Patent Publication Number: US-9850577-B1

Title: Metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc, especially to a metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc that improves working efficiency. 
     2. Description of the Prior Arts 
     Most of small size metal parts, such as screws, are made of iron, so the metal parts are prone to rust. In order to prevent rusting and improve antioxidant capacity, the metal parts may undergo a surface plating treatment with zinc for forming a protection layer on surfaces of the metal parts. The surface plating treatment with zinc is performed with a horizontal rotating device mounted with a stirring device, and the stirring device cooperates with a feeding conveyor and an unloading conveyor disposed on an outer periphery of the stirring device. The metal parts enter a barrel of the stirring device through the feeding conveyor. The stirring device is capable of adjusting an elevation angle of the barrel and rolling the barrel so that the metal parts are plated with zinc. During the plating, different chemicals are added. The horizontal rotating device is capable of turning the stirring device and adjusting an orientation of the barrel to let other auxiliary devices add the chemicals into the barrel. After finishing plating metal parts with zinc in the barrel, the horizontal rotating device turns the stirring device to orient to the unloading conveyor, and the stirring device adjusts the elevation angle of the barrel so that the metal parts in the barrel can be poured to the unloading conveyor. 
     However, each stirring device needs to cooperate with one horizontal rotating device. Besides, each one of a feeding conveyor, an unloading conveyor and an auxiliary device for adding chemicals cooperates with a respective stirring device individually. To improve production capacity by increasing the number of the stirring device, numbers of the horizontal rotating device, the auxiliary device, the feeding conveyor and the unloading conveyor are also increased. Thus, the whole apparatus occupy huge space and needs more manpower to operate, which decreases the working efficiency. 
     To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main objective of the present invention is to provide a metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc which overcomes the shortcomings of the conventional plating apparatus that occupies huge space and needs a lot of people to operate for improving productivity but decrease working efficiency, because one stirring device needs to cooperate with one horizontal rotating device, and each one of a feeding conveyor, an unloading conveyor and an auxiliary device cooperates with one respective stirring device individually. 
     The metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc has 
     a rotating device including
         a driving assembly comprising a driving gear,   a rotating assembly connected with and controlled by the driving assembly, and the rotating assembly including a sustaining pillar, and   a rotating seat mounted on the sustaining pillar and engaged with the driving gear; and   a plurality of stirring devices mounted on the rotating seat radially and spaced apart from each other.       

     Then, an outer periphery of the metal plating apparatus is disposed with a feeding device, an unloading device and a pouring auxiliary device. The rotating seat of the rotating device turns the stirring devices so that the stirring devices can shift position according to different working processes through the rotating device. Thus, the stirring devices on the rotating seat are capable of cooperating with the feeding device, the unloading device and the pouring auxiliary device, and plating metal parts with zinc automatically. So the metal plating apparatus improves both productivity and working efficiency, and decreases occupying space and the number of operating personnel. 
     Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the metal plating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the metal plating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an operational schematic view of the metal plating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one preferred embodiment of a metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc in accordance with the present invention is provided including a rotating device  10  and a plurality of stirring devices  20 . 
     The rotating device  10  includes a driving assembly  11  and a rotating assembly  12 . The driving assembly  11  comprises a driving gear  13 . The rotating assembly  12  is connected with and controlled by the driving assembly  11 . The rotating assembly  12  includes a sustaining pillar  14 , and the sustaining pillar  14  is mounted with a rotating seat  15  thereon. The rotating seat  15  is engaged with the driving gear  13 . The rotating seat  15  is divided into a plurality of radial working areas  18 , and each one of the working areas  18  is disposed with a sensor (not illustrated in the drawings) for detecting a location of the stirring device  20  that is mounted on the rotating seat  15 . The driving assembly  11  comprises a motor  16 , the motor  16  is connected with a reducer  17 , and the reducer  17  is connected with the driving gear  13 . The rotating seat  15  includes a tooth portion  151  at an outer surface of the rotating seat  15 , and the tooth portion  151  engages with the driving gear  13 . The rotating device  10  can adopt 360-degree-rotation power supply with an electric rail. The stirring devices  20  are mounted radially on the rotating seat  15  of the rotating device  10 , and the stirring devices  20  are spaced apart from each other. In accordance with  FIGS. 2 and 3 , each one of the stirring devices  20  includes a base  21 , a barrel assembly  22 , an elevation angle adjusting element  23  and a barrel rotating element  24 . The base  21  is mounted securely on the rotating seat  15 . The barrel assembly  22  is mounted on the base  21  and includes a barrel  25 . The barrel  25  forms an accommodating space  26  and an opening  27 . The accommodating space  26  is inside the barrel  25 , and the opening  27  is at an outer surface of the barrel  25 . The opening  27  communicates with the accommodating space  26 . The elevation angle adjusting element  23  is mounted on the base  21 , and a top end of the elevation angle adjusting element  23  is connected with the barrel assembly  22 . The barrel rotating element  24  is mounted on the base  21 , and the barrel rotating element  24  is connected with and drives the barrel assembly  22 . 
