INSTALLATION FOR TREATING MASS-PRODUCED PARTS, WITH SECONDARY DRIVE DEVICE

Abstract

An installation for treating mass-produced parts includes: a supporting structure with a supporting element, a basket carrier for at least two centrifuge baskets, a main drive device attached to the supporting structure and having a main drive and a longitudinal shaft, the longitudinal shaft being mounted rotatably about a main axis relative to the supporting element and being drivable rotatably about the main axis by the main drive, wherein the basket carrier is held suspended at the longitudinal shaft and is connected to the longitudinal shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, and a secondary drive device having at least one motor and, for each centrifuge basket, a drivetrain for rotating the centrifuge basket about a basket axis radially spaced from the main axis, wherein the at least one motor of the secondary drive device is arranged on the basket carrier.

Claims

1. An installation for treating mass-produced parts, the installation comprising: a supporting structure with a supporting element, a basket carrier for at least two centrifuge baskets; and, a main drive device attached to the supporting structure and having a main drive and a longitudinal shaft, wherein the longitudinal shaft is mounted rotatably about a main axis with respect to the supporting element and is drivable rotatably about the main axis by the main drive, wherein the basket carrier is held suspended on the longitudinal shaft and is connected to the longitudinal shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, and a secondary drive device with at least one motor and, for each centrifuge basket, a drivetrain for rotating the centrifuge basket about a basket axis radially distanced from the main axis, wherein the at least one motor of the secondary drive device is arranged on the basket carrier, wherein the drivetrain respectively comprises a reduction gear with a gear housing which is fixed to the basket carrier, an input shaft which is rotatably drivable by the at least one motor, and an output element coaxial with the basket axis, wherein a transmission ratio between an input speed of the input shaft and an output speed of the output element is greater than one.

2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the output element is rotatably supported in the gear housing by rolling bearings, and wherein an outer diameter of the output element of a respective reduction gear corresponds to 0.5 times to 1.0 times an outer diameter of the gear housing.

3. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the transmission ratio i of the respective reduction gear lies in a range from i=50 to i=200.

4. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the at least one motor has a nominal power of 5000 watts at most, wherein the at least two centrifuge baskets are drivable by the at least one motor in the same and in opposite rotary directions.

5. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the drivetrains each comprise a belt drive which is rotationally drivable by the at least one motor and which is drivingly connected to the input shaft of the respective reduction gear.

6. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the at least one motor has a rotor shaft which is rotatably drivable about a rotor axis, the rotor axis being arranged on an imaginary first circle, and the basket axes being arranged on an imaginary second circle, wherein the first circle and the second circle are arranged concentrically to the main axis, and a first radius of the first circle is smaller than a second radius of the second circle.

7. The installation according to claim 6, wherein the first radius is smaller than 0.5 times the second radius and wherein the first radius is smaller than 300 millimetres.

8. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal shaft is designed as a hollow shaft through which a supply line for connecting the at least one motor to a supply system of the installation is passed from the supporting structure to the basket carrier.

9. The installation according to claim 8, wherein a central rotary lead-through for the supply line is arranged at an end of the longitudinal shaft facing away from the basket carrier, wherein the central rotary lead-through comprises a first body supported against the support structure and a second body connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the longitudinal shaft.

10. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the output element of the respective reduction gear has an output flange and a hollow cylindrical output shaft connected to the output flange, wherein the output shaft is fitted in the input shaft and is rotatably supported relative thereto about the respective basket axis.

11. The installation according to claim 1, wherein a flange-like rotary platform for releasably connecting the respective centrifuge basket is held suspended from the output element of the respective reduction gear, and is connected to the output element in a rotationally fixed manner.

12. The installation according to claim 11, wherein a connecting assembly for reversibly releasably connecting the respective centrifuge basket to the basket carrier is provided for each centrifuge basket, with first connectors of the connecting assembly being arranged on the rotary platforms, and second connectors of the connecting assemblies, which are connectable to the first connectors, being arranged on the centrifuge baskets.

13. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the first connectors are pneumatically actuable clamping modules, wherein at least one of pneumatic and electric lines for actuating the first connectors are passed from the supporting structure through the longitudinal shaft formed as hollow shaft to the basket carrier.

