US1865417A - Method of wet cleaning tin-plate - Google Patents

Description

2535, R E ZMMERMAN 3,865,417

METHOD 0F WET CLEANING TIN PLATE Fled Feb. lO, 1926 Sheets-Sheet Witnesses: [mentor:

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Patented .lune 28, 1932 PATENT OFFICE RUFUS E. ZIMMERMAN, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF WET GLEANENG TIN-PLATE Application led February 10, 1926. Seeiallo. $7,331.

This invention relates to the manufacture of tin plate and more particularly to cleaning the tin plate after the tinning or coating operation has been completed in order to remove the. excess oil carried on the surfaces of the plates.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus which will emulsify the oil on the plates with a Washing liquid, thereby eliminating the necessity for absorbing the oil in a branner or other device.

A further object is to provide a method and apparatus which will operate eliiciently l5 and effectively regardless of the temperature of the plates.

A still further object is to provide the novel method and apparatus described in detail in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanyin drawings.

Figures l and 2, combine show a side elevation of a tinning machine cleaning or washing tank and drying and polishing apparatus arranged to carry out the method of this application. l

Figure 3 is an enlarged figure, partly in section, of one of the polishing rolls of the drying and polishing apparatus.

fn its simplest form, the method of this invention consists in passing the plates to be cleaned from the tinning pot, at which time they carry Imore or less oil on their surfaces, into and through a body of non-infiammable cleaning or Washing liquid, and mechanically scrubbing the plates or otherwise agitating the oil on the plates to cause the oil to become emulsified with the cleaning or Washing liquid, then squeezing the plates as they pass from the body of cleaning liquid to remove any oil or emulsion remaining thereon, and finally rinsing, drying and polishing the plates.

Ordinarytap water is the basis of the liquid medium employed to remove the oil from the plates, and -may be used plain, or as followsmixture of water with soap, aqueous solution or suspension of boraX, sodium phosphate, soda ash, sodium silicate, glue, gelatin, bran and similar finely divided cereal "0 products, caustic soda or potash., clay and various other substances which have detergent value, or the property of emulsifying oil with water. It will also be understood that any combination or combinations of the above ingredients may be used.

ln carrying out the novel method of this invention the black, untinned sheets or plates are fed into the iux side of a tin pot P Where they are engaged by a pair of feed rolls 62 and fed downwardly through a body of flux 63 and into the molten tin 64. As the plates are fed into the tin 64 they are engaged by a second pair of feed rolls 65 and fed through the opening 66 into the oil or exit side of the pot l. As the plates enter the oil side of the tin pot l.) they engage the guide 67 and are turned upwardly so as to be engaged by the exit or feed-out rolls 68, which feed the plates out of the tin pot through a body of palm oil 69 and also squeeze off any surplus tin. The plates pass from the rolls 68 into the bite of a pair of feed rolls 70 which feed the plates upwardly so that they will fall onto an inclined roller feed table 71 from which they will move by gravity onto the conveyer table 2 which conveys the plate to the cleaning or washing tank 3. The plates pass from the cleaning tank 3 to a drying and polishing apparatus 4 and are, discharged from the apparatus 4 onto a buggy 5 or other suitable conveyer, cleaned, dried and polished.

Y The conveyer 2 is provided with a pair of pinch rollers 6 adapted to feed the plates to be cleaned into the tank 3.

A plurality of pairs of horizontal rolls A are journaled in the tank 3 and each pair is composed of a conveying or feeding roll 7 and an oil removing and emulsifying roll 8. The rolls 8 are alternately arranged as the top and bottom roll of the several pairs of rolls, so that both surfaces of the plates are acted upon by the rolls 8.

rThe conveying or feeding rolls 7 are in the form of a steel cylinder having a spiral covering of cotton belting or the like 9 'to form a friction surface, and the oil removing and emulsifying rolls 8 are formed from a plurality of felt discs mounted on a square shaft 10.

'.lhe rolls 7 and 8 are journaled so that their bite is below the level of the cleaning liquid, and each of the rolls of the several pairs of rolls are preferably independently driven, So that the roll 8 of each of said pairs of rolls may be driven at a speed to provide a materially faster surface speed than the sur face speed of the roll 7 of the same pair of rolls, thus causing the roll 8 to rotate relative to the plate passing between the rolls.

The rolls 8, by rotating relative to the plates, will rub the oil from the plates and force the oil and cleaning liquid together and by their rubbing action form an emulsion of the oil and cleaning liquid.

The plates after leaving the tank 3 enter the bite of a pair of squeezing rolls 12 and 13 journaled in the apparatus 4 and then pass from between the rolls 12 and 13 through the space between a pair of fixed guides 14 and 15 into the bite of a second pair of squeezing rolls 16 and 17.

The squeezing rolls 12 and 13, and 16 and 17 are preferably formed with a rubber base 18 having a covering 19 of flannel or other fabric.

A pair of rinsing hot water sprays 20 and 21 are mounted between the squeezing rolls 12 and 13 and guides 14 and 15 and are adapted to direct a stream of hot water against both sides of the plates as they pass' from the squeezing rolls 12 and 13, to rinse any oil or emulsion of oil and water from the plates The hot water also serves to heat the plates so that at least part of the water sprayed thereon will evaporate.

