JPH0249826B2 - EKITAINYORUBUTSUPINNOSHORISOCHI - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating articles with liquids or gases, and is particularly developed for handling porous articles during impregnation processes using liquid impregnating agents. Ta. Although the present invention is applicable to the treatment of porous articles such as wood, metal castings,
It was developed primarily for impregnating cylinder blocks and other castings used particularly in the automotive industry. The invention is also particularly useful in processing sintered metal articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various configurations of devices have been proposed for impregnating porous articles, some of which are described in my UK Patent Application Nos. 2049751, 2072231. In order to ensure good penetration of the liquid impregnating agent into the pores of the article, after the article is exposed to vacuum, it is immersed in the impregnating agent while still under vacuum, and then the impregnating agent is penetrated into the pores by atmospheric pressure. It is desirable to release the vacuum as it is pressed. The article is then removed from the impregnant, rinsed to remove excess impregnant, and vulcanized (in the case of hot vulcanizable acrylic resin impregnators of the type to which this invention is primarily concerned). undergoes heat treatment. Due to the difficulty of moving articles within a sealed vacuum chamber, conventional methods generally operated on the principle of introducing the impregnating agent into the vacuum chamber after the vacuum was drawn. The applicant has invented an improved method for loading and unloading articles to be impregnated into a vacuum chamber and for allowing the articles to be moved up and down into and out of the impregnating agent tank within the vacuum chamber. . In the form of the invention described in detail below, the article is rotatable about a horizontal axis while still in an upper position within the vacuum chamber to remove excess impregnating agent by gravity and centrifugal forces. It is. This not only cleans the article, but also reduces the loss of impregnating agent, with excess impregnating agent dripping directly back into the tank. Although a single item may be processed, more usually
Several small items are packed into wire mesh baskets for simultaneous processing. The term "article" is intended to encompass such simultaneous processing of several articles.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,986 (Judehei) describes an apparatus for impregnating metal castings in which a carrier of the casting is placed vertically within a vacuum chamber such that the casting is lowered into the impregnating agent after a vacuum is drawn. It is movable and can be rotated about a vertical axis after returning to the upper position in order to remove excess impregnating agent by centrifugal force. However, rotation about a vertical axis is more effective at removing air entrapment during immersion than rotation about a horizontal axis as in the present invention because the direction of the action of gravity on the article changes as the article rotates. Less effective at removing excess saturant. Furthermore, it is easier to balance loads symmetrically about the axis of rotation using the present invention.

Another advantage of the apparatus of the present invention, as described in detail below, is that it includes a plurality of processing stations from which articles to be processed can be indexed. Because articles are processed within the closed chamber of each station, the indexing mechanism must be withdrawn from the chamber when the chamber is closed. Hydraulic pushers aligned with the article path, such as those used by Judei, are capable of ejecting articles from the chamber at the same time as they are unloading unprocessed articles to be loaded while discharging processed articles. It cannot be used to load objects into the chamber. With Judei's device,
The hydraulic pusher must be reciprocated twice;
Once to push the processed articles out of the carrier and once to push the unprocessed articles. In the apparatus described below, the problem is to use a pusher arm in a retracted position that is movable laterally into the path of the articles directly behind each article and in a retracted position from the path. The solution is to provide a pusher arm that passes through a longitudinal slot that is suitably aligned.

GB Patent Application No. 2015601 describes a horizontal cylindrical pressure vessel for impregnating timber (Figure 3), which houses a longitudinal support structure rotatable about its axis. The structure consists of three
It has two parallel passages, and the lumber is loaded and discharged through the end doors of the container. However, no device is provided for rotating the timber about its own longitudinal axis.

According to one aspect, the invention provides a holder for an article;
a device for rotating the holder;
and a device for loading and/or discharging an article into a holder and/or discharging an article from the holder in a direction along the axis of rotation, the article loading and discharging device being arranged on the side. and a entrainment member for engaging the article from the section, the entrainment member being enterable into the holder at one or more predetermined rotational positions.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a cage having perforated end plates open at least at one end and rotatable about a generally horizontal axis; and a device for loading and/or unloading articles having a longitudinally movable member arranged to pass through a slot in the at least one end plate, the member preferably having a radial To provide an article handling device that can be retracted in a direction.