14. The installation according to claim 13, wherein the at least one of pneumatic and electric lines for actuating the first connectors are passed through the input shafts, formed as hollow shafts, of the reduction gears.

15. The installation according to claim 13, wherein a secondary rotary lead-through for the at least one pneumatic and electric lines for actuating the first connectors is arranged on the basket carrier for each rotary platform, with the secondary rotary lead-throughs each having a first body supported against a main body of the basket carrier and a second body connected to the rotary platform in a rotationally fixed manner.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0040] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a first form of an installation according to the present disclosure for treating mass parts contained in two centrifuge baskets, shown from diagonally above;

[0042] FIG. 2 is a perspective sectional view of the installation of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the installation of FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view of a portion of the installation of FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a reduction gear of the installation of FIG. 1 shown from above;

[0046] FIG. 6: is a perspective view of the reduction gear of FIG. 5 shown from below;

[0047] FIG. 7 a partial sectional view of the reduction gear of FIG. 5;

[0048] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the installation of FIG. 1;

[0049] FIG. 9 is a top view of a basket carrier of the installation of FIG. 1;

[0050] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of the basket carrier of FIG. 9;

[0051] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of a connection assembly of the installation of FIG. 1;

[0052] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the installation of FIG. 1 shown from below, wherein the installation is shown without the centrifuge baskets;

[0053] FIG. 13 is a side view of an installation of a second form according to the present disclosure for treating mass parts contained in two centrifuge baskets, wherein the installation is shown in an initial position;

[0054] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the installation shown in FIG. 13, wherein the installation is shown in a pivot position in which the centrifuge baskets are immersed in a dip tank in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0055] FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an installation of a third form according to the present disclosure for treating mass parts contained in four centrifuge baskets, in which a basket carrier is shown from below; and

[0056] FIG. 16 is a schematic view of an installation of a fourth form according to the present disclosure for treating mass parts contained in four centrifuge baskets, in which a basket carrier is shown from below.

[0057] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0059] FIG. 1 shows an installation for treating mass parts contained in two centrifuge baskets 1 according to a first form. FIGS. 2 to 12 show further details of this installation. The installation is used for coating bulk parts (not shown), such as screws, stamped parts or the like, wherein the bulk parts to be coated can be immersed in a coating liquid (not shown) and then centrifuged outside the coating liquid.

[0060] FIG. 1 shows that the installation has a supporting structure 2 in the form of a stationary frame. The supporting structure 2 is supported against a fixed floor 3 and encloses a workspace 4. To clarify the orientation of the supporting structure 2, the three spatial directions X, Y and Z are drawn in FIG. 1. The spatial direction Z runs parallel to the vertical, respectively to the direction of gravity. The designations “down”, “up”, “below” and “above” are to be understood as positional indications in relation to the Z direction. The term “horizontal” is to be understood as an extension parallel to a plane spanned by the two spatial directions X and Y.

[0061] Furthermore, the installation includes a basket carrier 5 on which the two centrifuge baskets 1 are held in a reversibly detachable manner. The basket carrier 5 is mounted freely suspended in the workspace 4 on a longitudinal shaft 6 of a main drive device 7. The longitudinal shaft 6 is mounted on a supporting element 8 of the supporting structure 2 so as to be rotatable about a main axis A and can be rotationally driven about the main axis A by a main drive 9 of the main drive device 7. The main drive 9 is fixed to the supporting element 8. The support element 8 may be a cross beam that is rigidly incorporated into the support structure 2. The main drive 9 may be an electric motor connected to an electric power supply 10 of the installation. By means of the main drive 9, the basket carrier 5 can be rotatably driven about the main axis A to a desired nominal speed, in one form within five seconds, which nominal speed may be more than 30 revolutions and less than 220 revolutions per minute.

