Method and apparatus for surface treating a workpiece

An apparatus for surface treating a workpiece comprising:

• an elongated housing for containing a bed of treating media, the housing having a floor, spaced apart side walls, and spaced apart end walls;
• vibrating means for imparting a vibrating force to the housing having at least a generally vertical force vector sufficient for fluidizing the bed of treating media in the housing;
• overhead conveying means located above and extending along the elongated housing for continuously moving the workpieces to be treated through the housing and the fluidized bed of treating media contained therein from one end of the housing to the other end of the housing;
• a plurality of workpiece suspension means each having a proximal end and a distal end located at spaced apart intervals along the conveying means, each workpiece suspension means being individually affixed at its proximal end to the conveying means for movement therewith, and depending from the conveyor means for suspending the workpieces positioned at the distal end of each workpiece suspension means from the overhead conveying means into the fluidized bed of treating media contained in the housing;
• workpiece supporting means at the distal end of the workpiece suspension means for affixing the workpiees to be treated to the suspension means;
• and,
• vibratory isolation means structurally associated with each suspension means for individually isolating each workpiece supporting means, and the workpiece affixed thereto, from the conveying means to allow each workpiece supporting means, and the workpiece affixed thereto, to vibrate due to the excitation thereof by the vibrating bed of surface treating media independently of each other and independently of the conveying means.