Electro-coating apparatus and method

Abstract

In a high speed electro-coating apparatus having a plurality of electro-coating cells arranged around the periphery of a rotable turntable, each can is placed upright on a cell lid below a hollow cell body and is introduced into that body by upward movement of the cell lid. Separate simultaneous flows of electro-coating fluid fill and immerse the can, and each cell receives electro-coating current via slip-ring segments carried on the turntable past respective sets of brushes which are disposed at the respective electro-coating stations. Control apparatus is arranged to feed current to the brush sets only during the periods of turntable rotation during which each brush has full contact with an adjacent slip-ring segment. An infeed device has a rotable turret from which radiate a plurality of can holders which act to transfer cans from a screw-type infeed conveyor along an encircling guide rail to an infeed station of the apparatus. Camgear enclosed in the turret cyclically retracts each holder as it approaches the infeed station so as to cause each can to follow there in concert with the guide rail the locus of a cell arriving to receive the can from the infeed device. An outfeed device has a rotatable turret from which radiate a plurality of can grippers each of which is arranged to grip a can delivered to it at an outfeed station of the apparatus and then to rotate the can so as to empty fluid still remaining in it before releasing it in the inverted condition to an outfeed conveyor.