Abstract:
A coating material is uniformly applied on an inner wall surface of a container while preventing leakage of the coating material and an increase in an installation space. An application apparatus ( 10 ) that applies a coating material (L) on an inner wall surface of a container (C) includes: a spray gun ( 20 ) having a spray nozzle ( 22 ); an outgoing pipe ( 30 ) and a return pipe ( 33 ); a supply control unit ( 50 ); a rotary drive unit ( 60 ); and a moving unit ( 70 ), wherein the outgoing pipe ( 30 ) and the return pipe ( 33 ) are each provided with a resilient-shape part ( 32, 35 ) capable of extending and contracting resiliently.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an application apparatus that applies a coating material on an inner wall surface of a container, and more particularly to an application apparatus that applies a coating material that improves slipperiness on the inner wall surface of the container. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    In general, plastic containers are widely used for various purposes because of good formability and low production cost. One problem with such plastic containers was that when the containers contain a viscous material such as mayonnaise-like food products, it is hard to use up all the contents as the material tends to stick to the inner wall surface of the container. In this respect, coating materials that improve the ability of the contained material to slide down have been developed recently, and it has been known that with such a coating material being applied on the inner wall surface of the container, the contents in the container can easily be used up due to the improved ability to slide down the inner wall surface of the container. 
         [0003]    In order for such a coating material to favorably exhibit its properties, it is necessary to apply the coating material uniformly on the inner wall surface of the container. However, plastic containers come in various shapes and have a small opening diameter, and with the use of a spray gun (see, for example, PTL 1) commonly used in an application apparatus, it was difficult to apply the coating material uniformly on the inner wall surface of the container. 
         [0004]    As one method of applying the coating material uniformly on the inner wall surface of the container, the spray gun could be inserted in the container, and a spray of coating material could be ejected while the spray gun is rotated and moved up and down or back and forth. Alternatively, with the spray gun inserted in the container, the container could be rotated instead of the spray gun, and the coating material could be ejected while the spray gun is moved up and down or back and forth. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
       [0005]    [PTL1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-224988 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0006]    In the spray gun described in PTL 1 in which the coating material is circulated, if the coating material were to be elected while the spray gun is rotated and moved back and forth, the connecting part between the pipe that forms a coating material circulatory path and the spray gun would be subjected to stress. Namely, in a spray gun wherein the coating material is circulated as in the one described in PTL 1, a pipe is connected to the spray gun for circulation of the coating material, and the coating material circulating through the coating material circulatory path is supplied into a coating material ejection passage connecting to the spray nozzle to be ejected from the spray nozzle. By thus circulating the coating material, settling and the like of the coating material is prevented. In such a circulation typo spray gun, if the spray gun were rotated as veil as moved back and forth, the pipe would wind around the spray gun, bringing about the problem of the connecting part between the pipe and the spray gun being subjected to stress. 
         [0007]    One measure to solve this problem that arises if the spray gun were rotated would be to connect the pipe to the spray gun such as to be rotatable relative to the spray gun. In this case, however, the connecting structure between the pipe and the spray gun would become complex and another problem arises, which is that it would be difficult to prevent leakage of coating material from the connecting part. 
         [0008]    Another measure to solve the problem that arises if the spray gun were rotated would be to make the pipe sufficiently long. In this case, however, the pipe would take up much space in the lateral direction outside the spray gun in the initial state of the application apparatus, leading to another problem in that the application apparatus would require a larger installation space. 
         [0009]    Yet another measure to solve the problem that arises if the spray gun were rotated would foe to make the pipe using a soft, highly elastic material so that the pipe can stretch by elastic deformation when the spray gun is rotated and moved back and forth. In this case, however, there is a problem in that it would be difficult to ensure sufficient strength for such a soft and highly elastic pipe to withstand the pressure of the coating material flowing through the coating material circulatory path. 
         [0010]    On the other hand, if the container were to be rotated instead of the spray gun, it would be hard to provide a secure hold while rotating the container since plastic containers come in various shapes and sizes. 
         [0011]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to solve these problems, and an object thereof is to provide an application apparatus capable of applying a coating material uniformly on an inner wall surface of a container with a simple structure while preventing leakage of the coating material and an increase in the installation space. 
