Apparatus for coating an elongate body with fluidized coating material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR COATING ELONGATE BODIES, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED CHAMBER FOR CONTAINING A BED OF PULVERULENT COATING MATERIALS, A GAS PERMEABLE PLATE IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER FOR ADMITTING GAS THEREINTO TO FLOW UPWARDLY THROUGH THE FLUIDIZE A BED OF COATING MATERIALS IN THE CHAMBER, AN UPPER CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER HAVING OPPOSITE SIDES PROVIDED WITH ORIFICES IN SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT TO ENABLE SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AND AXIAL PASSAGE OF AN ELONGATE BODY INTO AND OUT OF THE CHAMBER THROUGH A BED OF FLUIDIZED COATING MATERIALA IN THE CHAMBER, MEANS ADJACENT TO EACH OF SAID ORIFICES FOR SUPPORTING AN ELONGATE BODY FOR AXIAL PASSAGE THEREETHROUGH, AND GAS IMPELLER MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID UPPER CLOSURE MEMBER FOR WITHDRAWING FROM THE CHAMBER GAS FLOWING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PERMEABLE PLATE INTO AND THROUGH A BED OF COATING MATERIALS AND GAS ENTERING THE CHAMBER THROUGH AN ORIFICE AROUND AN ELONGATE BODY PASSING THERETHROUGH.