Patent ID: 10011905

Abstract:
The present invention relates to a facility for the continuous vacuum deposition of a metal coating on a substrate in motion, comprising a vacuum deposition enclosure (24), at least one vapor jet deposition head (25,26) connected to an evaporator pot (9) designed to contain the coating metal in liquid form (11), through a vapor supply pipe (20) provided with a distribution valve (19), and a melting furnace (1) for said metal, said furnace being at atmospheric pressure, located below the lowest portion of the evaporator pot (9) and connected to the evaporator pot (9) by at least one automatic supply pipe (8) of the evaporator pot (9) provided with a supply pump (6) and by at least one liquid metal return pipe (8A,18) optionally provided with a valve (16,17), regulating means for the supply pump (6) further being present to regulate a determined liquid metal level in the evaporator pot (9), characterized in that it comprises, in each said supply and return pipes (8; 8A,18), a so-called heat valve area (7,13,15) provided with a heating device and a cooling device to obtain a regulated temperature, independent of that of the melting furnace (1), that prevailing in the remaining portion of said pipes (8,8A,18) and in the evaporator pipe (9), to melt or solidify the metal found in that location.