US2654707A

US2654707A - Anodizing rack

Info

Publication number: US2654707A
Application number: US180961A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald E Saffel
Original assignee: Reynolds Metals Co
Current assignee: Reynolds Metals Co
Priority date: 1950-08-23
Filing date: 1950-08-23
Publication date: 1953-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 1970-10-06

Description

Oct. 6, 1953 D. E. SAFFEL 2,654,707

ANODIZING RACK Filed Aug. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l llllll w 8' NVENTOR.

Oct. 6, 1953 v D. E. SAFFEL 2,654,707

' ANODIZING RACK Filed Aug. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HHH INVENTOR. 0M 8. g 2

Patented Oct. 6, 1953 ANODIZING RACK Donald E. Salfel, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va., a

corporation of Delaware Application August 23, 19.50, Serial No. 180,961

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to an apparatus for immersing articles to be treated in a bath, and more particularly in the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed, to an apparatus for anodizing vessels having one closed end.

In the art of anodizing closed vessels, that is, Vessels having a closed end and an openend, it has heretofore been the practice to immerse the vessels in an anodizing solution. However, if the vessels are rigidly secured to a frame and plunged straight down into the bath with a rectilinear motion, several disadvantageous results are thereby produced. The turbulent flow of the anodizing solution into the vessels results in the entrapment of gas within he vessels and the consequent production of gas marks on their interior surfaces. Furthermore, if the vessels are immovably secured with respect to the frame, emptying the solution from the vessels is diflicult upon removal of the latter from the various immersion baths.

It is therefore a primary object of'the present invention to provide an apparatus for immersing closed vessels into a bath in such a manner that at the initial contact of the vessels with the bath the vessels will be aligned in an approximately horizontal position. This allows the solution to flow without turbulence through the lower portions of the horizontally projecting open :ends, thereby allowing air and other gases to escape from the interiors of the vessels through the upper portions of the open ends as the interiors become filled with the solution.

Another object is to provide that the horizontally positioned vessels be gradually rotated toward an upright position as the immersion continues so that the vessels, after full immersion, an upright, uniformly filled 'withsolution, and devoid of entrapped gases.

A further object is to providethat the vessels, upon removal from the bath, be gradually rotated back to the horizontal position and then downwardly to aninverted position so as to facilitate the emptying of the solution from within the vessels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, in an apparatus having a frame for supporting the vessels and adapted to be rectilinearly lowered intoa bath, the above-noted angular movements of the vessels, said movements occurring automatically in response to the position of the frame with respect to the surface of the bath.

A further object is to provide a simple, effective float-operated means for automatically controlling said angular positioning of the vessels.

Another important :object of the invention is to provide a novel conducting means for supplying electric current to the vessels during the anodizing operation, said conducting means being-unaffected by the angular movements of the vessels or the insulating effect of the an izin solution.

Other objects and advanta es will Dpea1'.. as the description proceeds or are inherent in the structure disclosed inthe specification and the drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective ,view .ofthe apparatus before immersion has commenced and showing the vessels inverted;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional View showing the horizontal DOsition of the vessels-at the beginning of the immersion;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional ,view showing the vessels in nprightposition and fully immersed in the bath;

'Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on the line A-..-4 inFig. 1 and showing the means for securing the lower closed ends of the vessels to a rack;.an d

Fig. 5 is a top plan detail view ,of the rack and vessel securing means :asscen when looking downwardly in Fig. 4.

Referring now to :the drawing, the reference numeral ll indicatesa tank containing a-bath or anodizing solution. A frame, indicate d generally at [2, is adapted to carry a plurality .of vessels I3, 13', l3".and immerse the latter in the tank ll.

In more detail, the frame [2 comprises .a .pair of horizontally-spaced end members I4, v(each provided with an upwardly-extending

integral flange portion

15,15 respectively. The portions I5, I55 are provided slots or openings it, It which are'adapted to coact'with any. suitable well-known mechanism (not shown) forconveying theapparatus l2. A pairof brace rods-.l l, l "l' are rigidly secured at their opposite ends to the end members l4, MT. -A pair -,0f downwardlydepending supportingmembers-IB, H! are secured at their upper ends to the end members. 14, l4 respectively by means-ofrivets or other conventional securing means indicated, atl 9.

Extending between the lower iends ofrthe supporting members I-'8,'|8' is ahorizontal rack .23 adapted to support the ,vessels l3, 132,13". The opposite ends of the rack-20am pivotally mounted on the supporting members [8, l8 by means of pins 21 secured to the rack 20 and rotatably mounted within bearings or openings in the supporting members l8, Hi. It will thus be seen that the rack 20 is freely rotatable about a horizontal axis. Rigidly secured at opposite ends of the rack 20 are bracket members 22, 22' which project radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of the rack 20. A longitudinal tubular float 23 extends between and is secured to the outermost ends of the bracket members 22, 22'.

