Abstract:
A resin atomizer unit is provided that is constructed from a variety of ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) plastics. The use of these materials benefits in the construction of a resin atomizer by reducing the resin&#39;s tendency to adhere to the critical surfaces during operation. These materials also have the beneficial quality of resisting the abrasive nature of the resin. Another benefit of the use of the materials herein described in the construction of the present invention is that they also lessen its overall weight which makes any maintenance that may be required much easier. Finally, the quick release method of attaching the individual resin atomizers also enhances the ease by which they can be serviced and thereby leads to greater efficiencies in their use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an improvement in the methods used to apply resin to raw materials such as wood chips used in the manufacture of construction material such as oriented strand board (OSB). More specifically, to a mechanism that applies the liquid resin that is less susceptible to the common problems of excessive wear and clogging that are associated with such resin application devices and also which are mounted within an application assembly in a manner that allows for their easy removal and replacement in the case of necessary maintenance.  
           [0002]    In the construction industry today it is very common to use composite materials in the manufacture of such things as housing and other types of buildings where they are used most commonly as outer sheathing in place of more expensive materials like plywood. In the manufacture of these composite products, a large number of small particles of raw material is fed into a rotating drum where they are suspended within its interior. Additionally, the interior of the drum contains a plurality of resin atomizer units which disperse a fine fog of atomized resin into the interior of the drum. This resin fog entirely coats the exterior surface of the individual pieces of raw material so that they may be bound together in a specific form in a later manufacturing process upon being removed from the drum.  
           [0003]    While this process produces quality OSB and other similar products, there are a number of problems specifically associated with the resin atomizer units that are commonly encountered during the manufacturing process. The first of these is that the resin, by its nature, has high adhesion properties which causes it to stick to the interior surfaces of the atomizer unit. One solution to this problem was offered in U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,153 issued to Swink et al. which provided a method of introducing a solvent into the atomized unit at specific time intervals during operation. While this system does reduce the adhesion problems, it does not entirely eliminate them partially due to the fact that the current atomizer units are constructed of aluminum or other metallic alloy to which the resin easily bonds. Additionally, the most commonly used resin in the industry is phenol-formaldehyde which has a very high alkaline content and is very corrosive and tends to corrode the critical components of the atomizer unit. These two factors create a situation in which the resin coating drums must periodically shutdown for cleaning and/or parts inspection or replacement. This is obviously a undesirable condition as it tends to increase downtime to the production line which lessens profits.  
           [0004]    Another problem in the prior art is the manner used to attach the atomizer units in the proper location within the drum. The method commonly employed to attach the resin atomizer to the header pipe within the rotating drum is to use a plurality of bolts to secure it to a mounting plate extending from the header pipe. While this provides a secure method of resin atomizer attachment, it makes servicing the units troublesome and time consuming as a technician must at times extend himself into the drum to gain access to the mounting bolts. This makes the servicing procedure cumbersome at best and can add to the overall downtime of the production line, not to mention the unnecessary addition of difficulty and danger to the person actually performing the servicing operations.  
           [0005]    From the forgoing discussion it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a mechanism by which the raw materials for the manufacture of composite construction materials such as OSB can be effectively coated with adhesion resin in a manner that would reduce the production line down time associated with the necessary cleaning and maintenance required by today&#39;s resin atomizers and extend the useable life of their critical components. Additionally, it can be seen that it would be advantageous to provide a means by which the resin atomizers could be easily removed and reinstalled to their point of attachment within the rotating drum to facilitate easy maintenance. These improvements in the design of resin atomizers would lead to greater efficiencies in the production of construction materials such as OSB which would in turn lead to better products and improved operator profits.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a method of constructing resin atomizers that would decrease the tendency of the resin to adhere to the surfaces of the operational components of the atomizer and also limit the resin&#39;s tendency to erode the critical resin passageways of the resin cone and housing.  
           [0007]    It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a method of constructing resin atomizers in a manner that would facilitate their easy removal and reinstallation from their point of attachment within the rotating drum used to coat the raw materials prior to their final assembly into OSB sheathing.  
