Patent ID: 9346064
Filing Date: 2016-05-24
CPC Classification: B05B

Claim Text:
1. A method for shaping the pattern of coating sprayed from a rotary atomizing sprayer device in which coating is supplied to an interior surface of a rotary cup and caused to flow along the cup and to be discharged off a forward edge of the cup from centrifugal force acting on the coating as a result of spinning the cup about an axis of the cup, said method for shaping the pattern comprising: providing the bell cup with a base and an outer surface extending outwardly and forwardly from the base, and a terminal portion at the forward edge of the bell cup transitioning from the outwardly and forwardly directed outer surface of the bell cup to a more forwardly and less outwardly directed segment adjacent the forward edge and parallel to the axis of the bell cup, the more forwardly less outwardly directed segment being of sufficient axial length for redirecting airflow of an air stream attached to and flowing along the outer surface of the bell cup to a forwardly directed airflow at the forward edge of the bell cup; providing a plurality of air passage orifices near the base of the outer surface of the bell cup; pressurizing air to a pressure above ambient air pressure and emitting the pressurized air from the air passage orifices in a first pattern of first shaping air streams against attached to and following the bell cup outer surface, from near the base to and including along the terminal portion; redirecting the attached first shaping air streams with the shape of the bell cup outer surface at the terminal portion from generally outwardly directed flow relative to the bell cup axis to generally forwardly directed flow parallel to the axis at the forward edge of the bell cup; and discharging the first shaping air streams from attachment to the outer surface of the bell cup at the forward edge of the bell cup in a generally forwardly directed flow parallel to the bell cup axis adjacent to the coating discharged off the forward edge of the bell cup.