FULLY AUTOMATED AND COMPUTERIZED CONVEYOR BASED MANUFACTURING LINE ARCHITECTURE ADAPTED TO PRESSURIZED SEALABLE TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINERS

摘要

Fully automated and computerized manufacturing conveyorbased line architecture for the storage, handling andtransporting of articles in view of the treatment thereof ina plurality of processing equipments; said manufacturingline being installed in an average cleanliness ambientincluding pressurized sealable transportable containers ofthe type consisting of a box-shaped housing provided with anaccess opening sealed with releasable door means and gasinjection valve means enclosing a workpiece therein;conveyor transportation means; gas supply installation meanscomprising a compressed ultra pure neutral gas supply sourceand a delivery system; dispatching apparatus means with agas distribution system comprising storage/gas feeding meansfor storing the containers basically consisting of a framesupporting a number of support stations or bins eachprovided with gas injector means connected to said gassupply installation means; handling means for transferringsaid containers between said bins and said conveyortransportation means; interface apparatus means adapted toreceive said containers and transfer the workpiece enclosedtherein to a processing equipment comprising containerreceiving means for receiving/sending a container from/tosaid conveyor transportation means; a pressurized port zoneor loadlock provided with transfer robot means therein,interfacing said container receiving means with saidprocessing equip ment; actuator means for moving saidcontainer on said container receiving means; and computermeans for overall control of said conveyor transportationmeans, dispatching apparatus means, gas supply installationmeans, interface apparatus means and said processingequipments.