           [0008]    It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a method of constructing resin atomizers of a material that not only resists the adhesion and wear problems associated with the applications of such resins, but also is of a light weight which enhances a technician&#39;s ability to handle and manipulate them during maintenance.  
           [0009]    These objectives are accomplished by constructing a resin atomizer unit from a variety of ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) plastics. The use of these materials benefits in the construction of a resin atomizer both in its natural resistance to the adhesive qualities of the resin and in its relatively low weight when compared to the metallic alloys that were previously used in their construction.  
           [0010]    The construction of OSB and other similar composite building materials is accomplished by introducing a large amount of small individual pieces of a raw material such as non-uniformly sized wood chips into a large rotating drum. The interior of the drum is lined with a plurality of inwardly extending fins which protrude uniformly a short distance from their point of attachment to the interior wall of the drum. The purpose of the fins is to agitate the pieces of raw material contained within the drum so that they are constantly tumbling through its center. With the wood chips so suspended and tumbling in this manner, the resin atomizer can evenly apply the adhesive resin to the exterior of the chips without the chips having to contact the surface of the application device. Once the application process has been completed, the wood chips are removed from the drum and processed into their final configuration. The interior of the rotating drum also contains the header pipe which enters it from one end and which serves two purposes for the operation of the drum. The first of these is to provide a point of attachment for the plurality of resin atomizers contained within the drum. The second purpose of the header pipe is to provide a protected conduit through which the resin and other necessary chemicals or solvents can be piped to supply the resin atomizers during the operation of the resin coating operation in the production of OSB.  
           [0011]    The plurality of resin atomizers are attached to the header pipe by the use of an equal plurality of attachment pipes which extend from the header pipe into the interior of the rotating drum. The inward edge of the attachment pipes are fitted with ring-shaped mounting flanges that contain an inner passageway and are machined in a manner so that their outer edges match the outside diameter of the atomizer units. Additionally, the mounting flanges are equipped with a plurality of bolt mounting holes which provide a mechanism by which the atomizer mount can be securely attached.  
           [0012]    The mounting of the atomizer unit within the rotating drum is accomplished by separately bolting the atomizer mount flange to the pipe mount flange. The lower edge of the atomizer mount flange is equipped with a raised mount ring shoulder which matches in form and diameter to the body ring shoulder on the upper edge of the atomizer body. When these two components are fitted together, their connection is facilitated by the use of the ring clamp which encircles this connection and firmly holds the atomizer body to the atomizer mount flange. Additionally, the ring clamp is equipped with a release handle which provides a means by which it can be opened up and removed to quickly and easily remove and reinstall the atomizer body during maintenance or repair.  
           [0013]    The resin atomizer unit is primarily comprised of an exterior atomizer body which is cylindrical in shape with a hollow interior. The interior houses an electric motor which is attached via a drive shaft to the resin cone at the most forward end of the atomizer body. The interior of the atomizer body is also equipped with a series of passages and components which are designed to channel the resin pumped into it to the resin well built into the back of the resin cone. The resin is supplied to the present invention by the resin feeder line coming from the interior of the header pipe and is passed through the resin plate located between the electric motor and resin cone. The purpose of the resin plate is to direct the flow of resin into the resin well in the back of the resin cone so that it can be properly distributed by the action of the resin cone.  
           [0014]    The purpose of the electric motor is to spin the resin cone at a very high rate of speed. The spinning of the resin cone forces the resin contained within the resin well out of a plurality of small orifices that surround the outer edge of the central cone disc and into the cavity formed by the cone lip which extends around and forms the most forward edge of the resin cone. This method of resin delivery breaks it down into a very fine cloud of resin droplets which is the optimal consistency to properly coat the raw material contained within the rotating drum. Additionally, the most forward edge of the atomizer body has a beveled surface that is angled diagonally away and down from the center of the atomizer body. The angle created by this bevel is such that the air flow around it tends to carry the resin droplets away from the atomizer body which helps to limit the build up of hardened resin on the outer surface of the resin atomizer body. This is important to the operation of the present invention as the build up of resin on the operational surfaces tends to limit its efficiency.  
