Abstract: A conveyor apparatus for carrying workpieces on flat trays has two parallel chains with tray supports connected at equal intervals between the two chains. Each tray support has a clamping device for clamping and releasing flat silicone rubber covered trays against itself. Cams are located between the chains to operate the clamping device to release the tray (for travel through a separate path) at one point in travel and later (when the tray returns from its separate path) to clamp it again. The conveyor is shown as combined with up-and-down elevator means in an oven to give a boustrophedontic path to a plurality of workpieces being heated on trays in the oven: the trays are released and clamped at the entrance to and exit from the oven to allow movement of the trays by the elevators through up and down paths at the release and clamping stations.

Abstract: Treatment of articles in an enclosure traversed by gases, according to which the articles are advanced translationally and are simultaneously rotated, characterized by apparatus for causing the articles to travel the length of the enclosure several times and at different levels, and for causing the articles to roll on flat superimposed surfaces extending across the enclosure by bringing them in contact with driving components carried in a continuous or endless circuit so that the same components provide for successive travel of the articles first in one direction, and then in the other direction at two different levels.

Abstract: A tubular parison heating oven having a conveyor passing therethrough with parison holders rotatably mounted thereon for supporting the parisons in a vertical position. A toothed wheel is fixed to each parison holder for rotation therewith and a multiplicity of coil springs are vertically oriented and aligned adjacent the path of movement of the conveyor so as to engage the toothed wheel as the conveyor passes through the oven to cause rotation of the parison holders.

Abstract: To permit random loading of workpieces for passage through a furnace, and removal of the workpieces for subsequent handling by presses and the like, the furnace is constructed as a roller hearth furnace in which the width of the roller hearth is a multiple of the diameter of the ring-shaped workpieces, and adjacent the outlet an aligning means is provided in the form of a funnel of which one side wall is movable, for example by longitudinal or transverse reciprocation to align the randomly positioned workpieces in single file. A roller conveyor, with progressively increasing conveyor speed, is located beneath the aligning funnel to remove the aligned workpieces in single file for subsequent handling and treatment.

Abstract: Method of heat treating semiconductor wafers in a continuous operation wherein the wafers are initially introduced into a tube where they are subjected to a heat treatment and then removed from the tube. The wafers are transported through the tube by a pair of horizontally disposed rods on which they are carried and by an additional guide rod which is located above the horizontal plane of the first rods. All three rods have a groove in the form of a screw thread into which the wafers may be seated. All three rods are caused to rotate in the same direction and the frictional contact of the wafers with the walls of each groove causes the wafers to rotate in the opposite direction from the rods while at the same time causing them to advance through the tube while being heated.

Abstract: An apparatus for imparting combined centro-symmetric and noncentro-symmetric rotation to semiconductor bodies comprises a liquid-cooled sun gear, a stationary liquid-cooled ring gear coaxial with and radially spaced outwardly from the sun gear, and at least one planet gear disposed between and driven in engagement with the sun and ring gears. Means are provided for supporting a semiconductor body on each of the planet gears while minimizing the conduction of heat from the semiconductor body to the planet gear. Means are also provided for guiding a semiconductor body onto the supporting means and centering the semiconductor body on the planet gear. Thermal distortion of the apparatus is minimized when heated to extreme temperatures making the apparatus ideally suited for processing the semiconductor bodies with heat as in processing by temperature gradient zone melting.

Abstract: Apparatus for heat shrinking pre-oriented polyolefin plastic sleeves over the outer surface of a glass bottle. The bottles with sleeves in position thereon are gripped and suspended from rotatable chucks spaced along a movable conveyor means extending through an oven. The oven is constructed with a first zone of infrared burners directed at the mid body of the bottles and a succeeding second zone of infrared burners in upper and lower placement are directed at the neck and heel portions of the bottle, respectively. During travel past the burners, the bottles and sleeves are rotated at controlled speed to prevent collapse of the sleeve as it becomes heated. Opposite the burners is an exhaust section of the oven having plural sets of damper means, each set controlling air flow in plural vertically spaced horizontal rows of exhaust ports along the length of the oven. Air is drawn across the oven and over the conveyor chucks to aid directing heat on the sleeves and cool the chucks.

Abstract: Cylindrical two-piece cans are decorated with thermally curable inks and coatings and are placed on generally horizontally extending pins of a pin-chain conveyor. The cans are then moved through a flame drying chamber to dry the inks and coatings by direct impingement of flame on the can surface. The cans are thereafter moved through a cooling chamber and then are discharged from the pin-chain conveyor which circulates back to the decorator unit to receive newly decorated cans. The pins of the pin-chain conveyor can be at an angle to the horizontal and the pins can have brushes or the like to grip the internal surface of the can. The flame dryer unit consists of gas and air-fed burner heads disposed in one of several different patterns along the path taken by the cans through the flame dryer housing. Flame impinges directly on the can and the can moves through the tunnel at a speed sufficient to prevent heat damage to the can.

Abstract: This oven has a primary heating chamber containing heat-generating equipment producing hot gases. These gases pass from the primary heating chamber to a secondary heating chamber occupied by an indexing rotary magazine in object-exchanging relationship with a mechanism for inducing movement of the objects through the oven. The secondary heating chamber can be used for either pre-heating or heat-soaking the objects, depending on the direction of movement of the objects through the oven. The objects are loaded on the carrier (or removed, according to the application of the oven) radially at a position angularly spaced from the position of exchange with the movement-inducing means.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously curing can bodies coated with a photopolymerizable ink. The can bodies are placed onto spindles. The spindles are mounted onto a conveyor chain and pass the can bodies through a first U.V. lamp chamber. The U.V. lamp chamber is oriented to cure first opposed sides of the can bodies. Then the can bodies are carried on the conveyor chain in a different direction, so that as the can bodies pass through the second U.V. lamp chamber second opposed sides of the can bodies are cured. The first and second opposed can body sides are at right angles to each other. After the can body has passed through the first and second U.V. lamp chambers the entire can body exterior has been cured.

Abstract: Apparatus for temperature-conditioning workpieces comprises a series of bar assemblies for supporting a number of elongated molded parts in side-by-side relationship, heat transfer assemblies including horizontally spaced panels extending along a chamber, means for conveying the parts supported in the bar assemblies through the chamber between the panels and rotating means operatively interconnected with the conveying means and bar assemblies for turning the parts. Infeed means sequentially release loaded bar assemblies at regular intervals to the chamber while metering means preferably driven through downstream equipment continuously release bar assemblies to the discharge end of the chamber. Reciprocable gate means allow temperature-conditioned parts to drop out of the bar assemblies to collection equipment. Process improvements include a.) varying parts conditioning time by varying the number of bar assemblies in the fixed length chamber; b.

Abstract: A conveyor system for conducting cans which are freshly coated with an ink or other coating through a chamber to dry or cure the coating, the chamber being provided with an energy-emitting source adapted to dry or cure the coating. In order to effect uniform exposure of the cans which are subjected to directed energy from the source, the system includes an endless link belt having a train of pins thereon which extend laterally into the chamber to support the cans, the belt being driven at a controllable speed to advance the cans through the chamber. Also included is an endless sprocket chain which cooperates with sprocket wheels mounted on the outer ends of the pins to cause the pins and the cans supported thereby to rotate as the cans advance through the chamber, the sprocket chain being driven in a selected direction and at a controllable speed relative to the speed of the belt, whereby the direction of can rotation and the rotary rate thereof are adjustable to optimize the drying or curing of the cans.

Abstract: Direct-flame apparatus for drying coatings applied to the outer surface of metal cans. The apparatus includes a conveyor adapted to advance the cans in a continuous train through a tunnel having a series of direct-flame assemblies mounted therein, whereby each can in the course of its advance is progressively heated by the assemblies to cause the cans to emerge from the tunnel in a dried state. Each assembly is constituted by a gas-fed burner element and a hood placed thereover, the element emitting a sheet of flame which impinges on the coated surface and is flanked by curtains of air issuing from the hood at a velocity serving to confine the applied heat within a limited sector of the can and to prevent flashing of the coating despite the high temperature of the flame impinging thereon.

Abstract: A plurality of core rods with parisons thereon are mounted to an indexing head with the core rods disposed in a temperature conditioning chamber and wherein the core rods are simultaneously rotated to effect temperature distribution throughout the parisons. Pluralities of core rods are angularly disposed and simultaneously rotated. The apparatus is particularly useful in orientation injection blow molding, wherein the parison is a relatively thick cross section or wherein the parison thermoplastic has a low thermal conductivity.

Abstract: A heat processing system in which a product is efficiently conveyed through a high temperature furnace and in which the product can be stored within a section of the furnace at a temperature less than the critical temperature to which product exposure must be limited. The furnace includes multiple sections each of a respective operating temperature, one of the sections being of high temperature to which a product can be exposed for only a limited time. A supply of product carriers is contained within the furnace onto which a product is supplied for transport forwardly through the furnace for unloading at an opposite end thereof, the carriers being returned rearwardly through the furnace back to a loading area. During an emergency mode of operation, loading of the product is discontinued and the product already within the furnace is transferred from the critical heat section to an adjacent section for storage at a lower temperature less than the high critical temperature.

Abstract: A heat transfer apparatus for controlling the temperature of a formed workpiece is provided. The apparatus is in the form of a multi-tier rotary preheat, quench and heat recovery tunnel which provides for transfer of heat between tiers from workpieces to be cooled to workpieces to be heated, thereby conserving heat energy. Transfer of heat is accomplished by means of fans interconnected with the tier levels of the tunnel. A control system ensures proper temperature of air, passing through a hot-air fan, which is removed from a second level and transferred to a first level. Means are provided for loading slugs to be preheated prior to forming onto a first annular tray on the first level and for removing same after it has completed a single rotation about the cooling tunnel. After being further heated in an induction furnace, the slug is warm formed in a press to a desired configuration.

Abstract: A method of forming a substantially encapsulating layer of a heat shrinkable polyolefin plastic on a glass container in which the neck, shoulder and body onto the bearing bottom surface of the container is covered. The body of the container is substantially greater in diameter compared with the neck. A cylindrical sleeve of the polyolefin is telescopically placed along the outer surface of the container and the two are conveyed together into a heating oven for shrinking the sleeve snugly over the container. Upon application of heat in the oven, the polyolefin initially softens and becomes limp such that the sleeve tends to fold over or upon shrinking creates wavy top margins on the shrunken covering.

Abstract: A delivery device for delivering articles to be heated within a compound furnace, including at least two furnace chambers differing in heating conditions and which can effectively prevent damage to the articles by melt adhesion due to contact with each other and which can also reduce the adverse influence of high temperatures upon the component members of the delivery device is disclosed as including clamps which are capable of reciprocating within a delivery passage and which have the function of clamping and unclamping the articles to be heated so as to deliver or transport the same. Running rods, upon which the clamps are fixed, are adapted to move along the delivery passage and a main drive source for driving the rods and clamps, as well as a subsidiary drive source for performing the clamping and unclamping operations of the clamps are also provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the heat treatment of materials on a traveling hearth mounted on a horizontal plane and rotated on a vertical axis within a substantially air-tight enclosure. The materials on the hearth are deposited thereon in separate and distinct rows and retained in separate rows while undergoing heat treatment within the enclosure. The material in one of said rows is capable of evolving volatiles when the materials are subjected to a heat treatment and the evolved volatiles rise and are dispersed in the upper portion of the enclosure where the same will combine with an oxidant such as air and/or oxygen which is admitted into this portion of the enclosure. The mixture of evolved volatiles and oxidants such as air and/or oxygen will combust in the upper portion of the enclosure.

Abstract: A blow molding method for transferring and heating deformed and one-sided wall-thickness parisons in which each heated parison is expanded in conformity with the mold after being stretched or just after being heated, with the use of a conveying device provided with a number of upright pins inserted into the parisons and adapted for continuous travel within a furnace while being rotated, the inner section of each parison being irregular and/or having a varying circumferential wall-thickness the upright pins having a section, which fits an inner section of the parison, formed at the lower part thereof and including a planar portion placed into sliding contact with a guide rail provided at an outlet of the furnace in order to relatively position the parison.

Abstract: A continuous motion pre-form reheat oven for use with a continuous motion stretch blow molding apparatus. The pre-form reheat oven receives pre-forms, reheats the pre-forms, and then discharges the pre-forms onto a moving stretch pin means operatively mounted on a continuous motion stretch blow molding apparatus, as a rotary type stretch blow molding machine. The oven has a pre-form heating zone and a pre-form conditioning zone, and it is adapted to be mounted adjacent a continuous motion stretch blow molding apparatus. The oven includes a plurality of longitudinal tunnels with heater means along each side of each of the tunnels in the pre-form heating zone. The heater means each includes a plurality of heater rods which are separated by heat reflectors and which are each individually temperature controlled. The oven pre-form conditioning zone includes cooling means for cooling the bodies of pre-forms, and heating means for controlling the heat in the neck areas of the pre-forms.

Abstract: Heat treatment tunnel kiln for products having a circular cross-section, comprising a main heat treatment zone for circulating tubes or bars perpendicular to their axis, ensuring the rolling of the tubes or bars inside the supports, and zones for circulating the supports parallel to their axis, connected to flow circuits for gases different from those in the main zone.

Abstract: A blow moulding method. Cold parisons are conveyed through an oven for heating and then stretched and blown in a mould. A transfer assembly, engages the upper end of each heated parison, removes it from the oven, and swings it into a mould and then rises to stretch the parison as a threading die holds the lower end thereof. The mould then closes and air is injected to form the bottle, after which the mould opens and the finished bottle is removed.

Abstract: In a rocking-beam type furnace which comprises fixed support beams which extend lengthwise of the furnace and conveyor beams which are parallel to the fixed beams and which can be raised and lowered and moved back and forth, the upper edges of the fixed beams and of the conveyor beams are provided with transverse billet locating notches having inclined billet supporting surfaces so that billets are intermittently and progressively rotated about their longitudinal axes during their passage through the furnace until they have performed at least one full rotation.

Abstract: An oven for heating tubular parisons has a conveyor passing therethrough with parison holders rotatably mounted thereon for vertically supporting the parisons. To assure uniform heating of the parisons around their circumferences, the parison holders are rotated about their axes. For this purpose teeth projecting out from the parison holders engage a group of stiff brush-like bristles, arranged either as tufts or as a continuous stand thereof, fixedly arranged alongside the conveyor path at a distance therefrom to be engaged by the said teeth.

Abstract: A flat flame burner comprises an air swirling chamber, an air supply tube provided for the air chamber for introducing combustion air thereinto in the peripheral direction of the air chamber so as to produce a swirling air stream in the chamber, a fuel gas supply tube disposed in the air chamber and having inlets centrally of the space for the swirling air stream and a flame opening positioned at one side in the direction of axis of the swirling air stream coaxially with the swirling air stream, the flame opening being defined by a wall having a thin portion around said opening and a flat outer face.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer baking and handling system includes a pair of wheel assemblies each comprising a pair of spaced apart plates having opposed, aligned slots formed therein for receiving and supporting semiconductor wafers. A wafer transporting air track includes portions extending between the plates of both of the wheel assemblies. The wheel assemblies are rotated about axes lying substantially in the plane of and extending perpendicularly to the path of wafer travel along the air track to sequentially position the slots to receive semiconductor wafers, to rotate the received semiconductor wafers through an arc of 180.degree., and to subsequently sequentially position the slots to effect removal of the semiconductor wafers. One of the wheel assemblies is mounted in a housing which also encloses a heater, a fan, and baffles for directing gas from the fan across the heater and across the wafers to effect baking of the wafers.

Abstract: An oven for heating tubular parisons to a target or orientation temperature. A first plenum on one side of the oven and a second plenum on the opposite side of the oven, both exhaust to a common chamber disposed therebetween. The parisons are heated by a high velocity fluid above the target temperature in the zone defined by the first plenum and the chamber and the parisons are tempered by a lower velocity fluid at the target temperature in the zone defined by the second plenum and the chamber.

Abstract: Apparatus for temperature-conditioning workpieces comprises a series of bar assemblies for supporting a number of elongated molded parts in side-by-side relationship, heat transfer assemblies including horizontally spaced panels extending along a chamber, means for conveying the parts supported in the bar assemblies through the chamber between the panels and rotating means operatively interconnected with the conveying means and bar assemblies for turning the parts. Infeed means sequentially release loaded bar assemblies at regular intervals to the chamber while metering means preferably driven through downstream equipment continuously release bar assemblies to the discharge end of the chamber. Reciprocable gate means allow temperature-conditioned parts to drop out of the bar assemblies to collection equipment. Process improvements include a.) varying parts conditioning time by varying the number of bar assemblies in the fixed chamber; b.