GB191416150A - Improved Apparatus for Washing Crockery, Cutlery, and the like. - Google Patents

Abstract

16,150. Kammermann, A. July 7. Plates, dishes, cutlery, cups, and glasses, washing.-In apparatus of the kind in which the articles are traversed automatically through a series of drums rotating in separate compartments or through a series of separate compartments on the same drum, the articles rest freely in the lower portion of each compartment until they are transferred to the succeeding compartment by a guide rotating with the drum and during the transferring movement are raised and allowed to fall through the cleansing- liquid. The preferred form of apparatus, as illustrated for dealing with plates, comprises three drums k, l, m rotating in separate compartments of a tank, and a drying-drum n rotating outside the tank. The drums k, l are each formed with three compartments, the drum m with two, and the drum n with a single compartment. Each drum consists of a skeleton metal framework connected by peripheral wooden battens and fitted with built-up circular battens to form the compartments. Channelshaped sinuous metal guides x are secured to the drum at one end and are arranged to raise and transfer the articles as explained hereinafter. In operation, the articles are delivered one at a time from a semicircular rack 5 through a hole in the periphery of the drum k by means of rotating claws 8 which lift each article in turn and allow it to fall down the shoot 4. A projection on the drum engaging a star-wheel 9 rotates the claws through 90 degrees and releases one plate for each revolution of the drum. In the first compartment of the drum, the articles are engaged during the rotation by a guide x having its free end close to the inner periphery of the drum. The free end of the guide passes underneath the article, which thus slides down the channelled surface into the second compartment and is rotated by contact with the periphery of the drum until it is engaged by the next guide x. This guide and the subsequent guides are arranged with their free ends standing out from the inner periphery of the drums to form ledges which raise the articles bodily until they overbalance and fall freely down the channelled surface into the next compartment. This operation is repeated until the articles finally roll down an inclined shoot 11 and are packed by a star-wheel 15. The last guide x of each drum projects laterally through the side and in conjunction with guides 1, delivers the articles to the first compartment of the succeeding drum. Each guide 1 engages a driving-projection on the adjacent drum, thus ensuring correct positioning of the drums. The inner drums and the inner ends of the outer drums are supported by rollers t, on the partitions and walls of the tank, engaging rings s on the drums. The compartments of the tank communicate at c, f with a common gully in the sloping bottom, but an inflow is provided at j sufficient to cause an overflow over the tops of the compartments to remove grease towards the entering end of the machine. In dealing with cups, glasses, and cutlery, the feeding and delivery mechanism is modified to suit the particular article, while for cutlery the drums are provided with perforated sheet-metal peripheries. Suitable means may be used to heat the water in the tank.