Omron Corporation

Hitoshi Yoshida

Toshio Yamashita

Hidekazu Yoshioka

Takaaki Suzumura

Kazumasa Seki

Akihiko Hatamura

Takahiro Sakai

Jiro Koyama

Yasuhiro Miura

Yoshinobu Yamazaki

Takanobu Nagata

Yoshihiro Shimizu

A mold is fabricated with a cavity formed in an insulating layer formed so as to be placed on an upper surface of a conductive base material. This mold is disposed in an electrolyte bath to be applied with a voltage, and a metal is electrodeposited on the bottom surface of the cavity to electroform a metal-formed product in the cavity. In this electrodepositing process, when the width of the cavity is taken as W and a vertical height of a head space between an upper opening of the cavity and an upper surface of a metal layer is taken as H, the growth of the metal layer is stopped so that the height H of the head space left above the metal layer satisfies: where 300 &#x3bc;m&#x2266;W; H&#x2267;W/3.75 where 200 &#x3bc;m&#x2266;W&#x3c;300 &#x3bc;m; H&#x2267;W/4 where 100 &#x3bc;m&#x2266;W&#x3c;200 &#x3bc;m; and H&#x2267;W/10 where W&#x3c;100 &#x3bc;m.

Electroforming method

A connecting terminal for a connector has a fixed portion configured to be connected to an electrode portion provided in a member for mounting the connector, and a contact configured to electrically come in contact with a contact portion of a connected portion to be connected to the connector. At least one concave portion is provided along a whole outer peripheral surface of the connector terminal.

Connecting terminal with a fixed portion and a contact

A contact includes a plate with a width that ranges from 0.1 mm or more to 1 mm or less, and a stress concentrated place, where a surface roughness (Ra) on the stress concentrated place is 0.2 &#x3bc;m or less. When samples whose surface roughness Ra is 0.040 &#x3bc;m, 0.080 &#x3bc;m, 0.120 &#x3bc;m, and 0.180 &#x3bc;m were used to study a number of repetitive fracture times, as the surface roughness Ra was smaller, the number of repetitive fracture times became larger. Particularly, it is found that the surface roughness Ra may be 0.200 &#x3bc;m or less in order to satisfy 3000 times as a number of operating times of the battery connector. Further, the surface roughness Ra may be 0.080 &#x3bc;m or less in order to satisfy 6000 times as the number of operating times when a safety factor is 2.

Contact and method for manufacturing the contact

A method for manufacturing a metal component includes the steps of forming a resist film on a surface of an electrode plate, making the resist film exposed to light by use of a photomask having a mask pattern, in at least part of a rim of which a fine concavity and convexity are drawn, developing the resist film, to form an opening for molding in the resist film, and epositing an electroforming material by electroforming inside the opening for molding, to mold the material.

Contact section having an irregular shape formed thereon by electroforming

The present invention provides an electrocasting method by which the shape of the surface opposite to the surface to be electrodeposited on the mold can be controlled. A molded metal article is electrocast by forming an insulating layer on the side wall faces of a cavity and the outer wall face of a conductive mold in which the cavity is formed, placing the mold in an electrolysis tank and applying voltage, electrodepositing metal on the bottom face of the cavity, and growing the metal layer in the cavity so as to leave a space having a height of at least one-third the width of the cavity.

Growing community of inventors

Otsu, Japan

Hitoshi Yoshida