Background Art The apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts and the endless belt are known, for example, in U. S. Patent Nos. 4,534, 843 & 5,024, 745, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 154432 and the like.

U. S. Patent Nos. 4,534, 843 & 5,024, 745, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 154432 disclose an endless belt employed in electrically treating, plating, washing, drying and the like of the strip-shaped parts such as semiconductor reed frame in which, as a clamping means of the strip-shaped parts, a resilient gripper is provided with an endless belt. The above mentioned prior art references have disadvantages that, since the endless belt and the gripper are manufactured separately and assembled, their manufacturing, assembling and repairing are inconvenient ; the elasticity of gripper is lowered as it is used for a long; and they should be replaced at any time. Furthermore, Even in the case of the endless belt in which the belt and the gripper are integrally formed, all the belts must be replaced

if the elasticity of any one of the grippers formed in the endless belt is lowered or deformed.

Disclosure of Invention The present inventors conducted numerous researches to improve the disadvantages of the prior arts and, as a result, discovered an apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts in which the parts can be clamped for a long period with a relatively regular force without using an elasticity by spring, and their structure is simple and the conveyance of the strip-shaped parts is easy.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an apparatus for treating strip- shaped parts according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the clamp and conveyance of the parts in the apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another example of an apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a further example of an apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts according to the present invention.

<Description of Reference Numbers of Essential Parts in Figures> 10: endless belt 20: wheel 21 : guide roller 30 : strip-shaped parts 40: parts-treatment tank Embodiment To accomplish the above mentioned technical subject, the present invention

provides an apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts which comprises an endless belt having a circular band pattern, an wheel for rolling and revolving the endless belt and an driving means for revolving the endless belt, characterized in that the endless belts (20) consist of one pair, the belts themselves are a permanent magnet or have a magnetic force by attaching the permanent magnet to the belt, and the two endless belts revolved by respective wheels are arranged so that they can be attached closely to a certain compartment with a force of magnet to clamp the parts.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an apparatus for treating strip- shaped parts according to the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the clamp and conveyance of the parts in the apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts according to the present invention. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of other examples of an apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

As described above, a conventional endless belt used in the apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts such as a semiconductor reed frame comprises, as parts- clamping means, a gripper which uses the elasticity of pan spring or coil spring.

However, it has a disadvantage that the elasticity of spring is lowered as it is used for a long.

The present invention improves basically the disadvantages encountered with the prior arts and has characteristic in using a semi-permanent magnetic force as a force for parts-clamping.

As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of endless belts (10) are made of a semi- permanent magnet as a whole and are arranged so that respective magnetic poles make different, and the outside section of the belts opposite to each other and the both ends of respective belts are provided with wheel (20) so that the endless belt is rolled and revolved.

When the endless belt (10) is revolved with a conventional driving means, two endless belts are moved in a condition attached closely to each other with a force of magnet at a certain compartment (A-B), the belts are rolled and revolved according to the wheel (20) and again become open.

Accordingly, the parts are clamped at the starting point (A) of the compartment and passed through parts-treatment tank at the compartment (A-B).

The treated parts are discharged at the end (B) of the compartment.

The above endless belt (10) and wheel (20) can be correctly driven and controlled through several known methods, and the wheel and the endless belt can be made in various patterns and materials, considering the shape, size, property and the like of the parts to be processed.

For example, for the other example of the endless belt which is a conveying means for conveying strip-shaped parts, a permanent magnet can be provided with the endless belt made of fabric, synthetic resin or metal.

If one of the two endless belts is made of a magnetic material, a permanent magnet can be provided with another endless belt only.

Further, when the magnet is provided with the endless belt (10), the kind and size of magnet and the position of magnet can be freely selected, if necessary, considering the shape, size, property and the like of the parts to be processed.

For example, a flexible rubber magnet can be attached to the exterior of the endless belt (10) or a permanent magnet can be provided in the interior of the endless belt.

Further, when part of the endless belt (10) is made of a conductor, the present invention can be utilized in electric plating the parts using the conductivity by a conventional method.

For the other example of the apparatus for treating strip-shaped parts according to the present invention, when the endless belt is arranged in the upper

and lower sides, the strip-shaped parts can be horizontally clamped and conveyed.

Further, as shown in Fig. 3, the endless belt is arranged in the upper and lower sides, guide roller (21) leading to the endless belts at the lower side is provided between the two wheels positioned at the upper portion, and parts-treatment tank (40) is provided between the two wheels positioned at the lower portion. In such a case, the two endless belts are attached closely with the force of magnet to grip the parts, and the strip-shaped parts are treated while passing through the inner portion of the parts-treating chamber (40) at the compartment inclined downwardly by guide roller.

Therefore, when a plating solution is filled in the inner portion of the parts- treating tank (40) to which a positive pole is applied, and then a negative pole is applied to the strip-shaped parts through the conductor portion of the endless belt, it is possible to extremely simplify the shape of plating tank. Also, when electric plating is carried out using an elastic body as a gripping means, an electric current is concentrated in the corner of the parts and the plating film is irregular as a whole.

Therefore, in order to make the plating film regular, there is need to attach a magnet to the inside and outside of the plating tank and form a magnetic field.

However, in the case of using the present invention as a plating means, it is possible to obtain a better regular plating film by taking advantage of the magnetic property of the endless belt.

Further, the apparatus according to the present invention is mounted parallel to the upper and lower sides or to the right and left sides, so that the strip- shaped parts can be further firmly clamped in the both sides.

For another example of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 4, two endless belts having different length from each other are folded in the inside and outside. The wheels are suspended together in the one side, and a wheel suspending the inner endless belt and a wheel suspending the exterior endless belt

are arranged straightly in another side. In this case, the strip-shaped parts are clamped by the endless belts attached closely by magnetism, and two endless belts are revolved in one side suspended together to convey a certain compartment (C- D). Therefore, a separate process can be carried out consecutively in the front and the rear of the apparatus of the present invention.

The present invention uses a semi-permanent magnetism without using an elasticity by spring as a clamping means of the parts. Therefore, there occur no problem such as the lowering of elasticity and frequent replacement of parts according to use for a long. The apparatus can be used semi-permanently. Their structure is simple and can be mounted at a low expense. The structure of the clamping means is simple and the supply and discharge of the parts to be processed are easy.