       Solution to Problem 
       [0012]    The present invention provides an application apparatus that applies a coating material on an inner wall surface of a container, including: a spray gun having a spray nozzle and including a coating material ejection passage formed therein; an outgoing pipe and a return pipe attached to the spray gun and forming a coating material circulatory path connecting to the coating material ejection passage; a supply control unit controlling supply of the coating material from the coating material circulatory path to the coating material ejection passage; a rotary drive unit rotating the spray gun around an axis extending along a longitudinal direction of the gun; and a moving unit moving the spray gun along the longitudinal direction of the gun, wherein the outgoing pipe and the return pipe are each provided with a resilient-shape part capable of extending and contracting resiliently, whereby the problems described above are solved. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0013]    According to the invention set forth in claim  1 , the outgoing pipe and the return pipe attached to the spray gun are each provided with a resilient-shape part capable of extending and contracting resiliently, so that, when the spray gun is rotated, and moved up and down or back and forth, the resilient-shape part extends and prevents too much stress from being applied to a connecting part between each pipe and the spray gun, while preventing the pipes from taking up much space in the lateral direction and thus avoiding an increase in the required installation space. 
         [0014]    Since the resilient-shape part has a shape that allows it to extend and contract resiliently, even if the pipes are made from a material that has a strength high enough to withstand the pressure of the coating material flowing through the coating material circulatory path, each pipe can be imparted with the ability to extend and contract. 
         [0015]    Moreover, the configuration in which the spray gun is rotated and not the containers obviates the need to install a container rotation device in the existing production line, as well as enables efficient application of coating material within a limited space of the production line, so that facility investment costs can be kept low. 
         [0016]    According to the invention set forth in claim  2 , the resilient-shape part provided to the outgoing pipe and the return pipe is formed in a coil shape. Since the resilient-shape part can be contracted into a compact shape, it requires less installation space. Also, the cross-sectional shape of the pipe can easily be maintained constant even when the resilient-shape part undergoes resilient deformation, so that smooth flow of the coating material can be maintained. 
         [0017]    According to the invention set forth in claim  3 , the rotary drive unit rotates the spray gun through a predetermined angle in forward and reverse directions. Since the degree to which each pipe winds around the spray gun can be mitigated by rotating the spray gun in various combinations of forward and reverse directions, the connecting part between each pipe and the spray gun can be prevented from being subjected to too much stress. 
         [0018]    According to the invention set forth in claim  4 , the rotary drive unit rotates the spray gun 180° to 360°. Since the coating material can be applied to the entire inner wall surface of the container irrespective of the nozzle shape of the spray nozzle, the degree of design freedom of the nozzle shape is increased. 
         [0019]    According to the invention set forth in claim  5 , the spray nozzle has a nozzle shape capable of ejecting the coating material such as to spread symmetrically on both right and left sides. For applying the coating material on the entire inner wall surface of the container, the rotation angle of the spray nozzle rotated by the rotary drive unit can be set to 180°, so that the rotary drive unit can be configured simply and at low cost. 
         [0020]    According to the invention set forth in claim  6 , the spray gun is disposed such that the longitudinal direction of the gun coincides with an up-and-down direction. Since the application apparatus can be readily incorporated in an existing production line that conveys containers to which coating material is to be applied in a horizontal direction, the facility investment costs can be kept low. 
         [0021]    According to the invention set forth in claim  7 , the supply control unit includes an air ejecting unit that supplies air to the spray gun to allow the coating material to be supplied from the coating material circulatory path to the coating material ejection passage, and the rotary drive unit and the moving unit each include a pneumatic actuator. Since the same air supply source can be shared by using the air as the drive medium of various means, the facility investment costs can be reduced. 
         [0022]    According to the invention set forth in claim  8 , a gear is interposed between a rotary actuator of the rotary drive unit and the spray gun, so that the rotation angle of the spray gun can toe easily adjusted toy changing the gear ratio. 
         [0023]    According to the invention set forth in claim  9 , the apparatus further includes a suction mechanism that can be positioned opposite a container opening. Since the coating material that has been ejected from the spray nozzle and atomized inside the container can be sucked through the container opening, the atomized coating material is prevented from adhering to the upper end edge of the container opening, spray nozzle, or unintended places such as the outer environment, and also the coating material can be applied uniformly on the inner wall surface of the container. 
