Electroplating solution recovery system

Claim 1

An electroplating solution recovery system comprising: (a) an electroplating tank containing an electroplating solution; (b) a plurality of rinse tanks containing rinse solutions, said rinse tanks being disposed at substantially the same vertical height as said plating tank and defining a sequential series of adjacent rinse tanks, the first rinse tank in said series being adjacent said plating tank; (c) a plurality of tubular interconnections interconnecting sequential rinse tanks in said series to each other and also interconnecting the first rinse tank in said series to said plating tank, opposite ends of said interconnections being disposed in the solutions in the respective tanks thereby interconnected so that as plating solution is dissipated from the electroplating tank it is replenished with rinse solution from the first rinse tank, and as the rinse solutions are dissipated from the rinse tanks, except the last rinse tank in the series, they are replenished with rinse solutions from the respective next sequential rinse tanks in the series; (d) means for supplying water to the last rinse tank in said series to replenish the level of rinse solution therein, said water being supplied at a rate which is greater than the rate of flow of rinse solution from said last tank to the next to the last tank in said series; (e) overflow means in said last tank for withdrawing rinse solution therefrom and for removing said withdrawn rinse solution from said system, said overflow means defining the maximum solution level in said last tank and cooperating with said tubular interconnections for defining the solution levels in the rinse tanks other than said last tank and also the solution level in the plating tank.