Since in the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawing and specification, the apparatus is employed for anodizing, the frame l2 comprising end members [4, l4, rods l1, l1 and supporting members I8, l8, and also the rack 20 are formed of a suitable metallic current conductive material. Although some current will pass from the frame [2 to the rack 20 through the bearing contact surfaces at 2|, this will be small due to the insulating characteristic of the anodizing solution which surrounds said bearing surfaces. To assure the maintenance of a direct positive electrical contact between the frame l2 and rack 20, there is provided a conductive metallic coil spring 24. of the spring 24 is provided with a flat flange 25 contacting and secured to the supporting One end member 18, whereas the other end is provided with a similar flange 26 secured to and in contact with the rack 20. As best seen in Figs. 2 to 4, the axis of the coil spring 24 is approximately coincident with the axis of rotation of the rack 20.

The vessels 13, I3, l3" are illustrative of one of the many types which may be utilized with the present invention and in the specific disclosed embodiment are in the form of lower sections of coffee making utensils. The vessels l3, 13, I3" are each provided with a lower closed end 21 having a flat annular lower surface 28, as best seen in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein the vessel 13 is shown inverted. U-shaped bracket 29 is secured to the lower surface 28 and projects downwardly therefrom. The rack 20 is provided with a flat upper surface 30 adapted to abut against the lower surface 28 of the vessel 13.

The rack 29 is further provided with several open sided U-shaped slots 3|, one pair of slots for each of the brackets 29. The latter project into the slots 3! and are clamped securely therein by means of a lock bar 32 extending longitudinally of the rack 20. The lock bar 32 is held in place by means of studs 33 fixed at one end to the rack 20 and projecting through the lock bar '32 so as to receive the nuts 32. It is to be understood that other types of vessels and other means for securing them to the rack 23 may be employed.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described. Before immersion, the weight of the float 23 and the torsion effect of the coil spring 24 combine to maintain the rack 20 in the inverted position shown in Fig. 1. The vessels l3, l3, 13" are mounted in inverted position on the rack 23 by inserting the brackets 29 into the open sided slots 3| disposed in a longitudinal side of said rack and then rotating the peg nuts 34 so as to cause the lock bar 32 to securely clamp the brackets 29.

The frame !2 is then moved downwardly toward the bath or anodizing solution in the tank H. The float 23 will contact the bath and the buoyancy of the float 23 will cause it to remain at the surface of the bath as the frame I2 is lowered, thereby rotating the float 23, the bracket members 22, 22', the rack 20, and hence also the vessels l3, l3, l3" upwardly toward the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2. During this tilting movement of the vessels [3, l3, l3 the solution flows smoothly into their interiors without turbulence and the gases displaced by the solution and are permitted to escape. As the frame l2 continues to be lowered the vessels [3, l3, l3 continue to pivot upwardly about the horizontal axis of rotation of the rack 20 until the upright position shown in Fig. 3 is obtained.

As the frame [2 is removed from the bath, the weight of the float 23 and the torsion effect of the spring 22 tend to maintain the float 23 at the surface of the bath, thereby causing the vessels I3, l3, [3 to tilt downwardly toward the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2. As the frame I2 is raised further above the bath, the vessels I 3, l3, I3" will continue to tilt downwardly so as to finally assume the inverted position shown in Fig. 1, thereby completing the emptying of the vessels.

It is to be understood that the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawing and specification is merely illustrative of one of the many forms which the invention may take in practice; the scope of the invention being delineated in the appended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

A plating device for immersing container vessels into an anodizing bath consisting of a frame having a pair of flat parallel spaced-apart vertical metal frame members and a pair of substantially T-shaped inverted apertured end members secured to the tops of said vertical members and further having a pair of spaced-apart rods secured to the ends of the T-shaped end members, a flat longitudinal rack rotatably mounted between the lower ends of the vertical frame members, a plurality of U-shaped vessel holding brackets disposed in open sided slots positioned at one edge of said rack, a longitudinal lock bar having a plurality of apertures therein for removably securing said U-shaped brackets to said rack, a plurality of locked peg-nuts disposed in said apertures of said lock bar for locking said bar to said rack, a longitudinal float secured to the ends of said rack in spaced relation thereto, and a flat metal coil spring of several turns wound axially about one end of said rack and secured to the flat bottom thereof and secured at the other end to the flat inner face of one of said flat parallel vertical members for conducting an electrical current from said vertical members to said rack, whereby a plurality of container vessels secured to said racks at their vessel bottoms are gradually uniformly filled with anodizing solution upon lowering said vertical spaced-apart members into said anodizing bath.

DONALD E. SAFFEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,836,066 Edison Dec. 15, 1931 2,362,474 Elsenheimer Nov. 14, 1944