[0062] The basket carrier 5 includes a main body 11 with a central bore 12, see in particular FIG. 10. A lower end of the longitudinal shaft 6 facing the basket carrier 5 is inserted into the central bore 12, wherein the longitudinal shaft 6 is not shown in FIG. 10 to illustrate the structure of the basket carrier 5. The longitudinal shaft 6 and the main body 11 can be connected to each other by means of a standardised shaft-hub connection, such as a form-locking connection with a groove 13 and a key (not shown). The main body 11 has an elongated base plate 14 and two side walls 15 spaced apart from each other. The side walls 15 project vertically from the base plate 14 on an upper side 16 facing the support element 8 and may have a trapezoidal basic shape. The base plate 14 is aligned horizontally.

[0063] A secondary drive device 17 for rotating the centrifuge baskets 1 about a respective basket axis K radially spaced from the main axis A is arranged on the main body 11 between the side walls 15. Due to their eccentric arrangement, the two basket axes K can also be referred to as planetary rotary axes. The secondary drive device 17 has a motor 18 and a drivetrain 19 for each centrifuge basket 1. The motors 18 are electric motors, in particular servomotors. The longitudinal shaft 6 is designed as a hollow shaft through which electrical lines 20 are routed to connect the motors 18 to an electrical power supply 10 of the installation. Furthermore, control lines 21, in particular bus lines, can be routed through the longitudinal shaft 6 for connecting the secondary drive device 17 to a control unit 22 of the installation. The main drive device 7 can also be connected to the control unit 22.

[0064] In order to reduce the centrifugal forces acting on the motors 18 to a minimum when the basket carrier 5 rotates about the main axis A, the motors 18 are attached to the main body 11 in one form close to the main axis A. Specifically, the motors 18 each have a rotor shaft 23 that is rotatably drivable about a rotor axis D that is arranged parallel to the main axis A. The respective rotor axis D is arranged at a distance R1 of at most 300 millimeters from the main axis A and may have a distance R1 of between approximately 140 millimeters and 180 millimeters. To avoid imbalances, the motors 18 are arranged on the main body 11 symmetrically to each other with respect to the main axis A. In one form, the rotor axes D lie on an imaginary first circle C1, which is arranged concentrically to the main axis A and has the radius R1, as shown in FIG. 9. The basket axes K, on the other hand, can lie on an imaginary second circle C2, the radius R2 of which is larger than the radius R1. In particular, the radius R1 can be smaller than 0.5 times the radius R2.

[0065] The drivetrains 19 each include a belt drive 24. A respective belt drive 24 is described below. It is understood that the explanations apply to both belt drives 24, which are identical in construction. The belt drive 24 comprises a toothed belt 25 and two toothed pulleys, namely a drive pulley 26 and a driven pulley 27. The drive pulley 26 is mounted concentrically to the rotor axis D on the rotor shaft 23 of the associated motor 18. The driven pulley 27 is mounted concentrically to the basket axis K on an input shaft 28 formed as a hollow shaft. Furthermore, the belt drive 24 comprises a fixedly adjustable tensioning device with a first tensioning roller 29 and a spring-loaded tensioning device with a second tensioning roller 30. The transmission ratio (abbreviated as “i”), which is defined as the quotient of the speed of the transmission input (here: the drive pulley 26) and the speed of the transmission output (here: driven pulley 27), can lie in a range of i=1.5 to i=10 for the belt drive 24. Here, the transmission ratio is in a range from i=2 to i=6. As a result of the fact that i>1, the speed is reduced (“transmission to slow”) and the transmittable torque is increased. In one form, it can be advantageous for the respective belt drive to have a fixed transmission ratio.

