A finishing system includes a workpiece carrier configured to hold a workpiece, and a plurality of work stations arranged in a row along an axis defining a process line, each of the plurality of work stations configured to receive the workpiece and treat the workpiece. A hoist runway, including fixed and movable rail sections, extends along the plurality of work stations of the process line. A hoist is movable along the hoist runway to traverse the plurality of work stations, the hoist coupled to the workpiece carrier to raise and lower the workpiece carrier and to move the workpiece carrier along the process line. A side transfer mechanism moves the movable rail section, with the hoist situated thereon, in a direction transverse to the axis so that the hoist is movable out of the process line.

An apparatus for surface treatment of articles comprises a plurality of trays (4) each carrying one or more piece-holding spindles (3). A primary transport assembly (19) removably engages the trays (4) to transfer them according to a step-by-step motion between a plurality of stopping locations (A . . . J) distributed along the movement path (P), along which respective work stations (12, 13, 14, 15) operate. At least one additional transport assembly (31a, 31b) withdraws each tray (4) from the primary transport assembly (19) at one of said stopping locations (A . . . J), for moving it at one of said work stations (12, 13, 14, 15), and engaging it again with the primary transport assembly (19).

An indexing conveyor system including a work station skipping device. The conveyor system has a rail situated above a plurality of same-length work stations along a path of conveyance. The work station skipping device is operable to engage a load and transfer the load from a first conveyor carriage to a second, further downstream carriage for advancing more than one work station length so that the load skips over a predetermined one of the plurality of work stations.

A plant for immersion treatment of vehicle bodies may include: at least one skid configured to support a body; at least one process liquid tank; and/or a conveyor line configured to convey the at least one skid above the at least one process liquid tank. The at least one skid may include base and support parts. The support part may be supported on the base part using a rotatable shaft, so that the support part is rotatable between a first position, in which the body is not immersed in the at least one process liquid tank, and a second position for immersing the body in the at least one process liquid tank. The at least one skid may include a toothed wheel connected to the rotatable shaft for controlled rotation. The at least one skid may include a controllable locking/unlocking device configured to lock/unlock free rotation of the rotatable shaft.

A plant for immersion treatment of vehicle bodies may include at least one skid configured to support a body; at least one process liquid tank; a line configured to convey the at least one skid above the at least one tank; and/or a device configured to overturn and immerse, inside the at least one tank, the body on the at least one skid positioned over the at least one tank using the conveyor line. The at least one skid may include a base part and a support part. The support part may be supported rotatably on the base part using a rotatable shaft with axis arranged transverse to a direction of movement of the at least one skid on the conveyor line, so that the support part is rotatable between a first upper position and a second position for immersing the body in the at least one tank.

A plant for clip-treatment of bodies may include: at least one skid configured to support a body to be treated; at least one tank; a transportation line; and/or a system for overturning and immersing the body on the at least one skid which has been positioned above the at least one tank using the line. The line may include travel ways arranged along lateral edges of the at least one tank. The at least one skid may include lateral mounting elements which rest on the ways for supporting and moving the at least one skid above the at least one tank. The overturning and immersing system may include, on the at least one skid, a support for the body rigidly connected to a shaft transverse to the line, and which is configured to overturn the body between a first position and second position immersed inside the at least one tank.

A plant for treatment of bodyworks may include: at least one trolley configured to support a bodywork to be treated; a conveying line configured to transport the at least one trolley along the plant; a first system configured to move the at least one trolley along the conveying line; a second system configured to move the at least one trolley along the conveying line; and sensors configured to detect angular position of a toothed traction wheel and approaching movement of the at least one trolley toward the toothed traction wheel. The at least one trolley may include a traction rack extending in a direction of movement of the at least one trolley along the conveying line in at least one zone of the plant. The toothed traction wheel may be configured to engage the traction rack upon passage of the at least one trolley into the at least one zone.

An overhead conveyor system for transporting articles, especially for transporting vehicle bodies, in a treatment line comprises at least one transport carriage which has a fastening device to which at least one article can be fastened. The transport carriage can be displaced along the track by at least one drive means. The transport carriage is designed in such a manner that the fastening device can be transported at least along one section of the track, in a laterally offset manner with respect to the track. The invention further relates to a dip coating line comprising at least one dip-coating tank which can be filled with a treatment liquid, into which tank articles to be treated, especially vehicle bodies, are dipped. A conveying system can displace the articles to be treated towards the dip-coating tank, into the inner edge of the dip-coating tank, out of the dip-coating tank and away therefrom.

A suspension conveying device according to the present invention includes screw shafts of two suspension line pulling-up/feeding mechanisms in a conveying traveling body 1. The screw shafts have low-speed drive regions, in which feed pitches for driven bodies are small, and high-speed drive regions, in which feed pitches for the driven bodies are large. The screw shafts are installed so that the low-speed drive regions and the high-speed drive regions are disposed mutually oppositely as viewed from the driven bodies when a conveyed object supporter is at one end of an elevation/lowering stroke, and the conveyed object supporter is tilted in a middle of the elevation/lowering stroke when the screw shafts are driven to undergo forward/reverse rotation at a fixed speed by a motor.

A system for treating objects transported by at least one transport carriage and immersed into at least one treatment container, in which a treatment medium can be applied. The transport carriage comprises at least one swivel arm connected to the chassis in an articulated manner, on which swivel arm the object can be fastened. A hydraulically operating piston-cylinder unit having a first working chamber to drive the swivel arm and provide weight balancing. The first working chamber is made smaller during the downward motion of the swivel arm and is connected to a first pressure accumulator. The second working chamber of the piston-cylinder unit, made larger during the downward motion of the swivel arm, is connected to a source for pressurized hydraulic fluid and can be drained during the downward motion of the swivel arm. The pressure of the fluid in the accumulator swivels the swivel arm and object upward if the pressure in the second working chamber is sufficiently low.