A conveyor system is disclosed and includes a plurality of conveyor sections, a lift assembly, and a telescoping joint. The conveyor sections define a conveying path extending from an upstream conveyor section to a downstream conveyor section with a translatable section disposed therebetween. Further, the translatable section includes a declined section, an inclined section, and an intermediate section. The lift assembly is operationally connected to the translatable section and includes a fully lifted position, a fully lowered position, and a plurality of intermediate positions therebetween. The telescoping joint is operationally connected to and positioned between two of the conveyor sections of the translatable section and is configured to contract in a linear direction as the lift assembly is actuated toward the fully raised position and is configured to expand in the linear direction as the lift assembly is actuated towards the fully lowered position.

A dip treatment system for treating articles, in particular for treating vehicle bodies, includes a dip treatment tank, which can be filled with a treatment liquid, into which articles to be treated can be fully or partially dipped. A conveying system defines a conveying path and includes at least one transport carriage, which can be displaced along the conveying path in a transport direction and includes a fastening device, to which at least one article can be fastened. The conveying system can convey the articles to be treated towards the dip treatment tank, fully or partially into the interior of the dip treatment tank, out of the dip treatment tank and away therefrom. The conveying path of the conveying system is divided into sub-paths, of which at least one first sub-path leads to the dip treatment tank or to an immersion region of the dip treatment tank and of which a second sub-path passes by said dip treatment tank or immersion region of said dip treatment tank. The invention further includes a method for the dip treatment of articles.

An inverted carrier lift and method is disclosed. The inverted carrier lift includes a trolley movable along an overhead conveyor and a carrier for supporting a workpiece to undergo an assembly or manufacturing process. The carrier is movable relative to the trolley from a raised position to a lowered position by a motor engaged with a lifting mechanism on the trolley. On rotation of the motor, the carrier and supported workpiece is lowered or raised to position the workpiece in the workstation for processing. The workpiece may be disengaged by the carrier for support of the workpiece by one of many different fixtures depending on the processing. Following processing, the workpiece is re-engaged by the carrier, moved to a raised position and the trolley is transferred to a subsequent workstation.

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.

An inverted carrier lift and method is disclosed. The inverted carrier lift includes a trolley movable along an overhead conveyor and a carrier for supporting a workpiece to undergo an assembly or manufacturing process. The carrier is movable relative to the trolley from a raised position to a lowered position by a motor mounted engaged with a lifting mechanism onboard the trolley. On rotation of the motor, the carrier and supported workpiece is lowered or raised to position the workpiece in the workstation for processing. The workpiece may be disengaged by the carrier for support of the workpiece by one of many different fixtures depending on the processing. Following processing, the workpiece is re-engaged by the carrier, moved to a raised position and the trolley is transferred to a subsequent workstation.

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.

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 dip coating system having at least one dip-coating tank, which can be filled with a treatment fluid. A conveying system displaces the articles to the dip-coating tank, into the interior of the dip-coating tank, out of the dip-coating tank, and away therefrom. This conveying system has at least one trolley which has a fastening device for the article, which can be rotated around an axis of rotation. The trolley is drawn by at least one driven traction chain extending parallel to its movement direction. A rotating device having at least one sprocket or gear wheel that can be connected to the fastening device in a rotation-locking manner, that is arranged coaxial to the rotational axis of the fastening device, and at least one rotation chain or rotation gear rack, which extends parallel to the movement direction of the trolley, with which the sprocket or gear wheel cams.

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.