Treating of workpieces

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PLATIING WORKPIECES, COMPRISING A TANK FOR CONTAINING A PLATING SOLUTION, A DRUM ROTATABLE ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS AND OPEN AT BOTH ENDS FOR RESPECTIVELY RECEIVING AND DISHCARGING WORKPIECES, SAID DURM HAVING A MAIN SECTION POSITIONED FOR ROTATION IN THE PLATING SOLUTION, A REDUCED DIAMETER END SECTION ABOVE THE PLATING SOLUTION, AND A PLURALITY OF LONGGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, CURRENT-CONDUCTIVE MEMBERS ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM EACH OTHER AND ARRANGED ABOUT THE DRUM AXIS AND IN PART FORMING THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID DRUM, SAID DRUM BEING PERVIOUS TO PROVIDE FOR FREE FLOW OF THE PLATING SOLUTION THEREINTO AND SAID MEMBERS SPANNING SAID MAIN DRUM SECTION AND EXTENDING INTO SAID DRUM END SECTION, EACH MEMBER BEING GREATER IN WIDTH AT SAID DRUM MAIN SECTION THAN AT SAID DRUM END SECTION AND GREATER IN THICKNESS AT SAID DRUM END SECTION THAN AT SAID DRUM MAIN SECTION TO PROVIDE A CROSS-SECTIONAL MEMBER AREA WHICH IS GENERALLY CONSTANT FROM MEMBER END-TO-END, MEANS FOR ADVANCING WORKPIECES THROUGH SAID DRUM FROM END-TO-END THEREOF UPON DRUM ROTATION, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DRUM ABOUT ITS AXIS, AND BRUSH MEANS ELECTRICALLY ENGAGED WITH SAID CONDUCTIVE MEMBERS AT SAID DRUM END SECTION AND CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRICAL PLATING CIRCUIT TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LATTER AND SAID DRUM MEMBERS AT THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID DRUM AND A CONSEQUENNT ELECTRICAL CONNECTION WITH THE WORKPIECES ENGAGED WITH SAID DRUM MEMBERS.