US4233937A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vapor deposition coating machine
Assignee: McDonnell Douglas Corp
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Filing: 1978-07-20
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Granted: 1980-11-18
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Expires: 1998-07-20
Abstract
Abstract A machine for vapor coating a workpiece with a coating metal supplied in wire form includes a vessel enclosing a vacuum chamber and having a door for providing access to the vacuum chamber. The vessel is connected with a vacuum pump for evacuating the vacuum chamber. Mounted within the vacuum chamber is a rack having an attachment screen which is electrically isolated from the remainder of the vessel so that the screen may be placed at a DC potential significantly higher than the vessel. When the door of the vessel is open, the rack may be withdrawn from the chamber for loading the workpiece thereon. The chamber also contains a carriage that moves from one side of the chamber to the other beneath the rack, and the carriage has a plurality of evaporator units mounted along it. Each evaporator unit includes a trough-like boat and means for feeding the coating metal wire into the boat. An electrical potential is impressed across the boat, which functions as a resistance-type heater, and that potential is sufficient in magnitude to elevate the temperature of the boat enough to melt the coating metal wire fed into it. Once all of the evaporator units in the carriage are operating consistently, the carriage is moved across the chamber one or more times, and the vaporized coating metal emitted from the boat is deposited on the workpiece, providing a firmly bonded uniform coating.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth E. Steube
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 23:53
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/24
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
308 words
A vapor disposition coating machine for applying a coating metal to a workpiece, said machine comprising: an air-tight vessel having walls which enclose a vacuum chamber and define a door opening, the vessel also having a door which when closed seals the door opening and when opened provides access to the vacuum chamber; a rack supported on the vessel within the vacuum chamber for holding a workpiece in a fixed position within the vacuum chamber; a carriage located within the vacuum chamber below the rack, the carriage being substantially narrower than the rack, but about the same length as the rack; means for moving the carriage in translation beneath the rack generally from one side of the vessel to the other; a plurality of evaporator units mounted on the carriage generally along the entire length thereof, each evaporator unit including a boat in the shape of an upwardly opening trough, the boat being formed from a substance that is capable of conducting an electrical current and serving as a resistance type heating element, each evaporator unit also including means for feeding the coating metal in wire form into the trough of the boat for that unit; first and second current conducting means extended between the boats and fixed locations on a wall of the vessel for delivering electrical energy to the boats, the first conducting means being connected to one end of each boat and the second conducting means being connected to the opposite end of each boat, both the first and second conducting means being flexible, at least in part, to accommodate movement of the carriage in the chamber; and means for circulating a fluid coolant along the first and second conducting means to dissipate heat therefrom, the means for circulating the fluid coolant also being flexible so as to flex with first and second conducting means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
308 words
A vapor disposition coating machine for applying a coating metal to a workpiece, said machine comprising: an air-tight vessel having walls which enclose a vacuum chamber and define a door opening, the vessel also having a door which when closed seals the door opening and when opened provides access to the vacuum chamber; a rack supported on the vessel within the vacuum chamber for holding a workpiece in a fixed position within the vacuum chamber; a carriage located within the vacuum chamber below the rack, the carriage being substantially narrower than the rack, but about the same length as the rack; means for moving the carriage in translation beneath the rack generally from one side of the vessel to the other; a plurality of evaporator units mounted on the carriage generally along the entire length thereof, each evaporator unit including a boat in the shape of an upwardly opening trough, the boat being formed from a substance that is capable of conducting an electrical current and serving as a resistance type heating element, each evaporator unit also including means for feeding the coating metal in wire form into the trough of the boat for that unit; first and second current conducting means extended between the boats and fixed locations on a wall of the vessel for delivering electrical energy to the boats, the first conducting means being connected to one end of each boat and the second conducting means being connected to the opposite end of each boat, both the first and second conducting means being flexible, at least in part, to accommodate movement of the carriage in the chamber; and means for circulating a fluid coolant along the first and second conducting means to dissipate heat therefrom, the means for circulating the fluid coolant also being flexible so as to flex with first and second conducting means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
A machine according to claim 1 wherein the means for moving the carriage includes a lead screw that extends through the carriage and is engaged therewith, the lead screw further being extended through the wall of the vessel, and a motor that is located exteriorly of the vessel and is conneced with the lead screw for turning the screw.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
A machine according to claim 1 wherein the means for feeding the coating metal into the trough of the boat includes means for holding a reel of the wire coating meal, a roller bearing against the wire beyond the reel for withdrawing the wire from the reel, and means for guiding the wire into the trough of the boat.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
A machine according to claim 3 wherein the means for guiding the wire into the trough of the boat is a guide tube through which the wire is driven, the guide tube being located between the drive roller and the boat.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
81 words
A machine according to claim 1 wherein the means for feeding the coating metal in wire form into the boat of each evaporator unit includes means for holding a reel of the wire, and a roller bearing against the wire beyond the reel for withdrawing the wire from the reel and feeding it into the trough of the boat when rotated; and wherein a common drive shaft extends along the carriage and drives the rollers of all of the evaporator units.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
