US2362457A - Coating machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14, 1944. A. T. ANDERSON COATlNG MACHINE Filed July 16, 1942 ATLdrEw T .And Er 512m Patented Nov. 14, i944 n l' I Andrew Tr Anderson, Dover, N. J. Application Julyy 16, 1942, Serial No. 451,181 l iciaim. (Gis1- 46) :(Granteafunaer the mm' Maren-3, lsss, as Y e amended `April 30, 1928: 370 0. G. 757) invention described 4herein may be manufactured and used, by or for-the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royaltythereon.y

. This invention relates toa machine iorapplyin`g protective 'r identifying coatings `to articles A of manufacture, particularly to ammunition components.

Many articlesA oijmanufactur'e, such as componentsv of ammunitiomfrequire protective. coatings for theirperservation against destructive agencieswhich they may contact. Anl example y' shown comprisinguprightsv 2, radial arms; 4, and

braces E. At the ends of arms4 are mounted rollers 8 in such a manner that the `surfaces of tl'iey rollersv are substantially tangent `'to a. common horizontal plane; which may be considered to be the under side of supporttableV iii.y Table I0 is rotatable about short shai't i2, and turns on rollers 8. A lso supportedon shaft'iZfis an arm 84,1 carrying `a pawl I8 which .cooperateswith a ratchet wheel I8 secured to the underside of table i8. An actuating member 20 is vpivotally mountl, ed on one ofarms 4 and is connected tofpivoted is thek oxidizing eiiectof theatmosphere onl most materials of construction. `.In addition, however,

' it is ofen necessary or desirable to providev c'ertain articles, vsuch as ammunition, with coatings of specified coloring for identification purposes.

" It is 'of course desirable that'such coatings be ap- 'plied as economically aspossible and that the results on the individual articles be -substan- 1 tially uniform. y

It is an object ofthis arm I4 by rod 22. Member'2lima`y be any of a number of suitable actuators, s uch asa hydraulic 'or pneumaticI cylinder, electric solenoid, or the like. Member may b e fluid or electrically opierated both on its .working stroke and its return stroke, or itl may be spring :biased-in one directionif desired.

rinvention to provide a machine which coats ammunition components with a minimum pf handlingbyhuman oper" ators, and which applies the coating Vto any predetermined Vlength of the components. The ammunitionvis placed into openings in a rotatable4 table or` support and suspends from the underside of the support. A container iilled with a) coat-forming substance is adapted to rise to permit at least one of the suspended components to dip into the substance. Intermittent rotation of the support moves the components into position in turn for dipping into the coat-forming substance. An overflow device insures that the liquid level in the containerremains substantially constant, so that the various components will be dipped to the same depth. The height tov which the container rises may be adjusted for varying coating requirements. Means may/be provided to expedite drying of the coatingasuch as a fan As can be seen'in4 Fig. y2, table Illvissubstantially circular in contour. Near its periphery, the table is perforated, andthe perforations or holes4 may be arranged in one or more concentricl circles, as shown. The holes in the several circles arepreferably aligned inlrows as shown by the axis X-X drawn through one of these rows. The -holes are fitted with'bushings orl adapters A24 t to receivethe ammunitioncomponents 28, or any 'otherarticles oi' manufacture. Articles26 are ao'thus'suspended from table I0 byvv adaptersy 24,

to blow heated air past the freshly coated components. 4 e

The speciiic nature of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 of the drawing shows a machine built according to the invention, with parts broken away and in 4section to showdetails. e

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, also with parts broken Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in section on line 8-8 o! Fig. 1.

as shown in Fig. 1. Ii' it ever be` desired to use the machine for articles of a new size or shape.,

adapters 24 may be replaced by others to fit the` new articles.

Disposed beneath table III at any selected point on the frame is a container or a plurality of containers 28 open at the top for a coat-forming substance, such as paint, with which the suspended articles are to be coated. Mechanism to provide relative movement of the containers and the table toward and from each other is indicated by actuatorl .m'ounted on bracket 82 and supporting the container or containers as shown. In order that the liquid in containers 28 'may remain ata predetermined .level to insure uniformity of coating or dipping among the articles,

a suitable overflow means y"is preferably provided.

' In the embodiment shown, the said means consistsoi' a reservoir 84 supported on bracket 88.

This reservoir is adapted to'hold a sufiicient quantity of the coat-forming substance to keep the container or containers 28 submersed when ac-,

tuator is at the lower limit of its stroke. As

-discussed above in connection with actuator 28,

Reierring to the drawing in detail, a trame is u the means for actuating member 80 may be iiuid clamping plates 21. Bolts I8 extend through the slot to clamp upright 2' between plates -31 and bracket 32. The slot in member 2' permits limited vertical adjustment oi bracket 32. If desired, similar adjustment may be provided for bracket 36 carrying reservoir I4.

If desired, means may be provided to expedite drying of the coating on the freshly coated articles, in the form of fan Il driven by motor 40 to torce air past the freshly coated articles. A heater 42, such as the steam coils shown, `is preferably provided to furnish heated air to still further facilitate drying. The exhaust air leaving duct 44 may be withdrawn into any suitable ventilating system. l y

If desired, an apron or housing 4i may be provided to shield the coated articles against dust, or to protect passing personnel from contact with the freshly coated articles.

Operation- Starting with the parts occupying the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, it is seenv that containers 28 are below the level 46 of the coat forming substance in reservoir 34. Containers 2l are raised by actuator lilk above this level 48. As the containers rise above this level, they are themselves filled to the rim with liquid; the containers continue to rise until articles 26 dip into the liquid a predetermined distance.

' Since the liquid in the containers was at rim level before the articles are dipped `into it, the increase in volume due toarticles 28 dipping into the liquid does not raise the liquid level, but merev. ly causes ovenlow back into reservoir 24 of the displaced liquid. Thus the height to which the liquid level rises remains at a constant maximum I After actuator l0 has reached the end of its working stroke, corresponding to the maximum height to which the liquid level rises, it retums containers 28 to their submersed position. Actuator 2l thereupon pivots arm I4 about shaft I2; pawl Ii engages ratchet wheel I8, so that support Il rotates through a small angle in the direction indicated by arrow 48. This moves the next. row of aligned openings into position for dipping into the coat-forming substance as outlined above. Actuator 2i then returns arm I4 to its starting position. During this return move' ment of arm I4, pawl It springs away from the teeth of wheel I8, leaving the wheel and support where they are.'

Actuators 2l and 30 `are synchronized at the primary energy source so that the rotary movement of support Il is arrested-i. e., the support is not in motion-when containers 28 rise for the dipping operation. v

At some convenient point along the periphery of the frame, the freshly coated articles pass through the drying station, at which heated air is circulated past the articles as explained above. The dried articles may then be removed and relplaced by uncoated articles.

I claim:

In a machine for coating articles, in combina` tion, a table provided with means for suspending a plurality of said articles and means mounting the table for rotation about a verticalr axis, a container for a coat-forming substance non-rotatively disposed beneath the table, the said container being adapted to accommodate the suspended articles in a predetermined portion of the table, means to eifect relative rotary movement between the table and container to bring the suspended articles and said container in cooperating lrelation, means to eiIect a relative vertical movement between the table and container to dip the suspended articles in the coat-forming substance of the container, said table being provided with openings to hold the articles, and further provided with bushings received in said opening adapted to the particular size of said articles.

ANDREW T. ANDERSON.

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