Treatment chamber

The present invention relates to a treatment chamber, which by way of example is intended to be used as a spray booth. By means of the present invention a treatment chamber is obtained, which is easy to clean and which permits the insertion of treatment means (22), such as for example spray nozzles for paint (22), at optional places along the whole length of the treatment chamber. This object is obtained by a preferably endless band (1), which is spirally rerouted and displaceable in its longitudinal direction, forming the lateral walls of the treatment chamber.

The present invention relates to a treatment chamber intended to be used 
for example as a spray booth. 
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a treatment 
chamber of the kind mentioned, which is easy to clean, by way of example 
by removing excess colour in case it is used as a spray booth and in 
connection with such application permits the installation of for example 
nozzles for colour spray at optional points along the longitudinal 
extension of the treatment chamber. 
This purpose is obtained by means of a treatment chamber according to the 
present invention, which is substantially characterized by an endless 
band, which is spirally rerouted and displaceable in the longitudinal 
direction of the chamber and forms the lateral walls of the same.

A treatment chamber, which by way of example can be used as a spray booth, 
is formed by an endless easily flexible band 1, which suitably exhibits 
good springing properties and is spirally rerouted by means of backing 
rollers, not shown in the drawings. The band 1, which substantially is 
made of electrically conducting material, by way of example spring steel, 
and which preferably is grounded, is rerouted at both ends of the spray 
booth round rerouting rollers 2 and 3 respectively, which occupy oblique 
positions, as can be seen in the drawings. The band 1 forms a straight 
portion 4 between said two rerouting rollers 2 and 3 respectively, along 
which straight portion different band treatment means are arranged. Said 
treatment means, which by way of example can comprise a suction device or 
a burner 5, a washing means 6 and a drier 7, are provided for the removal 
of objects not desired, such as for example paint, from the band 1. The 
band 1, which is movably supported by the backing rollers, is driven in 
the direction of the arrow by means of long driving rollers 8, each one 
supported in its bay frame 9 and 10 respectively, said bay frames being 
provided at the input end 11 and the output end 12 respectively of the 
treatment chamber. The driving rollers 8 are at one of their ends driven 
by for example a driving motor 13, which is attached to one of the bay 
frames 9, and the outside of the driving rollers bears against the plane 
outside 1A of the band 1 and drives the band 1 according to the rotation 
of the rollers. The bay frame 9, which is located at the input end 11, 
supports a jockey roller 14 provided to guide the band 1, which is led to 
the input opening 11 of the treatment chamber, whereas the other bay frame 
10 exhibits a snorkellike tubular guide 15, by means of which the outgoing 
band 2 is guided, when it is fed out from the output end 12 of the 
treatment chamber. 
A supporting means 16 also extends through the treatment chamber and 
comprises by way of example an endless chain, in which the objects to be 
treated are suspended and fed forwards through the treatment chamber. The 
upper portions of the two bay frames 9 and 10 respectively exhibit slits 
17, and projecting stiffening flanges 18 and 19 respectively form input 
and output openings respectively for the objects to be treated. 
A sealing strip 20 and 21 respectively is fastened along the lateral edges 
1B and 1C respectively of the band 1, said sealing strip with one lateral 
edge gripping round said lateral edge 1B, 1C of the band and with its 
other lateral edge forming a resilient seal, which by way of example 
exhibits a pointed cross-sectional shape. These sealing strips 20, 21 
normally bear tight against each other, when the band is moving along the 
treatment chamber from the input end 11 of the same to its output end 12. 
However, the resiliency of the strips 20, 21 permits that by way of 
example one or several spray nozzles 22 for paint are inserted between the 
two sealing strips 20, 21 at an optional place along the whole extension 
of the treatment chamber, as is shown in FIG. 3. As is shown in the same 
figure, the band 1 during its forward displacement moves past the spray 
nozzle 22, and the sealing strips 20, 21 are pressed round the spray 
nozzle 22. After the spray nozzle 22 has been passed, the sealing strips 
20, 21 substantially resume their original shape and form an effective 
seal for the treatment chamber. It is of course also possible to introduce 
other guiding means for the band in order to provide an opening of 
insertion between two edges of the band in order to insert a treatment 
means. It can for example be mentioned that the lateral edge of one band 
portion can be forced to run as in a curve relative to the edge of an 
adjacent band portion, so that by way of example a spray nozzle for paint 
can be inserted in the bulge formed in the transversal and longitudinal 
direction respectively of the band and the treatment chamber. 
The mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be used for guiding and 
driving the band 1. Guiding and driving means are provided on the side 1A 
of the band 1 facing away from the inside of the treatment chamber. In the 
present case said means comprise a chain or a toothed belt 23, which by 
means of spacer devices 24 are attached to the band 1. This chain or 
toothed belt 23 is driven by one or several sprocket wheels or gears 25 
supported along the running direction of the band. Said chain or toothed 
belt 23 is in the longitudinal and running direction of the band guided by 
guiding means, which in the embodiment shown comprise guiding grooves 26 
supported on each side of the chain or the toothed belt 23, said grooves 
suitably also supporting shafts 27, on which the sprocket wheels or gears 
25 are journalled. The guiding grooves can be provided at certain points 
along the desired running length of the band so that said treatment 
chamber is formed or else exhibit a spiral-shaped extension and run along 
the whole desired length for the treatment chamber as a spiral-shaped 
loop. When the band 1 is driven by means of the sprocket wheels or gears 
25 cooperating with the chain or toothed belt 23 it is guided in 
transversal direction by means of the guiding grooves 26, with the guiding 
flanges 27 of which the spacer devices 24 of the band 1 then cooperate. 
Paint, that is fed out through the nozzles 22 and which does not reach the 
object to be treated, gets stuck to the inside 1D of the grounded band. 
This not desired paint on the band 1 is removed, when the band 1 passes 
through the band treatment means 5-7 previously mentioned. In the suction 
device or burner 5 the paint in powder form is sucked up or, in case wet 
paint is used, it is burnt away from the band 1, and at the washing 
station remaining residues are washed away from the same and fed out 
through a discharge duct 6A together with the washing liquid. When passing 
through the drying unit 7 to which and away from which hot air is led and 
removed respectively through the discharge ducts 7A and 7B respectively, 
the band 1, 4 is dried before it is conveyed to the entrance of the 
treatment chamber. 
The treatment chamber can of course find other ranges of application than 
the one just described, by way of example drying plants, washing plants 
and refrigerating plants. Instead of an endless band a band loop can be 
used for a reciprocating movement in order to form a treatment chamber in 
a manner similar to the one described above. 
The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and 
illustrated in the drawings by way of example only, but can be varied as 
to its details within the scope of the following claims.