Electroforming anode shields

Claim 2

An electroforming system comprising: a tank adapted to contain an electrolytic solution; means for supporting a printed circuit board cathode immersed in said electrolytic solution tank; anode means adapted to be immersed in said electrolytic solution tank in the vicinity of the supporting means and including a titanium wire anode basket for containing nickel chips, the material of which is to be electroformed on the cathode, and a non-conductive external shield disposed around the substantially enclosing the exterior of the anode basket, said external shield having a plurality of openings disposed in a predetermined pattern of shape and location on the side of said shield facing the cathode which is related to the configuration of the cathode; and means for directing a current between anode and cathode through said solution to electro-deposit nickel from the nickel chips on the cathode.

Claim 3

The electroforming system of claim 1 wherein said electrolytic solution is a sulfamate nickel plating solution.

Claim 4

The electroforming system of claim 2 wherein the ratio of exposed surface area of said anode to the surface area of said cathode is between 1 to 2 and 1 to 8.

Claim 5

An electroforming system comprising: a tank adapted to contain an electrolytic solution; means for supporting a printed circuit board cathode immersed in said electrolytic solution tank; first anode means adapted to be immersed in said electrolytic solution tank in the vicinity of the supporting means along a first side thereof and including a first titanium wire anode basket for containing nickel chips, the material of which is to be electroformed on the cathode, and a non-conductive external shield disposed around and substantially enclosed the exterior of the anode basket, said external shield having a plurality of openings disposed in a first predetermined pattern of shape and location on the surface of said shield facing the cathode which is related to the configuration of the cathode adjacent the first anode means; second anode means adapted to be immersed in said electrolytic solution tank in the vicinity of the supporting means along a second side thereof remote from the first anode means and including a second titanium wire anode basket for containing nickel chips, the material of which is to be electroformed on the cathode, and a non-conductive external shield disposed around and substantially enclosing the exterior of the second anode basket, said external shield having a plurality of openings disposed in a second predetermined pattern of shape and location on the surface of said shield facing the cathode which is different from the first predetermined pattern; and means for directing respective currents between the anode means and the cathode through said solution to electrodeposit nickel from the nickel chips on the cathode.

Claim 6

An electroforming system comprising: a tank adapted to contain an electrolytic solution; means for supporting a printed circuit board cathode immersed in said electrolytic solution tank; first anode means adapted to be immersed in said electrolytic solution tank in the vicinity of the supporting means along a first side thereof and including a first titanium wire anode basket for containing nickel chips, the material of which is to be electroformed on the cathode, and a non-conductive external shield disposed around and substantially enclosed the exterior of the anode basket, said external shield having a plurality of openings disposed in a first predetermined pattern of shape and location on the surface of said shield facing the cathode which is related to the configuration of the cathode adjacent the first anode means; second anode means adapted to be immersed in said electrolytic solution tank in the vicinity of the supporting means along a second side thereof remote from the first anode means and including a second titanium wire anode basket for containing nickel chips, the material of which is to be electroformed on the cathode, and a non-conductive external shield disposed around and substantially enclosing the exterior of the second anode basket, said external shield having a plurality of openings disposed in a second predetermined pattern of shape and location on the surface of said shield facing the cathode which is different from the first predetermined pattern; and means for directing respective currents between the anode means and the cathode through said solution to electrodeposit nickel from the nickel chips on the cathode.

Claim 7

The electroforming system of claim 4 wherein said anode shields are vacuum formed polyvinylchloride.

Claim 8

The system of claim 4 wherein the external shield of the first anode means provides an exposed area of the first anode means which is approximately one-half the area of the cathode adjacent the first anode means, and wherein the external shield of the second anode means exposes an area of the second anode means which is approximately one-eighth the area of the cathode adjacent the second anode means.