A pair of hot air blast pipes 22 and 23 are arranged at the rear of the squeezing rolls 16 and 17 and direct a blast of hot air against the both sides of the plates as they emerge from the squeezing rolls 16 and 17 to finally dry the plates.

A pair of guides 24 and 25 are arranged to receive the plates as they pass from the rolls 16 and 17 and direct them into two pairs of polishing rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 journaled in the apparatus 4.

The lower roll 26 of one pair ofl rolls, and the upper roll 29 of the other pair have a materially greater surface speed than the other roll of the pairs of rolls, so as to have a rotary movement relative to the plates passing between the rolls thereby rubbing and polishing the plates.

The rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 are each composed of a series of cloth discs mounted on a square shaft 30.

A pair of discharge or feed-out rolls 31 and 32 are journaled in the apparatus 4 and are adapted to reeeivfJ the plates from the pair of polishing rolls 28, 29 and to feed the plates onto a magnetic feed-roller 33 which will feed the plates onto the buggy 5.

In carrying out the method of this application the tank 3 is first filled to the proper level with a non-inflammable liquid, or liquid compound such as described in the forepart of this specification. The liquid most generally used so far in commercial practice is approximately 0.2 per cent. solution of soda ash (sodium carbonate) in water.

The plates pass along the conveyer 2 from the tin pot and are seized by the pinch rollers 6 and fed down through the non-inflammable cleaning liquid, and into the bite of the first pair of rolls A, thence between the several pairs of rolls A out of the tank 3 and into the bite of the squeezing rolls 12 and 13.

The rolls 8 of each of the pairs of rolls A,

- due to their having a greater surface speed than the conveying rolls 7 of the pairs of rolls, will rotate relative to the surface of the plates and thereby force the cleaning liquid and oil on the plates together and wipe the plates, so as to form an emulsion of. the oil and cleaning liquid or compound.

As. the plates pass through the rolls 12 and 13 the major portion of liquid either in the form of oil, emulsion, or cleaning liquid carried on the plates will be removed.

As the plates pass from the squeezing rolls 12 and 13 they are sprayed or rinsed with the hot water from the pipes or nozzles 20 and 2l which will rinse oil any oil, emulsion, or cleaning liquid still remaining on the plat-es. The plates will then pass'between the second set of squeezing rolls 16 and 17 and the rinsing water will be squeezed olf the plates.

As the plates pass from between the rolls 16 and 17 they will be finally dried by the hot air blasts from the pipes 22 and 23 which are directed against the opposite sides of the plate. The dry plates then pass between the polishing rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 and are polished by the rubbing action of the rolls 26 and 29. The dried and polished plates are then fed out of the apparatus by the feedout rollers 31 and 32, and are engaged by the magnet roller 33 which feeds them onto the buggy 5.

While I have described a certain specific form of apparatus for carrying out the steps of my improved method, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the use of this apparatus in carrying out my improved method, since various other forms of apparatus may be used to form an emulsion of the oil carried on the plates with a cleaning liquid, and other forms of drying and polishing apparatus may be used without departing from the scope of the improved method as defined in the Vappended claims.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying.

the oil carried on both sides of said plates Wlth a non-inflammable liquid.

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2. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-iniiammable liquid and thereafter simultaneously drying and polishing both sides of said plates.

3. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method Which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-inflammable liquid and then squeezing and rubbing said plates to at least partly dr both sides of said plates.

4. In tliie manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method Which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-inflammable liquid, simultaneously rinsing both sides of said plates, and thereafter simultaneously drying and polishing both sides of said plates.

5. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides With tin, the method Which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-inflammable liquid, rinsing both sides of said plateswith hot Water, and thereafter drying and polishing both sides of said plates.

6. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-infiammable liquid, squeezing both sides of said plates to remove the major portion of the emulsion adhering thereto, rinsing both sides of said plates, and thereafter drying both sides of said plates.

7 In the manufacture-of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-inflammable liquid, squeezing both sides of said plates to remove the major portion of the emulsion adhering thereto, rinsing both sides of said plates, and thereafter drying and polishing both sides of said plates.

8. In the manufacture of tin platecoated on both sides With tin, the method which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates With a non-inflammable liquid, simultaneously squeezing both sides of said plates to remove the maj or portion of emulsion adhering thereto, simultaneously rinsing both sides of said plates with hot Water, and thereafter simultaneously drying and polishing both sides ot said plates.

9. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, the method which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin and oil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneously emulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with a non-inflammable liquid, simultaneously squeezing both sides of said plates to remove the major portion of the emulsion adhering thereto, simultaneously rinsing both sides of .said plates with hot Water, and thereafter simultaneously squeezing and rubbing both sides of said plates to remove at least the major portion of the rinsing Water and to polish said plates.

10. The method of cleaning tin late after tinning which includes the steps o emulsifying the oil on said plates With anon-infiammable liquid, squeezing said plates to remove the maj or portion of emulsion adhering thereto, rinsing said plates with hot Water, again squeezingsaid plates to remove the major portion of rinsing Water adhering thereto, passing said plates through a hot air blast to dry said plates, and finally polishing said plates.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

RUFUS E. ZIMMERMAN.

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