Processing of sheet material in a liquid bath

Apparatus for processing sheet material in a bath of liquid comprising a container for the liquid, a pair of drivable endless bands, means driving said bands and means mounting the bands to receive the sheet material betwen the bands, hold the material between the bands to transport the material through the container, and deliver the material from between the bands after immersion in the liquid, wherein at least one of the bands is composed of permeable material to allow access of liquid to the side of the sheet material in contact with the permeable band and guide members are mounted in the container to extend transverse to the bands and engage the outer faces of the bands, said bands passing between said guide members, the guide members being spaced along the path of travel of the bands and those guide members which engage the permeable band acting to move liquid through the band, wherein the driving means include drive rollers for the bands, the drive rollers having a textured surface, in which one band passes over two drive rollers and the other band passes over a single drive roller and an idler roller.

Apparatus for processing sheet material in a bath of liquid comprising a container for the liquid, a pair of drivable endless bands, means driving said bands and means mounting the bands to receive the sheet material between the bands, hold the material between the bands to transport the material through the container, and deliver the material from between the bands after immersion in the liquid, wherein at least one of the bands is composed of permeable material to allow access of liquid to the side of the sheet material in contact with the permeable band and guide members are mounted in the container to extend transverse to the bands and engage the outer faces of the bands, said bands passing between said guide members, the guide members being spaced along the path of travel of the bands and those guide members which engage the permeable band acting to move liquid through the band, wherein the driving means include drive rollers in which one band passes over two said drive rollers, and including a spring-loaded tensioning rod acting on the said one band between the two drive rollers.

Apparatus for processing sheet material in a bath of liquid comprising a container for the liquid, a pair of drivable endless bands of permeable synthetic fabric, first means guiding said bands together in an approximately U-shaped path between a reception zone and a delivery zone both located above the container, said U-shaped path lying within the container, and further guide means guiding said band along separate return paths from said delivery zone to said reception zone, said first guide means including scraper bars mounted in the container transverse to the bands and having edges which engage the outer faces of the bands along said U-shaped path, drive means for said bands and tensioning means acting on at least one of said bands.