US2412138A

US2412138A - Apparatus for spraying crown caps

Info

Publication number: US2412138A
Application number: US566348A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry A Fink
Original assignee: Continental Can Co Inc
Current assignee: Continental Can Co Inc
Priority date: 1944-12-02
Filing date: 1944-12-02
Publication date: 1946-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1963-12-03

Description

Dec. 3, 1946.

H. A. FINK APPARATUS FOR SPRAYING CROWN CAPS Filed Dec. 2, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ffntyliz'nk.

Dec. 3, 1946. H, A, FINK 2,412,138

APPARATUS FOR SPRAYING CROWN CAPS Filed Dec. 2, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 m I m Dec. 3, 1946. H. A. FINK 2,412,138

' APPARATUS FOR SPRAYING CROWN CAPS Filed Dec. 2, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 JUAN/I'M Henry JZ. R7178.

Patented Dem-3, 1946 APPARATUS FOR SPBAYING CROWN CAPS Henry A. Fink, Pelham Manor, N. Y., ascignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application December 2, 194d, Serial No. 566,348

Claims. 1

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in an apparatus for spraying crown caps.

Owing to the shortage in the tin supply, crown caps have been made from salvaged plate such as old used tin can bodies that have had the decorations removed therefrom, or from parts of the can bodies which have not been decorated. Caps have also been cut from scrap materials and old crowns have been reformed. The old crowns have had the decorations removed therefrom and have then been reformed. In all such instances as referred to above it is found necessary to recoat the caps in order to make them commercially useable.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for spray coatingcrown caps whichapparatus sprays first one side of the crown cap and then the other while it is continuously moving through the apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type wherein the caps are placed in rows on a continuously travelling endless conveyor for the first spraying operation and are then inverted and placed on a second conveyor for a second spraying operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type wherein a magnetic roller is utilized for the transfer of the crown caps from one conveyor to the other in an inverted position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type'wherein the crown caps after they are spray coated, are passed through a drying tunnel so that the coating material is set sufliciently for the handling of the caps and the passing of the same through a baking oven.

A further object of the invention is to provide in an apparatus of the above type means for cleaning the coating material from the conveyor after it is passed through the drying oven.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings- Figure l is a view showing more or less diagrammatically and in side elevation a portion of the apparatus for spray coating the crown p Figure 2 is a similar view showing a portion of the apparatusfor drying the coated caps;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the apparatus adjacent one of the spray nozzles; and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through the drying oven;

Figure 5. is an enlarged view in side elevation of the magnetic roller and a portion of the conveyors associated therewith.

The apparatus for coating the crown caps and dryin the coating-after it is applied thereto includes a feed hopper in which the caps to be coated are placed promiscuously. Associated with the hopper are devices for feeding the caps onto a conveyor belt with all of the caps arranged in rows and facing upwardly, that is, the caps are placed so that the inside of the cap may be sprayed from above. The conveyor is a non-magnetic type of conveyor and moves continuously. The conveyor passes beneath the spray nozzle which is oscillated transversely of the path of travel of the conveyor so as to spray all of the caps which are arranged as noted in a plurality of rows. The conveyor passes over a magnetic pulley which will hold the caps tight against the conveyor until the conveyor leaves the pulley and then the caps will drop onto another endless conveyor which conveys the caps in inverted position, that is, with the outer side of the cap facing upwardly and while in this position, the caps are fed beneath an oscillating spray coating device for spraying the top side of the cap. The conveyor then takes the caps through a relatively long heated drying tunnel where the volatiles in the coating material are driven off and the material set so that the caps may be handled without marring, after which the conveyor discharges the caps onto another conveyor which leads through a baking oven where the coating on the caps is converted into a hard enamel surface.

Referring more in detail to'the drawings, the apparatus includes a framework which is preferably made of angle iron. As shown in Figur 1, this angle iron frame includes a series of legs and longitudinally extending members. The longitudinally extending members I are provided with suitable brackets 2 in which is mounted a shaft 3 carrying a belt wheel 4 over which an endless belt conveyor 5 passes. Mounted on the legs 6 is a cross shaft 1 carrying a roller 8 for supporting the belt. The legs 9, 9 extend above the conveyor 5 and are provided with side members ID in which shafts II and I2 are mounted,

one at one end of the side members and the other at the other end.

Mounted on these shafts are pulleys l8 and I 4 respectively, over which a belt conveyor l5 runs. This belt conveyor is made of non-magnetic the same direction. As shown in Figure 1, the crown caps which are indicated at C are so positioned on the conveyor I! as they come from the chutes that the inside of the cap will face upwardly. In the present embodiment of the invention there are five chutes and five rows of caps deposited upon the conveyor and carried through the apparatus as shown in Figure 3. This hopper and the means for feeding the caps and delivering the same through the five chutes so that they all face in the same direction is of well known construction used in the manufacture of crown caps and further detailed description thereof is not thought necessary.

