US 6,887,363 B2 · Grounding system for rotating fixtures in electrically conductive mediums

Abstract

An e-coating line for small parts includes a series of load carriers, each having a rotatable shaft supporting an apertured metal barrel with parts to be treated. Electrically conductive drive chains and sprockets connect the rotatable shaft to barrel shafts to suspended the barrel from the carrier for submersion of the barrel into treating tanks including an e-coating tank. The chain/sprocket units are self cleaning and establish a reliable grounding of the barrels through the load carrier and slide rail conveyor conducting the load carriers to ground. A rack is mounted on a support secured to move with the load carriers. The rack engages a drive sprocket on the rotatable shaft. A push cylinder secured to the rack, moves the rack with the slide rail held stationary to rotate the shaft and coupled barrel. The system provides a low cost and effective grounding of the barrels and minimizes maintenance requirements and costs.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A suspended rotating fixture configured to be immersed within a fluidic and electrically conducting fluid medium and to be suspended from a rotating electrically conductive shaft unit connected to a first side of a power supply and configured to support at least one electrically conductive element within said electrically conductive fluid medium connected to the second side of said power supply, said shaft unit comprising:

an element support structure to support at least one of said elements, said element support structure including opposite aligned first and second end shaft members for a rotating support of said element support structure;
first and second suspension units connected to said shafts of said element support structure to support said fixture from said rotating electrically conductive shaft unit with the element support structure immersed within said electrically conductive fluid medium, a first of said suspension units being a flexible suspension unit including a first rotating member conductively fixed to a first of said end shaft members and a second spaced rotating member aligned with said first rotating member and forming a part of said rotating electrically conductive shaft unit, and a flexible electrically conductive belt member coupled to said first and second rotating members to support said fixture from said rotating electrically conductive shaft unit.

An apparatus for processing of parts within a barrel immersed in an e-coating medium and mounted within a conveyor unit;

comprising a barrel having a supporting shaft, a barrel support unit including a rotating shaft constructed for connection to an electrical ground and supported to lower and raise the barrel into and from a treatment tank, means to ground said rotating shaft, each said supporting shaft and said barrel shaft having a electrically conductive sprocket affixed to the respective shafts and having the sprocket members in alignment, and an electrically conductive endless chain members connected about said sprockets and supporting said barrel for rotation in response to rotation of said rotating shaft with said barrel including said support shaft within said e-coating medium, and driven gear connected to said rotating shaft, a driven gear coupled to said rotating shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Grounding system for rotating fixtures in electrically conductive mediums

Life of this patent

Grounding system for rotating fixtures in electrically conductive mediums

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26