         [0024]    According to the invention set forth in claim  10 , the suction mechanism is configured as an airflow augmentation unit, and the airflow augmentation unit includes an airflow augmenting passage having a gas supply part, a suction port, and an ejection port, the suction port being disposed opposite the container opening. Since the atomized coating material can be sucked out from the suction port in a favorable manner with the use of the compressed gas, the apparatus does not require bulky equipment such as a vacuum system and can be made more simple with a smaller installation space. 
         [0025]    According to the invention set forth in claim  11 , the airflow augmentation unit is disposed such that a shaft of the spray gun is positioned inside the airflow augmenting passage. Since the suction part of the airflow augmentation unit can cover the entire container opening, the atomized coating material can he sucked reliably. 
         [0026]    According to the invention set forth in claim  12 , the apparatus further includes second moving unit that moves the airflow augmentation unit along the longitudinal direction of the gun, so that the suction port can be brought closer to the container opening to ensure that the atomized coating material is sucked, and also the application apparatus can be readily incorporated into an existing production line. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating an application apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating the application apparatus. 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  is an illustrative diagram showing the flow of coating material. 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a front view illustrating an application apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 5  is a schematic illustrative diagram showing an example of operation of the application apparatus according to the second embodiment. 
       
    
    
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0032]      10  Application apparatus 
         [0033]      20  Spray gun 
         [0034]      21  Shaft 
         [0035]      22  Spray nozzle 
         [0036]      23  Coating material election passage 
         [0037]      24  Coating material passage 
         [0038]      30  Outgoing pipe 
         [0039]      31  Coating material passage 
         [0040]      32  Resilient-shape part 
         [0041]      33  Return pipe 
         [0042]      34  Coating material passage 
         [0043]      35  Resilient-shape part 
         [0044]      40  Coating material circulatory path 
         [0045]      50  Supply control unit 
         [0046]      51  Valve 
         [0047]      52  Air supply pipe (air ejecting unit) 
         [0048]      60  Rotary drive unit 
         [0049]      61  Rotary actuator 
         [0050]      62  First gear 
         [0051]      63  Second gear 
         [0052]      64  Rotary actuator air supply pipe 
         [0053]      70  Moving unit 
         [0054]      71  Base 
         [0055]      72  Linear guide 
         [0056]      73  Slider 
         [0057]      80  Rotary support 
         [0058]      81  Bearing 
         [0059]      90  Container holding unit 
         [0060]      100  Airflow augmentation unit (suction mechanism) 
         [0061]      101  Airflow augmenting passage 
         [0062]      102  Gas supply part 
         [0063]      103  Suction port 
         [0064]      104  Election port 
         [0065]      105  Gas supply pipe 
         [0066]      110  Second moving unit 
         [0067]      111  Second linear guide 
         [0068]      112  Second slider 
         [0069]    C Container 
         [0070]    C 1  Container opening 
         [0071]    L Coating material 
       DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0072]    Hereinafter, an application apparatus  10  according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 
         [0073]    The application apparatus  10  applies a coating material L that improves surface slipperiness for the contents of a container on an inner wall surface of the container C, which is for containing a viscous material such as mayonnaise-like food products, by ejecting the coating material L inside the container C from a spray nozzle  22  that is inserted into the container C while the spray gun  20  is rotated, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . 
         [0074]    The application apparatus  10  includes, as shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , the spray gun  20  having a coating material ejection passage  23 , an outgoing pipe  30  and a return, pipe  33  attached to the spray gun  20  and forming part of a coating material circulatory path  40 , a supply control unit  50  that controls supply of the coating material L from the coating material circulatory path  40  to the coating material ejection passage  23 , rotary drive unit  60  that rotates the spray gun  20  around an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the gun, a moving unit  70  that move the spray gun  20  along the longitudinal direction of the gun, a rotatable support  80  having a bearing  81  that rotatably supports the spray gun  20 , and a container holding unit  90  that holds the container C. 
