Method for plating at least two different kinds of metals on printed circuits

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ELECTROPLATING A PRINTED CIRCUIT UPON A COPPER CLAD PLASTIC BASE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: MASKING THE ENTIRE BASE WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST, MASKING SELECTED PORTIONS OF THE BASE BY SELECTIVE EXPOSURE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST TO LIGHT THROUGH A TRANSPARENCY PATTERN, DISSOLVING THE UNEXPOSED PORTIONS WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST DEVELOPER, DEVELOPING THE UNEXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST, RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE COPPER LAYER, THE IMAGES INCLUDING A PRINTED CIRCUIT PATTERN AND A DIVISIONAL LINE SEPARATING THE BASE INTO A MAJOR CIRCUIT AREA AND A MINOR BORDER ARESA, THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES OUTLINING CONDUCTORS AND CONNECTOR BARS ON THE MAJOR CIRCUIT AREA, THE CONNECTOR BARS ELECTRICALLY JOINING THE CONDUCTORS WITH THE BORDER AREA, PLATING A LAYER OF SOLDER ON THE OUTLINED CONDUCTORS AND CONNECTOR BARS AND THE BORDER AREA, REMOVING THE RESIST, THEN SUBJECTING THE NON-SOLDER PLATED PORTIONS OF THE MAJOR CIRCUIT AREA TO A CHEMICAL ACTION TO REMOVE THE EXCESS COPPER THEREFROM, REMARKING THE ENTIRE BASE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CONNECTOR BARS AND THE BORDER AREA, BY PAINTING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST, SUBJECTING THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST PORTIONS TO A PERIOD OF DRYING, ANODICALLY DEPLATING THE SOLDER FROM BOTH THE UNMASKED CONNECTOR BARS AND BORDER AREA, APPLYING A THIN LAYER OF NICKEL ON BOTH THE CONNECTOR BARS AND BORDER AREA, THEN APPLYING A THIN LAYER OF RHODIUM OVER BOTH THE NICKEL PLATED CONNECTOR BARSNA DBORDER AREA, REMOVING THE MASKING FROM THE BASE, BOTH THE NICKEL AND RHODIUM PLATED BORDER AREA AND CONNECTOR BARS JOINTLY FORMING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVE ELECTRODE FOR THE SOLDER PLATED CONDUCTORS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF ELECTROPLATING A PRINTED CIRCUIT UPON A COPPER CLAD PLASTIC BASE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: MASKING THE ENTIRE BASE WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST, MASKING SELECTED PORTIONS OF THE BASE BY SELECTIVE EXPOSURE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST TO LIGHT THROUGH A TRANSPARENCY PATTERN, DISSOLVING THE UNEXPOSED PORTIONS WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST DEVELOPER, DEVELOPING THE UNEXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST, RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE COPPER LAYER, THE IMAGES INCLUDING A PRINTED CIRCUIT PATTERN AND A DIVISIONAL LINE SEPARATING THE BASE INTO A MAJOR CIRCUIT AREA AND A MINOR BORDER ARESA, THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES OUTLINING CONDUCTORS AND CONNECTOR BARS ON THE MAJOR CIRCUIT AREA, THE CONNECTOR BARS ELECTRICALLY JOINING THE CONDUCTORS WITH THE BORDER AREA, PLATING A LAYER OF SOLDER ON THE OUTLINED CONDUCTORS AND CONNECTOR BARS AND THE BORDER AREA, REMOVING THE RESIST, THEN SUBJECTING THE NON-SOLDER PLATED PORTIONS OF THE MAJOR CIRCUIT AREA TO A CHEMICAL ACTION TO REMOVE THE EXCESS COPPER THEREFROM, REMARKING THE ENTIRE BASE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CONNECTOR BARS AND THE BORDER AREA, BY PAINTING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST, SUBJECTING THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIST PORTIONS TO A PERIOD OF DRYING, ANODICALLY DEPLATING THE SOLDER FROM BOTH THE UNMASKED CONNECTOR BARS AND BORDER AREA, APPLYING A THIN LAYER OF NICKEL ON BOTH THE CONNECTOR BARS AND BORDER AREA, THEN APPLYING A THIN LAYER OF RHODIUM OVER BOTH THE NICKEL PLATED CONNECTOR BARSNA DBORDER AREA, REMOVING THE MASKING FROM THE BASE, BOTH THE NICKEL AND RHODIUM PLATED BORDER AREA AND CONNECTOR BARS JOINTLY FORMING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVE ELECTRODE FOR THE SOLDER PLATED CONDUCTORS.