US2562084A - Article treating and plating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 24, 1951 7 s. COLLICK 5 3 ARTICLE TREATING AND PLATING APPARATUS Filed July 9, 1948 I 1 s Sheets-Shet 1 INVENTORA EDQAR STAPLES Comm egwlly 9 3951 I E. a coLLacK 2 562 084 ARTICLE TREATING AND PLATING APPARATUS V 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1948 INVENTOR. Roam STAPLES Comm amwwa July 24, 1951 Filed July 9, 1948 E. s. COLLICK 2,562,084

ARTICLE TREATING AND PLATING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 76 INVENTOR. Enema STAPLES Comm:

# By M 9,

Patented July 24, 1951 ARTICLE TREATING AND PLATIN APPARATUS Edgar Staples Collick, Van Dyke, Mich. Application July 9, 1948, Serial No. 37,755

14 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an apparatus for treating or plating articles and particularly to an improved apparatus for treating or plating the surface portions of a plurality of articles in cleaning solutions, electrolytic solutions, and the like. This application constitutes a continuation-inpart of my co-pending application Serial No. 721,012, filed January 9, 1947, and now abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 754,913., filed June 16, 1947 andnow abandoned.

Heretofore, enclosures in the form of hollow perforated cylinders or barrels have been used for containing the articles to be treated and processed. in solutions such as plating and cleaning baths. These perforated barrels have been suspended by rigid means in the bath and rotated by gearing or endless chains extending down- This required relatively.

wardly into the baths. complicated and expensive machinery, and ex.- po ed the metal parts, such as the a in o th solutions. It has been the practice to immerse the perforated barrels in the treating or plating solutions and rotate the same in order to tumble the articles around inside of the barrel and expose all surface portions of the article to the solution. In order to fill the barrels, with the article content and discharge the same therefrom after.

the. treating process is completed, the barrels were usually provided with a removable closure member or panel door whic required extra labor to remove and replace in position and added to the original cost of the apparatus.

to prevent electrolytical deposits on the exposed metal parts of the door or gate members which interfered in time with the operation of the'door movable panel door and is conveniently Operable; to fill the enclosure with the article content and discharge the vsame therefrom. Another im I portant object of the invention is to provide. anj improved article treating apparatus for usein.

electrolytical solutions and the like which utilizesa novel form of rotatable cylinder or barrel and which when rotated in one direction Will retain the articles therewithin during treatment and when rotated in the opposite, direction will quickly and automatically effect discharge of the articles therefrom. A further important object of tha invention is to provide an improved apparatus of; this character including a reversible rotatable article containing enclosure having a permanent or continuously opened filling and discharge apen.

Moreover, it. was difficult, if not impossible, in many instances;

-. ture so constructed and related to the direction of the rotation of the enclosure that when rotated in one direction the articles contained therewithin will quickly discharge therefrom and when rotated in the other direction the articles therei within will be retained within the enclosure and prevented from discharge through the aperture. A still further important object of this invention is to provide a rotatable enclosure in th form of a novel perforated cylinder or barrel which is provided with a permanently opened article filling slot or aperture, and which when rotated in one direction in a plating or treating bath sets up a circulatory system causing the liquid of the bath to flow into the cylinder and out of th perforations thereof.

,1 tation of the barrel while suspended in a treating solution. Another feature of the invention is the provision for suspending the perforated barrel or cylinder in the treating solution by means of two flexible endless drive members and while so suspended causing the drive members to impart a rotary movement to the barrel.

A still further important feature of the invention is the provision of novel means vfor preventing lateral or longitudinal movement of the barrel while so suspended and rotated, which means also serves to form a support for the barrel in the event one or the other of the endless drive members should part. I

A further important object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus including a rotable perforated barrel and reversible drive means therefor which are associated into a novel unitary assembly for transportation from one tankto another. The drive means is capable of rotating the barrel on the outside of the tank while being transferred from one tank to another, thereby assuring the substantially complete removal of all of the solution on the articles and in the barrel which would otherwise be carried thereby between the tanks and contaminate or foul subsequent solutions.