[0066] Furthermore, the drivetrains 19 each have a reduction gear 31, which further increases the transmittable torque. This allows the centrifuge baskets 1 to be rotatably driven about the basket axes K with a sufficiently high torque of, for example, 1000 to 2500 Newton meters. The reduction gears 31 may be known eccentric gears. An eccentric on the rotating input shaft 28 can generate a cycloidical motion, involving pins arranged circumferentially around the basket axis K in a gearbox housing 68 of the respective reduction gear 31. Such a reduction gear 31 is, for example, the TwinSpin reduction gear from the G series of the company Spinea®. Particularly good results with regard to the reduction ratio and the associated increase in torque as well as with regard to durability were achieved, for example, with the reduction gear model TS 335G from the G series of Spinea®. The respective reduction gear 31 is described below. It is understood that the descriptions apply to both reduction gears 31, which are identical in construction. The reduction gear 31 is shown in detail in FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0067] The reduction gear 31 is inserted in a through hole 69 in the base plate 14 of the main body 11 and is firmly connected, in particular screwed, to the main body 11. The gear housing 68 is in particular flange-shaped and has a stepped outer wall. A first outer wall section 70 of the gear housing 68, which is inserted in the base plate 14, may have a smaller outer diameter than a second outer wall section 71 of the gear housing 68, which projects beyond the main body 11 on the basket side. The inner diameter of the through bore 69 corresponds at least substantially to the outer diameter of the first outer wall section 70 of the gear housing 68. The gear housing 68 of the reduction gear 31 protrudes from a lower side 33 of the main body 11, the lower side facing away from the upper side 16. The reduction gear 68 is, in this case, inserted from below into the through-hole 69 in the base plate 14 and, in particular, screwed to the latter from below.

[0068] The input shaft 28 is the gearbox input side shaft of the reduction gear 31. The input shaft 28 is mounted in the gear housing 68 concentrically to the basket axis K and so as to be rotatable about the basket axis K. The reduction gear 31 comprises a hollow output element 32 on the gearbox output side. The output element 32 comprises a hollow cylindrical output shaft 80 and an output flange 81 connected to the output shaft 80 in a rotationally fixed manner. The output flange 81 and the output shaft 80 are, here, screwed together by screws 82, wherein for the sake of simplicity only a subset of the screws are provided with the reference sign. The output shaft 80 is inserted in the hollow input shaft 28 and can be supported by a bearing 83, in particular a needle bearing, so as to be rotatable relative thereto about the basket axis K. The hollow output element 32 thus forms a passage 73 through the reduction gear 31.

[0069] The gear ratio (abbreviated as “i”) of the reduction gear 31, which is defined as the quotient of the speed of the gear input (here: the input shaft 28) and the speed of the gear output (here: the output element 32), can be in a range from i=50 to i=200 for the reduction gear 31. In particular, the reduction ratio can be between i=90 and i=120.

[0070] An outer diameter of the output element 32, in particular the output flange 81 can be more than 4 times an outer diameter of the input shaft 28. FIG. 7 shows that this ratio is in one form about 5 to 1. In one form this ratio is less than 8 to 1 and in one form less than 6 to 1.

[0071] A flange-like rotary platform 34 is attached to the lower, or basket-side end of the respective output element 32, in particular to the output flange 81. The gearbox housing 68 protrudes from the underside 33 of the main body 11 and the output element 32 projects beyond the gearbox housing 68 by about 0.5 millimeters to 5 millimeters and, here, in one form by about 1 millimeters. The rotary platform 34 is suspended from the output element 32 and can be rotationally driven about the basket axis K without collision due to the protruding output element 32. The rotary platform 34 can be screwed to the output element 32 by a plurality of circumferentially distributed screws 75, with threaded holes 84 being incorporated circumferentially therein for this purpose. In particular, the rotary platform 34 may be secured to the output member 32 by twenty to thirty of the screws 75 to hold the rotary platform 34 freely suspended from the output member 32. The flange-like rotary platforms 34 may each have an opening 35 formed concentrically with respect to the basket axis K.

[0072] It can be seen in particular in FIG. 8 that the rotary platform 34 is multi-piece and includes an annular first plate 76 which is attached to the output element 32 by the screws 75. A second annular plate 77, which is screwed to the first plate 76 by means of a plurality of screws 78, is located radially further out. The second plate 77 is arranged from above, respectively from the side facing away from the basket, onto the first plate 76. A respective centrifuge basket 1 can be detachably attached to the rotary platform 34. In order to support the forces occurring in the axial and radial directions during operation of the installation, as well as the moments, such as tilting moments, the output element 32 is inserted in a housing opening 72 of the gear housing 68 and is mounted rotatably relative to the gear housing 68 about the basket axis K. For example, rolling bearings, in particular roller bearings, can be provided, which can also be configured in several rows or with rollers alternately rotated 90 degrees to each other around the circumference, in order to be able to absorb the radial and axial forces. The outer diameter of the output element 32 may correspond to about 75 percent to 95 percent, and in one form about 85 percent, of an outer diameter of the transmission housing 68 in the second outer wall section 71. A bearing, in particular a roller bearing, is in one form arranged between the circumferential surface of the output element 32 and the inner wall of the gearbox housing 68. A sealing ring 79 can be connected axially below the bearing. The rotary platforms 34 attached to the output elements 32 are thus drivingly connected to the associated motor 18 via one of the drivetrains 19 in each case and, due to the mechanical separation of the two drivetrains 19, can be rotatingly driven about the respective basket axis K independently of each other by the respective associated motor 18.