           [0015]    The atomizer body and resin plate of the present invention are constructed of ULTRA HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT plastic, commonly and hereinafter referred to as UHMW, which has a number of properties that are beneficial for use in these types of applications. The first of these is that it is naturally resistant to the adhesive properties of the resins that are used in the manufacturing process of OSB. This property of UHMW plastic means that the components of the present invention that are constructed of UHMW will be less susceptible to the clogging and fowling problems associated with the use of metallic alloys or other similar materials. Another beneficial property of the UHMW plastic for use in this application is that it is also naturally resistant to the corrosive nature of the resins that are used. With other materials, the resin passing through the resin dispersion holes tends to bore the holes out in a relatively short period of time which affects the balance of the resin cone which can impart a wobbling motion to it and destroy the associated bearings in a short period of time. The use of the corrosive resistant UHMW plastic extends the life of these components which reduces downtime of the production line that was due to the constant need for replacing these parts. Finally, the components made from the UHMW plastic are much lighter than those constructed from metallic alloys which makes the present invention easier to work with during required maintenance procedures.  
           [0016]    The resin cone component of the present invention is machined from Acetal which is also known as polyacetal, polyoxymethylene, or polyformaldehyde, which is a high performance engineering polymer. The use of this material to produce the resin cone provides a component that is more resistant to both the corrosive and adhesive properties of the resin than the previously used metallic alloys. Additionally, the resin cone component of the present invention is also significantly lighter than those of the prior art and therefore places less stress on its electric motor which in turn leads to a longer life span for the motor and bearings. Finally, the use of these materials allows the components of the present invention to be manufactured with thinner walls which creates larger clearances and passages for the resin to flow in critical areas which helps reduce the incidents of resin build up and clogging, therefore reducing production downtime.  
           [0017]    Therefore, the present invention provides a method of constructing the spinning disc resin atomizers used in the manufacture of OSB which greatly reduces the resin&#39;s tendency to adhere to the critical surfaces of the atomizer during operations. This reduction of resin adhesion improves the performance of such system as it increases the atomizer&#39;s efficiency and reduces downtime associated with require cleaning. Additionally, the present invention can also be equipped with a solvent application device that can further reduce the resin&#39;s tendency to adhere which further extends the invention&#39;s productivity. The materials used in the construction of the present invention also have the beneficial quality of resisting the abrasive nature of the resin which lessens the need for periodic component replacement and leads to further increases in productivity in much the same manner as described above. Another benefit of the use of the materials herein described is the construction of the present invention also lessens its overall weight which makes any maintenance that may be required much easier. Finally, the quick release method of attaching the individual resin atomizers to the header pipe within the rotating drum also enhances the ease by which the invention can be serviced and thereby leads to greater efficiencies in the production of OSB.  
           [0018]    For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is a side elevation cut-away view of a rotating resin application drum containing a plurality of the present invention and which illustrates their manner of placement within the drum.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the rotating resin application drum of FIG. 1 taken along line  3  which illustrates the manner in which the present invention projects resin to coat the raw material contained within the drum.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the present invention illustrating the manner employed to attach it the header pipe within the rotating drum.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 is a side elevation exploded view of the present invention of FIG. 3 illustrating the manner of construction of the components employed to make the described connection to the header pipe. FIG. 5 is a bottom elevation view of the component of the present invention used to attach it to the header pipe illustrating the mechanism employed to facilitate the instant attachment.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a side elevation cut-away view of the attachment apparatus of FIG. 5 taken along line  4  and further detailing the mechanism of the attachment.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the atomizer body component of the present invention illustrating the orientation of its major components.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is side elevation cut-away view of atomizer body of FIG. 7 taken along line  5  and illustrating the orientation of the present invention&#39;s major components contained within the atomizer body.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the resin cone, resin plate, and electric motor components of the present invention illustrating their orientation in respect to one another absent the remaining components.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the resin cone component of the present invention illustrating its manner of construction and the orientation of its plurality of resin dispersion holes.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 11 is a side elevation exploded view of the atomizer body component of the present invention illustrating the individual components contained therein and the sequence by which they are installed within the resin body.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 12 is a side elevation cut-away view of the resin cone of FIG. 10 taken along line  6  and illustrating its manner of construction.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention which employs a beveled atomizer mount plate to vary the angle of resin delivery within the rotation drum. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0031]    Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, the resin atomizer  10  is a self contained unit contained within a relatively large rotating resin application drum  12 . The rotating resin application drum  12  contains a plurality of inwardly extending fins  20  fitted to its inner surface and which protrude slightly into its interior. The purpose of the fins  20  in part is to agitate the contained wood chips  22  so that they are prone to tumble around the center of the application drum  12  where they can be coated with the resin fog  24 . Additionally, the fins  20  also carry wood chips  22  that accumulate along the outer circumference of the rotating resin application drum  12  to a point at its upper edge where they fall back through the center of the interior.  
