Gould Electronics Inc.

Electrocopper Products Limited

Phelps Dodge Corporation

Magma Copper Company

Ga-Tek, Inc.

Peter Peckham

Ronald K Haines

Thomas J Ameen

Adam G Bay

Robert D DeWitt

Stephen J Kohut

Wendy M Gort

Jackson G Jenkins

Jean-Louis Huens

David P Burgess

Sharon K Young

Roger N Wright

Craig J Hasegawa

Michael A Eamon

Robert J Fedor

Susan S Enos

Barbara J Kidon

Albert E Nagy

Bradford A Mills

An electrowinning cell, having a tank with an opened upper end defined by a tank edge, electrolyte within the tank and a plurality of flat, metallic electrode plates disposed within the tank in side-by-side, spaced-apart, parallel relationship. Adjacent electrode plates define an electrode gap therebetween. An injector manifold is disposed at the bottom of the tank for feeding electrolyte into the tank at locations below the electrode plates. A collector grid, comprised of a plurality of collectors having ports, define an upper level of electrolyte by collecting the electrolyte from the tank. The ports are disposed in spaced-apart relationship within the open upper end defined by the tank edge. The collector grid and the injector creating a flow of electrolyte upward between the plates as the electrolyte flows from the manifold locations below the plates to the ports.

Apparatus for controlling flow in an electrodeposition process

Method and apparatus for controlling flow in an electrodeposition process

An apparatus for producing metal foil, comprising a drum cathode having an outer plating surface. The drum cathode is partially immersed to a set level in an electrolyte bath and is rotatable in a fixed direction about a generally horizontal axis. A main anode assembly having a main anode is immersed in the electrolyte bath, the main anode having a semi-cylindrical curved anode surface facing the drum cathode. The main anode is dimensioned to be spaced from the plating surface of the drum cathode so as to define a generally uniform gap therebetween. An energy source is connected to the main anode for energizing the main anode. A chamber containing an electrolyte solution is disposed above the electrolyte bath and adjacent the cathode drum where the cathode drum exits the electrolyte bath. A treatment anode is immersed in the electrolyte solution in the chamber adjacent the drum cathode. An energy source is connected to the treatment anode for energizing the treatment anode.

Electroforming cell

An electrolytic cell comprised of a tank for holding electrolytic solution, and a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis having a non-conductive cylindrical outer surface disposed within the tank, and a plurality of elongated, like anodes arranged about the outer surface of the drum. The anodes together form a generally continuous cylindrical surface spaced from, and generally conforming to, the outer surface of the drum. Each of the anodes has at least one end projecting through the tank. A plurality of power sources is provided together with connection means for connecting groups of one or more of the projecting ends of the anodes to each power source.

Method and apparatus for sequentially metalizing polymeric films and products made thereby

This invention relates to a process for making wire, comprising: (A) forming a circular disk of electrodeposited copper, (B) rotating said disk about its center axis; (C) feeding a cutting tool into the peripheral edge of said disk to cause a strip of copper to peel from said disk; and (D) slitting said strip of copper to form a plurality of strands of copper wire.

Process for making copper wire

Method and apparatus for sequentially metalizing polymeric films and

Method and apparatus for sequentially metalized polymeric films and

Method for forming printed circuits

This invention relates to a process for making metal wire, comprising: (A) forming metal foil; (B) cutting said foil to form at least one strand of metal wire; and (C) shaping said strand of wire to provide said strand with desired cross-sectional shape and size. This process is particularly suitable for making copper wire, especially copper wire having a very thin diameter (e.g., about 0.0002 to about 0.02 inch).

Process for making wire

This invention is directed to a process for making copper metal powder from copper-bearing material, comprising: (A) contacting said copper-bearing material with an effective mount of at least one aqueous leaching solution to dissolve copper ions in said leaching solution and form a copper-rich aqueous leaching solution; (B) contacting said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution with an effective amount of at least one water-insoluble extractant to transfer copper ions from said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution to said extractant to form a copper-rich extractant and a copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution; (C) separating said copper-rich extractant from said copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution; (D) contacting said copper-rich extractant with an effective amount of at least one aqueous stripping solution to transfer copper ions from said extractant to said stripping solution to form a copper-rich stripping solution and a copper-depleted extractant; (E) separating said copper-rich stripping solution from said copper-depleted extractant to form a first electrolyte solution; (F) advancing said first electrolyte solution to an electrolytic cell equipped with at least one first anode and at least one first cathode, and applying an effective amount of voltage across said first anode and said first cathode to deposit copper metal powder on said first cathode; and (G) removing copper metal powder from said first cathode. In one embodiment the first electrolyte solution used in step (F) is characterized by a chloride ion concentration of up to about 5 ppm. In one embodiment the first electrolyte solution used in step (F) contains at least one triazole. In one embodiment the copper metal powder is convened to copper foil. In one embodiment the copper metal powder is converted to cuprous oxide, cupric oxide or a mixture thereof; these copper oxides can be readily dissolved in sulfuric acid and used to make copper foil.

