At&t Bell Laboratories

Robert E McAnany

Harold E Fuchs

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for achieving a uniform coating of metal, such as copper, on an insulating strip, such as polyimide. After activating the surface, the strip is passed through a plating cell which includes a pumped solution mixed with a gas to achieve frothing. A high current is supplied to the cathode, so a cooled cathode construction is provided to prevent burning of the strip. Further features of the apparatus include a means for splicing strips, and a cantilever beam cathode contact for improving the physical contact with the strip.

Method and apparatus for plating insulating strip

Disclosed is a means for aligning contact leads in electrical connectors. An alignment strip includes a pair of slidably mounted sheets, each defining an array of openings having wide and narrow portions. The sheets are initially positioned so that the wide portions of corresponding openings in the two arrays overlap to permit easy insertion of the leads. The sheets are then shifted to align the narrower portions of the corresponding openings so that the leads are held in place in their proper location.

Connectors including lead alignment strips

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for plating metal onto wire or ribbon. The wire or ribbon is wrapped around two or more barrels with grooves formed around the outside surface. The barrel is immersed within an appropriate electroless or electroplating solution, and rotated at a speed depending upon the immersion time needed for a particular desired plated thickness.

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Kansas City, MO, United States of America

Robert E McAnany