         [0075]    Below, each of the constituent elements of the application apparatus  10  will be described with reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0076]    First, the spray gun  20  for ejecting the coating material L includes a shaft  21  that is thin enough to be inserted into the container C, and the spray nozzle  22  provided at the tip of the shaft  21 , as shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 . The spray nozzle  22  may have any shape as long as it sprays the coating material L in a spreading manner, preferably such that the coating material L spreads symmetrically on both right and left sides. In this embodiment, one spray nozzle  21  is provided at the tip of the shaft  21 , but any number of spray nozzles  22  can be provided anywhere. The spray nozzle  22  may have an air jet orifice so as to atomize the coating material L ejected from the spray nozzle  22 . 
         [0077]    Inside the spray gun  20  are formed the coating material ejection passage  23  connecting to the spray nozzle  22 , and a coating material passage  24  connecting to this coating material ejection passage  23 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . This coating material passage  24  forms part of the coating material circulatory path  40  for circulating the coating material L, together with a coating material passage  31  inside the outgoing pipe  30  and a coating material passage  34  inside the return pipe  33 . 
         [0078]    The outgoing pipe  30  and return pipe  33  are disposed outside the spray gun  20  as shown in  FIG. 1 , and each have one end attached to the spray gun  20  and the other end attached to a tank (not shown) that stores the coating material L. The outgoing pipe  30  and return pipe  33  are made of a hard synthetic resin such as high-density polyethylene so as to be able to withstand the pressure of the coating material L circulating through the coating material passages  31  and  34  formed inside. The outgoing pipe  30  and return pipe  33  are transparent or translucent so that the state of the coating material L (settling, etc.) can be checked from outside. Coil-like resilient-shape parts  32  and  35  are formed to the outgoing pipe  30  and return pipe  33  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The resilient-shape parts  32  and  35  are not specifically limited to the coil-like shape and they may have any shape as long as they include a plurality of bent or curved parts and can resiliently extend and contract. 
         [0079]    The supply control unit  50  includes, as can be seen from  FIG. 3 , an open/close valve  51  provided between the coating material ejection passage  23  and the coating material circulatory path  40 , an air supply pipe  52  that forms an air ejecting unit for supplying air to open and close this valve  51 , and an air supply source (not shown) connected to the air supply pipe  52 . Supplying the air through the air supply pipe  52  to the spray gun  20  opens the valve  51 , so that the coating material L is supplied from the coating material circulatory path  40  to the coating material ejection passage  23 , with the use of the pressure of the coating material L inside the coating material circulatory path  40 . In this way, in this embodiment, the timing and amount of ejecting the coating material L from the spray nozzle  22  are controlled by adjusting the timing and duration of the air supply. 
         [0080]    The air supply pipe  52  should preferably have a resilient-shape part similar to the resilient-shape parts  32  and  35  of the outgoing pipe  30  and return pipe  33  described above. 
         [0081]    The supply control unit  50  may have any other specific forms as long as the supply of the coating material L from the coating material circulatory path  40  to the coating material ejection passage  23  is controlled. The drive source of the supply control unit  50  may also be any type other than the one that uses air as described above, such as an electrical drive source. 
         [0082]    The rotary drive unit  60  includes, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a rotary actuator  61 , and a first gear  62  and a second gear  63  disposed between the rotary actuator  61  and the spray gun  20 . The first gear  62  is fixed to an output shaft of the rotary actuator  61 , while the second gear  63  is fixed to the rear end of the spray gun  20 , so that the rotary drive force of the rotary actuator  61  is transmitted to the spray gun  20  with a predetermined gear ratio by these first gear  62  and second gear  63 . The rotary actuator  61  is a pneumatic rotary actuator  61  that uses air as the drive medium and connected to an air supply source (not shown) by a rotary actuator air supply pipe  64 . 
         [0083]    The rotary actuator air supply pipe  64  should preferably have a resilient-shape part similar to the resilient-shape parts  32  and  35  of the outgoing pipe  30  and return pipe  33  described above. 
         [0084]    The rotary drive unit  60  may have any specific form as long as the spray gun  20  is rotated around an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the gun, i.e., in the illustrated example, along the up-and-down direction. The drive source of the rotary drive unit  60  may also be any type other than the one that uses air as described above, such as an electrical drive source. While the rotary drive unit  60  in this embodiment is configured to rotate the spray gun  20  360° in forward and reverse directions, the rotation angle of the spray gun  20  rotated by the rotary drive unit  60  may be set otherwise as long as it is 180° or more. 
