Hot isostatic pressing apparatus

A hot isostatic pressing apparatus comprising:

• (a) a vessel frame;
• (b) a press frame swingably mounted on said vessel frame;
• (c) an auxiliary station located adjacent to said vessel frame;
• (d) a hot isostatic pressing vessel having a bottom opening mounted in said press frame;
• (e) a plurality of detachable bottom lids each of which is sized and shaped to fit into and to plug the bottom opening in said hot isostatic pressing vessel;
• (f) a plurality of auxiliary cylinders supported on said auxiliary station along a central horizontal extension of said hot isostatic pressing vessel, said auxiliary cylinders being provided for cooling or preheating purposes, each of said plurality of auxiliary cylinders having a bottom opening sized and shaped so that said detachable bottom lids will fit into and plug the bottom opening in it;
• (g) first means for swinging said swingably mounted press frame back and forth between an operative position in which hot isostatic pressing takes place and a transfer position which is spaced laterally of the central horizontal extension of said hot isostatic pressing vessel;
• (h) at least one rail running between but beneath and spaced laterally from said swingably mounted press frame when it is in its operative position and beneath and laterally spaced from said plurality of auxiliary cylinders;
• and
• (i) a carrier movably mounted on said at least one rail for movement between said press frame and said plurality of auxiliary cylinders, said carrier comprising:
• (i) a car which engages said at least one rail and which is laterally spaced from the central horizontal extension of said hot isostatic pressing vessel;
• (ii) second means for driving said car reciprocally in either direction along said at least one rail;
• (iii) a lift frame mounted on said car;
• (iv) a bottom lid cradle cantileveredly mounted on said lift frame so as to extend laterally therefrom such that, when said carrier is positioned adjacent said press frame, said bottom lid cradle extends beneath the transfer position of said press frame and, when said carrier is positioned adjacent one of said plurality of auxiliary cylinders, said bottom lid cradle extends beneath said one or said auxiliary cylinders;
• and
• (v) third means for driving said bottom lid cradle reciprocally up and down on said lift frame beteween one or more upper transfer positions and a lower carrying position;
• whereby:
• (j) when said press frame is located in its transfer position and said carrier is located adjacent to said press frame with said bottom lid cradle located in an upper transfer position, one of said detachable bottom lids and an object to be treated located on said one of said detachable bottom lids can be loaded into or removed from said hot isostatic pressing vessel;
• (k) when said carrier is located adjacent to one of said plurality of auxiliary cylinders with said bottom lid cradle located in an upper transfer position, one of said detachable bottom lids and an object to be treated located on said one of said detachable bottom lids can be loaded into or removed from said one plurality of auxiliary cylinders;
• and
• (1) an object to be treated located on one of said detachable bottom lids can be transferred back and forth between said hot isostatic pressing vessel and said plurality of auxiliary cylinders while said bottom lid cradle is in its lower carrying position and an object to be treated located thereon is beneath and out of the way of said hot isostatic pressing vessel and said plurality of auxiliary cylinders.