According to another aspect, the invention comprises the use of a entraining member that laterally entrains the article and is enterable into the holder at one or more predetermined rotational positions, the axis of which is substantially parallel to the direction of indexing. A method is provided for indexing an article between processing stations in which the article is rotated in a holder about which the article is rotated.

According to still other aspects, the invention provides a generally horizontal cage that is open at at least one end for loading and/or discharging articles, and rotating the cage about a first generally horizontal axis that extends axially through the cage. An article handling device is provided, comprising: a device; and a device for moving a cage up and down about a substantially horizontal second axis. Preferably, the device comprises a liquid container device in which the cage is immersed in its lower position.

According to another aspect, the invention comprises: a processing enclosure; a holder for articles mounted within the enclosure for rotation relative to the enclosure about a substantially horizontal axis;
a device for rotating a holder within the enclosure and stopping rotation of the holder at a predetermined rotational position, the article rotating with the holder such that the article can be loaded through one end of the passageway and loaded through the other end of the passageway; The holder defines a generally horizontal path for receiving the article, and further includes a pusher arm extending into the article path, the pusher arm removing the processed article from the holder. the holder is movable along the passageway for a purpose, the holder having a longitudinal opening at one position, the position corresponding to the position of the pusher arm in the predetermined rotational position; is enterable into the holder for discharging the treated articles, the longitudinal opening extending from said one end of the passageway along at least a substantial proportion of the length of the holder for treating articles with a liquid. provide.

More generally, the invention provides an enclosure for carrying out the treatment;
a holder for an article mounted within the enclosure for rotation relative to the enclosure about a substantially horizontal axis; and a device for rotating the holder, the article rotating with the holder such that the axis of rotation passes through the passageway; such that the holder defines a generally horizontal passageway open at at least one end for receiving the article and further includes means for moving the holder between an upper position and a lower position, the holder The enclosure is rotatable in position so that when the holder is in the lower position, the articles can be immersed in the liquid, providing an arrangement for treating the articles with the liquid that is formed.

The present invention also includes an openable and closable container for processing and a carrier device within the container that transports a holder of articles and rotates relative to the container about a generally central, generally horizontal axis; The carrier device is
An apparatus for treating articles with liquid is provided which is swingable between an upper position and a lower position about another substantially horizontal axis.

An embodiment of the invention will be described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

Embodiment Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention has an autoclave station A, a washing station B, and a vulcanization station C connected by a carriage path D, and includes a casting or a basket containing the casting. is moved along carriage path D by indexing mechanism E in a manner to be described in detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the autoclave station A includes an autoclave 1 having a lower member 2 and an upper member 3.
is shown in the open position in FIGS. 2 and 3. The lower member 2 is fixed and has a semicircular channel-like gutter 6
and two vertical end walls, one of which is indicated at 7, with a horizontal rectangular flange 5. The flange 5 has a groove into which an elastic sealing strip 11 is fitted. The upper member 3 has a similar construction with a flange 5', a trough 6' and an end wall 7', but with mating flanges 5, 5'.
can be pivoted downwardly by the shaft 9 to provide a closed autoclave as shown in dashed lines.
A pair of arms 12, 13 are fixed to the shaft 9, and one arm 12 is in the shape of a bell crank lever. The other arm 13 is similar to the upper part 15 of the lever 12, but without the lower part 16. The shaft 9 is supported on suitable bearings and extends almost the entire length of the device. A pair of brackets 17 extend from the end wall 7' of the upper member 3,
Axis 19 around which the upper ends of arms 12, 13 can pivot
to be fixed and held. Each arm also has a lug 21 welded on the inside between shafts 19 and 9. A bolt 22 passes through a threaded bore in each lug 21 and attaches to the upper member 3 at the location shown in solid line in FIG.
engages wall 6' of. As shown by the chain line, bolt 2
2 is spaced from wall 6' to allow flange 5' to properly seat seal 11 when the autoclave is closed. Lower part 16 of arm 12
is pivoted at 24 to the clevis 25 of the piston rod 26 of a hydraulic piston cylinder assembly 28, which is pivoted at its lower end to the frame of the apparatus. Thus, extension of assembly 28 closes the autoclave and contraction opens the autoclave. A vacuum line (not shown) may provide a vacuum in the upper part of the autoclave, and the lower member 2, in use, allows the level of liquid above the casting to be impregnated when the casting is in the lowered position. As shown, it is almost filled with liquid impregnating agent.