Process for making copper metal powder, copper oxides and copper foil

This invention is directed to a process for making copper metal powder from copper-bearing material, comprising: (A) contacting said copper-beating material with an effective amount of at least one aqueous leaching solution to dissolve copper ions in said leaching solution and form a copper-rich aqueous leaching solution; (B) contacting said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution with an effective amount of at least one water-insoluble extractant to transfer copper ions from said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution to said extractant to form a copper-rich extractant and a copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution, said extractant comprising (i) at least one oxime characterized by a hydrocarbon linkage with at least one --OH group and at least one .dbd.NOH group attached to different carbon atoms on said hydrocarbon linkage, (ii) at least one betadiketone, or (iii) at least one ion-exchange resin; (C) separating said copper-rich extractant from said copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution; (D) contacting said copper-rich extractant with an effective amount of at least one aqueous stripping solution to transfer copper ions from said extractant to said stripping solution to form a copper-rich stripping solution and a copper-depleted extractant; (E) separating said copper-rich stripping solution from said copper-depleted extractant to form a first electrolyte solution; (F) advancing said first electrolyte solution to an electrolytic cell equipped with at least one first anode and at least one first cathode, and applying an effective amount of voltage across said first anode and said first cathode to deposit copper metal powder on said first cathode; and (G) removing copper metal powder from said first cathode. In one embodiment the copper metal powder is converted to copper foil. In one embodiment the copper metal powder is converted to cuprous oxide, cupric oxide or a mixture thereof; these copper oxides can be readily dissolved in sulfuric acid and used to make copper foil.

This invention relates to a process for making copper wire directly from a copper-bearing material, comprising: (A) contacting said copper-beating material with an effective amount of at least one aqueous leaching solution to dissolve copper ions into said leaching solution and form a copper-rich aqueous leaching solution; (B) contacting said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution with an effective amount of at least one water-insoluble extractant to transfer copper ions from said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution to said extractant to form a copper-rich extractant and a copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution; (C) separating said copper-rich extractant from said copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution; (D) contacting said copper-rich extractant with an effective amount of at least one aqueous stripping solution to transfer copper ions from said extractant to said stripping solution to form a copper-rich stripping solution and a copper-depleted extractant; (E) separating said copper-rich stripping solution from said copper-depleted extractant; (F) flowing said copper-rich stripping solution between an anode and a cathode, and applying an effective amount of voltage across said anode and said cathode to deposit copper on said cathode; (G) removing said copper from said cathode; and (H) converting said removed copper from (G) to copper wire at a temperature below the melting point of said copper.

This invention is directed to a process for making copper metal powder from copper-bearing material, comprising: (A) contacting said copper-bearing material with an effective amount of at least one aqueous leaching solution to dissolve copper ions in said leaching solution and form a copper-rich aqueous leaching solution; (B) contacting said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution with an effective amount of at least one water-insoluble extractant to transfer copper ions from said copper-rich aqueous leaching solution to said extractant to form a copper-rich extractant and a copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution, said extractant comprising (i) at least one oxime characterized by a hydrocarbon linkage with at least one --OH group and at least one .dbd.NOH group attached to different carbon atoms on said hydrocarbon linkage, (ii) at least one betadiketone, or (iii) at least one ion-exchange resin; (C) separating said copper-rich extractant from said copper-depleted aqueous leaching solution; (D) contacting said copper-rich extractant with an effective amount of at least one aqueous stripping solution to transfer copper ions from said extractant to said stripping solution to form a copper-rich stripping solution and a copper-depleted extractant; (E) separating said copper-rich stripping solution from said copper-depleted extractant to form a first electrolyte solution; (F) advancing said first electrolyte solution to an electrolytic cell equipped with at least one first anode and at least one first cathode, and applying an effective amount of voltage across said first anode and said first cathode to deposit copper metal powder on said first cathode; and (G) removing copper metal powder from said first cathode. In one embodiment the copper metal powder is converted to copper foil. In one embodiment the copper metal powder is converted to cuprous oxide, cupric oxide or a mixture thereof; these copper oxides can be readily dissolved in sulfuric acid and used to make copper foil.

Growing community of inventors

Painesville, OH, United States of America

Peter Peckham