Mounted on the

legs

3, 3 is a supporting bracket 2|. This bracket is L-shaped and the left hand end thereof extends upward and supports an arm 22 on which a sprayer head 23 is mounted. This sprayer head is so mounted on the arm that it may be oscillated transversely of the travel of the conveyor. The conveyor i5 is operated by a sprocket chain 24 which runs over a sprocket wheel on the shaft l2 and also over a sprocket wheel on the shaft 3.

The crown caps are delivered onto the conveyor ll in five rows. This conveyor moves continuously and will carry the caps beneath the sprayer head 23 which, as it oscillates back and forth transversely of the conveyor, will completely coat the interior surface of the crown cap and also the'skirt. As the belt conveyor passes around the magnetic roller l3 the caps will be held magnetically tightly against the conveyor until the conveyor leaves the magnetic roller, after which the caps will be released and will drop onto the conveyor 5 in inverted position, thatis, with the outer surface of the cap facing upwardly. In this inverted position the crown caps are carried beneath a spray head 25. The spray head '28 is mounted on an arm 23 so that it may be oscillated thereon. This arm 23 is carried by a cross bar 21 mounted on the legs l3, It. In Figure 3 of the drawings the spray head His shown more in detail. The supporting bar 23 has a lug 23 fixed thereto and a link 30 is connected to the lug at one end and to a crank 3| at the other end carried by a shaft 32 which is driven by a motor 33. The motor is mounted on a bracket 34. This bracket 34 is carried by one of the legs I3. As the shaft 32 is rotated it will cause the sprayer head to oscillate back and forth trans-' versely of, the conveyor. This range of oscillation is sufficient to coat the crown caps C resting on the conveyor 5. It is noted from Figure 3 that there are

guide bars

35, 35 which extend lengthwise of the apparatus, which guide bars are mounted on the supporting legs of the apparatus and serve as a means for guiding and supporting the conveyor 5. Located beneath the conveyor 8 is a drip pan 36 so thatthe coating material contacting the belt conveyor in between the crowns can pass through the same owing to the fact that it is a woven steel belt and will -.be collectedinthe drip pan. I

The sprayer head 23 is oscillated by a motor mounted on the frame of the machine in a manner similar to the motor 33 and illustration of the same has not been given. The sprayer, head 23 is enclosed in a housing indicated in full lines at 31 to which is attached a stack 33 controlled by a damper 33. The volatiles of the coating material escaping therefrom will be collected in this housing and carried away by suction through the stack 33. There is a housing 40 associated with the sprayer head 23 and this housing which is indicated in full lines in Figure 1 and in full lines in Figure 3, is connected to a stack 4| which is controlled by a damper 42.

After the caps have been sprayed on both sides, they are carried by the conveyor 5 into and through a tunnel 43, a part of which is shown in Figure 1 and another part of which is shown in Figure 2. The tunnel is shown in cross section in Figure 4. The

legs

44, 44 of the frame carry the guide bars 33, 33 along which the belt conveyor 5 passes. Also mounted on these legs are

angle bars

45, 43 which support a perforated plate 43. This provides a heat chamber 41 which is located beneath the path of travel of the woven belt conveyor. Placed beneath the perforated plate are

burners

43, 43 and

deflectors

43, 43. This heat chamber extends the full length of the tunnel and there are burner pipes arranged in sections along the tunnel. The tunnel 43 is in the form of an arch-shaped metal housing which is supported onthe guide bars 35, 35. Associated with the tunnel are a number of stacks, two of which are indicated at 50. These stacks all lead to an exhaust manifold which discharges the fumes coming off from the drying caps to the outside of the building.

The belt conveyor 5 not only carries thev caps through the drying tunnel, but also carries them through a cooling hood indicated at 5|. Said cooling hood overhangs the path of travel of the belt conveyor and extends lengthwise thereof for a relatively short distance. A pipe 32 leads into the hood at the upper end thereof and discharges air into the hood. The cooling air can pass down through the belt conveyor and out through the discharge end of the hood. The air is supplied to the pipe 52 from a suitable fan 53.

The belt conveyor 3 runs over a pulley 33, thence over a pulley 55, and thence under a pulley 54. The shaft 51 carrying the pulley 53 is operated from a motor 33. A sprocket wheel carried by the shaft 51 operates a sprocket chain which runs over a sprocket wheel connected to the shaft 53 on which the pulley 54 is fixedly mounted. This motor drives the conveyor 5. The other end of the conveyor is mounted on the bracket 2 and this bracket is carried by the frame so that it may be adjusted by an adjustable screw 30 for taking up slack in the conveyor. The belt on its return underneath the tunnel passes over supporting rollers 3|, 8|. The belt conveyor also passes between two

rotating brushes

62, 62, one of which engages the upper face of the conveyor and the other engages the lower face of the conveyor. The purpose of these brushes is to remove from the belt conveyor the coating material which is dried thereon as the caps are carried through the drying tunnel. These brushes 32,

62 are driven by a suitable motor 33.

The crown caps are discharged from the cooling hood onto a deflector plate 34 and thence onto a conveyor 35 which carries the caps into a baking oven.

The operation of the apparatus is thought to be clear from the description given above. The

crown caps are placed in the hopper l9 and are fed therefrom onto the belt conveyor l5, all facing upward so that the inside of the caps may be coated. They are placed on the conveyor in parallel lines and, as illustrated, there are five lines of crown caps. This conveyor carries the caps beneath the sprayer head 23 where they are coated with a suitable coating material, after which the caps are inverted and placed on the belt conveyor 5. The belt conveyor conveys the caps through the housing 40 where they are again sprayed by the spraying head 25. This ensures that the crown caps will be completely sprayed on both sides thereof. The crown caps are placed with the inside facing upwardly for the first coating operation so that during the second coating operation after the caps have been inverted, they are resting on the conveyor so that contact with the conveyor is only with the lower edge of the skirt of the crown cap. This leaves the outer face of the crown cap which must be well protected with the coating free from contact with the travelling belt conveyor. This belt conveyor is travelling continuously and the caps are placed one after another on the conveyors, coated, inverted and then again coated and finally pass into and through the drying tunnel.

'After leaving the drying tunnel the caps pass beneath a cooling section. The drying time and temperature is sufficient to keep the crown caps from being marred when they fall from the conveyor 5 onto the conveyor 65 which leads to the baking oven.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for coating crown caps comprising a conveyor on which the caps are placed in a plurality of rows for coating, a spray head associated with said conveyor for coating the exposed faces of the caps, said conveyor being of non-magnetic material, a magnetic roller over which the conveyor passes, said roller operating to hold the caps on the conveyor until they pass from the magnetic influence thereof, a second conveyor onto which the caps drop when released from the first conveyor in an inverted position, a spray head associated with the second conveyor for coating the exposed uncoated face of the caps.

2. An apparatus for coating crown caps comprising a conveyor on which the caps are placed for coating, 9. device associated therewith for spray coating the exposed face of the caps, a secand conveyor disposed beneath the first named conveyor onto which the caps are discharged in inverted position and a second device associated with said last named conveyor for-spray coating the exposed uncoated face of the caps, a drying tunnel through which said second conveyor passes after leaving the second spray head and means for heating the air in said tunnel and a cooling hood under which said conveyor passes after leaving the drying tunnel whereby the caps before leaving the conveyor are completely 6 coated on both sides and the coating set so as to permit the handling of the caps.

3..An apparatus for coating crown caps comprising a conveyor, means for placing caps to be coated on said conveyor in a plurality of rows, a spray head associated with said conveyor for coating the exposed upper faces of the caps thereon, a second conveyor disposed beneath the first named conveyor onto which the caps are discharged in inverted position, a second spray head associated with the said last named conveyor for coating the upper exposed faces of the caps thereon, a drying tunnel through which said second conveyor passes after leaving the second spray head and means for heating the airin said tunnel and a cooling hood under which said conveyor passes after leaving the drying tunnel whereby the caps before leaving the conveyor are completely coated on both sides and the coating set so as to permit the handling of the caps.

4. An apparatus for coating crown caps comprising a conveyor of non-magnetic woven metal. means for feeding the caps onto said conveyor in a plurality of rows with the inner faces of the caps facing upwardly, a spray head associated with the conveyor, means for oscillating the spray head transversely of the conveyor for coating all of the caps on the conveyor as they pass beneath the spray head, a magnetic roller over which said'conveyor passes operating to retain the caps on the conveyor until they reach an inverted position, a second conveyor beneath the first named conveyor onto which the caps drop with the outer faces thereof facing upwardly, a second spray head mounted above said last named conveyorand means for oscillating said second spray head for coating the other face of all of the caps thereon.

5. An apparatus for coating crown caps com-'- prising a conveyor of non-magnetic woven metal, means for feeding the caps onto said conveyor in a plurality of rows with the inner faces of the caps facing upwardly, a spray head associated with the conveyor, means for oscillating the spray head transversely of the conveyor for coating all of the caps on the conveyor as they pass beneath the spray head, a magnetic roller over which said conveyor passes operating to retain the caps on the conveyor until they reach an inverted position, a second conveyor beneath the first named conveyor onto which the caps drop with the outer faces thereof facing upwardly. a second spray head mounted above said last named conveyor, means for oscillating said second spray head for coating the other face of all of the caps thereon, a drying'tunnel, means for heating the drying tunnel, said tunnel being disposed so that the conveyor with the coated caps thereon pass through the tunnel, and a cooling hood disposed relative to the tunnel so that the coated caps after leaving the tunnel pass beneath said cooling hood so that the coating applied to the caps will be set and hardened sufliciently for handling before the caps leave said second conveyor.

HENRYLFINK.