[0073] For reversibly detachably connecting the centrifuge baskets 1 to the basket carrier 5, a connecting assembly 36 is provided for each centrifuge basket 1. The connecting assemblies 36 each have, in this embodiment, three connector units 37. The connector units 37 are equally distributed in the circumferential direction around the basket axis K and can be arranged respectively at the same distance from the respective basket axis K, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 12. The connector units 37 each have a first connector in the form of a clamping module 38 and a second connector in the form of a connecting bolt 39. The clamping modules 38 are attached to the rotary platforms 34 and the connecting bolts 39 are attached to the centrifuge baskets 1.

[0074] It can be seen in particular in FIG. 11 that the centrifuge baskets 1 each have a radially projecting connecting flange 40 at their open end. The connecting flange 40 is arranged perpendicular to the basket axis K, at least when the centrifuge basket 1 is held on the basket carrier 5. The connecting bolts 39 are attached to the connecting flange 40 of the respective centrifuge basket 1 and project axially. The connecting bolts 39 each have a bolt axis B39 which is arranged parallel to the main axis A. The connecting flange 40 can have an oval base, as shown in FIG. 9, or a triangular base, as shown in FIG. 11. Other bases are also possible, such as a circular, rectangular, square or polygonal base.

[0075] The clamping modules 38 are arranged in a section 77 of the respective rotary platforms 34 that projects radially beyond the reduction gear 31. The rotary platforms 34 can, for example, have a round or angular basic shape. The clamping modules 38 each have a module base member 74 in which a bolt receptacle 41 is formed, which is open downwards, i.e. towards the respective centrifuge basket 1, and into which the connecting bolts 39 can be inserted. The bolt receptacles 41 each define a center axis B41 which, like the bolt axes B39, are arranged parallel to the main axis A. The bolt receptacles 41 are substantially cup-shaped. For radial fixation of the connecting bolts 39 in the inserted state, the respective module base member 74 surrounds the bolt receptacle 41 in the circumferential direction about the center axis B41, in particular completely. The clamping modules 38 each further include a locking mechanism 59 that clamps the inserted connecting bolt 39 in the clamping module 38 (connected state). The connecting bolts 39 can each have a circumferential groove 42 in which form-locking elements, in particular locking bolts of the locking mechanisms 59 can engage in the connected state. The form-locking elements are in one form spring-loaded towards the center axis B41 so that the connecting bolts 39 inserted into the bolt receptacles 41 in the connected state are clamped by spring force. The clamping modules 38 are pneumatically operable centering clamps known per se, which can be pressurised with compressed air to release the locking mechanisms 59, respectively to displace the form-locking elements against the spring force and thus away from the center axes B41. In a released state, the locking mechanisms 59 release the connecting bolts 39 again, so that the connecting bolts 39 can be axially displaced relative to the clamping modules 38. In the released state, the centrifuge baskets 1 can thus be uncoupled from the basket carrier 5, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0076] The clamping modules 38 are connected to pneumatic lines 44 via plug-in couplings 43, which connect the clamping modules 38 to a pneumatic supply network 45 of the installation. Furthermore, the control lines 21 and, if required, the power lines 20 can be routed to the clamping modules 38 in order to connect them to the control unit 22 and, if required, to the electrical power supply 10. The lines 44, 20, 21 coming from the rotary platforms 34 are passed through the hollow input shafts 28, respectively the through-opening 73 of the output element 32 of the reduction gears 31 into a respective secondary rotary lead-through 46. The secondary rotary lead-throughs 46 are each connected to an end of the output element 32 facing away from the rotary platform 34, in particular to the output shaft 80. Simply to illustrate the structure, most of the components inside the reduction gear 31 have been removed in FIGS. 2, 4 and 8. It can be seen that a first body 47 of the respective secondary rotary lead-through 46 is supported with respect to the main body 11 of the basket carrier 5. A second body 48 of the respective secondary rotary lead-through 46 is connected to the output shaft 80 in a rotationally fixed manner. For this purpose, a plurality of circumferentially distributed threaded holes 85 are formed in the end face of the output shaft 80 in order to screw the second body 48 to the output shaft 80. The secondary rotary lead-throughs 46 enable the sealed transition of the pneumatic lines 44 between the fixed first bodies 47 and the second bodies 48, which can be rotatably driven about the basket axes K, in a manner known per se.

