Patent ID: 7662438

Claim:
Device for hot dip coating a metal strand ( 1 ), in which the metal strand ( 1 ) is passed vertically through a coating tank ( 3 ) that contains the molten coating metal ( 2 ) and through a guide channel ( 4 ) upstream of the coating tank, with at least two inductors ( 5 ) installed on both sides of the metal strand ( 1 ) in the area of the guide channel ( 4 ) for generating an electromagnetic field in order to keep the molten coating metal ( 2 ) in the coating tank ( 3 ), and with at least two supplementary coils ( 6 ) installed on both sides of the metal strand ( 1 ) for generating an electromagnetic field superposed on the electromagnetic field of the inductors ( 5 ) in order to stabilize the metal strand ( 1 ) in a central position in the guide channel ( 4 ), comprising measuring devices ( 7 , 7 ′, 7 ″, 8 , 9 ) for measuring the position (s, s′, s″) of the metal strand ( 12 ) in the guide channel ( 4 ), the induced current (I Ind ) in the inductors ( 5 ), and the induced current ( Korr ) in the supplementary coils ( 6 ) and by automatic control devices ( 10 ) that are suitable for controlling the induced current (I Korr ) in the supplementary coils ( 6 ) as a function of the measured parameters (s, s′, s″, I Ind , I Korr ) in order to keep the metal strand ( 1 ) in a central position in the guide channel ( 4 ), such that the supplementary coils ( 6 ) are installed within the extent of the inductors ( 5 ), as viewed in the direction of conveyance (R) of the metal strand ( 1 ).