         [0032]    In the center of the rotating resin application drum  12  the wood chips  22  pass through a resin fog  24  projected by the plurality of the present invention units contained therein. This process coats the entire outer surface of the wood chips  22  evenly so that they can be pressed together to form the building materials that are the end result of this manufacturing process.  
         [0033]    The positioning of the resin atomizer  10  is accomplished by the use of the header pipe  14 . The header pipe  14  is a tubular apparatus that extends from one end of the rotating resin application drum  12  to the other through its interior and in a relative location so that the position of resin atomizers  10  are correct for the proper distribution of the resin fog  24 . Additionally, the header pipe is stationary relative to the motion of the rotating resin application drum  12  which results in a mechanism by which the plurality of resin atomizers  10  can be mounted within the interior of the rotating resin application drum  12  in the manner and location so that they can most efficiently distribute the resin fog  24  over the suspended wood chips  22 . The attachment of the resin atomizers  10  is accomplished through the use of a plurality of pipe mounts  16  which are short sections of pipe that are attached to and extend inwardly from the lower surface of the header pipe  14 . The outward most ends of the pipe mounts  16  are equipped with an equal number of pipe mount flanges  18  which provide the surface to which the resin atomizers  10  are attached. This attachment is accomplished through the use of a plurality of threaded bolts or other similar devices that secure a component of the resin atomizer  10  to the pipe mount flange  18 ; a procedure that will be discussed in greater detail below.  
         [0034]    The nature of the connection between the pipe mount  16  and the present invention is further detailed in FIGS. 5 and 6. The pipe mount flange  18  is positioned in the proper location beneath the header pipe  14  by the use of the pipe mount  16  which extends from its point of attachment at the header pipe  14  down into the center of the interior of the rotating resin application drum  12 . The pipe mount flange  18  is a ring-like component permanently attached at its upper surface to the lower surface of the pipe mount  16  and having a flat machined lower surface configured to mate with the upper surface of the atomized mount flange  26 . This attachment is facilitated by the use of a plurality of mount bolts  56  which are threaded through an equal number of mount bolt holes  58  extending through the atomizer mount flange  26  and into the pipe mount flange  18 . The atomizer mount flange  26  is the only component of the present invention that is so fixedly attached to the header pipe  14  and also provides the mechanism by which the remaining components of the resin atomizer  10  can be quickly and easily removed from the interior of the rotating resin application drum  12  for cleaning or maintenance.  
         [0035]    The construction of the pipe mount flange  18  and the atomizer mount flange  26  also provides a central hole  60  which allows for the passage of supply lines that may be contained within the header pipe  14  to the present invention. This is important to the operation of the present invention as it needs a steady supply of resin, motor cooling air, and possibly other materials such as cleaning solvents during the manufacturing process. Also, it is beneficial to the operation to protect these supply lines to limit their exposure to the conditions present in the interior of the rotating resin application drum  12 . Thus, the interior of the header pipe  14  contains the resin supply line  38  which extends down its entire length. Additionally, at the junction of the header pipe  14  and the pipe mount  16 , a resin feeder tube  40  is taken off from the resin supply line  38  and passes through the pipe mount  16  and the central hole  60  in the pipe mount flange  18  and the atomizer mount flange  26 . The resin feeder tube  40  is then attached to the relative internal components of the present invention and therefore is capable of providing an adequate amount of resin to the present invention during the manufacturing process.  
