Electrocoating apparatus and method
AssigneeNational Can Corporation
InventorJohn L. Kraska
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for supporting and conveying objects or articles, such as can ends, through an electrolytic solution is disclosed herein. The apparatus consists of an endless conveyor that has a plurality of hangers with the hangers being opened to receive objects and closed to grip the article. Each of the hangers has a fixed body with a jaw on the fixed body biased to a closed position. The hanger also has electrically conductive means for accommodating current flow from a fixed cathode track through the jaw to an object being gripped between the jaw and the body so that the articles are automatically coated when the energized articles are passed through a basin containing the solution and a fixed anode.
Claims25
Apparatus for electrocoating objects, such as can ends, in a basin containing electrolytic solution and a fixed anode, comprising an endless conveyor defining a path for objects having an inlet end adjacent one end of the basin and an outlet end adjacent the opposite end of the basin, a plurality of hangers supported on said conveyor for receiving objects and supporting the objects for movement through the solution, and delivery means adjacent the conveyor for delivering objects to the hangers, characterized by each hanger including a body fixed to said conveyor, an electrically conductive jaw pivoted on said body and biasing means biasing said jaw to a closed, gripping position with respect to said body;
- cam means adjacent said delivery means for pivoting said jaw to an open position receiving objects and allowing said jaw to grip the object;
- fixed cathode track means adjacent said conveyor and basin;
- and electrically conductive means on said hangers for engaging said track means and accommodating current flow from said track means through said jaw to an object gripped between said jaw and body.
A hanger adapted for supporting objects for electrocoating comprising a body, an electrically conductive jaw pivoted on said body, biasing means normally maintaining said jaw in a first position and electrically conductive means on said body for connecting a power source to said jaw, said electrically conductive means including a spring biased contact element for engaging a fixed conductive track.
A method for electrocoating articles, such as can ends, in a basin containing an electrolytic solution and a fixed anode, comprising continuously moving a plurality of hangers along a predetermined path with a lower portion of said path being located directly above said basin, said hangers each having a body portion and an electrically conductive jaw pivoted on said body portion and normally biased to a closed position, pivoting said jaw to an open position at a location upstream of said basin, inserting a peripheral portion of said article between said moving body portion and said jaw and releasing said jaw to grip a peripheral edge of said article, engaging each moving hanger with a fixed cathode track along said lower portion of said path to produce a current flow through said jaw to said article while said article is immersed in said solution, and removing each article from said hangers at a location downstream of said basin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.