The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 06, 1991
Filed:
Jul. 24, 1990
Gary E Vergason, Spencer, NY (US);
Vergason Technology, Inc., Van Etten, NY (US);
Abstract
An electric arc vapor deposition device is disclosed in which the negative side of an arc power supply is switched back and forth between the two ends of a cylindrical cathode to cause an arc struck between an anode and the cathode to travel back and forth along the length of the cathode. Adjustably positioned proximity sensors are disposed adjacent the two ends of the cathode to sense the presence of the arc and cause a switching circuit to change the power supply connection from one cathode end to the other. The cylindrical shape of the cathode causes the arc to spiral around the cathode as it travels along its length thus causing a very uniform erosion of material off of the cathode's surface. Since the arc is allowed to travel substantially along the entire length of the cathode, use of a relatively long cathode permits large articles or quantities of articles to be coated evenly. In addition, the cathode can be coaxially located within a hollow article, such as a tube or pipe, to coat the inner surfaces of the article.