         [0036]    The manner in which the atomizer body  42  is connected to the atomizer mount flange  26 , and therefore the header pipe  14  and its related components, is further detailed in FIGS. 3 and 4. As previously stated, this connection is pivotal to the operation of the present invention as it allows the atomizer body  42  to be quickly and easily removed and replaced in the event of necessary maintenance. The critical components of the present invention in this respect are the mount ring shoulder  50  located on the lowest edge of the pipe mount flange  18  and the body ring shoulder  52  located at the upper most edge of the atomizer body  42 . The mount ring and body ring shoulders,  50  and  52 , are each composed of a diagonally oriented shoulder bevel  62  which extend outwardly  20  from the outer most surfaces of the atomizer mount flange  26  and the atomizer body  42  respectively but with each shoulder bevel  62  oriented in an opposite direction. Additionally, each shoulder bevel  62  terminates with the shoulder face  63  at the exact same distance from their point of origin in a planer surface that is of the same orientation to the outer surfaces of the atomizer mount flange  26  and the atomizer body  42 .  
         [0037]    When the upper surface of the atomizer body  42  is mated with the lower surface of the atomizer mount flange  26 , the mount ring shoulder  50  and the atomizer ring shoulder  52  form a raised triangular shaped in cross-section ring around the joint between the atomizer mount flange  26  and the atomizer body  42 . This configuration is then exploited to attach the two together in a manner that allows them to be detached and reattached quickly and easily.  
         [0038]    This attachment is facilitated by the use of the ring clamp  28  which is a ring-like apparatus having a expansion gap  32  forming a break in its ring body  54 . The expansion gap  32  allows the ring body  54  to be opened and closed which in turn provides a mechanism by which the ring clamp  28  can be both expanded to fit over the mount ring and atomizer ring shoulders,  50  and  52 , and contracted to bind these two elements of the present invention together. To further facilitate this function, the internal surface of the ring clamp  28  is constructed to mirror the outer surfaces of the mount ring and atomizer ring shoulders,  50  and  52 . Therefore, the ring clamp  28  accomplishes the attachment of the atomizer body  42  to the atomizer mount flange  26  and thus, to the header pipe  14  and its related components.  
         [0039]    The components of the ring clamp  28  that facilitate its expansion and contraction function are all related to and oriented around the expansion gap  32 . The outer surface of the ring clamp  28  on one side of the expansion gap  32  is equipped with a clamp hook  36  which extends above the surface of the ring body  54  which contains an indentation in its upper surface that is oriented away from the expansion gap  32 . Additionally, the opposite side of the surface of the ring body  54  is equipped with a pivotally mounted clamp handle  30  having the pivotal mount at its edge that is closest to the expansion gap  32 . This end of the clamp handle  30  also provides the point of pivotal attachment for the clamp U-bolt  34  which extends across the expansion gap  32  where its closed end can engage the clamp hook  36 . The connection between the clamp handle  30  and the clamp U-bolt  34  is constructed in a manner so that the lifting of the outer end of the clamp handle  30  moves the closed end of the clamp U-bolt  34  farther away from the expansion gap  32  which allows the ring clamp  28  to be opened up for installation and removal from the mount ring and atomizer ring shoulders,  50  and  52 . Conversely, when the outer end of the clamp handle  30  is forced back down to the surface of the ring body  54 , the closed end of the clamp U-bolt  34  is pulled back towards the expansion gap  32  which closes the ring clamp  28  around the mount ring and atomizer ring shoulders,  50  and  52 , which in turn securely binds the atomizer body  42  to the atomizer mount flange  26 . Also, the clamp handle  30  is equipped at its outer end with a lock pin  48  which is employed to prevent the unwanted opening of the expansion gap  32  and ring body  54  during the manufacturing process.  