Various other objects, advantages and rious features of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawing wherein: i

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus em bodying the invention shown mounted upon a tank containing the treating solution,

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the apparatus 7 with the barrel suspended in a treating solution,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus taken along line 3- 3 of Fig. 2,

merito- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the upper end of one side of the apparatus showing the mounting of the same upon a tank,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the perforated barrel of the apparatus showing the same as rotating in the direction to spill the contents thereof,

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 showing the barrel rotating in the opposite direction to retain the contents within the barrel,

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a side wall portion of the barrel showing the manner of insulating the same, and

Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the articles to be treated are contained within a perforated enclosure preferably of substantially cylindrical formation but which may be of polygonal formation or any other suitable shape. The enclosure is indicated generally at 10. It comprises a substantially cylindrical perforated wall I 2 closed at its opposite ends. Articles to be treated are represented in circular outline at M in Figs. 5 and 6 within the cylinder but it is understood that these articles may be of any regular or irregular shape.

The cylinder is generally referred to as a drum or barrel in the plating industry and in use the barrel is usually immersed in one or more fluids and rotated therein so that the articles are tumbled about inside the barrel in order to present all surface portions thereof to the action of the fluid. In the electroplating industry articles inclosed in such rotating barrels are subject to various solutions in different tanks and after treatment in one solution the articles are transferred to another tank for a separate treatment. Generally such treatments, in addition to the plating operation, include immersions in cold and hot rinsing baths, acid or alkaline baths and a bright dip treatment. The immersions usually follow a definite sequence and there may be as many as eight or more separate immersions in different solutions to complete the article treating operation.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a plating barrel is shown, and it is understood that this barrel may be transferred to and from an electrolytic plating solution and prior thereto or subsequently thereafter treated in other baths of different character.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the barrel ID is shown immersed in a solution it contained in a tank [3. The barrel is usually completely submerged below the upper level of the solution as shown. In order to permit the flow of the solution into and out of the barrel, the side wall I? thereof is perforated throughout its extent as indicated by the apertures 20 in Fig. 7. These perforations are undersize the articles contained within the barrel. The side wall l2 may be constructed of a perforated steel sheet rolled into the formation to be hereinafter described, or it may be a sheet of expanded metal or wire mesh. Where a metal sheet is used, it is preferred to completely inclose or sheath all surface portions thereof by an insulating medium such as rubber. A rubber coating of this character is indicated at 22 in Fig. 7. An alternative form of barrel may be composed entirely of plastic material having drilled or die-formed holes therethrough.

The opposite ends of the barrel iii are closed by walls 24 of corresponding shape which may be perforated as shown. Secured to each end wall 24 is an annular-shaped member or belt ring 26 having a peripheral groove 28. The diameter of the belt ring 26 preferably corresponds to that of the barrel Ill. An endless belt 36 is associated with each ring member 26 as shown in various figures of the drawings. The belts are passed around the ring members and are received in the peripheral grooves 26 thereof. Preferably, for the purpose hereinafter described, the belts are composed of non-electric conductive material such as rubber or the like and are preferably V-shaped in cross-section.

Instead of providing a removable wall section or panel door on the drum or barrel Ill as heretofore in order to gain admittance to the inter or of the barrel to fill the same or to remove the article content therefrom, the present invention eliminates the use of such a door or gate member and provides a permanently or continuously opened aperture in the barrel which by virtue of its formation prevents the articles from falling out of the barrel when the latter is rotated in one direction.

Referring to Figs. 2, 5 and 6, the permanently opened aperture is formed by so rolling the perforated side wall I2 of the barrel that the two end portions thereof indicated at 32 and 34 are brought into slightly over-lapping spaced apart relation, forming a relatively narrow elongated.

aperture or slot 36 running the length of the barrel between the end members 24-24 thereof and opening substantially tangentially of the barrel. This may be accomplished by shaping the wall l2 of the barrel into a true spiral but preferably in order to increase the volumetric content of the barrel, this is accomplished by commencing to inwardly curve the inner edge portion 32 approximately from the slot 36 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This brings the end portion 32 of the side wall inwardly radially of the other end portion to form the slot 36. The opening or slot 36 is initially constructed so that it has a width greater than the size of the articles to be contained within the barrel.