A machine according to claim 5 and further comprising a gearbox on the carriage and having one end connected to the drive shaft for the rollers, a cross shaft extended in the direction that the carriage moves and having a spline thereon that passes through the gearbox, so that the cross shaft remains engaged with the gearbox irrespective of the position of the carriage in the vacuum chamber, and a motor connected with the cross shaft for rotating the cross shaft.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
A machine according to claim 5 wherein the common drive shaft extends through and the rollers are mounted on the common drive shaft.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
57 words
A machine according to claim 1 and further comprising a pair of parallel tracks mounted on the walls of the vessel within the vacuum chamber and a slide on the tracks, the rack being engaged with the slide and the slide enabling the rack to be withdrawn completely from the vacuum chamber to facilitate loading workpieces thereon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
72 words
A machine according to claim 1 and further comprising a shield mounted within the vessel adjacent to one side of the vacuum chamber and being movable between a position in which it overlies the evaporator unit when the unit is at said one side of the chamber and a position in which it is located to the side of the evaporator unit so as to expose the workpiece to the evaporator unit.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A machine according to claim 1 wherein the first conducting means comprises a rigid common electrode that extends along one side of the carriage with one end of each boat being connected to that electrode.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
A machine according to claim 10 wherein the second conducting means comprises a plurality of individual conductors each connected to the other end of one of the boats.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
A machine according to claim 1 and further comprising rails within the vacuum chamber; and wherein the carriage is supported on and moves along the rails.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
A machine according to claim 1 and further comprising means for enabling the rack to be withdrawn through the door opening so that it can be removed from the vacuum chamber to facilitate the loading of the workpiece upon it.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
283 words
A vapor deposition coating machine for applying a coating metal to a workpiece, said machine comprising: an air-tight vessel having walls which enclose a vacuum chamber and define a door opening located at one end of the vessel, the vessel also having a door which when closed seals the door opening and when opened provides access to the vacuum chamber; means for evacuating air and other gases from the vacuum chamber to produce a vacuum therein; a rack within the vacuum chamber for holding a workpiece; means for supporting the rack such that the rack can be withdrawn through the door opening when the door is open and moved to a loading position outside of the vacuum chamber to facilitate loading a workpiece on the rack; a carriage within the vacuum chamber below the rack, the carriage being substantially narrower than the rack; means for moving the carriage beneath the rack generally from one side of the vessel to the other; a plurality of evaporator units mounted on the carriage one after the other for generally the entire length of the carriage, each evaporator unit including a boat in the shape of an upwardly opening trough, the boat being formed from a substance that conducts electrical current and serves as a resistance-type heating element, each evaporator unit also including means for feeding the coating metal in wire form into the trough of the boat; electrical conductors connected to the ends of the boats and across a source of electrical energy for delivering electrical energy to the boats, the conductors being flexible at least in part to accommodate movement of the carriage in the vacuum chamber; and means for dissipating heat from the conductors.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
283 words
A vapor deposition coating machine for applying a coating metal to a workpiece, said machine comprising: an air-tight vessel having walls which enclose a vacuum chamber and define a door opening located at one end of the vessel, the vessel also having a door which when closed seals the door opening and when opened provides access to the vacuum chamber; means for evacuating air and other gases from the vacuum chamber to produce a vacuum therein; a rack within the vacuum chamber for holding a workpiece; means for supporting the rack such that the rack can be withdrawn through the door opening when the door is open and moved to a loading position outside of the vacuum chamber to facilitate loading a workpiece on the rack; a carriage within the vacuum chamber below the rack, the carriage being substantially narrower than the rack; means for moving the carriage beneath the rack generally from one side of the vessel to the other; a plurality of evaporator units mounted on the carriage one after the other for generally the entire length of the carriage, each evaporator unit including a boat in the shape of an upwardly opening trough, the boat being formed from a substance that conducts electrical current and serves as a resistance-type heating element, each evaporator unit also including means for feeding the coating metal in wire form into the trough of the boat; electrical conductors connected to the ends of the boats and across a source of electrical energy for delivering electrical energy to the boats, the conductors being flexible at least in part to accommodate movement of the carriage in the vacuum chamber; and means for dissipating heat from the conductors.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
68 words
A machine according to claim 14 and further comprising a shield mounted on the vessel at one side of the vacuum chamber and being movable between a shielding position wherein it overlies the evaporator units on the carriage and an open position wherein it is located to the side of the evaportor units and causes the rack and the workpiece thereon to be exposed to the evaporator units.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
57 words
A machine according to claim 15 and further comprising rails mounted in the vessel and extended horizontally through it for supporting the carriage; and wherein the means for moving the carriage comprises at least one lead screw which extends through the carriage and has its threads engaged with the carriage, and means for rotating the lead screw.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
A machine according to claim 14 and further comprising means for placing the rack at an electrical potential different from that of the boats.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-11-18 | 1984-05-19 | 1984-11-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-11-18 | 1988-05-19 | 1988-11-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-11-18 | 1992-05-19 | 1992-11-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |