Patent ID: 7837843

Claim:
A fixture for use in a coating operation which comprises: a support structure comprising a circular base member, a circular top member opposite the circular base member, and a plurality of structural members joining said top member to said base member; a plurality of panel members aligned in a vertical direction around the outer periphery of said support structure forming a cylinder structure, said panel members secured on said circular top member and said circular base member; said panel members including a plurality of apertures for holding workpieces to which a coating is to be applied, said apertures facing outwardly away from said support structure, and said apertures configured for receiving a portion of said workpieces that does not require coating; said panel members comprising a plurality of plate members, at least some of said plate members providing a barrier for segregating the internal volume of said apertures from the volume external to said apertures and for securing said workpieces in said apertures; and said apertures positioned on said panel members so that said workpieces are aligned in a vertical direction and a portion of the workpieces that requires coating extends into the volume external to said apertures and a portion of the workpieces that does not require coating is maintained within the internal volume of said apertures, so that there is essentially no direct communication between the internal volume of the apertures and the external volume of the apertures across said barrier.