Improvements in or relating to electro-plating machines

摘要

701,574. Roller conveyers. HEATH, A. R. N. Aug. 30, 1951 [June 9, 1950], No. 14415/50. Class 78 (1) [Also in Groups XXIV and XXXVI] Apparatus for electro-plating metal sheets, of the kind in which the sheets are urged through treatment baths by pairs of rollers mounted on rollers and situated outside the baths, the sheets passing into and out of the baths through sealing lips of rubber or the like, is characterized in that the pairs of rollers carry sprocket wheels, the teeth of which lie in different planes transverse to the axis of rotation, and a duplex or triplex endless chain extends between the sprocket wheels and engages the teeth to drive the two rollers of each pair in opposite directions. The diameter of the pitch circle of each sprocket wheel may be approximately equal to the diameter of the roller of the shaft on which the wheel is mounted. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, metal sheets are fed from a table B by pairs of rollers through levelling apparatus B2 and through sets of baths provided with entry and exit slots for the plates. The rollers are rotated by an endless chain H3 driven by an electric motor H. The chain H3 as shown in Fig. 3, is a triplex chain the central longitudinal part of which engages the teeth on the sprocket C of an upper roller, while the two lateral parts of the chain engage two rows of teeth on the sprocket C1 of a lower roller. The bearings for the shafts of the rollers are mounted to slide freely vertically on their supports B3. Each bath is provided with rubber sealing lips J, Fig. 5, to prevent loss of liquid during passage of the sheets. The sheets are guided in the plating baths by pairs of rubber-covered rollers Q, Q2 and pass between pairs of anodes P, P1 which are supported at their ends on conducting strips of stepped form made of copper covered with antimonial lead. The sheets before being plated pass through anodic cleaning, hot washing, and pickling baths, and after plating pass through hot washing baths and drying apparatus. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 445,719, [Group XXXVI].