The elongated aperture or slot 36 serves as an opening for filling the barrel with the content material. the barrel to a position such that the slot opens upwardly and thereafter slidingly feeding the articles downwardly through the slot into the barrel. The filling operation will normally take place before the barrel is immersed in a solution. After the desired number of articles have been introduced into the barrel, it may be submerged in a treating bath such as an electrolytic plating solution and rotated therein to continuously tumble the articles therein. When plating or otherwise treating the articles, the barrel is rotated in the direction in which the edge portion 34 projects, or counter-clockwise as shown by the arrow in Fig. 6. When rotated in this direction, it is impossible for the articles to fall out of the opening 36 even though, as previously described, the aperture 36 is large enough to permit the passage of the articles therethrough. The overlapping relationship of the edge portions 32 and 34 of the barrel prevent the articles from spilling out of the slot when the barrel is rotated in the direction shown in Fig. 6. During each revolution of the barrel in thisdirection the articles remain in the bottom portion of the barrel and shift and slide relatively to the wall and fall from the inner edge portion 32 to the outer edge portion 34, when the slot traverses the lowest part of its circular path of movement.

This is best accomplished by rotating When it is desired to unload or discharge the articles from the barrel "1-,. the apparatus; is usually lifted above the; tank. and. to onev side: thereof,. if desired, and the barrel. is then'rotated in the opposite. direction or'clockwise, as: shown: by the arrow in Fig. 5. Preferably before a" discharge operation. commenced, a receptacle or tray indicated indotted outline at 38.- in Fig. 5 is placed under the barrel to receivethe articles as they fallout of the end of the barrel When rotated in clockwise direction in Fig. 5,, the/articles. shift relatively to the wall l2 of thebarrel toward the end portion 34- thereof, and. when the slot 36 traverses the lowest part of. its circular movement, the articles fall fromthe outer edge portion- 34 upon the tray 38 in the manner. shown in Fig. 5.

Although the cylinder or barrel Ill may be: rotated byhand in the direction to discharge" the article content thereof, it is preferred to provide power drive means which: is. reversely oper-- able to rotate the barrel in eitherv direction..- Moreover; as will be described more" particularlyhereinafter, it is preferred to suspend the barrel from the drive means by the verymeans which are employed toimpart rotation thereto.v This: improved apparatus is preferably formed: into a self contained unit includingthe power drive: means which is solutioncontaining tank to another; The-barrel. therefore may be filled with content material before immersionin the. first tank and: retained inthe barrel throughout subsequent immersions. mother tanks and. discharged from the barrel:

after'the treatment inthe last tank. When submerged: in plating and treating baths, thebarrelis rotated in the counterclockwise direction. shown. by the arrow inv Fig. 6. Following the last immersion the barrel is removed therefrom and rotated in the opposite direction. to spill. the article. content therefrom.

In the plating barrel illustrated herein, there:- is associated with each end wall 242 thereof. a

fixed projection or hub 40-. The hub? is cylindrical information as shown in Fig. 2 and. isprovided with two. axially spaced apart. portions of; different.- diameters. The smaller portion of. each hub face toward. the barrel. Each end wall 24 of the barrel has: the central portion. thereof bentioutwardlytoforma circular flange" 42 which encircles the smaller portionofi the. hub: with which it is associated and rotatably: bears: thereon. In this manner the hubs 40-40. formi journal. supports about which. the barrel rotates. For. reasons pointed out: hereinaften. each: hub

40 is composed of electrical insulatingimaterial. such'zas fibre: and a phenol? condensationprodu'ct molded together into a unitary structure.--

Supported by each hub 40? and protecting into the interior of: the. barrel isan electrical conductivecable. 44. forming a cathode for the plati'n'g circuit. Each cable extends outsideof itsrespectivei. hub inithemanner shown in Fig. 3 and" up-- wardly for contact with the upper part" of the" apparatus. For substantially its entirelength each' cable 44- is completely covered or-sheatliedby insulation such. as=rubber orthelike; The end sections of" the cables within the barrel are further covered by a relatively thick body 4T of rubber or the like to support the cableinthe inwardly projecting manner shown in Fig; 3. Both: the body 41 and the rubber sheath 4' 6 for each cable terminate short of the lowerend" of the 2 cable in the barrel to provide a bare or ex"- posed' terminal" end 48. Removablysecured to readily transportable from: one

each terminal end 48 of the cables is a metallic body or cap 50 which. is exposedto-the solution in which'thebarrel is immersed. The-bodies or caps 50 deteriorate in use andmay be replaced from time to time.

The" illustrated: embodiment of the invention includes a; support for suspending the barrel. I0

in plating and treating solutions. This support comprises an inverted. channel shaped frame member 52' which. is of a length to straddle a:

tank and overlapthe upper flanged edges 54 thereof onthe opposite sidewalls thereof in the manner shown in Fig. 1-. A shorter frame member 56 inthe form of a metal plate projects perpendicularly from the mid-portion of the channel shaped member, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer extremity of the plate member 56 is received within an upwardly opening U-shaped member 58 which" is: fixed to a bracket 60. The

bracket is secured by welding or otherwise to the mid-portion of one of the side wall flanges 54 of the tank and it is jogged intermediate its ends to dispose the U-shaped member inwardly of the side wall in position to receive and support the plate member 56.

Supported onthe' plate member 56 is a reversible electric motor 62-. The motor drives a shaft 64': through a speed" reducer enclosed withinthe housing; 66. The drive shaft 64 extends parallel to and in spaced relationship above the channel shaped frame member 52". Adjacent to each opposite endof theshaft-64 isa riser block B1 supported on the frame member 52 and carrying on the upper end thereof a pillow block Bil-through which the shaft 64 extends; In thismanner the shaft 64" is journal'ed for rotation above the drum tion: to the barrel. Ill' but alsofunction in the novel capacity of carrying the weight of the barreli and. its: contents. Thus the barrel isslung between-the belts 30-30 andis suspended therebyirrspaced relationship-below the drive shaft 64 and the frame member 52". The weight of the barrel and its; contents is carried solely by the endless belts whether the barrel is immersed in a treating solution in a tank or raised thereabove and transported between the tanks. While it is sosusp'end'ed; the endless belts are capable of imparting a rotary movement to the" barrel.

"Inorder to prevent" the barrel m from shifting. both laterally and longitudinally while so" suspended and rotated; novel means in the form of.

a UL-shaped structure or hanger is; employed for each end of the barrel. Eachhanger is associ ated with a hub dfl of" therbarref It? and comprises two rod members "I2'-I2' joined by cross memL- ber 14- at" their lower ends; The cross member and rods Ti -l2 for the major portion. of. their" lengths. are sheathed an insulating covering 16" as shown inFig. 2; The" upper ends of. the

rods 12"12" are preferablyjogged apart to pass al'ongoppositeside's of the channel shaped frame memberl'tto' the frame. member: The rods. are preferably threaded for vertical? adjustment. in the. bushings as is evident from Fig. 2; The insu- 52 and" are secured by means of bushings lated covered portions of the rod 72'l2 pass along opposite sides of the hub 40 but within the external dimension thereof. Each hub 40 is cut away on diametrically opposite sides thereof to form vertical grooves for receiving the rod 12-42 in the manner indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 2. In this manner the hangers act to prevent not only sidewise movement or sway of the barrel laterally of its axis but also any endwise shifting movement of the barrel parallel to its axis. The cross member M -is spaced below the hub 40 and in addition to connecting the rod 1212 together also serves as a stop or support for catching and holding the hub of the barrel in the event either one of the endless drive belts 30-30 should part.

Each end of the channel shaped frame member 52 is provided with a downwardly depending V-shaped block of electrically conductive material indicated at 80 in 4. Each block 80 is secured to the underside of the frame member 52 by a pair of bolts'82 and insulated therefrom in any suitable manner such as by the insulating pad 84 between the V block and the channel member and insulating sleeves 86 surrounding the bolts. These V blocks are so spaced apart from one another as to align with the opposite side walls of the tank I8 and preferably in super imposing relationship to the outwardly projecting flanges 54 thereof. Each cable 44 as shown in Fig. 3 extends upwardly toward and is connected to the V block 89 on the same side of the apparatus as it is located.

Carried on flanged portions 54 of the opposite side walls of the tank are electrical terminal members 88 eachrounded at its upper end for reception within the V of a terminal block 8!] as shown in Fig. 4 and provided with laterally extending legs 90 on the opposite sides thereof which are bolted to the flange of the tank. Suitable insulating means similar to that previously described in connection with the V block 80 are utilized for electrically insulating the terminal member 88 from the tank. Each terminal member 80 is electrically connected by a depending bus bar 92 and a horizontal bus bar 94 in a conventional manner to a suitable source of electrical energy. Each bus bar 94 extends to the back side of the tank and are joined to a common bar 95 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Additional bus bars 95 may be provided for electrically connecting the source of energy to the plating rack supporting rods 98-88 extending longitudinally of the tank adjacent to the front and back walls thereof as shown in Fig. 1.

The control for the motor 62 is preferably mounted on the apparatus and as shown may comprise a control box Ill!) supported by bracket I02 from the frame member 52 and provided with a control handle H14 connected to the box for swinging movement. The control box supports a vertical plate I06 bearing suitable markings for indicating the direction for moving the handle I04. Such markings may indicate the direction of rotation of the barrel with reference to the articles contained therewithin, such as an H for indicating the rotation of the barrel in article holding direction, a D for indicating the reverse rotation of the barrel in article discharge direction, and an S for indicating the position of the handle for stopping the rotation of the barrel. A flexible electrical conduit I03 connects the control box with a source of electrical energy and a further electrical lead H0 extends from the control box to the motor 62. With the handle I04 at H the motor will rotate the barrel in the counterclockwise direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 6; and conversely with the handle at D the motor will rotate the barrel in clockwise direction as shown by the arrow in Fig. 5. Although the switch box I00 is for carrying the apparatus from one tank to another. To assist inproperly locating the apjparatus over a tank so that the V blocks 80 will engage the terminal members 88, a U-shaped handle H4 is provided which may be grasped by the hand of the operator to swing the 'apparatus into position. The motor 62 is operablein raised position of the unit or while being transported between tanks and the barrel may be rotated regardless of whether it is immersed in a solution of a tank or is removed therefrom.

Thus while the unit is in raised position or being transported between tanks the barrel may be rotated in article holding direction to shake off and remove the particles of one bath or solution before immersion in another bath and thereby prevent fouling or contamination of one solution by the preceding solution or solutions.

The permanent opening or slot 36 of the bar- 1 rel H), in addition to serving a convenient and rapid means for filling the barrel and discharging the article content therefrom also serves as a scoop, when the barrel is rotated in article retaining direction in a solution, for causing the liquid medium to flow into the barrel and dis- I charge from the perforations 20 thereof. This provides a continuous flow of the solution through the articles contained in the barrel thereby maintaining the solution in the barrel at the same treating quality as that outside of the barrel.

= .This is particularly desirable in plating operations. Heretofore, the perforations in the walls of closed barrels have been depended'upon for providing the flow of solution into and out of the barrel but because no positive circulation .was created in the barrel the plating solution amount of solution which circulates through the in the barrel was used up at a faster rate than it was replenished. Theslot 36 opens substantially tangentially of the barrel and rotatingin the direction it faces acts to draw in a large barrel and out of the apertures 20. Thus the plating solution in the barrel is constantly replenished and maintained at the same plating quality as that outside of the barrel. In addition, the substantially spiral design of th'e-barrel eliminates nesting of flat articles and assures a positive uniform plating operation.

As previously described, all the immersed parts of the apparatus, with the exception of the exposed terminal ends of the cables, are either formed of electrical insulating material or protectingly covered by insulating sheaths. This includes the driving endless belts 30-30 which not only rotate the barrel but carry the weight of the barrel and its contents. In this manner;

exposed metal driving members, such asv gearing, extending between the drive shaft 64 and the To assist in such transfer and cylinder that upon rotation of the shaft the cylinder is jointly rotated therewith, said flexible members serving as the sole support of the weight of the cylinder and its contents in the solution of a tank over which the frame extends, and a U- shaped hanger for each end of the cylinder depending from the frame and engaging the hub thereof to prevent both sidewise and endwise movement of the cylinder while so supported and rotated.

'6. An article treating apparatus comprising, in

"combination, a perforated cylinder of substantially spiral formation in cross section so as to form an elongated aperture in a side wall portion opening tangentially of the cylinder and of a size as to permit the passage of the article content of the cylinder therethrough, reversible rotating drive means, a pair of flexible endless drive members adapted to extend between the drive means and the cylinder and adapted to impart rotation to the cylinder in one direction or the other direction, said drive members adapted to suspend the cylinder below the drive means in an article treating solution and support the weight of the cylinder and its contents when imparting rotation thereto, said aperture so formed with respect to the direction of rotation of the cylinder that when the cylinder is rotated in one direction the article content thereof will spill out through the aperture and when rotated in the opposite direction the article content thereof will be retained in the cylinder and prevented from discharge through said aperture.

