Electrocoating apparatus
AssigneeAluminum Company of America
InventorsRobert E. Heffner, John J. Davidson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrocoating apparatus for electrocoating a plurality of metal containers through coordinated cycling of a plurality of electrocoating cells, preferably in unison, through the requisite electrocoating operating cycle and including transfer means for moving the metal container to and from the respective electrocoating cells on a pass line through the apparatus.
Claims11
An apparatus for sequentially electrocoating a continuous stream of open-ended containers wherein an electrocoating medium is maintained in intimate contact with a container to be electrocoated while an electrical potential is applied to the container for electrodeposition of the electrocoating medium on surface areas thereof, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one electrocoating cell;
- infeed means cooperable with said at least one electrocoating cell for delivering such containers thereto for electrocoating thereof;
- discharge means cooperable with said at least one electrocoating cell for receiving electrocoated containers therefrom;
- said at least one electrocoating cell including a container receiving seat portion for supporting a container to be electrocoated, and further including a cover portion and a nozzle-probe portion which cooperate to enclose such a container when supported by said seat portion;
- cell opening and closing means operable to move said cover and nozzle-probe portions with respect to said seat portion for opening said at least one electrocoating cell to discharge such a container and to receive another therein and for closing said at least one electrocoating cell to enclose such a received container therein;
- transfer means cooperable with said at least one electrocoating cell and with said infeed and discharge means to sequentially transfer containers in such a continuous stream from said infeed means into juxtaposition with said seat portion, and to simultaneously transfer the preceding container in such stream from said seat portion to said discharge means, when said at least one electrocoating cell is open;
- said transfer means including movable container engaging means which is operable to repetitively engage a plurality of adjacent containers in such a stream, advance such plurality of containers a predetermined incremental distance along a passline at a predetermined constant elevation, and disengage such plurality of containers;
- said seat portion being movable transversely of said passline to respective container support and release positions in cooperation with said container engaging means to support a container juxtaposed therewith when such container is disengaged from said container engaging means;
- means cooperable with said at least one electrocoating cell to deliver electrocoating medium thereinto when said at least one electrocoating cell is closed and for subsequently draining residual electrocoating medium therefrom prior to opening of said at least one electrocoating cell;
- and
- electrical means cooperable with said at least one electrocoating cell to apply such an electrical potential to a container enclosed herewithin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.