Apparatus for performing continuous treatment in vacuum

An apparatus for performing continuous treatment in vacuum, comprising:

• (a) an inlet and withdrawing chamber having atmospheric leak means connected thereto and including therein a plurality of cassette elevators for moving upwardly and downwardly each of a plurality of cassettes each having a number of shelves arranged therein in a vertically spaced relation to receive a number of articles with predetermined spacing intervals defined thereamong, said chamber being adapted to subject, collectively, the number of articles received in said cassettes to evacuation treatment;
• (b) an intermediate chamber including therein a plurality of cassette elevators for moving upwardly and downwardly each of a plurality of cassettes each having a number of shelves arranged therein in a vertically spaced relation to receive the number of the articles with predetermined spacing intervals defined thereamong, said intermediate chamber cassettes including a first cassette for receiving the number of the articles not yet subjected to vacuum treatment and a second cassette for receiving the articles having been subjected to the vacuum treatment;
• (c) a vacuum treating chamber having at least one vacuum treating means mounted therein;
• (d) opening means provided between the adjacent chambers, said opening means being normally closed and opened only when said articles are to be passed therethrough successively one by one;
• (e) conveyor means mounted in each of said chambers for horizontally conveying each of said articles as a single body through said opening means;
• and
• (f) evacuating means connected to each of said chambers;
• (g) said respective chambers being arranged such that the articles may be transferred successively from the inlet and withdrawing chamber, through the intermediate chamber, to the vacuum treating chamber, and then from the latter vacuum treating chamber, through the intermediate chamber, to the inlet and withdrawing chamber;
• (h) the apparatus being constructed such that, while the number of articles in said inlet and withdrawing chamber are being subject, collectively, to the evacuation treatment, the articles received in said first cassette in said intermediate chamber are taken out successively one by one and conveyed horizontally by said conveyor means and the respective articles thus successively conveyed are successively subject to the vacuum treatment by said vacuum treating means in said vacuum treating chamber and then conveyed by said conveyor means successively into said second cassette in said intermediate chamber.

An apparatus for performing continuous treatment in vacuum, comprising:

• (a) an inlet chamber, an intermediate chamber, and at least one vacuum treating chamber having at least one vacuum treating means therein, arranged in the indicated order in a direction in which base plates are successively transferred;
• (b) opening means in a wall at the inlet of said inlet chamber, and between adjacent chambers, said opening means being normally closed, and being opened only when each base plate is transferred therethrough;
• (c) base plate storing means located in each of said inlet and intermediate chambers for receiving and storing a plurality of base plates;
• (d) a first conveyor means located exclusively within the confines of said inlet chamber, first conveyor means being constructed and arranged for successively, directing receiving each base plate from the base plate storing means in said inlet chamber and, without leaving said confines, transferring only each base plate so received through the opening means in the wall between the inlet means and the successively adjacent chamber;
• (e) second conveyor means located exclusively within the confines of said intermediate chamber, said second conveyor means being constructed and arranged for directly receiving and conveying each base plate, transferred into said intermediate chamber, into the intermediate chamber base plate storing means and for directly receiving and conveying each base plate from the intermediate chamber base plate storing means and conveying only each base plate into the successively next chamber, without leaving said intermediate chamber confines;
• and
• (f) third conveying means located exclusively within the confines of the vacuum treating chamber for receiving each base plate transferred therein and for conveying each base plate out of the vacuum treating chamber after treating thereof.