Apparatus for producing high wear-resistant composite seal

Claim 1

A continuous-production apparatus for applying a wear-resistant coating to successive groups of machine element workpieces, said apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed rotatable turntable having a planar top surface and a plurality of workpiece holders disposed in an annular path thereon concentric with the axis of rotation thereof in circumferentially spaced relationship relatively to one another, each of said holders being disposed within a separate recess in said top surfaces, an air-tight housing disposed adjacent a portion of said path on said turntable and defining with the corresponding portion of said table a chamber therein adapted to be evacuated, said housing having a bottom portion which is parallel to said surface and has an opening therein of larger cross-sectional dimensions than any said recess, a pair of spaced, generally annular seal rings disposed about said opening and between said bottom portion and said surface, means to evacuate said chamber and the volume bounded by said pair of seal rings, turntable surface and bottom portion, treating means communicating with said volume, a loading station and an unloading station communicating with said turntable. means within said chamber for holding an evaporable wear-resistant alloy, means in said chamber for evaporating said alloy, automated means for indexing said rotatable turn-table whereby each group of workpieces is successively received within a said recess at the loading station, carried beneath said housing into a first portion of the evacuated volume, out of said volume and within said opening to receive a vapor deposition of said alloy, into a second portion of said evacuated volume whereby to be exposed to said treating means, and finally out of said volume to the unloading station.