Continuous plating method of filament bundle and apparatus therefor

Abstract

A filament bundle is rewound from a reel, and passes through various sorts of liquid in processing vessels to be used for plating. The filament bundle passes through a fixed guide roller and a movable guide roller while it travels within the liquid in the processing vessel. The movable guide roller is moved periodically, the filament bundle is stretched and slackened by turns, whenever the filament bundle is slackened or untied, the bundle is loosened. The filament bundle with each filament subjected to the plating is taken up to a take-up reel.

1 . A method of continuous plating of filament bundle in which 
 a filament bundle is unwound from a reel,    the filament bundle passes through various sorts of liquid in processing vessels to be used for plating,    the filament bundle passes through a fixed guide roller and a movable guide roller while it travels within the liquid in the processing vessel, the movable guide roller is moved periodically, the filament bundle is stretched and slackened by turns, whenever the filament bundle is slackened or untied, the bundle is loosened,    the filament bundle with each filament subjected to the plating is taken up to a take-up reel.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said filament bundle further passes through an inlet guide roller, an adjustment roller and an outlet guide roller, and when the filament bundle is loosened, the adjustment roller gets away from the inlet guide roller and the outlet guide roller, and the slackness amount of the filament bundle is decreased.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said filament bundle is a bundle of organic highpolymer filaments, and passes through an etching processing vessel, a surface adjustment processing vessel for adhering a silane coupling agent to adhere a catalyst, a catalyst processing vessel for adhering the catalyst, an accelerator processing vessel and an electroless plating processing vessel.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein said filament bundle is a bundle of organic highpolymer filaments, and passes through an etching processing vessel, a surface adjustment processing vessel for adhering a silane coupling agent to adhere a catalyst, a catalyst processing vessel for adhering the catalyst, an accelerator processing vessel and an electroless plating processing vessel.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein said organic highpolymer filament bundle passes through an electroplating processing vessel after passing through the electroless plating processing vessel.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 4 , wherein said organic highpolymer filament bundle passes through an electroplating processing vessel after passing through the electroless plating processing vessel.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said filament bundle is a bundle of carbon filaments, and passes through a catalyst processing vessel, an accelerator processing vessel, an electroless plating processing vessel and an electroplating processing vessel.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein said filament bundle is a bundle of carbon filaments, and passes through a catalyst processing vessel, an accelerator processing vessel, an electroless plating processing vessel and an electroplating processing vessel.  
     
     
         9 - 12 . (canceled)