Method and apparatus for removing residue from electrocoated articles
AssigneeTks Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsMark J. Sweeney, William Eddie Barnett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for developing a defect-free or reduced-defect electrophoretic coating on an electrically conductive substrate involves vibrating the substrate to remove residual paint solids after the substrate has been removed from the electrophoretic deposition bath and before the electrophoretically deposited coating is cured.
Claims17
A process for forming a cured electrophoretically deposited coating on an article having an electrically conductive surface, comprising:
- submerging the surface of an article that is to be coated in an electrophoretic deposition bath while maintaining an electrical potential through the bath using a conductive surface of the article as a first electrode and a counter-electrode spaced from the conductive surface to form a coating on the surface;
- removing the coated article from the electrophoretic deposition bath;
- heating the coating for a time and at a temperature that are sufficient to cure the coating;
- and
- vibrating the article after removing the article from the bath, but before heating to cure the coating, to remove residual bath drops from the coating surface.
A system for forming a cured electrophoretically deposited coating on an article having an electrically conductive surface, comprising:
- an electrophoretic deposition bath;
- an overhead conveyor for transporting an article through and out of the electrophoretic deposition bath;
- at least one pneumatic or electric vibrator adapted to directly contact the article or directly contact a support structure for the article;
- and
- an oven for curing an electrophoretically deposited coating on the article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.