The basket 30 containing the castings is shown diagrammatically in phantom in FIG. 3 and has a frame that is square in end view and rectangular in plan and side elevation;
The remainder of the wall is completed by netting. The basket 30 consists of two circular flanged end plates joined by four tie rods 34 and a pair of rails 35 at the two lower corners of a central square loading/unloading opening 37 of the plate 33. It is housed for impregnation purposes in a cage 32 formed by 33, and corresponding pairs of rails 36 are provided at the two upper corners. Each pair of rails 35, 36 consists of two rails coupled one to each side of the square opening 37 adjacent the corners. Each plate 33 has an opening 3 from its periphery to aid in loading and unloading as described below.
7 and has a radial slot 38 extending to the upper corner of the hole. Each plate 33 is rotatably supported by a respective C-shaped yoke 40 which is fitted with six symmetrically arranged freely rotatable rollers 41 which engage the periphery of the respective plate 33. Yoke 40 engages the inside of plate 33 to axially position cage 32, and the use of six rollers ensures proper centering even when the rollers are opposed to slot 38. A gear ring 43 having a radial slot therethrough at a location corresponding to slot 38 is fixed to plate 33 on the left in FIG. Left yoke 40
Two gears 44, which are freely rotatably mounted on the short shafts 45 of the
Also install. Gear 44 is gear 4 of drive shaft 46.
Permanently interlocks with 2. The drive shaft 46 is connected to the yoke 40
and end wall 7, and serves not only to rotate the cage 32, but also to support the yoke 40 and cage 32 in a cantilevered manner within the autoclave, the yoke 40 being connected to the tie rods 47. connected by. Therefore, the pivoting movement of the yoke 40 from the upper solid line position to the lower chain line position is independent of the rotation of the cage 32, and the drive shaft 46 is fixed to the two yokes and rotates both end walls 7. It has a relatively rotatable sleeve (not shown) therethrough. The sleeve is operated by an arm 48 that is coupled to a hydraulic piston cylinder assembly similar to piston assembly 28. axis 46
is driven via a double V-belt pulley 49 by a "piggyback" motor system having selectively operable high speed and low speed motors.
The purpose of having two gears 44 is to maintain drive and gear tooth alignment when the slot in gear ring 43 opposes one gear 44.

The indexing mechanism E, which pushes the basket 30 horizontally along the carriage path D to simultaneously load and unload the basket 30 at three stations A, B, and C, is shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 (opposite in FIG. 2). It includes an assembly 50 which is pivotable between the working position shown and the retracted position shown in phantom. Multiple brackets 51
each is pivotally connected to the frame at its lower end by a pivot 52, and the bracket 51 may be moved between two positions by a hydraulic piston cylinder assembly 53, the rod 54 of the assembly 53 , are pivotally connected to the lugs of one bracket 51. Bracket 5
1 is a channel 5 provided at the top of each
6 and connected by a beam 55 that fits into the frame 6. The channel 56 extends longitudinally to hold the beam 55 more firmly by a plate 57 welded to the back of the bracket 51 and a plate 58 welded to the entirety of the bracket 51 and bolted to the beam 55. . The beam 55 is fitted with a pair of longitudinal circular rails 59 and has a vertical face plate 6 welded to its free end.
The four pusher plates 61 having the number 2 are movable along the rail 59 by a hydraulic piston cylinder assembly 63. Each plate 61 has on its underside three grooved rollers 65 which engage the outside of the rail 59 and are connected by an inverted T-section beam 67 welded to the plate 61. Concatenated.

Hydraulic piston cylinder assembly 63 is secured at one end to left side bracket 51 by a pivot connection 66 as shown in FIG. A rod 68 of assembly 63 passes through a hole in an extension 69 depending from one of the pusher plates 61 and is secured at its threaded end by a lock nut 63. The compression spring 71 has an extension 69 and a slidable collar 72.
The collar 72 is abutable against the end of the cylinder of the assembly 63. Thus, when mechanism E is operated to move pusher plate 61 to the left, spring 71 is compressed and the operable end of plate 61 is moved toward the respective processing station to properly position the basket. It is possible to enter only a short distance. Upon removal of hydraulic pressure, spring 71 serves to move pusher plate 61 a short distance rearwardly so that it is lifted away from the processing station and into a retracted position. When the rod 68 is extended with the mechanism in the retracted position, it pushes the carriage 73, which includes the pusher plate 61, the roller 65, and the beam 67 connecting the pusher plates, to the right by a distance corresponding to the distance between the plates 61. .

