Apparatus and method for transporting materials which are to be chemically treated
AssigneeChemcut Corporation
InventorsKarl F. G. Ketelhohn, Randall E. Markle, James J. Ash
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method is disclosed for transporting thin materials, such as printed circuit boards or films, in an etching or other chemical treatment operation whereby a series of guide members, such as wires, which move back and forth in a reciprocating manner, guide the articles being transported through the apparatus and facilitate generally uniform treatment coverage of the articles with a treatment fluid.
Claims25
An apparatus for use in transporting articles to be treated in an etching or other chemical treatment operation to facilitate more uniform treatment of said articles being transported thereby, said apparatus comprising:
- a) a supporting frame;
- b) transport means for defining a generally longitudinal path of travel and moving said articles along said path of travel through said apparatus, said transport means being supported on said frame;
- c) guide means for guiding said articles therewith as the articles are being conveyed through said apparatus by said transport means, said guide means including a series of generally longitudinally disposed elongate members disposed proximate said path of article travel;
- d) elongate member moving means for reciprocatingly laterally shifting the position of said elongate members as said articles are being moved through the apparatus for laterally uncovering different zones along the path of travel;
- and
- e) treatment delivery means for delivering a treatment of a chemical processing step to said articles, said elongate members being disposed between said article path of travel and said treatment delivery means.
An apparatus for use in transporting articles to be treated in an etching or other chemical treatment operation comprising:
- a) a supporting frame;
- b) transport means for defining a generally longitudinal path of travel and moving said articles along said path of travel through said apparatus, said transport means being supported on said frame;
- c) guide means for guiding said articles therewith as the articles are being conveyed through said apparatus by said transport means, said guide means including a series of generally longitudinally disposed elongate members disposed proximate said path of article travel;
- d) elongate member moving means for reciprocatingly laterally shifting the position of said elongate members as said articles are being moved through the apparatus;
- and
- e) wherein said transport means includes a series of transverse transport rods rotatably mounted to the frame at each end thereof, each said transport rod being connected to drive means at an end thereof for rotating said transport rods, and a plurality of adjustably spaced-apart disk members which are slidably mounted on each said transport rod to rotate along therewith.
An apparatus for use in transporting articles to be treated in an etching or other chemical treatment operation comprising:
- a) a supporting frame;
- b) transport means for defining a generally longitudinal path of travel and moving said articles along said path of travel through said apparatus, said transport means being supported on said frame;
- c) guide means for guiding said articles therewith as the articles are being conveyed through said apparatus by said transport means, said guide means including a series of generally longitudinally disposed elongate members disposed proximate said path of article travel;
- d) elongate member moving means for reciprocatingly laterally shifting the position of said elongate members as said articles are being moved through the apparatus;
- and
- e) wherein said guide means are resiliently mounted to said frame at opposite ends of said transport means.
A method of transporting and treating articles with an etching or other chemical treatment operation for facilitating more uniform treatment of said articles being transported thereby, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) moving said articles along a generally longitudinal path of travel through said apparatus with a frame supported transport means, while defining with said transport means, a path of travel;
- b) guiding said articles with guide means as said articles are being moved through said apparatus with said transport means, said guide means including a series of elongate members disposed proximate said path of article travel;
- c) reciprocatingly laterally shifting the position of said elongate members with elongate member moving means as said articles are being moved through the apparatus and laterally uncovering different zones along the path of travel;
- d) delivering a treatment of a chemical processing step to said articles with treatment delivery means as said articles are being moved through said apparatus with said transport means, wherein said elongate members are disposed between said path of article travel and said delivery means.
A method of transporting and treating articles with an etching or other chemical treatment operation comprising the steps of:
- a) moving said articles along a generally longitudinal path of travel through said apparatus with a frame supported transport means, while defining with said transport means, a path of travel;
- b) guiding said articles with guide means as said articles are being moved through said apparatus with said transport means, said guide means including a series of elongate members disposed proximate said path of article travel;
- c) reciprocatingly laterally shifting the position of said elongate members with elongate member moving means as said articles are being moved through the apparatus;
- and
- d) moving said articles with a transport means further including rotatably driving a series of transverse transport rods with drive means, said transport rods being rotatably mounted to the frame of each end thereof and carrying a plurality of adjustably spaced-apart disk members thereon which are slidably mounted on each said rod to rotate along therewith.
A method of transporting and treating articles with an etching or other chemical treatment operation comprising the steps of:
- a) moving said articles along a generally longitudinal path of travel through said apparatus with a frame supported transport means, while defining with said transport means, a path of travel;
- b) guiding said articles with guide means as said articles are being moved through said apparatus with said transport means, said guide means including a series of elongate members disposed proximate said path of article travel;
- c) reciprocatingly laterally shifting the position of said elongate members with elongate member moving means as said articles are being moved through the apparatus;
- and
- d) resiliently maintaining the ends of said elongate members of resilient members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.