"7. An apparatus for treating articles comprising, in combination, an elongated support adapted to rest upon the upper edges of a tank containing an article treating solution, a horizontal drive shaft rotatably journaled on said support, means for reversely rotating said drive shaft, a perforated substantially cylindrical barrel adapted to contain articles to be treated in the solution of the tank, a pair of flexible endless drive members looped around said shaft and around the end portions of the barrel and adapted upon rotation of the shaft to impart rotation to the barrel, said barrel adapted to be immersed in the treating solution of any tank upon which the support rests and to be suspended from the shaft by the drive members while the latter impart rotation to the barrel, said barrel having the side Wall thereof perforated and substantially spiral in formation so that the opposite end portions of the side wall form a'relatively narrow elongated tangentially opening slot extending parallel to the axis of the barrel and of a size to permit the passage of the article content of the barrel therethrough, the end portions of the side wall of the barrel overlap-'- ping upon one another in radially spaced apart relationship and cooperating with one another such that in one direction of the rotation of the barrel the article content thereof Will spill out of the slot and in the other direction of the rotation of the barrel the article content thereof will be held within the barrel.

8. In plating apparatus, an elongated support adapted to rest upon the upper edges of a tank containing a plating solution, a horizontal drive shaft carried by said support, a pair of axially aligned hubs disposed below the support with their common axis in parallel relation to the axis of rotation of the shaft, means extending from the support and engagin said hubs to prevent rotation thereof while permitting bodily movement vertically toward and away from the support, a rotatable barrel for containin articles to be plated having a perforated side wall and a closure member at each end thereof, a pair of endless .fiexible, driving members, one for each end of the barrel, looped around the peripheries of the closure members and around the drive shaft and adapted 'upon rotation of the latter to impart rotation of the barrel, said endless driving members suspending the barrel below the shaftwith the axis of the barrel parallel to'that of the shaft and forming the sole means for carrying the weight of the barrel and its article content, means journaling each closure member to the adjacent hub for rotation of the barrel relative thereto, and an electric conduit supported by each hub and projecting into the interior of the barrel.

9. In plating apparatus, a rotatable barrel for containing articles to be plated having a perforated side wall and a closure member at each end thereof, means for suspending the barrel in a plating solution and for imparting rotation thereto, a fixed hub associated with each end closure member of the barrel, means journaling each closure member on the hub with which it is associated, and an electric conduit entering each hub from the outside and supported thereby and projecting into the interior of the barrel.

10. An apparatus for treating articles comprising, in combination, an elongated support adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the opposite Walls of a tank so as to overlie the treating solution contained therein, a horizontal drive shaft rotatably journaled on said support, power means for reversely rotating said drive shaft, a pair of correspondingly shaped flexible endless driving members looped around said shaft for receiving driving impulses therefrom and depending therefrom in axially spaced apart relationship, a rotatable article containing barrel having a perforated side wall and end walls joined to the side wall and closing the opposite ends of the barrel, said end walls being circular in formation and cradled in said flexible members for suspension thereby from said shaft and to receive driving impulses therefrom, said perforated side wall having a substantially spiral formation and so arranged that the opposite end portions of its spiral formation overlap upon one another in radially spaced apart relation to form an elongated permanently opened slot opening tangentially of the barrel, said slot constituting the sole means for filling the barrel with article contentand for discharging the article content therefrom and being of a size to pass the article content of the barrel freely therethrough, said overlapping end portions of the side Wall forming the slot functioning in accordance to the direction of rotation of the barrel such that when the barrel is rotated in one direction the article content thereof will spill out of the slot and when rotated in the opposite direction the article content will be held within the barrel.

11. An apparatus for treating articles comprising, in combination an elongated support adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the opposite walls of a tank so as to overlie the treating solution contained therewithin, a horizontal drive shaftrotatably journaled on said support, a reversible electric motor operatively connected to said shaft for rotating same either in one direction or in the other direction, control means operatively associated with said electric motor for controlling the direction of rotation of the same and said shaft, a rotatable article containing barrel having a perforated side Wall and imperforate end walls joined to the side wall and 76 closing the opposite ends of the barrel, said 13 perforated side wall having a substantially spiral formation and so arranged that the opposite end portions of its spiral formation overlap upon one another in radially spaced apart relation to form an elongated permanently opened slot constituting the sole means for filling the barrel with articles to be treated and for discharging the articles therefrom, said end walls having a circular formation of greater diameter than the maximum diameter of the side wall, a pair of flexible endless driving members passing around said shaft and around the end walls of the barrel and adapted upon rotation of the shaft to impart rotation to the barrel, said endless driving members suspending the barrel from the shaft and serving as the sole means for supporting the weight of the barrel and its article content, said overlapping end portions of the side wall forming the slot functioning in accordance to the direction of rotation of the barrel such that when the barrel is rotated in one direction the article content thereof is prevented from discharge through the slot and when the barrel is rotated in the opposite direction the article content thereof will spill out through said slot, and means fixed to said elongated support in depending relation thereto and engaging the end walls of the barrel to prevent both longitudinal and lateral shiftable movement of the barrel while suspended and rotated by said flexible driving members.