         [0085]    For example, if the spray gun  20  is rotated 360° in forward and reverse directions, the spray nozzle  22  may be provided with one ejection port, and if the spray gun  20  is rotated 180° in forward and reverse directions, the spray nozzle  22  may be provided with ejection ports at two symmetrical positions. 
         [0086]    The moving unit  70  is configured as a pneumatic rodless cylinder as shown in  FIG. 2  and include a base  71  having a linear guide  72 , and a slider  73  movable along the up-and-down direction. An air supply source (not shown) is connected to the base  71 , while the rotary actuator  61  and rotary support  80  are fixed to the slider  73 . 
         [0087]    The moving unit  70  may have any specific form such as a rod cylinder as long as the spray gun  20  is moved along the longitudinal direction of the gun, i.e., in the illustrated example, along the up-and-down direction. The drive source of the moving unit  70  may also be any type other than the one that uses air as described above, such as an electrical drive source. 
         [0088]    The supply control unit  50 , rotary drive unit  60 , and moving unit  70  described above share the same air supply source (not shown) as the drive power source. Alternatively, however, separate air supply sources (not shown) may be provided for each of these units. 
         [0089]    The container holding unit  90  is arranged to be movable in horizontal directions, configured to hold the container C in a stationary state, and used also in other process steps of the container production line. The container holding unit  90  may have any specific form as long as the container C is held. 
         [0090]    Next, one example of an application method of the coating material L using the application apparatus  10  of this embodiment will be described below. 
         [0091]    First, the container C to which coating material is to be applied is moved to a position below the spray gun  20 , and the spray gun  20  is lowered so as to insert the shaft  21  into the container C. 
         [0092]    Next, when the spray nozzle  22  reaches a lowermost position, the spray gun  20  is rotated 360°, and at the same time the coating material L is ejected from the spray nozzle  22 . 
         [0093]    Next, as the spray gun  20  is lifted, the spray gun  20  is rotated 360° in the opposite direction from the one when the gun was lowered, and at the same time the coating material L is ejected from the spray nozzle  22 . The lifting speed of the spray gun  20  as the spray gun  20  moves up is changed in accordance with the shape of the container C so as to apply the coating material L uniformly on the inner surface of the container C. 
         [0094]    The embodiment described above is one example of operation of the application apparatus  10  of the present invention. While the application apparatus  10  is oriented vertically, the application apparatus  10  may also be oriented horizontally, and as long as it is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the gun, the application apparatus  10  may be installed in any style. 
         [0095]    The application apparatus  10  may be operated in accordance with the shape, size and the like of the container C, with suitable settings such as the speed of the spray gun  20  as it moves down and up, the rotation speed of the spray gun  20 , the rotation timing of the spray gun  20 , the ejection timing of the coating material L, the rotation angle of the spray gun  20 , and the ejection amount of the coating material L, etc. 
         [0096]    While the coating material applied to the container described above is a material that improves surface slipperiness for the contents, and the container described above is a container air-tightly packed with a viscous material such as mayonnaise-like food products, the coating material may be of any kind, and the container may be used for any purposes. 
         [0097]    Next, an application apparatus  10  according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 . Since the configuration of the second embodiment is completely the same as that of the previously described first embodiment except for some parts, it will not be described again except for the differences. 
         [0098]    In the application apparatus  10  described in the foregoing, when the coating material L is applied in Use container C, the coating material L ejected from the spray nozzle  22  is atomized inside the container C. This atomized coating material L may adhere to the upper end edge of the container opening C 1  and adversely affect the bonding of a sealing member to the upper end edge of the container opening C 1 , or, the coating material may adhere to the spray nozzle  22  and adversely affect ejection of the coating material L from the spray nozzle  22 . Moreover, whirling jets of atomized coating material L from the container C may contaminate the outer environment, and increased internal pressure may induce deformation of the container, which will make it difficult to achieve a good balance between the application speed of the coating material L and the uniformity of application on the inner wall surface of the container. Therefore, in the application apparatus  10  of the second embodiment, to prevent such circumstances, an airflow augmentation unit  100  is provided as a suction mechanism that can be positioned opposite the container opening C 1  in the longitudinal direction, in the illustrated example, above the container opening C 1 . Although not shown, a suction duct or the like is provided above or in the vicinity of the airflow augmentation unit  100  as a countermeasure against contamination of the outer environment. 
