| abstract |
A system, apparatus, and method for coating and curing disposable containers, e.g. cups that are made from .thermoplastic particles, e.g. expandable polystyrene particles (EPS) , and that are coated with a coating, e.g. latex coating. The system comprises a preparation station, a coating station, a curing station, and a container handling station. An apparatus comprising a rotatable wheel is used to position the containers into the several stations. The rotatable wheel contains a plurality of container holding means that consists of vacuum means selectively operable for retaining and releasing the containers relative to the stations and a rotatable platform for selectively rotating the containers to evenly apply and/or dry the coating on the containers and to increase the production rate for coating and/or curing the containers. |