepared, where dry inert gas and cleaned solvent are recycled into the process, in particular dry inert gas into the inert gas atmosphere bell and cleaned solvent into a first treatment basin.  
     
     
         24 . Process according to  claim 17 , wherein the at least one sluice chamber atmosphere is monitored with regard to its oxygen and/or solvent content and/or the inert gas atmosphere bell is monitored with regard to its oxygen content, in particular on overshoot of set threshold values the discharge of contaminated atmosphere and/or introduction of cleaned inert gas atmosphere is accelerated or decelerated.  
     
     
         25 . Process according to  claim 17 , wherein the gas of the inert gas atmosphere bell is also cleaned, in particular by condensing the gases and recycling the condensed-off solvent portions into their respective material circuits.