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US 5,685,086 AGranted
Method and apparatus for drying objects using aerosols
OwnerGary W. Ferrellinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for drying objects that may have been wetted in a manufacturing The objects are submerged in a rinse liquid in an enclosed chamber, and aerosol particles from a selected drying liquid are introduced into the chamber above the rinse liquid surface, forming a thin film on this surface. As the rinse liquid is slowly drained, some aerosol particles settle onto and form a film on the exposed surfaces of the objects, and displace and remove rinse liquid residues from the exposed surfaces. Surface contaminants are also removed by this process.
Claims17
Apparatus for drying an object, the apparatus comprising:
- an enclosed chamber, having interior chamber walls, for receiving and containing a selected object to be dried, the chamber having an openable entryway for allowing the selected object to be placed into, and to be removed from, the enclosed chamber;
- a first entrance port for receiving a rinse liquid into the enclosed chamber, to partly or fully immerse the selected object in the rinse liquid;
- an second port for allowing the rinse liquid to exit from the enclosed chamber at a first selected volume flow rate r1;
- a sonically vibrating head, located within the enclosed chamber, for receiving a selected volatile liquid, that does not chemically react with the selected object and that has a surface tension the is substantially lower than the surface tension of the rinse liquid, and for vibrating to cause the selected liquid to form aerosol droplets within the enclosed chamber;
- and
- a third port, connected to the vibrating head, to receive the selected liquid at a second selected volume flow rate r2 and to pass the selected liquid to the vibrating head for dispersal within the enclosed chamber.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.