     The metal plating apparatus includes a plurality of erect pillars  30  and a viewing platform  31 . The erect pillars  30  are mounted around and surround the rotating assembly  12 , and the erect pillars  30  are spaced apart from each other. The viewing platform  31  is mounted on the erect pillars  30  and spaced apart from an outer periphery of the rotating seat  15 . At least one flight of stairs  32  is disposed on the viewing platform  31 . 
     According to  FIG. 1 , the rotating seat  15  of the metal plating apparatus is divided into eight working areas  18 , which sequentially are a first working area  18   a , a second working area  18   b , a third working area  18   c , a fourth working area  18   d , a fifth working area  18   e , a sixth working area  18   f , a seven working area  18   g  and an eighth working area  18   h . The metal plating apparatus comprises four stirring devices  20  mounted on the rotating seat  15 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , an outer periphery of the metal plating apparatus may be disposed with a peripheral supporting apparatus comprising an unloading device  40  disposed adjacent to the first working area  18   a , a feeding device  50  disposed adjacent to the third working area  18   c  and a pouring auxiliary device  60  disposed adjacent to the fourth working area  18   d . The unloading device  40  comprises an unloading conveyor and an unloading shaking table. The feeding device  50  comprises a feeding conveyor and a feeding shaking table. Then refer to  FIG. 4 , the four stirring devices  20  are divided into a first stirring device  20   a , a second stirring device  20   b , a third stirring device  20   c  and a fourth stirring device  20   d . When the first stirring device  20   a  is located at the first working area  18   a , the second stirring device  20   b  is located at the third working area  18   c , the third stirring device  20   c  is located at the fifth working area  18   e  and the fourth stirring device  20   d  is located at the seventh working area  18   g.    
     The first working area  18   a  of the metal plating apparatus performs an unloading task with a cooperation of the unloading device  40 ; the second working area  18   b  performs a bead pouring task with a cooperation of a water-bead tank; the third working area  18   c  performs a screw feeding task with a cooperation of the feeding device  50 ; the fourth working area  18   d  performs a pouring task of pouring initiator, hydrochloric acid, copper powder and stannous chloride with a cooperation of the pouring auxiliary device  60 ; the fifth working area  18   e , the sixth working area  18   f  and the seventh working area  18   g  perform a zinc powder titration task with a cooperation of a zinc powder titration pump; and the eighth working area  18   h  performs a washing task with a cooperation of a washing device. The beads are used as a medium, and diameters of the beads that are poured into the barrel  25  are different from each other. The hydrochloric acid is used for cleaning surfaces of the screws and promoting plating effect. 
     In accordance with  FIG. 4 , when the first stirring device  20   a  is located at the first working area  18   a , the first stirring device  20   a  performs an unloading action with a cooperation of the unloading device  40 . At the meantime, the second stirring device  20   b  is located at the third working area  18   c  and performs a feeding action with a cooperation of the feeding device  50 ; the third stirring device  20   c  is located at the fifth working area  18   c  and performs the zinc powder titration task; and the fourth stirring device  20   d  is located at the seventh working area  18   g  and performs the zinc powder titration task. 
     After the stirring devices  20  accomplish the tasks at the working areas  18 , the driving assembly  11  can work and drive the rotating seat  15  of the rotating assembly  12  so that the stirring devices  20  are shifted to the next working areas  18 . In other words, the first stirring device  20   a  is shifted to the second working area  18   b  and performs the bead pouring task, the second stirring device  20   b  is shifted to the fourth working area  18   d  and performs the pouring tasks of pouring initiator, hydrochloric acid, copper powder and stannous chloride, the third stirring device  20   c  is shifted to the sixth working area  18   f  and performs the zinc powder titration task, and the fourth stirring device  20   d  is shifted to the eighth working area  18   h  and performs the washing task. After the sensor detects the stirring devices  20  on the rotating seat  15  are at a right location, the driving assembly  11  stops turning the rotating seat  15 . When the tasks are finished, the driving assembly  11  turns the rotating seat  15  again. Time duration of each one of the stirring devices  20  staying at the working area  18  is approximately twelve minutes. 
     The elevation angle adjusting element  23  of each one of the stirring devices  20  is used for adjusting an elevation angle of the barrel  25  to suit with different tasks. The barrel rotating element  24  can roll the barrel  25  to mix the beads, the screws, the initiator and the zinc powder which are poured into the barrel  25 . Besides, the operators can walk onto the viewing platform  31  to check the operation in the barrel assembly  22 . 
     Consequently, the metal plating apparatus for plating metal with zinc comprises the stirring devices  20  mounted on the rotating seat  15  and the driving assembly  11  to rotate the rotating seat  15 , shifting the locations of the stirring device  20  to cooperate with the peripheral supporting apparatus. Thus, the present metal plating apparatus does not need to dispose a horizontal rotating device under each one of the stirring devices  20 , but allows each one of the stirring devices  20  to cooperate with the peripheral supporting apparatus alternately. Therefore, the present metal plating apparatus improves both productivity and working efficiency by decreasing occupied space and the number of operating personnel, and providing an automatic process. 
     Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.