         [0099]    The airflow augmentation unit  100  is formed substantially cylindrical, and includes a gas supply part  102  connected to an air supply source (not shown) via a gas supply pipe  105 , and an airflow augmenting passage  101  having a lower suction port  103  and an upper ejection port  104 , as shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , and provides the function of the flow increasing mechanism such as those shown in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open Nos. H4-184000 and 2006-291941. 
         [0100]    More specifically, the airflow augmentation unit  100  has the airflow augmenting passage  101  extending along the longitudinal direction of the gun, in the illustrated example, up-and-down direction, and is disposed such that the shaft  21  of the spray gun  20  is positioned inside the airflow augmenting passage  101 . A gas such as air supplied to the gas supply part  102  is ejected along the inner circumference of the airflow augmenting passage  101  toward the ejection port  104  at high speed. By this ejection of gas, the gas containing the coating material L that has been atomized inside the container C is sucked from the suction port  103  positioned above and opposite the container opening C 1  and ejected from the ejection port  104  at high speed and high pressure. 
         [0101]    The suction mechanism may have other specific forms that use other principles than the one described above as long as the gas can be sucked from the container opening C 1 . The gas supplied to the gas supply part  102  may be any gas. Air is more preferable, since the suction mechanism can then share the same air supply source with other constituent elements (such as the supply control unit  50 , rotary drive unit  60 , moving unit  70 , second moving unit  110 , etc.). 
         [0102]    The airflow augmentation unit  100  is configured to be movable in the up-and-down direction by the second moving unit  110  as shown in  FIG. 4  independently of the movement of the spray gun  20  along the longitudinal direction of the gun, in the illustrated example, up-and-down direction. The second moving unit  110  is configured as a pneumatic rodless cylinder, and made up of a second linear guide  111  formed on the base  71  in a lower part of the linear guide  72 , and a second slider  112  that is configured to be movable along the up-and-down direction and supports the airflow augmentation unit  100 . Alternatively, the second moving unit  110  may not be provided, and the airflow augmentation unit  100  may be disposed fixedly so that it does not move up and down. 
         [0103]    Next, an operation example of the application apparatus  10  in the second embodiment will be described. Since the method of applying the coating material L with the use of the spray gun  20  and others is the same as that of the first embodiment, it will not be described in detail. 
         [0104]    First, the container C to which the coating material is to be applied is moved to a position below the spray gun  20 , after which the shaft  21  of the spray gun  20  is inserted into the container C. At the same time, the airflow augmentation unit  100  is moved down, and stopped at a position where the suction port  103  of the airflow augmenting passage  101  is slightly spaced from the container opening C 1 . 
         [0105]    The distance between the suction port  103  and the container opening C 1  should be as small as possible within a range in which the negative pressure created by the suction of the gas from the container C by the airflow augmentation unit  100  does not cause the container C to deform or stick to the suction port  103 . 
         [0106]    Next, a gas is supplied to the gas supply part  102  so that the gas inside the container C is sucked by the airflow augmentation unit  100 , while the coating material L is ejected from the spray nozzle  22  and applied on the inner wall surface of the container C. 
         [0107]    The embodiment described above is one example of operation of the application apparatus  10  of the present invention. The timing of moving the airflow augmentation unit  100  to the proximity of the container opening C 1 , and the timing of sucking the gas from the container C, etc., may be determined suitably. 
         [0108]    While the airflow augmentation unit  100  is disposed such that the shaft  21  of the spray gun  20  movable along the up-and-down direction is positioned inside the airflow augmenting passage  101  in the embodiment described above, the spray gun  20  may be moved in the horizontal direction, with its shaft  21  being positioned inside the airflow augmenting passage  101 , and the airflow augmentation unit  100  may be installed in any style as long as it is disposed along the longitudinal direction.