[0077] The pneumatic lines 44 are routed on the upper side 16 of the main body 11 towards the main axis A and are connected there to a Y-connector 49. The Y-connector 49 is connected to a central pneumatic line 50, which is passed through the longitudinal shaft 6, which is designed as a hollow shaft. A central rotary lead-through 51 is arranged at an upper end of the longitudinal shaft 6 facing away from the basket carrier 5. The central rotary lead-through 51 has a first body 52, which is supported with respect to the supporting structure 2. A second body 53 of the central rotary lead-through 51 is non-rotatably connected to the longitudinal shaft 6. The electrical lines 20 and the control lines 21 for the secondary drive device 17 and the pneumatic line 44 for the clamping modules 38 are routed through the central rotary lead-through 51. Contact points 54 are arranged on the first body 52 of the central rotary lead-through 51 for connecting the electrical lines 17 to the power supply 10 and for connecting the control lines 21 to the control unit 22. Furthermore, a pneumatic coupling 55 is arranged on the first body 52 of the central rotary lead-through 51, via which the pneumatic line 50 can be connected to the pneumatic supply network 45.

[0078] FIG. 12 shows the installation from below at an angle. It can be seen that for each rotary platform 34 a cover 56 is arranged between the clamping modules 38 arranged at the rotary platforms 34. The covers 56 are used to close the centrifuge baskets 1, that are open at the top, when they are held on the basket carrier 5. The centrifuge baskets 1 have perforated walls 57 that can be penetrated by the coating liquid. The walls 57 divide the respective centrifuge basket 1, here, into three spatially separated chambers 58 for receiving the mass parts. The chambers 58 are arranged distributed in the circumferential direction and are open at the top in order to be able to fill in the mass parts. The centrifuge baskets 1 are designed rotationally symmetrical to the basket axis K. By subdividing the centrifuge baskets 1 into the chambers 58, the restoring torques are minimised when the centrifuge baskets 1 are rotated about the basket axes K. As a result, the centrifuge baskets 1 filled with the mass parts can be set in rotation about the basket axes K more easily, which reduces the load on the motors 18.

[0079] FIGS. 13 and 14 show an installation for treating mass parts contained in two centrifuge baskets 1 according to a second embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above according to FIGS. 1 to 12 only in that the support element 8 is integrated in the support structure 2 pivotably about a horizontal pivot axis S, so that reference is made to the above explanations with regard to the common features. Overall, the same details are provided with the same reference signs as in FIGS. 1 to 12. To illustrate the orientation of the supporting structure 2, the three spatial directions X, Y and Z are drawn in FIGS. 13 and 14. The spatial direction Z runs parallel to the vertical, respectively to the direction of gravity. The designations “up”, “down”, “below” and “above” are to be understood as positional indications in relation to the Z direction. The term “horizontal” is to be understood as an extension parallel to a plane spanned by the two spatial directions X and Y.

[0080] The support element 8 can be a U-shaped swivel frame that is supported laterally on two horizontal side struts 60 of the support structure 2 so that it can be pivoted. Two hydraulic cylinders 61 can be provided for pivoting, which are supported on the side struts 60 and the support element 8. In order to bridge the swivelling movements, the lines 20, 21, 51 can be guided via one or more energy guiding chains 62 from the central rotary lead-through 51 to a stationary frame 63 of the supporting structure 2.

