Corrosion-resistant work transfer system

Claim 1

In combination with a work station provided with a bench having a row of chemical processing stages thereon, each having a tank adapted to receive a handled basket carrying the work, the environment above the stages being chemically corrosive, and an automated work transfer system to convey said basket in a desired sequence to said stages, said system comprising: A. An apron vertically mounted above said work bench at the rear thereof to provide a barrier between said corrosive environment and the region behind the apron; said apron at its rear supporting a horizontal track adjacent the top of the apron; B. a robot assembly riding on said track, said assembly including a robot positioned in front of said apron, a plate extending from the upper end of the robot and projecting over the top of the apron into said rear region, load-bearing wheels supported by said plate and running on said track, a horizontal rack mounted below said track, and an external motor supported from said plate, the shaft of the motor having a pinion thereon which engages said rack to cause said assembly to travel along said track to a position in line with a selected tank in said row; C. an elevator carriage which rides up and down the front face of the robot and is provided with a hoisting arm having a hand adapted to engage the handle of said basket, said carriage being driven by an internal motor disposed in said robot to cause the carriage to lower the basket into the selected tank and to thereafter lift the basket therefrom.