US1266669A

US1266669A - Coating-machine.

Info

Publication number: US1266669A
Application number: US72423212A
Authority: US
Inventors: Felix Eberhart
Original assignee: American Can Co
Current assignee: Primerica Inc
Priority date: 1912-10-07
Filing date: 1912-10-07
Publication date: 1918-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1935-05-21

Description

F. E BERHAHT.. commu/MACHINE.

APPLCATION FILED OCT. 7, 1912.

Pmmlbed MW ZLNN.

'init maenner, or Newman;

new. pensier, nfssien'on ro or new Yoan, n. iz.; a conroiaarroii or New massi,

coiiniriidcnmie.

incassa.

To allwhom zm'ay concerm Be it known 'that LFELIX EBERHART, a

citizen of'V the United States, 'residing in" Newark, in lthe county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a' new and use? ful Improvement in Coating-Machines,foff

' J "andl covered by an openmesh wire or gauze f wire or gauze 13 being small enough to vprevent the smallest size can ends or other articles to'be coated from falling therethrough, and yet `adaptedto support and -retain vthe can ends or other exposed, no matter fhow irregularly or :disorderly arwhich the followingis a specicatioin This invention .relates to improvements inicoating machines such as are adapted to coatl either by spraying orv otherwisecan vends An objectof the invention-is to provide a coating machine which is adapted to coat' or spray can ends of different sizes without-v i' the necessity ofadjusting any of theparts or without addition to or elimination'oil parts.-

Another obJect of the inventlon 1s to provide a coating machine ofthe type above indicated, in which Vthe coating or spraying of the can ends 'or other articles is done vunder a hoOd which is provided with means for exhausing o r withdrawingjthe volatile fumes which commonly arise from coating for lacquering materials such as are used or coating can ends.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tank for collecting the heavy yor solid parts of the coating material which drop through the conveyer or between the 'interstices of the can ends, thus effecting a sav-4 ing inmaterial and cost of operation.

The invention furthermore consists in thev improvements inthe parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts'a'nd'devices herein shown, described or claimed... l.

In .the drawing forming a partof thisspecicatiomFigure .1 illustrates one form of a machine embodying'my improvements, the same' being partly: in elevation l and partly in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a ,lon-

.gitudinah sectional view, taken approximately on a plane coincidingwith the yupper face oi the conveyer,.'showing iny full lines a number of can ends regularly disposed on'.

the conveyer, and in dottedlines, a Inumber. of can 'ends irregularly distributed andarw. ranged on the conveyer. Fig. 3 is an en-Q larged, detail, sectional view, taken` sub: stantially Von the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is adetail, enlarged view of av portion of the improved form of conveyer.

lin the drawing, denotes the endless conveyer carried by and supportedonconspecificati@ @f ieftiersraimf I application med @meer 7, wie. senti no. 'reirse'.

Patented 'May 21,

lurality

lof link members

12, 12, pivota ly ,connected together 13, 'the mesh of the articles with one facesof each ranged thereon.

amienionivgcnn colvirniir,

70 1 placed'` upon the conveyer either" by an op-5' er'ator or, as shown in the drawing, by allowing the same to feed thereon down a chute' 14 leading from a can end punching or other machine.- The conveyer 1'0, with the can ends or other articles thereon, is

adpted'to pass lthrough an `incloscol hood latter being provided at` or chamber 15, the

the bottom athereof with a collecting 1 tank l16, adapted to be emptied or drained as by means of a' drain cock' 17. lln the top of vthe hood are placed two coatingdevices 18, which, as' shown, are in the form of spraying heads provided with adjustable valves 19, each spray head beingsupplied with thev lacquer or otherl material from a supply tank-' by means of a pipe 21. Fo-r causing the coating material to spray in the manner shown by the dotted-lines in Fig. 1,"

each -spray 'head lis connected toa suitable source of compressed air (not shown) by means of auf air tube 22. For conducting od' or exhausting the volatile' fumes which arise from the coating. material the hood lxisg provided with a pair of outlets-23 the gases or fumes being exhausted to the After the can ends or otherarticles have communicating `with `the exhaust pipe 24,

been' coated, `the same are preferablyl conveyed through a .drying'oven 26 through which the endless conveyer passes.

vAfter l .the articles have been coated and dried, the

same may be taken from the conveyer after the vlatter. emerges from the drying oven'by I an operator orl allowed to? fallv oft ofthe conveyer into` a suitable receptacle, as the conveyer passes around the sprocket gear 1l.

From the foregoing description, it will beseen that with my improved form of conveyer,`the articles to be coated may be rap- Aor explosions or liability .of injury to operators resulting from breathing the fumes; that practically no coating material 4is l wasted, since all of the same which fails to be deposited on the can ends-or other articles and carried off thereby, falls through vthe open work conveyer and is collected to be subsequentlyreusedythat can ends or otherarticles of various sizes may be sprayed or coated without changing or adjusting any of the parts and without' even stopping the'machine; and that can ends of various sizes may be coated simultaneously. The

'apparatus which I have described, is par-l ticularly useful in small factories Where the expense of a high pricedA coating machine cannot be aii'orded, and where only a few hundred or thousand-ends of each size are adaptedto be coated at a time.

This machine is particularly adapted to the coating of' can ends used `in forming what are known in the trade as open end or sanitary cans, wherein the end closures are attached to the anged ends of the can bodiespby an interfolded seam or joint. The principal object of coating the interior 'of such cans is to cover up all metallic surfaces and all abrasions caused by the necessaryy handling and manipulationduring manufacture. As is Well known, commercial tin Aplate is composed of sheet steel carryin a -fthin coating of pure metallic tin applied in a molten condition. In the coating of tin plate it is the intention and the endeavor to cover every bit ofl surface of the steel sheet withthe tin, but this is seldom accomplished owing to minute specks of `oxidiza tion or imperfections that seem impossible to eliminate; therefore,`.every sheet of commercial plate has moreor less of its surface, comprising spots readily visible to the eye down to microscopic spots, uncoated, and subject to attack from the acids of food products when the sheets are made into cans.

Also, in forming can ends with dies the tin coating is more or less ruptured at the bends and angles, thus further exposing the steel surfaces to oxidizing action.

v vIt is desirable to coat the surface of the can ends immediately after they are formed, so as to completely cover all abrasions, ruptures or exposed spots with an impervious substance or lacquer that is preferably acid and alkalirproof and thus create a surface on the inside of food containers that will effectively protect the metals of .the container against the corrosive, action'of thev contents.

Theconstruction and arrangement of this machine is such that it will successfully handle a coating material of a heavy nature, and operate continuously without interference from gumming up. l

The conveyer constructed j of very open meshwork permits excess coating material topass through and be collected for further use and such asl remains on the meshwork of the conveyer is'continuously being baked thereon intoa hard smooth surface which is a very `essential feature, otherwise the surfaces of the can ends resting on the conveyer would become streakedwith the coating matei'ialand present an unsightly appearance;

besides they would stick to the conveyer and cause no end of trouble, if the adhering coating was not baked onto the conveyer mesh- Work each'time it passed through the oven.

`Of course, in time the mesh-work will bei easily done by immersion for a time in a` suitable solvent.

If the conveyer was made with a solid or unbroken surface instead of a large open mesh, theaccumulation of coating material on the conveyer surface would be so rapid, and would build up so fast, that'it would be next to impossible to bake it hard each time it passed throughthe oven and it would e soon become a mass of gummy, sticky substance and prevent further operation of the machine.

' Coatings of this nature and for this purpose require highly volatile and odorous solvents and suitable provision must be made for carrying away the fumes arising from the spraying station and the baking oven.

-In machines for coating can ends that require a baking operation to effect the drying and hardening of the coating, that have article holders or 'mechanism for controlling oi' separating the articles, soon become inoperative from the excess accumulation of coating material on the machine parts. These parts, from the nature of their requirements must be constructed of stift' and rigid metal and consequently have so much body that they heat slowly when passing through the oven and thereby prevent the coating they carry from baking to a hard smooth surface, so that it is always sticky, collects dirt and dust, and causes a direct interference with the proper baking of the articles or can ends carried thereby.

A can end is made of thin metal and is quickly heated to the temperature of the baking or drying oven; it is necessary to have the conveying mechanism equally thin, so that the adhering coating is baked hard each time it passes through the oven, thereby presenting a smooth` hard surface to the operation.

Owing to the fact that I have entirelyI entering can ends and permitting continuous operation. The construction ofmy conveyer being of very thin rods, strips, or peri -forated material, none of which need be much thicker than the tin plate, willheat quickly and thereby facilitate the baking' eliminated individual can endholders of every1 description, and constructed a tlat top conveyer of skeleton construction, l am .enabled to coat and bake can ends of different l size and of 'dierent character at the same time without any change or addition to any 'of the mechanism, and also produce a machine thatwill operate continuously for a long period without interferencefrom the coating material and produce coated can ends that are entirely coated 'on one side and entirely free from coating materialen the other side. r f

Various changes and modifications may be made in the details and arrangement of the p arts without departing from the spirit of the. invention, and all such changesl vand modifications are Acontemplated as fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim ri l. ln a machine for lacquering sheet metal articles of various sizes and irregularly distributed, in combination: an endlesscona veyer consisting otflatandshelf like mem.

bers, each member comprising a flat section of open mesh wire and'pivots connecting said members, one limb of said conveyer when extended, forming a lat support; means for supporting and actuating said endless conveyer; a coating chamber inclosing the article-supporting limb of said conveyer; means within said chamber foiape plying lacquer in the form of a spray to the sheet metal articles; means at the lower part of said chamber for collecting the excess lacquer; means for withdrawing fumes from the, said chamber; and a drying oven inclosing the said supporting limb ofthe conveyer.

2. In a machine for lacqueringsheet metal articles of various sizesand irregularly dis-ll tributed, in combination: an endless conv eyer consisting of flat and shelf like mem- ',bers, each member comprising links, pivots connecting said links and a flat section of l open mesh wire connected with the said pivots, one limb of said conveyer when extended. forminga flat support; means for supporting and actuating said endless conveyer; a coating chamber inclosing the articlelsupporting limb of said conveyer; means within said chamber for applying lacquer in the form of a spray to the sheet metal articles; means at the lower part of said chamber for collecting the excess lacquer; means for withdrawing fumes from the said chamber; and a drying oven inclosing the said supporting limb of the conveyer.

3. ln a -machine for lacquering sheet metal articles of various sizes and irregularly distributed, in combination: an endless con veyer consisting. ot' fiat and shelf like inem# bers, each member comprising links, pivots connecting said links and a flat section of open mesh wire connected with the said piv-v ots, one limb of said. conveyer when ex p tended,`forming a flat support; means for supporting and actuating said endless conveyer; a coating chamber inclosing the article-supporting limb vot said conveyer; a chute for feeding sheet metal articles to the said limb of the conveyer in advance of said coating chamber; means within said chamber for applying lacquer inthe form of a spray to thesheet metal articles; means at -thelower part of said chamber for collecting the excess'lacquer; means for withdrawing fumes from the said chamber; and a drying oven inclosing the said supporting on the conveyer; and a receptacle for excess coating arranged underl the carrying limb of open. mesh wire of said conveyer; substantiallyfas specified.

.5. lin a: machinerfor coating can heads and other articles, in combination: a conveyer having an. article-supporting surface of: openwork wire mesh for conveying the articles to .be coated; means. for'spraying and coating the articles arranged above onelilnb of the said conveyer; a hood inclosing said sprayingmeans' and said limb of the conveyer;`mea`ns in the lower'partof said hood beneath saidflimb ofthe conveyer for collecting the excess of coatiing, which paes through the conveyer; exhausting means for carrying away fumes from within said hood; and adrying oven arranged beyond the said hood and inclosing the said limb of the conveyer.

'6.' A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station; a drying or bak ing station;and a surplus spray collecting receptacle; a conveyer member constructed of relatively thin material to forman open mesh structure, and adapted to receive on its surface in disarranged order can ends to be coated, said conveyer being movable past said spraying station, said collecting receptacle and lthrough said dryingor baking oven; means for projecting a spray of coating material onto can ends being conveyed and onto the exposed parts of said conveyer and into said receptacle; and means for heating said baking oven to a temperature sufficient to harden and bake the sprayed coatingon said can ends and on said conve er during their passage therethrough.

. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station; a drying or bak- 4 ing station; anda surplus spray collecting receptacle; a continuously movable conveyer member constructed of relatlvely thin .material forming an open mesh structure and "adapted to receive on itsl surface in disar-` v'ranged order can ends to-be coated, said conveyer' being movable past said. spraying station,

receptacle; and means for heating said bak- 20.

said through said drying or baking oven; 'means forlprojecting a spray of coating material onto can ends being conveyed and onto the exposed parts of said con'veyer and into said ing oven to a-v temperature suiicient Vto harden and'bake the sprayed' coating on said can ends and on said conveyer during their I jpassagetherethrough.

8. A machine for coating can ends, com-l prisingl a spraying station a drying or baking station; and a surplus spray collection receptacle; a continuously movable horizontal conveyer member composed of relatively thin strips or rods forming an open mesh structure, andadapted to receive onits surface in disarranged order can ends v to be coated, said conveyer being movablev past said spraying station, said collecting` receptacle and through said drying or baking oven; means for projecting a spray of coating material onto can ends belng conveyed and onto the exposed parts of said .conveyer and into said receptacle; and meansl through.,

9. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying statlon; a drying or baking station; and a surplus spray collecting receptacle; 'a conveyer member. composed of relatively thin material forming an open mesh structure; means for. placing on its surface in disarranged order can ends to be coated, said conveyer being movable past said spraying'station, saidcollecting recepcollecting receptacle f an of coating material onto -tacleand through said drying or bakin veyer during their passage therethrough.

10. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station; a drying or baking station; anda surplus spray collecting receptacle; a continuously moving conveyer vmember composed of relativelythin material forming anopen mesh structure; means for placing on its surface in dlsarranged order can endsto bel coated, said conveyer being movable between said spraying station and said collecting receptacle and through said drying or baking oven; means for projecting a spray of coating material .onto can ends being conveyed, and onto the 'exposed parts of said conveyer and into said receptacle; and means for heating said baking oven to y a temperature sufficient to harden and bake the sprayed coating on said can ends and on said conveyer during their passage therethrough.

11. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station vand an exhausting4 station; a drying or baking station; and a surplus spray collecting receptacle; a con- .veyer member composed of relatively thin material forming an open mesh structure, adapted to receive on its surface in disarranged order can ends to be coated and movable past said spraying station, said collecting receptacle and through said drying or baking oven; means for projecting a spray can ends bein conveyed and onto the exposed parts o said conveye'r and into said receptacle; and means for lheatin said baking oven to a temperature s uilicient to .harden and vbake the sprayed coating on said can ends and said conveyer during their passage there.- through.l

FELIX EBERHART.

Witnesses:

W. D. FOSTER, C. W. GRAHAM.