Patent ID: 6589348
Filing Date: 2003-07-08
Classification: B05B

Abstract:
An apparatus for supplying electrically conductive paint, comprising:a paint supply system that is electrically grounded to a ground potential, and that supplies an electrically conductive paint; a paint discharge arrangement that includes a paint discharging consumer, and that is energized to a high voltage potential above said ground potential; a first paint conveying line that consists of an electrically insulating material, and that has a rear end comprising a paint loading station connected to said paint supply system and a front end comprising a paint unloading station connected to said paint discharge arrangement; a rear pig and a front pig received in said paint conveying line, with a spacing distance between said rear pig and said front pig, and with said rear pig closer to said rear end and said front pig closer to said front end of said paint conveying line; a quantity of said electrically conductive paint that has been supplied from said paint supply system into said paint loading station of said paint conveying line, and that is received in said spacing distance between said rear pig and said front pig in said paint conveying line; a forward transport arrangement that is connected to said rear end of said paint conveying line and that selectively supplies a forward transport medium into said paint conveying line to selectively transport said rear pig and said front pig and said quantity of said paint received therebetween from said paint loading station to said paint unloading station; a reverse transport arrangement that is connected to said front end of said paint conveying line and that selectively supplies a reverse transport medium into said paint conveying line to selectively transport said front pig and said rear pig from said paint unloading station to said paint loading station; and a control arrangement comprising at least one rear sensor that is arranged adjacent to said paint loading station and that senses and responds to at least one of said front pig and said rear pig moving past said at least one rear sensor; wherein: said quantity of said paint received between said rear pig and said front pig in said receiving line defines said spacing distance between said front pig and said rear pig; said paint conveying line has a total length between said paint loading station and said paint unloading station; and said total length of said paint conveying line and said quantity of said paint are dimensioned relative to each other such that said total length of said paint conveying line minus said spacing distance between said front pig and said rear pig equals a remaining isolating path length sufficient to electrically insulate said paint loading station at said ground potential from said paint unloading station at said high voltage potential.