Apparatus for the continuous hot dip coating of a metal strip including rotatable pouring box and associated method

An apparatus for continuous hot dip coating of a metal strip, comprising:

• a vessel having a liquid metal bath;
• a bottom roller arranged in the vessel, the bottom roller for immersing in the liquid metal bath;
• a displacement casing for the metal strip, the displacement casing having a lower end for immersing in the liquid metal bath to define a liquid metal seal with a surface of the liquid metal bath and an inside of the displacement casing;
• the displacement casing including an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion bearing a pouring box delimiting at least two liquid metal pouring compartments, each of the at least two liquid metal pouring compartments being inwardly delimited by an inner wall, the inner walls including an upper rim, the upper rim of each inner wall being arranged below the liquid metal seal to produce a flow from the liquid metal seal into each of the at least two liquid metal pouring compartments,
• the displacement casing with the pouring box being rotatable relative to the metal strip around a first rotation axis;
• and
• the pouring box being rotatable relative to the upper portion of the displacement casing around a second rotation axis, the second rotation axis being substantially parallel to the first rotation axis,
• wherein the pouring box is rotatably mounted on the lower portion of the displacement casing,
• wherein one of the lower portion of the displacement casing or the pouring box includes rotational guide bearings, and another one of the lower portion of the displacement casing or the pouring box includes journals, each journal being received in a respective guide bearing to provide rotational guiding of the pouring box around the second rotation axis.