Coating processes – Coating by vapor – gas – or smoke
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2001-08-28
Meeks, Timothy (Department: 1762)
Coating processes
Coating by vapor, gas, or smoke
C427S251000, C427S255500, C118S729000, C269S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280792
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface treating process, and in particular, a surface treating process for forming a deposited film of a metal such as aluminum, zinc and tin, or a metal nitride such as titanium nitride on the surface of a sintered product such as, for example, a rare earth metal-based magnet liable to be oxidized, and the like, thereby ensuring that the sintered product such as the rare earth metal-based magnet has an oxidation resistance.
In more particular, the present invention relates to a surface treating process capable of surface-treating a large number of works collectively and uniformly such as a sintered product, e.g., a rare earth metal-based magnet having a shape having an inside diameter portion such as a ring-like shape and the like, and to a surface-treating support member, a surface treating holder and a surface treating apparatus which are suitable for use in such process.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, in a conventional surface treating process for a rare earth metal-based magnet, a vacuum vapor-deposition apparatus
120
as shown in
FIG. 11
was used to carry out a vapor deposition of aluminum. In
FIG. 11
, reference character
121
designates a vacuum treating chamber which can be maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum through a vacuum pump
122
. In the vacuum treating chamber
121
, aluminum
123
, which is an evaporation source, is heated within an evaporation source holder
124
by a heater
125
. A rare earth metal-based magnet article
130
as a work is accommodated in a cage-like container
126
, and the vapor deposition of aluminum is carried out, while rotating the container
126
, thereby uniformly depositing aluminum on the rare earth metal-based magnet article
130
as the work.
In the above conventional surface treating process, however, the substantially uniform vapor-deposition can be performed certainly. However, because the works are piled one on another within the cage-like container, it cannot be avoided that some deposition nonuniformity is produced. Therefore, it has been desired to propose a surface treating process by which a further uniform surface treatment can be performed. Many of rare earth metal-based magnet articles such as Nd—Fe—B based magnet articles, for example, resulting from the processing treatment, are rectangular parallelepiped, hard and moreover, have sharp corners. For this reason, the following problem is arisen: The corners collide with one another during the vapor deposition treatment, whereby the deposited film on the surface is peeled off and in a severe case, the corners of a product are chipped, resulting in a poor yield. Particularly, in a case of a large-sized article, there is a problem that the weight is large, and the collision energy is large, resulting in an extremely reduced yield. In a case of a work having an inside diameter portion and having a shape such as a ring-like shape and the like, there is a disadvantage that the inside diameter side of the work is occluded by the other work and for this reason, the uniform surface treatment of the inside diameter side cannot be achieved successfully.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a surface treating process, wherein the problems and disadvantages associated with the conventional process can be overcome, and even a plurality of works each having an inside diameter portion and having a shape such as a ring-like shape and the like can be uniformly surface-treated collectively.
As a result of zealous reviews, the present inventors have found that the surface treatment of works such as a vapor deposition meeting the above requirement can be carried out in a state in which the works has been spaced apart from one another, while rotating the works about their axes, or rotating the works about a rotational axis, or rotating the works about the rotational axis and about their axes.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect and feature of the present invention, there is provided a surface-treating support member for supporting a plurality of works, comprising 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.
With the above feature, the surface-treating support member is comprised of the upper and lower cages including the large number of compartments, so that the cages are openable and closable in the lengthwise direction. Therefore, the works can be accommodated into the cage-like compartments at distances and removed from the cage-like compartments by opening and closing the upper and lower cages.
The shape, mesh size and the like of each cage may be selected properly, so that clearances can be formed at a size enough to ensure that a surface-treating material can reach works sufficiently and uniformly in correspondence to the size and shape of the work.
According to a second aspect and feature of the present invention, there is provided a surface-treating support member for supporting a plurality of works each having an inside diameter portion, comprising plate-like elements openably and closably foldable in a lengthwise direction, the plate-like elements being capable of defining a plurality of narrow sections each having a length corresponding to the inside diameter of the work in opened states.
According to a third aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the second feature, the plate-like elements are openably and closably foldable by a hinge.
With the above features, the surface-treating support member is comprised of plate-like elements openably and closably foldable in a lengthwise direction, so that the plurality of narrow sections each having a length corresponding to the inside diameter of the work can be defined in the opened state. Therefore, works can be set respectively in the narrow sections in the folded states of the plate-like elements, and then supported in spaced-apart states in the narrow sections by folding up the plate-like elements. After the surface treatment, the works can be easily removed from the support member by folding the plate-like elements again.
Particularly, by ensuring that the plate-like elements can be openably and closably folded by the hinge, it is easy to mount and remove the works to and from the support member.
The shape, size and the like of each of the narrow sections may be selected, so that the works can be maintained in the spaced-apart states in correspondence to the size and shape of the work.
According to a fourth aspect and feature of the present invention, there is provided a surface treating holder comprising a wire which is coiled at distances in such a manner that it is formed as a spring-like tubular structure having spiral-line faces at opposite ends thereof, so that works can be accommodated in the tubular structure.
According to a fifth aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the fourth feature, the tubular structure is a cylindrical structure.
According to a sixth aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the fourth feature, an entanglement preventing spring is wound around that portion of the wire which forms the side face of the tubular structure.
According to a seventh aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the fourth feature, the wire is closely wound in the vicinity of opposite ends of a side face of the tubular structure.
According to an eight aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the fourth feature, the central portion of the wire is closely wound at locations corresponding to the spiral-line faces of the tubular structure.
According to a ninth aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the fourth feature, the wire is formed of a stainless steel.
In the surface-treating holder, the wire is coiled at distances in such a manner that it is formed as the spring-like tubular structure having spiral-line faces at opposi
Asagai Yoshihiro
Fujiwara Yoshio
Ohtagaki Ken
Tochishita Yoshimi
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Meeks Timothy
Sumitomo Special Metals Co. Ltd.
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