Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited

Richard Allan Sinton

Ronald Parkinson

A reusable integrated cathode unit and an associated electrolytic method are disclosed for the simultaneous production of a multiplicity of metal electrodeposits by plating from a base metal electrolyte. The rigid cathode unit has two integrated components, a slab of non-conductive material and a metal assembly which is embedded therein. The metal assembly has projections that penetrate the slab surface at spaced locations thereby forming an array of conductive metal islands flush with or raised above the surface of the cathode unit which serve as the sites for plating of the electrodeposits. The method is advantageously characterized by the production of unique, crown shaped electrodeposits with basal areas much larger than the areas of the conductive islands on which they are formed, and a significant component of growth in a direction normal to the plating surface. Following a single electrodeposition cycle, the electrodeposits are readily recovered from the cathode unit, the latter being recycled to the electrolytic operation. The sequence is repeated many times, without interruption for repair, as a result of the rugged physical properties of the cathode unit which provide for an extremely long service life.

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Toronto, Canada

Richard Allan Sinton