         [0040]    The manner of construction of the atomizer body  42  and its related internal components is further detailed in FIGS. 7, 8,  9 , and  11 . The atomizer body  42  is the component of the present invention that contains all of the critical components for the delivery of resin during the manufacture of OSB. With this in mind, the atomizer body  42  is a largely hollow cylindrical object that is cast or machined from UHMW plastic. The rear edge of this cylinder is equipped with the atomizer ring shoulder  52  employed as previously described in the attachment of the atomizer body  42  to the atomizer mount flange  26 . The forward edge of the atomizer body  42  is equipped with an inwardly beveled edge called the atomizer bevel  46 . The atomizer bevel  46  is located on the end of the atomizer body  42  from which the resin is projected during its operation and is a feature of the present invention which aids in its overall ability to resist the adhesive nature of the resin employed in the intended process. This characteristic is due to the angle of the atomizer bevel  46  in relation to the atomizer body  42  as it is built at an angle that has been found to minimize the tendency of the present air currents created by the spinning of the resin cone  82  (to be discussed in greater detail below) to form eddies, or pockets of relatively calm air which facilitate the formation of resin build up on neighboring surfaces.  
         [0041]    The interior of the atomizer body  42  is divided into a plurality of cavities and passageways that contain the operational components of the invention and direct the flow of the resin to the proper locations. The first of these is the hub well  70  which is located at the rear of the atomizer body  42  and provides the point of attachment for the hub  72  and electric drive motor  64 . The hub  72  is the only component of the present invention that is manufactured from aluminum or related metallic alloy and which serves the purpose of providing a solid point of attachment for the electric drive motor  64 . In the assembly of the present invention, the hub  72  is fitted within the hub well  70  where its exterior walls fit against the interior walls of the hub well  70 . The hub  72  is then held there in place by the use of a plurality of hub anchor bolts  44  which pass through the atomizer body  42  in a plurality of locations by means of the hub bolt holes  45  and are then threaded into the body of the hub  72 . This provides a method of attaching the hub  72  to the atomizer body  42  which ensures that it will fulfill its primary purpose of anchoring the electric drive motor  64  securely within the body of the present invention.  
         [0042]    The hub  72  also contains a hollowed out central motor well  71  which provides the attachment point for the electric drive motor  64 . This attachment is accomplished by placing the electric drive motor  64  inside of the motor well  71  in a manner so the motor shaft  84  extends through the atomizer body  42  to a point just rearward of its forward most edge. The electric drive motor  64  is contained within the motor well  71  by the use of the motor retainer bracket  66  which spans the rear opening of the motor well  71  in a manner so that it bisects the circumference of the electric drive motor  64  and it is held in that position by the use of the retainer mount bolts  68  which pass through the motor retainer bracket  66  and are threaded into the body of the hub  72 . This mechanism, once in place, keeps the electric drive motor  64  from backing out of its position within the motor well  71  and because of the closed off configuration at the front of the hub well  70 , the electric drive motor  64  is contained within the hub  72 . This method of attachment secures the electric drive motor  64  within the body of the invention even at the extremely high revolutions per minute required in its operation and also provides a mechanism by which it can be easily removed in the event that some maintenance is required.  
         [0043]    The motor shaft  84  extends through the closed off interior of the atomizer body  42  at the shaft collar  94  which extends partially into the cone well  100  located at the forward end of the present invention. Additionally, the motor shaft  84  passes through the resin plate  78  which is attached to the rear most surface of the cone well  100 . Finally, the most forward end of the motor shaft  84  provides the point of attachment for the resin cone  82  by use of the cone retainer nut  98  and is the only component of the invention that is rotationally driven by the electric drive motor  64 .  
         [0044]    Forward of the hub  72 , the interior of the atomizer body  42  is closed off to form the forward wall of the hub well  70 . From this forward portion of the atomizer body  42 , the resin ports  74  extend forward and may be connected to the resin feeder tube  40  as previously described. The resin ports  74  channel the resin from the resin feeder tube  40  into the resin channels  76  which in turn direct the resin into the rearward most portion of the cone well  100 . From this point the resin is drawn between the outer surface of the shaft collar  94  and the inner surface of the plate collar  80 . The purpose of the resin plate  78  and its attached component the plate collar  80  is to direct the flow of resin into resin well  86  which is a cavity formed in the rear of the resin cone  82 .  
