| 摘要 |
A vacuum treatment chamber 10 has its interior maintained at predetermined vacuum and temperature conditions, and includes an inlet port 12 and an outlet port 14. Rotary feeders 18, 20 within the enclosure are maintained at the vacuum and temperature conditions of the interior thereof and communicate respectively with the inlet port 12 via a conduit 22 and with the outlet port 14 via a conduit 24. The conduits are filled with a condensible gas by way of conduits 26, substantially to the exclusion of atmospheric air, and sealing apparatus is coupled to each conduit 22, 24 and is arranged for sliding engagement with a relatively small portion of the periphery of the respective rotary feeder. This provides communication between each conduit and the respective rotary feeder while reducing the amount of condensible gas permitted to enter the vacuum enclosure. Articles to be treated, such as cans, are supplied to the inlet port 12 by a conveyor 28 and pass through the sealing apparatus to the feeder 18. From there they pass across the chamber on a conveyor 32 and, after treatment, leave the chamber again via the feeder 20 and the outlet 14, falling by gravity down the conduit 24. <IMAGE> |
