In any overhead job, operators will feel more relaxed and safer. In any systems, the operators won't have to spend days for masking and sealing. Simple protection will be enough. With this unit operators can use toxic solutions like cadmium and silver without any health concern, because the anode returns the toxic vapors back to the chamber and filtered suction line in front of the exhaust valve will take the toxic vapor away. Pit filling anode save the workers time and effort drastically by filling the pits bottom up in one shot.

An anode assembly allowing the anode to be easily pulled up from a plating tank is disclosed. The anode assembly includes: an anode structure; and an anode holder. The anode structure includes: an anode; and a feeding member. The anode holder includes: an anode support frame having a space in which the anode structure is arranged; a conductive bar; and a feeding electrode attached to an end of the conductive bar. One end of the feeding member is fixed to the anode, and the other end of the feeding member is detachably fixed to the conductive bar. The anode support frame has a positioning guide portion into which a lower end of the anode structure is inserted. The anode assembly is configured to allow the anode structure to be separated from the anode holder and pulled up from the plating tank when the feeding member is detached from the conductive bar.

A method of forming a corrosion-resistant ceramic coating on a metallic substrate, the method comprising providing a passivation layer on a surface of the metallic substrate by electrochemical passivation of the metallic substrate under a first electrical current and using a first electrically conducting solution; and providing the corrosion-resistant ceramic coating on an outermost surface of the metallic substrate, the outermost surface in use adapted to be exposed to a corrosive environment, by plasma electrolytic oxidation of the metallic substrate with the passivation layer, in a second electrically conducting solution and under a second electrical current having a discharge voltage. The first and the second electrically conducting solutions comprise a tetrafluoroborate compound.

A method of forming a corrosion-resistant ceramic coating on a metallic substrate, the method comprising providing a passivation layer on a surface of the metallic substrate by electrochemical passivation of the metallic substrate under a first electrical current and using a first electrically conducting solution; and providing the corrosion-resistant ceramic coating on an outermost surface of the metallic substrate, the outermost surface in use adapted to be exposed to a corrosive environment, by plasma electrolytic oxidation of the metallic substrate with the passivation layer, in a second electrically conducting solution and under a second electrical current having a discharge voltage. The first and the second electrically conducting solutions comprise a tetrafluoroborate compound.

An apparatus for maintaining trivalent chromium plating bath efficiency includes an aqueous electroplating bath, which includes trivalent chromium ions and a sulfur compound, and an ultraviolet (UV) radiation source that provides UV radiation to the bath effective to inhibit a reduction in plating efficiency of the bath.

An apparatus for continuous simultaneous electroplating of two metals having substantially different standard electrodeposition potentials (e.g., for deposition of SnAg alloys) comprises an anode chamber for containing an anolyte comprising ions of a first, less noble metal, (e.g., tin), but not of a second, more noble, metal (e.g., silver) and an active anode; a cathode chamber for containing catholyte including ions of a first metal (e.g., tin), ions of a second, more noble, metal (e.g., silver), and the substrate; a separation structure positioned between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber, where the separation structure substantially prevents transfer of more noble metal from catholyte to the anolyte; and fluidic features and an associated controller coupled to the apparatus and configured to perform continuous electroplating, while maintaining substantially constant concentrations of plating bath components for extended periods of use.

An apparatus for continuous simultaneous electroplating of two metals having substantially different standard electrodeposition potentials (e.g., for deposition of SnAg alloys) comprises an anode chamber for containing an anolyte comprising ions of a first, less noble metal, (e.g., tin), but not of a second, more noble, metal (e.g., silver) and an active anode; a cathode chamber for containing catholyte including ions of a first metal (e.g., tin), ions of a second, more noble, metal (e.g., silver), and the substrate; a separation structure positioned between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber, where the separation structure substantially prevents transfer of more noble metal from catholyte to the anolyte; and fluidic features and an associated controller coupled to the apparatus and configured to perform continuous electroplating, while maintaining substantially constant concentrations of plating bath components for extended periods of use.

Electroplating techniques including a system for treating a solution for use in an electroplating application and a method for using the system are provided. The system can have: a gas dispersing portion configured to treat the solution by dispersing a gas into the solution to control a concentration of a predetermined cation of a metal to be electroplated in the electroplating application; a filter portion configured to treat the solution by filtering the solution to remove a quantity of metal residue; and a circulation mechanism configured to divert the solution to one of a plating tool and a combination of the gas dispersing portion and the filter portion based on a result of an analysis of the solution.

Electroplating techniques including a system for treating a solution for use in an electroplating application and a method for using the system are provided. The system can have: a gas dispersing portion configured to treat the solution by dispersing a gas into the solution to control a concentration of a predetermined cation of a metal to be electroplated in the electroplating application; a filter portion configured to treat the solution by filtering the solution to remove a quantity of metal residue; and a circulation mechanism configured to divert the solution to one of a plating tool and a combination of the gas dispersing portion and the filter portion based on a result of an analysis of the solution.

A plating apparatus includes a plating tank and a plating unit. The plating unit includes a partition wall allowing the plating solution to pass through but not allowing the plating object to pass through, and defines inside thereof a plating object passage through which the plating object passes, an injector which injects the plating solution upward, a mixing portion in which the plating solution and the plating object are mixed, an anode outside the plating object passage, a cathode inside the plating object passage with a hollow region through which a fluid mixture of the plating solution and the plating object passes upward, a first shielding wall which guides the fluid mixture downward, and a second shielding wall outside the first shielding wall. A lower end of the first shielding wall is lower than an upper end of the second shielding wall.