         [0045]    As described above, the resin cone  82  is the component of the present invention which is rotationally driven by the electric drive motor  64 . It is this rotational motion of the resin cone  82  which atomizes the resin and converts it into the resin fog  24  and it is also the component which disperses the resin fog  24  in the desired location. The method of construction and the orientation of the major components of the resin cone  82  are further illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 12. The resin cone  82  is primarily a relatively short cylindrical object composed of a cone body  102  with the dispersion flange  110  located at its most forward end and the cone flange  108  located in its rearward end. The cone flange  108  comprises the cylindrical portion of the cone body  102  and contains a hollow central portion forming a resin well  86 . The resin well  86  forms a reservoir which contains the resin in the proper place just prior to its distribution through the dispersion flange  110 . The resin well  86  is defined on its outer edges by the interior of the walls of the cone flange  108 , on its forward edge by the cone disc  106  (which separates the interiors of he cone flange  108  and the dispersion flange  110 ), and on its rearward edge by the resin well lips  96 . The resin well lips  96  extend inwards from the inner wall of the cone flange  108  to terminate just short of the outer surface of the plate collar  80  of the resin plate  78 . This configuration provides enough space so that the resin may pass between them to enter the resin well  86 .  
         [0046]    The cone disc  106  not only serves as a forward barrier to the resin well  86 , but also provides the mechanism by which the resin is atomized and dispersed out the forward end of the dispersion flange  110 . The dispersion mechanism is facilitated by the inclusion of a plurality of resin dispersion holes  88  located on the very outer edge of the cone disc  106  and which pass through it from the resin well  86  to the interior of the dispersion flange  110 . With a quantity of resin contained within the resin well  86 , the centrifugal force imparted by the rotational motion of the electric drive motor  64  to the resin cone  82  forces the resin through the resin dispersion holes  88  at such a high rate of speed that it breaks up the liquid resin to such a degree that it forms the resin fog  24  used to coat the raw material. Additionally, the cone disc  106  is also equipped with a centrally located motor shaft hole  104  which provides a point of attachment for the motor shaft  84  which is surrounded by a plurality of air holes  92 . The air holes  92  allow a controlled amount of air to be drawn into the resin well  86  which has been found to improve the atomization process during the operation of the present invention.  
         [0047]    Once the resin has passed through the resin dispersion holes  88 , the centrifugal force of the spinning resin cone  82  forces the resin fog  24  to follow the diagonally outwardly oriented interior walls of the dispersion flange  110 . The resin fog  24  follows this wall until it reaches the cone lips  90  the knife edge of which breaks down the resin further to form the resin fog  24  which is then dispersed beyond the most forward surface of the present invention. Finally, the angle of the interior walls of the dispersion flange  110  controls the angle at which the resin fog  24  is projected and so also controls the area of effective coverage of the resin fog  24 .  
         [0048]    An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 13 and which illustrates an angled resin atomizer  11  in which the atomizer body  42  is attached to the header pipe  14  and its related components in a manner so that it is offset at an angle in comparison to that of the previous embodiment. This angled attachment is accomplished by replacing the atomizer mount flange  26  with a beveled atomizer mount flange  112 . The beveled atomizer mount flange  112  is constructed in a manner so that it is narrower on one side in the cross section than it is on the other. This configuration results in a atomizer body  42  that is diagonally oriented away from the centerline of the header pipe  14  and pipe mount  16 . The angled resin atomizer  11  results in a resin fog  24  pattern that has been found to be beneficial under certain operating conditions as it can vary the efficiency of the raw material coating process. Finally, in all other aspects of the operation and installment of the atomizer body  42 , the angled resin atomizer  11  is substantially identical to the procedures described for the previous embodiment.  
         [0049]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.