Electrocoating equipment

Abstract

Electrocoating equipment having a conveyor I-beam monorail with a plurality of trolleys movable therealong for carrying parts through a bath to be electrocoated. The trolley comprises wheels, yoke arms dependent from the wheels below the rail and a part carrier suspended from the arms. A chain drive interconnects and propels the trolleys. An electrical grounding shoe in the form of one or more hollow pipes, bars or cables is suspended from the monorail between the rail and yoke arms and is electrically connected to the ground return side of a power supply system associated with said electrocoating equipment. The grounding shoe is disposed in sliding electrical contact with at least one of the trolley arms and extends along the path of travel thereof while the same is transitting the electrocoating bath of said equipment. The grounding shoe is yieldably biased into such sliding contact within the space defined between the yoke arms and has at least a limited degree of vertical movement relative to said rail to accommodate like movement of the trolley arm during its transit of the grounding shoe. Preferably the grounding shoe has a curved exterior surface with a radius of curvature such that the shoe makes a dual tangential contact with the yoke arms along the interior surfaces thereof at one point on each arm spaced above the vertex arm junction of the yoke. A trolley cleanout obstruction is fixed on the rail adjacent the path of travel of the trolley yoke arms and upstream of the grounding shoe. The trolley cleanout normally has a slight clearance with said yoke arms and is adapted to dislodge foreign matter clinging thereto or to obstruct movement of the trolley should such foreign matter remain adhered thereto upon striking the trolley cleanout.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.