12. Apparatus for treating the surface portions of articles comprising, in combination, a supporting frame adapted to be mounted upon the upper edges of a tank and overlie a solution contained therein for treating the articles, a horizontal drive shaft rotatably journaled on said frame, power means carried by said frame for rotating said shaft, a perforated cylinder adapted to contain the articles to be treated disposed below the shaft with the longitudinal axis thereof extending parallel to the shaft, said cylinder provided on the periphery thereof adjacent to the ends thereof with circular grooves and further provided with trunnions of reduced diameter projecting from the opposite ends thereof coincident with the longitudinal axis thereof, sheave wheels fixed on said drive shaft in vertical alignment with the peripheral grooves on said cylinder, a pair of endless drive belts, one for each end of the cylinder, looped around said peripheral grooves and said sheave wheels and adapted upon rotation of the shaft to impart rotation of the cylinder, said drive belts suspending the cylinder below the shaft and frame and forming the sole means for supporting the load of the cylinder and its contents in a solution of a tank upon which the frame is mounted, and a U-shaped hanger for each trunnion of the cylinder depending from the frame and enclosing its respective trunnion therewith to prevent lateral shiftable movement of the cylinder while thus suspended and rotated.

13. Apparatus for treating the surface portions of articles comprising, in combination, a supporting frame adapted to extend across a tank containing a solution for treating the articles, a horizontal drive shaft rotatably journaled on said frame, a perforated hollow cylinder adapted to contain the articles and arranged below the shaft with the longitudinal axis thereof parallel to the shaft, said cylinder provided adjacent to each end with a pair of peripheral grooves, a flexible endless drive member for each end of the cylinder passing around the shaft and around one of said pairs of grooves and so coupled to the shaft'and cylinder that upon rotation of the shaft the cylinder is jointly rotated therewith, said flexible members serving as the sole support of the weight of the cylinder and its contents in the solution of a tank over which the frame extends, and a U-shaped hanger for each end of the cylinder depending from the frame and passing through the other groove of each pair of grooves on each side of the axis of rotation of the cylinder and acting to prevent both sidewise and endwise movement of the cylinder while so supported and rotated.

14. Apparatus for treating the surface portions of articles comprising, in combination, a supporting frame adapted to be mounted upon the upper edges of a tank and overlie a solution contained therein for treating the articles, a horizontal drive shaft rotatably journaled on said frame, a perforated cylinder adapted to contain the articles to be treated disposed below the shaft with the longitudinal axis thereof extending substantially parallel to the shaft, said cylinder provided on the periphery thereof adjacent to each end thereof with a circular groove and further provided with hubs of reduced size projecting from the opposite ends of the cylinder coincident with the longitudinal axis thereof, sheave wheels fixed on said drive shaft in vertical alignment with the peripheral grooves on said cylinder, a pair of endless drive belts, one for each end of the cylinder, looped around said peripheral grooves and said sheave wheels and adapted upon rotation of the shaft to impart rotation to the cylinder, said drive belts suspending the cylinder below the shaft and frame and forming the sole means for supporting the load of the cylinder and its contents in a solution of a tank upon which the frame is mounted, said cylinder provided on its periphery between the opposite ends thereof with a permanently opened aperture of a size to freely pass the article content of the cylinder therethrough and shaped such that when the cylinder is rotated in one direction the article content of the cylinder will be discharged through the aperture and when the cylinder is rotated in the opposite direction the article content of the cylinder will be retained therewithin, means for rotating said shaft in one direction or in the other direction to reversely rotate the cylinder, and means depending from the frame and engaging each hub of the cylinder to prevent swaying movement of the cylinder while thus suspended and rotated.

EDGAR STAPLES COLLICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,207,283 Enghauser Dec. 5, 1916 1,848,391 Simpson Mar. 8, 1932 2,099,121 Kivley Nov. 16, 1937 2,107,890 Frank Feb. 8, 1938 2,187,079 1 Hannon Jan. 16, 1940 2,359,322 Lupo Oct. 3, 1944

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