Carriage path D includes a pair of L-shaped rails 75 that provide upright guide flanges on the sides of the carriage path to help support and guide the baskets 30 as they pass through the apparatus.
Basket 30 is sized to slide between the flanges. The rail 75 is connected to the cage 32
vertically and horizontally aligned with the pair of rails 35, but stopping short of the flange 5, so that when the autoclave is opened, the basket can be slid into or out of the autoclave without difficulty.

Washing station B is similar to autoclave station A except that, in operation, the lower member is filled with cold water instead of impregnating agent. Alternatively or additionally, a cold water spray may be provided on the upper member. Although independent controls may be provided for raising, lowering, and rotating the cage, it is convenient to control the cage at station B by extending the shaft and sleeve of station A to station B. . Vulcanization station C is also similar, but here the yoke is fixed, so the cage is not raised or lowered. However, the cage is rotated by an axis as in stations A, B.
In station C, the fixed lower member of the chamber has an upwardly directed hot air inlet duct at its end and a downwardly directed hot air outlet duct in the middle, the hot air being normal air. Supplied by heater and fan equipment. Alternatively, a hot water jet may be used.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a portion of FIG. 3, showing the device 80 for ensuring when the cage 32 is stopped, the slot 38 being aligned with the operative position of the pusher plate 61. The apparatus 80 has a plate 82 mounted on each of the three brackets 51 opposite the center of the processing station. The plate 82 is the lever 8
It has a horizontal pin 84 to which 6 is pivotally attached. The lever 86 has a jaw 87 at one end.
is held against an abutment block 88 which is welded to plate 82 as shown in FIG. At the other end 85,
Lever 86 is capable of operating proximity switches 89, 90 at the respective end of its pivoting movement. The lever 86 is biased toward its central position by a pair of compression springs 92, 93 on a rod 95 to which the plate 82 is pivoted at 96. A collar 98 slidable on rod 95 is pivotally mounted to lever 86, the end 85 of lever 86 being in the form of two parallel plates to accommodate collar 98. In operation, the cage 32 initially stops at a random position and the upper member of each station is raised and
The indexing mechanism is moved to its operative position. The cage 32 is then moved as shown in FIG. Rotated in the direction of the arrow. When the indexing mechanism returns to the retracted position, the jaw 8
The direction of movement of 7 is such that the jaw 87 moves away from the abutment 88, which allows it to be freed from the extension 99.

The upper members of all three stations are opened, and the baskets of all three stations are
During operation with another basket waiting to be loaded into the impregnation station, the cylinder 63
is actuated to move the pusher plate 61 to the right-hand position, and the indexing mechanism 50 is pivoted by the cylinder 53 into a working position with the pusher plate 61 directly behind the basket. Next, the cylinder 63
are actuated to move the pusher plate 61 forward a distance so as to move each basket to the position previously occupied by the previous one. The cylinder 53 then pivots the indexing mechanism 50 back to the retracted position, the three upper members are closed, and the action of the three stations proceeds. Vacuum is drawn into the autoclave at station A and the cage is then lowered into the impregnating agent. It is desirable to rotate the cage, for example at 2 rpm, to prevent air entrapment when being lowered and into the impregnating agent. The vacuum is then broken and, after a short soaking time, the cage is returned to the upper position and rotated, for example at 100 rpm, to remove excess impregnating agent.

The rotation is then stopped, the autoclave is opened, and the indexing mechanism is moved to its working position.
The motor is then reversed to secure the cage in the correct position as described above. Alternatively, the car may be stopped in position by a detector device such as a proximity switch on the bracket that detects a particular tie bar. The cycle may then be repeated. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation of the cage is the same at all three stations, the movement of the upper member is the same at all three stations, and the vertical movement of the cage is the same at stations A, B. are identical (but not at station C). In some cases, a single item, such as an engine cylinder block, is impregnated and the shape of the cage and the arrangement of the rails within the cage are changed accordingly.