[0081] A coating trolley 64 with an immersion tank 65 is positioned in the work area 4, which can be pushed in and out of the work area 4 from the side. The coating liquid 66 is contained in the dip tank 65. In order to be able to raise or lower the coating trolley 64 with the dip tank 65, a lifting device 67 can be attached to the fixed part of the support structure 2, which is supported on the floor 3. The dip tank 65 can thus be moved along a vertical axis that extends along the spatial direction Z. The lifting device 67 can also be used in the installation according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, in order to be able to move the coating trolley 64 with the dip tank 65 towards the centrifuge baskets 1.

[0082] FIG. 13 shows the installation in an initial position with the paint trolley 64 on the floor 3. The main axis A of the longitudinal shaft 6, on which the basket carrier 5 is suspended, is aligned vertically. The basket carrier 5 and the centrifuge baskets 1 are stationary. In FIG. 14 the dip tank 65 on the coating trolley 64 is moved up to the basket carrier 5 from below. The centrifuge baskets 1 are immersed in the coating liquid 66. The support element 5 is pivoted about the pivot axis S so that the basket axes K form an angle of, here, about 30 degrees with the floor 3. The motors 18 rotatably drive the rotary platforms 34 about the basket axes K in order to circulate the mass particles contained in the centrifuge baskets 1 in the coating liquid 66.

[0083] FIGS. 15 and 16 show other possible geometries of the basket carrier 5, which can form a circular surface, as shown in FIG. 15, or can have the shape of a cross, or plus sign, as shown in FIG. 16.

[0084] Unless otherwise expressly indicated herein, all numerical values indicating mechanical/thermal properties, compositional percentages, dimensions and/or tolerances, or other characteristics are to be understood as modified by the word “about” or “approximately” in describing the scope of the present disclosure. This modification is desired for various reasons including industrial practice, material, manufacturing, and assembly tolerances, and testing capability.

[0085] As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

[0086] In this application, the term “controller,” “control unit,” and/or “module” may refer to, be part of, or include: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit; other suitable hardware components (e.g., op amp circuit integrator as part of the heat flux data module) that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip.

[0087] The term memory is a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does not encompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readable medium may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static random access memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit), magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or a hard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or a Blu-ray Disc).

[0088] The apparatuses and methods described in this application may be partially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created by configuring a general-purpose computer to execute one or more particular functions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications, which can be translated into the computer programs by the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

[0089] The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs 1 centrifuge basket 28 input shaft 2 supporting structure 29 tensioning roller 3 floor 30 tensioning roller 4 workspace 31 reduction gear 5 basket carrier 32 output element 6 longitudinal shaft 33 lower side 7 main drive device 34 rotary platform 8 support element 35 opening 9 main drive 36 connecting assembly 10 power supply 37 connector unit 11 main body 38 clamping module 12 bore 39 connecting bolt 13 Groove 40 connecting flange 14 Base plate 41 bolt holder 15 Side wall 42 groove 16 upper side 43 plug-in coupling 17 secondary drive device 44 pneumatic line 18 motor 45 pneumatic supply network 19 drivetrain 46 secondary rotary lead-through 20 electric line 47 first body 21 control lines 48 second body 22 control unit 49 Y-connector 23 rotor shaft 50 pneumatic line 24 belt drive 51 rotary lead-through 25 toothed belt 52 first body 26 drive pulley 53 second body 27 driven pulley 54 contact point 55 coupling 80 output shaft 56 cover 81 output flange 57 wall 82 screw 58 chamber 83 bearing 59 locking mechanism 84 threaded hole 60 side strut 85 threaded hole 61 hydraulic cylinder 62 energy guiding chain 63 frame 64 paint wagon 65 dip tank 66 coating liquid 67 lifting device 68 gearbox housing A main axis 69 through hole B bolt axis, centre axis 70 outer wall section C imaginary circle 71 outer wall section D rotor axis 72 housing opening K basket axle 73 opening R radius 74 module base member S swivel axis 75 screw X space direction 76 plate Z space direction 77 plate 78 screw 79 sealing ring