Patent GB-129133-A (GB)
Title: Automatic Rotary Dipping Machine.
Inventor: PEARSON ALFRED
IPC: B31B1/74
Filed: 1918-07-16
Abstract: 129,133. Pearson, A. July 16, 1918. Coating-machines.-A machine for coating or impregnating articles by dipping them in fluids such as dyes, paints, or waxes, and particularly for dipping in wax, draining, and drying cardboard containers, comprises a shoot 1, Fig. 1, from which the articles are taken one by one by a conveyer 3 and transferred to a dipping conveyer 4 which passes them through a bath 5 of molten wax, a draining-closet 6, a drying-closet 7, and a cooling-closet 8, where they are acted on by a blast of cooled air, finally releasing them at the head of a delivery shoot 9, where a counting-wheel 47 is mounted. The shoot 1 is provided with a secondary channel 25, Fig. 2, in case of failure of the supply in the normal channel, the mouth of the channel 25 being closed by a weighted shutter 26 held in position by a trigger plate 27 which rests on the containers travelling up on the conveyer 3. When the supply fails, the trigger plate drops to release the shutter 26, and may be arranged to give a warning. The conveyer 3 comprises two parallel chains passing round spur-wheels 11 and bridged at intervals by rods 13 having uprights 15 provided with pairs of carrying-arms 17, 18, the trailing pair 17 being fixed, and the leading pair 18 being mounted on a rocking spindle 19 so that they can be opened to receive a container and release it by means of a depending arm 20 having a wheel 21 to co-act with a cam-rail 22. The ends 24 of the arms 17 are bent back to form, with the adjacent ends of the arms 18 when open, a continuous line to prevent the containers 2 from falling between two carriers. The conveyer 4 comprises two chains 29 passing over suitable spur-wheels and guide-pulleys and having frames 30, Fig. 9, provided with pivoted grip-arms 31 carrying pivoted star-shaped wire gripping ends 36. The ends 38 of the wire are bent inwards and are adapted to enter the ends of a container 2 and hold it with a minimum area of contact, projecting tips 39 serving to guide away superfluous wax and rotate the containers when passing through the drying- closet. The other ends of the arms 31 have rollers 33 which engage cams 35 at the proper times to open the arms to engage and release a container. The parts of the conveyer 4 adjacent the dipping-pan are mounted on a pivoted frame 53 adjustable in height by means of a screw 55 for varying the depth of dipping or for lifting the mechanism completely out of the wax. The frame 56, with the wheels mounted thereon, slides on the frame 53, being moved by a screw 57; this allows adjustment of the time of immersion of the containers in the wax. The draining and drying closets 6, 7 are closed as completely as possible, and are suitably heated by steam-pipes, provision being made in the draining-closet 6 for the collection of any wax that may fall. At the point of release, the containers are engaged by two bowed springs 46 which press them into the delivery shoot 9. The dipping-pan 5, Fig. 11, is a steam-jacketed trough divided by steam-jacket partitions 40 into compartments through one of which the conveyer 4 passes. There may be a conveyer to each compartment carrying containers of different sizes. Either of the compartments has a float controlling the admission of fluid from the remaining compartments, the walls of which extend to a greater height. In this compartment, which is supplied with solid wax, is mounted a spindle 42 carrying a broad blade 43. The spindle 42 is connected with gear for setting the apparatus in motion, so that the machine cannot be started until all the wax in the compartment is melted. According to the Provisional Specification 11606/18, the chain-wheels of the conveyer 4 near the pan 5 have hollow heated axles to pre. vent their being clogged with wax.