The ease of rotating the articles about a horizontal axis in the liquid to minimize air entrapment, the ease of centrifugally removing excess liquid in the upper position by rotation about the horizontal axis, and the ease of centrifugally removing excess liquid in the upper position by rotation about the horizontal axis, and the use of spacers between the articles. Among the advantages of the above-mentioned arrangement is the arrangement of the pushers, which allows the precise placement of each article on the production line without having to set up a pusher.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is basically similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, but is significantly simplified. Further, although there is an autoclave station A, a washing station B, and a vulcanization station C, the carriage path D and the indexing mechanism E are omitted. Alternatively, loading and unloading is performed by a conventional overhead hoist (not shown). The hoist runs on rails and has a hook of 30
1 is attached to the lower end of the chain 300. A cage 2 basically similar to the cage 32 described above.
32 has a ring 303, the hook 301 is engageable with the cage 232 through the ring 303 for lifting and lowering the cage 232, and the hook 301
Figures, not shown in Figure 6) are left entirely within the cage. Autoclave station A, best shown in FIG. 6, includes a lower member 202, an upper member 203, and a cooperating flange 205 similar to those described above. As shown in FIG. 6, a portion of each yoke 240 is pivotable outwardly through an arc limited to the solid line position shown.
This means that the hoist is connected to the cage 232 such that the gear ring of the cage 232 engages the drive gear as described above.
is allowed to descend into yoke 240. When the yoke 240 is swung downward to the position indicated by the chain line,
A roller 310 fixed to a bracket 311 on the autoclave wall so as to rotate freely is connected to the yoke 2.
40 presses each yoke portion 305 into a position that firmly holds cage 232. Preferably, yoke portion 305 is spring biased to the solid line position shown in FIG. Cage 232 may then be rotated as described above. Cage 232 may be rotated in the upper position as it is retained within yoke 240 by gravity. When the cage 232 is to be transferred to the next station, the upper member 20
3 is opened and the cage 232 is lifted out by the engagement between the ring 303 and the hook 301. The hoist then transports the cage 232 to the next processing station.

In another embodiment of the invention (not shown), the processing station as described above is modified in such a way that the cage is open only at one end and is therefore loaded and unloaded via this open end. Loading may be carried out by a pusher member operated by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder outside the processing station, and discharge is carried out through the container wall corresponding to the closed end of the cage. This may also be done by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, with the pusher member extendable through a small opening in the closed end. The container need not be of the two-piece shell type described above; it is sufficient to provide a closed container with a door in the side wall for loading and unloading the basket.

The invention is not limited to impregnation processes, but has application to processes such as washing, anodizing and etching.

