US4592929A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for metallizing plastics
Assignee: Shipley Co Inc
•
Filing: 1984-02-01
•
Granted: 1986-06-03
•
Expires: 2004-02-01
Abstract
Abstract A process for the metallization of a plastic by electroless deposition, wherein the plastic surface is contacted with a solution useful for the treatment of oxidant residue following contact of the surface with an oxidizing solution such as a hexavalent chromium or permanganate solution. The solution comprises a reducing agent, a pH adjuster and a surface active agent in a concentration sufficient to reduce the surface tension of the solution preferably to 50 dynes per square centimeter or less at the operating temperature of the solution.
Inventors
- 👤 Timothy S. Tubergen
- 👤 Terrell A. Benjamin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:50
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/38; H05K3/381; C; C23; C23C; C23C18/00; C23C18/16; C23C18/18; C23C18/20; C23C18/22; C23C18/24
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A process for the metallization of a plastic by electroless deposition including the step of treating the plastic with a liquid solution of an oxidant selected from the group of hexavalent chromium solutions and permanganate solutions prior to the metallization of the plastic, said process comprising contact of the plastic subsequent to treatment with the oxidant solution and prior to the steps of catalyzation and metallization with a solution containing a reducing agent in sufficient concentration and of sufficient strength to permit subsequent metal plating of the plastic part, a pH adjustor to render the reducing agent active and a surface active agent in sufficient concentration to reduce the surface tension of the solution to 50 dynes per square centimeter or less at the operating temperature of the solution.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A process for the metallization of a plastic by electroless deposition including the step of treating the plastic with a liquid solution of an oxidant selected from the group of hexavalent chromium solutions and permanganate solutions prior to the metallization of the plastic, said process comprising contact of the plastic subsequent to treatment with the oxidant solution and prior to the steps of catalyzation and metallization with a solution containing a reducing agent in sufficient concentration and of sufficient strength to permit subsequent metal plating of the plastic part, a pH adjustor to render the reducing agent active and a surface active agent in sufficient concentration to reduce the surface tension of the solution to 50 dynes per square centimeter or less at the operating temperature of the solution.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 1 where the reducing agent is an inorganic compound.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 1 where the reducing agent is a compound selected from the group consisting of oxalates, aldehydes, borohydrides, formates, substituted and unsubstituted hydroxylamine and hydrazine, ascorbic acid, aminophenols and mono and dihydric phenols.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 3 where the reducing agent is a hydroxylamine.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 3 where the reducing agent is hydroxylamine and the pH is less than 2.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 5 where the pH is less than 1.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 5 where the surface active agent is an anionic or non-ionic agent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
The process of claim 7 where the surface active agent is selected from the group consisting of alkyl sulfonates, sulfonated amines and amides, carboxylated alcohol ethoxylates, diphenyl sulfonate derivatives, ethoxylated alcohols, ethoxylated amines and amides, fluorocarbons, olefin sulfonates, phosphate esters, quaternary amines, sulfates and sulfonates of ethoxylated alkyl phenols, sulfonates of alkylaryls and sulfonates of naphthalene and alkyl naphthalenes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 5 where the surface active agent is a perfluorinated hydrocarbon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
The process of claim 9 where the perfluorinated hydrocarbon conforms to the general formula: C.sub.n F.sub.n+1 CO--Z or C.sub.n F.sub.2n+1 SO.sub.2 --Z where n in each formula is a positive integer varying between 3 and 10 and Z is a hydrophilic group.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 10 where Z is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal, hydroxyl, an ammonium group, an unsubstituted or substituted amine group, a quaternary ammonium salt, or a substituted or unsubstituted amide group.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
9 words
The process of claim 10 where Z is hydroxyl.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 9 where the perflorinated hydrocarbon conforms to the general formula: C.sub.3 F.sub.7 CO--Z, C.sub.7 F.sub.15 CO--Z, C.sub.8 F.sub.17 SO.sub.2 --Z, or C.sub.10 F.sub.21 SO.sub.2 --Z where Z is a hydrophilic group.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 9 where the concentration of the reducing agent varies between 0.1 and 150 grams per liter of solution.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 14 where the concentration of reducing agent varies between 2.5 and 25 grams per liter.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 9 where the concentration of the perfluorinated hydrocarbon varies between 0.01 grams per liter of solution and its solubility limit.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 16 where the concentration of the hydrocarbon varies between 0.20 and 5.0 grams per liter of solution.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 9 where the plastic treated has a smooth surface.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 9 where the plastic treated is a foamed plastic.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 19 where the foamed plastic is a foamed blend of ABS and polyphenylene ether.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 9 where the plastic is a circuit board base material.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 9 where the plastic is hung on racks during processing which racks have interstices in contact with the treatment solutions, said interstices comprising spaces between a metal core and a plastisol coating.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3682671A
Cited
US4042729A
Cited
US3962497A
Cited
US4073740A
Cited
US4322457A
Cited
US4204013A
Cited
US4378384A
Cited
US4448811A
Cited
US4472205A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-06-02 | 1989-12-02 | 1990-06-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-06-02 | 1993-12-02 | 1994-06-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-06-02 | 1997-12-02 | 1998-06-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |