Support member, holder, process, and apparatus in the field of surface-treatment

• Main Authors: OHTAGAKI, KEN, TOCHISHITA, YOSHIMI, FUJIWARA, YOSHIO, ASAGAI, YOSHIHIRO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 13.11.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

In a process for surface-treating a plurality of works, the surfaces of the works are treated in a treating chamber, while being rotated about their axes, or about a rotational axis, or about their axes and about the rotational axis. The works are supported in a support member which may be comprised of an upper cage and a lower cage including a large number of compartments, so that the cages are openable and closable in a lengthwise direction. The support member may be comprised of plate-like elements openably and closably foldable in a lengthwise direction, so that a plurality of narrow sections each having a length corresponding to an inside diameter of a work are defined in opened states of the plate-like elements. The works may be supported in a holder which is formed by coiling a wire at distances in such a manner that it is formed as a spring-like tubular structure, so that the works can be accommodated in the tubular structure. A surface treating apparatus for use in the surface treating process includes a treating material source provided within a treating chamber, so that a treating material released from the treating material source is delivered to reach works for a surface treatment, and a means for rotating a support member supporting the works about its axis, or about a rotational axis, or about its axis and about the rotational axis. Thus, the works can be surface-treated simultaneously and uniformly, while being rotated about their axes, or about the rotational axis, or about their axes and about the rotational axis.