Abstract: A machine for vapor coating a workpiece with a coating metal supplied in wire form includes a vessel enclosing a vacuum chamber and having a door for providing access to the vacuum chamber. The vessel is connected with a vacuum pump for evacuating the vacuum chamber. Mounted within the vacuum chamber is a rack having an attachment screen which is electrically isolated from the remainder of the vessel so that the screen may be placed at a DC potential significantly higher than the vessel. When the door of the vessel is open, the rack may be withdrawn from the chamber for loading the workpiece thereon. The chamber also contains a carriage that moves from one side of the chamber to the other beneath the rack, and the carriage has a plurality of evaporator units mounted along it. Each evaporator unit includes a trough-like boat and means for feeding the coating metal wire into the boat.

Abstract: An apparatus for plating work pieces including irregularly-shaped workpieces of various sizes with a technique known as ion vapor deposition wherein the articles are tumbled in adjacent counter-rotating barrels, a portion of which are cathodes of a high voltage system. The barrels rotate about generally horizontal axes toward anodes positioned therebetween which supply evaporated plating material.