Flame spray metallizing apparatus

Claim 1

MULTIPLE HEAD FLAME SPRAY METALLIZING APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A UNIFORM METAL COATING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANE SURFACE OF A WORKPIECE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A MANIFOLD BLOCK FORMED WITH THREE MANIFOLDS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE WITHIN SAID BLOCK FOR CARRYING GASES UNDER PRESSURE; SAID BLOCK BEING FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE BORES EXTENDING THERETHROUGH WITH THE AXES OF SAID BORES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, AND EACH OF SAID TRANSVERSE BORES CONNECTED TO SAID MANIFOLDS THROUGH CONNECTING BORES; A FLAME SPRAY HEAD SECURED IN EACH OF SAID TRANSVERSE BORES AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR MIXING A FUEL GAS WITH OXYGEN, A COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR CONTAINING A FLAME WHEN THE MIXTURE IS IGNITED, SAID FLAME BEING ADAPTED TO MELT WIRE AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING A PROPELLANT GAS SO AS TO ATOMIZE THE MOLTEN METAL AND PROPEL SAID MOLTEN, ATOMIZED METAL IN A DIVERGENT SPRAY FROM SAID HEAD AGAINST AN AREA OF SAID SURFACE OF SAID WORKPIECE; MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID WORKPIECE WITH SAID SURFACE FACING SAID SPRAY HEADS; A DRIVE AND SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORTING AND MOVING SAID MANIFOLD BLOCK AND SAID SPRAY HEADS MOUNTED THEREIN RELATIVE TO SAID SURFACE, GENERALLY PARALLEL THEREWITH AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID MANIFOLDS; WIRE FEEDING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID ASSEMBLY ADJACENT EACH OF SAID TRANSVERSE BORES FOR ADVANCING A WIRE INTO AND THROUGH EACH OF SAID SPRAY HEADS; AND A COMMON DRIVE FOR OPERATING SAID WIRE FEEDING MEANS TO FEED SAID WIRES INTO SAID SPRAY HEADS AT THE SAME RATE AND THEREBY INSURE SPRAYING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF METAL BY EACH OF SAID SPRAY HEADS.