Although certain features have been highlighted above, the present invention comprises:
This extends to any novel combinations of features disclosed herein.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a schematic top view of the impregnating apparatus according to the invention with the support frame member omitted for clarity; FIG. 3 is a plan view of the autoclave station A of the apparatus; FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken along line - of the autoclave station of FIG.
The figures show a detailed view of a portion of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 a rear elevational view of a second embodiment of the impregnating device according to the invention, and FIG. 6 a sectional view taken along the line - of FIG. 1...Autoclave, 2,202...Lower member, 3,203...Upper member, 32,232...
Cage, 37... Charge/discharge opening, 38... Slot, 40, 240... C-shaped yoke, 42, 44
... Gear, 43 ... Gear ring, 46 ... Drive shaft, 49 ... Double V-belt pulley, 53, 63 ...
... Hydraulic piston cylinder assembly, 61 ... Pusher plate, 80 ... Stop guarantee device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An enclosure for carrying out processing, a holder for an article mounted within the enclosure so as to rotate relative to the enclosure about a substantially horizontal axis, and a holder for holding the holder within the enclosure. a device for rotating and a device for stopping the rotation of the holder at a predetermined rotational position, the article being loadable through one end of the passageway and the other end of the passageway so that the article rotates with the holder; the holder defines a generally horizontal passageway for receiving the article, such that the holder is ejectable through an end;
further comprising a pusher arm extending into the article passageway, the pusher arm being simultaneously movable along the passageway to remove treated articles from the holder and supply untreated articles to the holder. and the holder has a longitudinal opening at a position corresponding to the position of the pusher arm at the predetermined rotational position, so that one pusher arm can open the pusher arm to eject the processed article. A device for processing articles with a liquid that can be inserted into a holder. 2. A device is provided for moving the pusher arm between an active position within the passageway and a retracted position outside the passageway, and for moving the pusher arm longitudinally between a forward position and a rearward position. The processing device according to item 1. 3. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the axis passes through the passage. 4. A processing device according to claim 3, wherein the passageway is symmetrical about the axis. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder is movable between an upper position where the article can be loaded and discharged and a lower position where the article can be immersed in liquid. 6. Processing device according to claim 5, comprising means for rotating the holder at different speeds such that the holder can rotate at a higher speed in its upper position than in its lower position. 7. Claims in which the holder is rotatably supported by a generally C-shaped member, the C-shaped opening corresponding to the longitudinal opening when the holder is in the predetermined position. The processing device according to item 6. 8. The processing device according to claim 7, wherein the C-shaped member is rotatably mounted so as to be swingable between an upper position and a lower position. 9. Processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the C-shaped member is supported by an axis also arranged to rotate the holder therein. 10. The processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the shaft has a gear thereon and the holder has a gear ring thereon interrupted by the longitudinal opening. 11. Processing device according to claim 10, wherein the gear on the shaft drives the gear ring via two gears of a C-shaped member to maintain reliable drive despite the interruption. . 12. The processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the C-shaped member is swingable by a sleeve on the shaft. 13. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure includes an openable and closable container, and the device for rotating the holder is operable from outside the container. 14. The processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the container is an autoclave, and the treatment is an impregnation treatment. 15. Processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the autoclave has a lid that is movable upwardly to open it and bring it closer laterally to the holder. 16. Processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of enclosures, at least one of which is said enclosure, through which articles are indexed sequentially. 17. The processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said passageway has a substantially uniform cross section. 18. A carrier device disposed within the container for carrying an openable container for processing and a holder for the article for rotating the article relative to the container about a generally central, generally horizontal axis. and wherein the carrier device is pivotable about another substantially horizontal axis between an upper position and a lower position, and the carrier device supports each end of the holder. two C-shaped members, the openings of the C-shaped members being directed upwardly to allow the holder to be lowered into the C-shaped members when the carrier device is swung to the upper position; the C-shaped member is in an open position when the carrier device is swung to an upper position for receiving the holder and grips the holder when the carrier device is swung to a lower position. Apparatus for treating articles with liquids having a pivoted part in a closed position for use. 19. A shaft is provided along the further axis, and the carrier device is swingable about the shaft from outside the container when the container is closed;
19. Processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein rotation of this axis from outside the container is arranged to rotate the holder. 20 comprising an enclosure for carrying out processing, a holder for articles mounted within the enclosure for rotation relative to the enclosure about a substantially horizontal axis, and a device for rotating the holder; defines a generally horizontal passageway of substantially uniform cross-section open at at least one end for receiving an article, the article rotating with the holder and having an axis of rotation passing through the passageway; and a device for swinging the holder between an upper position and a lower position about another axis substantially parallel to the substantially horizontal axis, the holder being oscillated in both of these positions. The enclosure is rotatable, and the enclosure is adapted to allow the article to be immersed in liquid when the holder is in the lower position and to allow the article to be fed into the holder when the holder is in the upper position. Apparatus for processing articles comprising a liquid configured to be removed from a holder. 21 said enclosure comprises an openable/closable container, said container being opened when said holder is in said upper position;
21. A processing apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein said articles are adapted to be fed into and removed from said holder. 22 a shaft is provided along said further axis, said carrier device being swingable about said shaft from outside said container when said container is closed; 22. The processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the rotation of the holder rotates the holder. 23 the passageway is open at both ends, and the article is fed to one end of the holder;
22. The processing device of claim 21, further adapted to be removed from the other end of the holder. 24 an enclosure for carrying out the process; a holder for articles mounted within said enclosure for rotation relative to said enclosure about a substantially horizontal axis; a device for stopping rotation of the holder at a rotational position such that the article rotates with the holder;
The holder defines a generally horizontal passageway for receiving the article such that the article can be loaded through one end of the passageway and ejected through the other end of the passageway; a pusher arm extending into a path of articles, the pusher arm being movable along the path for removing processed articles from the holder, and the holder being in the predetermined rotational position when the pusher arm is movable along the path; a longitudinal opening at a position corresponding to the position of the holder, whereby the pusher arm is enterable into the holder to eject a processed article; Apparatus for treating articles with a liquid extending from said one end of the passageway along at least a substantial proportion of its length.