The Walking Beam design provides a low maintenance solution to the inline machine. There are no moving parts inside the ovens. This machine design is primarily used where a single product is being produced. Although tooling and dip tank changeover is quite simple and fast, it cannot track (without special barcode readers) and adjust the process for various adjacent products as the rotary machine can. In other words, a product (dip coating or molding) is continually processed and then a changeover is made to introduce another product. Like all of our machines, it is possible to process many mandrels or items to be coated in a single cycle. This machine design provides high volume production with two or more operators. Carrier racks must be returned upstream for reloading. This, of course, can be automated.

The sequence of events is:

• Parts are unloaded and the transport rack removed and parts are loaded and positioned in the first loading station
• The Cure section cycles when the programmed dip cycle is complete and parts in the cure oven have completed their cure cycle.
  • Cure oven doors open, the walking beam moves horizontally through the cure oven and dip station
  • The walking beam lifts the transport racks in the cure oven and dip station and moves them horizontally one station.
  • The walking beam lowers the transport racks in the next station and retracts from the cure oven.
  • The doors close and the preheat cycle is initiated
• Now with the preheat cycle complete and the dip station empty loaded parts are moved through the preheat oven
  • The preheat oven door opens and the walking beam conveyor lifts the loaded racks and previously preheated racks and moves horizontally to the next station
  • The previously preheated parts in the last preheat oven (where multiple preheat ovens exists) are transported to the dip station
  • The walking beam lowers and retracts from the preheat oven.
  • The doors close and the preheat section awaits the next cycle initiation from the cure section