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(11) | EP 0 451 346 A3 |
(12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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(54) | Plate treating apparatus using a caterpillar |
(57) A method of circulating a heat transfer medium through a caterpillar (9) and a plate
treating apparatus using the caterpillar. A rotary shaft (12) is arranged to transversely
project into the caterpillar arranged in an article conveying direction. The caterpillar
(9) is provided with a group of strip-shaped hot plates (8) disposed closely in parallel
to each other, each hot plate (8) having an inlet and outlet of the heat transfer
medium. A heat transfer medium passage is formed in each hot plate (8) to communicate
the inlet and the outlet thereof. The rotary shaft (12) includes a heat transfer medium
supplying portion (10) and a heat transfer medium discharging portion (11) separately
formed therein from one end thereof to the other end. The heat transfer medium is
sent from the supplying portion (10) of the rotary shaft (12) to the inlet of each
hot plate (8) through a corresponding connecting tube (17), and then the medium is
discharged from the outlet of the hot plate (8) to the discharging portion (11) through
another connecting tube (17). The connecting tubes (17) are long enough to reach turning
portions (16) of the caterpillar. The rotary shaft (12) and the caterpillar (9) are
synchronously controlled in such a manner that the rotary shaft makes a revolution
for a turn of the caterpillar. |