Patents Assigned to Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen
  • Publication number: 20230399731
    Abstract: A device for coating a metal strip with a liquid coating material comprises a coating container filled with, for example, liquid zinc. After the metal strip exits the coating container, liquid coating material adheres to the metal strip. Excess coating material is blown away from the surface of the metal strip by a blowing device. Thereafter, the metal strip runs through an electromagnetic stabilization device which is supported on the blowing device. Disturbing influences may cause the metal strip to no longer run centrally through a slot of the blowing device. A displacement or re-alignment of the blowing device is then required to guide the metal strip back to the set middle position. A first displacing device displaces the electromagnetic stabilization device relative to the blowing device in the plane transverse to the direction of transport of the metal strip to avoid an undesirable displacement of the electromagnetic stabilization device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Publication date: December 14, 2023
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventor: Dominique FONTAINE
  • Patent number: 11549168
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a metal strip after it has exited from a coating container with a liquid coating material, for example zinc is provided. The apparatus includes a blow-off device arranged above the coating container having an air outlet gap for blowing off excess parts of the still liquid coating material from the surface of the metal strip after the passing of the metal strip through the coating container. An electromagnetic stabilizer is arranged above the blow-off device and has a plurality of individual magnets for stabilizing the metal strip after leaving the coating container and the blow-off device. In order to further increase the efficiency of the apparatus, at least some of the magnets of the stabilizer are formed as pot magnets with pot coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine, Thomas Daube, Michael Zielenbach
  • Patent number: 11255009
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating a metal strip with the aid of a coating device. Within the coating device, the strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip typically runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between a determined actual form of the strip and a specified desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets of the strip stabilizing device in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20220049339
    Abstract: Within a coating device, a metal strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between an actual form of the strip and a desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form. The magnets of the strip stabilizing device may be moved in the widthwise direction of the strip into a traversing position in relation to the magnets on the respectively opposite broad side of the strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz KÜMMEL, Thomas DAUBE, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael ZIELENBACH
  • Publication number: 20210189540
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a metal strip after it has exited from a coating container with a liquid coating material, for example zinc is provided. The apparatus includes a blow-off device arranged above the coating container having an air outlet gap for blowing off excess parts of the still liquid coating material from the surface of the metal strip after the passing of the metal strip through the coating container. An electromagnetic stabilizer is arranged above the blow-off device and has a plurality of individual magnets for stabilizing the metal strip after leaving the coating container and the blow-off device. In order to further increase the efficiency of the apparatus, at least some of the magnets of the stabilizer are formed as pot magnets with pot coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine, Thomas Daube, Michael Zielenbach
  • Patent number: 10982307
    Abstract: A method for operating a coating device for coating a metal strip. The corresponding coating device has an electromagnetic strip-stabilizing device having a plurality of electromagnetic actuators or coils for applying forces to the metal strip. In order to ensure that the strip-stabilizing device is operated only within the operating limits thereof, the magnitudes of the set currents for the actuators or the coils are compared with a specified current threshold value or the forces applied to the metal strip by the actuators are compared with a specified force threshold value and the correction roller is moved into such an adjustment position that the magnitudes of the set currents are below the current threshold value or the magnitudes of the forces are below the force threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: FONTAINE ENGINEERING UND MASCHINEN GMBH
    Inventors: Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube, Holger Behrens, Dominique Fontaine, Michael Zielenbach
  • Patent number: 10190202
    Abstract: A method and a device for coating a metal strip with a coating material that is still liquid at first. During the coating, the coated metal strip runs through a roller pair. One of the rollers of the roller pair can be adjusted toward the other as a correction roller in order to eliminate a possible curvature of the metal strip. Then the metal strip runs through a blow-off apparatus for blowing off surplus coating. In order to prevent an uneven thickness distribution of the coating on the metal strip even when the correction roller of the roller pair has been adjusted, the actual position of the metal strip is controlled to a specified setpoint center position in the slot of the blow-off apparatus by an appropriate movement of the blow-off apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: FONTAINE ENGINEERING UND MASCHINEN GMBH
    Inventor: Dominique Fontaine
  • Patent number: 10190203
    Abstract: A device for processing a metal strip with a liquid coating material is disclosed. Above a coating tank filled with coating material, the device has a blower having an air outlet slot for blowing liquid parts of the coating off of the metal strip. Arranged above the blower is an electromagnetic stabilizer for stabilizing the metal strip by electromagnetic forces after the exiting of the coating tank and the blower. In order to design known devices for treating a metal strip to be more favorable in respect of energy and in order to increase the accessibility for an operating person, the stabilizer is arranged above the blower in such a way that the distance d between the line of action of the maximum force of the stabilizer on the metal strip and on the air outlet gap of the blower is limited to a range of 100-1200 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine
  • Publication number: 20180363116
    Abstract: A method and a device for coating a metal strip with a coating material which is at first still liquid. A first displacing device for displacing an electromagnetic stabilisation device relative to a blowing device in the plane transverse to the direction of transport of the metal strip is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: FONTAINE ENGINEERING UND MASCHINEN GMBH
    Inventor: Dominique FONTAINE
  • Publication number: 20180155814
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for processing a metal strip (200) after said metal strip has exited a coating tank (300) having liquid coating material (310). Above the coating tank, the device has a blow-off apparatus (110) having an air outlet slot (112) for blowing liquid parts of the coating off of the metal strip. Arranged above the blow-off apparatus (110) is an electromagnetic stabilization apparatus (140) for stabilizing the metal strip by means of electromagnetic forces after the exiting of the coating tank and the blow-off apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine
  • Publication number: 20170283929
    Abstract: A method and a device for coating a metal strip with a coating material which is at first still liquid. A first displacing device for displacing an electromagnetic stabilisation device relative to a blowing device in the plane transverse to the direction of transport of the metal strip is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: FONTAINE ENGINEERING UND MASCHINEN GMBH
    Inventor: Dominique FONTAINE
  • Publication number: 20170268092
    Abstract: A method and a device for coating a metal strip with a coating material that is still liquid at first. During the coating, the coated metal strip runs through a roller pair. One of the rollers of the roller pair can be adjusted toward the other as a correction roller in order to eliminate a possible curvature of the metal strip. Then the metal strip runs through a blow-off apparatus for blowing off surplus coating. In order to prevent an uneven thickness distribution of the coating on the metal strip even when the correction roller of the roller pair has been adjusted, the actual position of the metal strip is controlled to a specified setpoint center position in the slot of the blow-off apparatus by an appropriate movement of the blow-off apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventor: Dominique FONTAINE
  • Patent number: 6562412
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for coating a strip material with a coating material having the following elements: an oven; a bath with a coating material having an upper surface; a deflector roller, partially immersed in the coating material, which has a deflector bearing for facilitating rotation about its axis and the deflector bearing being arranged above the upper surface of the coating material; a first and second roller, each partially immersed in the coating material and each having a bearing, arranged above the upper surface of the coating material, for facilitating rotation of its respective roller about its axis; and a hood arranged above the rollers and having at least one nozzle for blowing a heated pressurized fluid onto the coated strip to ensure uniform coverage of the strip by the coating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen
    Inventor: Pascal Fontaine