Chemical milling apparatus
AssigneeMelanesia International Trust Company Limited
InventorMilne Jurisich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of chemical milling which includes the following steps: (i) suspending an extrusion or casting formed from metal in an etching solution wherein initially the extrusion or casting is fully submerged in the etching solution by virtue of its weight and which thereafter is rendered buoyant by metal being removed from the extrusion or casting by the etching solution wherein the casting or extrusion is supported by a non-buoyant support which maintains the casting or extrusion in a fully submerged condition throughout its immersion in the etching solution; and (ii) withdrawing the extrusion or casting from the etching solution when required. The invention also refers to chemical milling apparatus for use in the abovementioned method as well as the non-buoyant support per se.
Claims23
A non-buoyant support for suspending an extrusion or casting in an etching solution so as to retain the extrusion or casting in a fully submerged position in said etching solution, said extrusion or casting comprising a heat exchanger element having a peripheral wall defining a plurality of open-ended fluid channels separated by webs or partitions, and there also being provided an array of fins extending outwardly from the peripheral wall, said non-buoyant support comprising a top clamping assembly and a bottom clamping assembly which are relatively movable towards each other, wherein each of the top clamnping assembly and the bottom clamping assembly has one or more offset projections configured to engage with said fluid channels or configured to engage between adjacent fins at adjacent ends of the heat exchanger element.
A support for suspending an extrusion or casting in an etching solution, the support comprising:
- (a) an elongated shaft;
- (b) a top clamping assembly disposed on the elongated shaft, the top clamping assembly including a top arm outwardly projecting from the shaft and a finger projecting from the top arm in substantially parallel alignment with the shaft;
- and
- (c) a bottom clamping assembly disposed on the elongated shaft, the bottom clamping assembly including a bottom arm outwardly projecting from the shaft and a finger projecting from the bottom arm in substantially parallel alignment with the shaft, the finger of the bottom arm being substantially aligned with and facing the finger of the top arm, at least one of the top clamping assembly and bottom clamping assembly being movable relative to the other.
An assembly comprising:
- (a) an elongated heat exchanger element having a peripheral wall defining a plurality of open-ended fluid channels separated by partitions, a plurality of fins outwardly projecting from the peripheral wall, the fins extending from a first end to an opposing second end in substantially parallel alignment with the fluid channels;
- and
- (b) a support comprising an elongated shaft having disposed thereon a top clamping assembly configured to engage the first end of the heat exchanger element and a bottom clamping assembly configured to engage the second end of the heat exchanger element, at least one of the top clamping assembly and the bottom clamping assembly being movable relative to the other to enable selective clamping of the heat exchanger element therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.