Patent ID: 6077354
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: B05B,Y02P

Abstract:
An automotive vehicle painting system comprising:plural paint supply sources wherein each source has a different coloration;a paint applicator mechanism for applying paint from selected ones of said sources to individual vehicles as said vehicles pass sequentially through the system;means for recirculating unused paint from said paint applicator mechanism to the respective paint supply sources;a paint purge fluid supply connectable to said paint applicator mechanism during a purge cycle in the time interval between the application of one paint coloration to a vehicle and the application of a different paint coloration to a succeeding vehicle;a paint recovery sub-system that includes plural pure paint collection receptacles selectively connectable to said recirculating means for receiving pure paint from said paint applicator mechanism when purge fluid is supplied to said applicator mechanism, and a common paint collection receptacle connectable to said recirculating means for comingling unused paints of different colorations;at least one sensor operable to distinguish flowing paint from flowing purge fluid, each said sensor being located between said paint applicator mechanism and said paint recovery sub-system;a valve located downstream from each said sensor for selectively directing pure paint into each said pure paint collection receptacle or a purge fluid paint solution into said common receptacle; andeach said sensor having an output that is effective to control an associated valve, so that during the initial stage of each purge cycle, pure paint is delivered to the respective pure paint collection receptacle, and during the final stage of each purge cycle a purge fluid paint solution is delivered to said common receptacle.