Straightening apparatus

Abstract

The invention concerns an anode straightening apparatus (10, 30, 60) for the straightening of an anode (100) typically used in an electrowinning process. In the preferred embodiment the apparatus includes clamps (21, 41, 71) for clamping a busbar (101) of the anode and clamps (22, 42, 71) for clam in a blade of the anode to the apparatus during the course of the straightening process. At least one sensor (29, 52, 85) monitors the curvature of the blade (102) of the anode (100) when the anode is secured to the apparatus by the clamps. The apparatus ((10, 30, 60) includes a movable head (24, 44, 78) housing straightening means for bending the anode in a desired direction in response to feedback received from the sensor. The head is movable in two planes of movement which are transverse to one another. The apparatus further has actuators (27, 28, 48, 49, 81, 83) for urging the straightening means along its axes of movement in the first and second planes respectively so that the anode may be straightened by urging the straightening means in the second plane of movement while moving it in the first plane of movement. The invention also concerns a method of straitening an anode (100) by first bending the anode into a pre-set curvature and there-after bending it to a theoretically correct curvature, which is preferably a zero curvature.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.