Patent ID: 7601221

Claim:
Device for hot dip coating a metal strand ( 1 ), said device comprising a tank ( 3 ) that contains the molten coating metal ( 2 ) and an upstream guide channel ( 4 ) such that a metal strand ( 1 ) can be guided vertically through the guide channel ( 4 ) and the tank ( 3 ) thereby coating the metal strand ( 1 ) with at least two inductors ( 5 ) for generating an electromagnetic field, which are installed on both sides of the metal strand ( 1 ) in the area of the guide channel ( 4 ) in order to keep the coating metal ( 2 ) in the coating tank ( 3 ), comprising sealing means ( 7 , 7 ′) arranged above the guide channel ( 4 ) in the bottom area ( 6 ) of the coating tank ( 3 ), wherein the sealing means ( 7 , 7 ′) can be positioned in a first position, in which the molten coating metal ( 2 ) can be released to flow to the metal strand ( 1 ) and/or to the guide channel ( 4 ), and in a second position, in which the flow of molten coating metal ( 2 ) to the metal strand ( 1 ) and/or to the guide channel ( 4 ) can be interrupted, and wherein the sealing means ( 7 , 7 ′) are designed as a weir that can be moved relative to the bottom area ( 6 ) of the coating tank ( 3 ), wherein the weir has two interacting parts ( 7 , 7 ′), and further comprising operating mechanisms ( 11 ) operative to move the parts ( 7 , 7 ′) perpendicular to the surface of the metal strand ( 1 ) and to the direction of conveyance of the metal strand and parallel to the bottom wall of the coating tank ( 3 ).