Claims
- 1. A method for continuous introduction and/or removal of workpieces in and/or from atmospherically separated spaces comprising:arranging at least one workpiece in a loading station in a first space which is at an atmospheric pressure different than the pressure in a treatment space, transferring the workpiece from said first space into said treatment space by bringing the workpiece via a transport path to the loading station arranged in said first space, bringing the workpiece transferred via the transport path and positioning said workpiece opposite an empty lock chamber having an opening and located in a carrousel chamber, bringing the workpiece through the lock chamber opening into said lock chamber, simultaneously removing a previously coated workpiece from the lock chamber by transfer means, turning a lock chamber wheel located in said carrousel for transport of the workpiece into the lock chamber in the direction of a transfer station or in the direction of the first space, adapting the pressure in the lock chamber to that in the area of the transfer station, connecting the carrousel chamber via suction connectors arranged radially distributed over the periphery of said carrousel chamber, to a vacuum pump, transferring the workpiece into the treatment space via a transport belt, and moving the workpiece in front of individual treatment stations, generating a radially symmetrical density distribution of vaporized or sputtered coating material from a coating source, forming a uniform, homogenous coating on an outer wall surface and on a bottom surface of the workpiece by first orienting said workpiece in a wall coating position at an incline to the coating source, during the transport of the workpiece in the wall coating position, first rotating the workpiece about its longitudinal axis, after coating the wall surface, simultaneously transferring said workpiece from an inclined coating position into a vertical coating position, with bottom surface of said workpiece oriented facing towards the coating source, leading the workpiece past the coating source, coating the workpiece from above in the wall-coating position, after passing through the transport path in the bottom-coating position, moving the workpiece along in a bottom-coating position parallel to but opposite a first bottom coating position, transporting the coated workpiece by the transport belt along the transport path to the transfer station, transferring the workpiece into a lock chamber of the lock chamber wheel, moving the workpiece by rotation of the lock chamber wheel in the rotational direction to the unloading station and feeding the coated workpiece to the transport path.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
198 07 031 |
Feb 1998 |
DE |
|
298 02 947 U |
Feb 1998 |
DE |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 09/249,445 filed Feb. 12, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,154 which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
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