US 4,133,340 AGranted

Cleaning machine for simultaneously cleaning the interior and exterior of hollow articles

OwnerThomas B. Ballardinventor

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Abstract

A cleaning machine of the type in which a cleaning fluid spray is directed at an article supported in the interior of a machine cabinet structure and rotated while being sprayed by a plurality of cleaning fluid jets. The cleaning machine disclosed includes a central spray pipe, extending through an article supporting rotary table and adapted to spray the interior of the workpiece simultaneously with the directing of cleaning fluid spray at the exterior of the part, to clean the interior and the exterior of the article simultaneously. The rotary table is adapted to be supported on a bearing assembly, carried by the central spray pipe, the bearing assembly functioning both as the rotational support for the rotary table and also acting to form a fluid coupling between the central spray pipe and cleaning fluid distribution manifolding disposed beneath the rotary table. The bearing assembly is designed to be protected both from runoff from the cleaning fluid spray and also the cleaning fluid contained in the machine sump, the bearing assembly extending beneath the level of the cleaning fluid in the sump. The bearing assembly also allows easy removal of the rotary table without disturbing the bearings or the central spray pipe. In addition, the machine cabinet structure is configured to allow raising of the entire upper cabinet structure away from the sump cabinet and with it the manifolding, the rotary table, an electric pump and motor assembly used to circulate the cleaning fluid, this allowing easy access to the machine sump for clean-out purposes.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A cleaning machine comprising:

a machine cabinet including reservoir means for containing a quantity of a cleaning fluid;
a manifold assembly and means for circulating a cleaning fluid into said manifold assembly;
a plurality of spray pipes in fluid communication with said manifold assembly and adapted to receive cleaning fluid therefrom under pressure;
said plurality of spray pipes including at least two spray pipes;
a rotary table rotatably supported on one of said at least two spray pipes, said one spray pipe centrally located in said cabinet and extending vertically, said manifold assembly including a horizontally extending central distribution fluid conduit, and further including means providing a fluid coupling between said one spray pipe upon which said rotary table is supported and said horizontally extending fluid conduit;
means for rotating said table on said one spray pipe, including rotary bearing means, carried by said fluid coupling;
a downwardly directed sleeve received over the outside diameter of said rotary bearing means, said rotary bearing means being secured on their inside diameter to said fluid coupling means;
an upwardly extending cup element positioned to surround said downwardly extending sleeve to provide a lubricant reservoir with a quantity of lubricant disposed in said lubricant reservoir;
each of said plurality of spray pipes including jet openings adapted to direct a spray of cleaning fluid onto surfaces of an article disposed on said rotary table;
whereby said part may be cleaned by a circulation of the cleaning fluid through said manifold assembly into said plurality of spray pipes and sprayed through said jet openings.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.