Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7014556?dq=5,241,671
Timestamp: 2014-08-29 11:12:57
Document Index: 148427831

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 98940476', 'Application No. 94929600', 'arts 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'Application No. 98940476']

Patent US7014556 - Powder coating systems - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA powder coating system is provided comprising a powder spray booth (2) with a powder recovery system having an overspray intake (18) communicating with the interior of the booth. A diverter plate (26) may be held within the booth (2) to define with the booth floor (10), a duct leading to an overspray...http://www.google.com/patents/US7014556?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7014556 - Powder coating systemsAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7014556 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/168,329Publication dateMar 21, 2006Filing dateMar 14, 2001Priority dateMar 31, 2000Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2398302A1, CA2398302C, DE60130545D1, DE60130545T2, DE60142654D1, EP1138394A1, EP1268086A1, EP1268086B1, US6821346, US7997963, US20030077385, US20030127047, US20030175416, US20050011438, US20110265716, WO2001074497A1Publication number10168329, 168329, US 7014556 B2, US 7014556B2, US-B2-7014556, US7014556 B2, US7014556B2InventorsJames Ainsworth, Louis Van Den BerghOriginal AssigneeNordson CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (63), Referenced by (4), Classifications (14), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPowder coating systemsUS 7014556 B2Abstract A powder coating system is provided comprising a powder spray booth (2) with a powder recovery system having an overspray intake (18) communicating with the interior of the booth. A diverter plate (26) may be held within the booth (2) to define with the booth floor (10), a duct leading to an overspray intake (18) of the powder recovery system. The diverter plate may include apertures for allowing oversprayed powder to be collected through the plate. The diverter plate may be provided as two or more diverter plates held at different elevation levels within the booth to define a duct which is larger in parts of the duct which are closer to the overspray intake than parts of the duct which are farther from the overspray intake. Alternatively or additionally, the coating system may include an air assist which provides jets of air across a portion of the interior surface of the booth. The surface may be one or more sloped portions (22) of the floor. The air supply may be pulsed to produce periodic bursts of air across the interior surface.
1. A powder spray system comprising a powder spray booth having walls and, one or more powder spray devices positioned with respect to the walls to spray articles passed through the booth via openings in the walls, and a powder recovery system having an overspray intake communicating with the interior of the booth, the powder recovery system including suction means for drawing overspray powder from the booth interior into the overspray intake, wherein cleaning air supply means is provided comprising a source of air and at least one plenum with at least one air outlet, the air source providing pulses of air to the air outlets and the plenum being arranged to direct the air pulses across an internal surface of the booth on which overspray powder is deposited.
2. A powder spray system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the floor and/or one or more of the walls and/or a ceiling of the spray booth is provided with a plenum.
3. A powder coating system comprising a powder spray booth having walls and a floor, one or more powder spray devices positioned with respect to the walls to spray articles passed through the booth via openings in the walls, and a powder recovery system having an overspray intake communicating with the interior of the booth, the powder recovery system including suction means for drawing overspray powder from the booth interior into the overspray intake, wherein at least a portion of the booth floor is sloped and wherein cleaning air supply means is provided for directing air down the sloped portion(s), wherein the booth floor has two side portions and a downwardly offset region therebetween which defines a trough between the side portions and the apparatus further comprising a diverter plate held within the booth between the floor side portions such as to close at least part of the trough and form a duct in communication with the overspray intake, the diverter plate including at least one aperture for the passage of overspray powder deposited thereon to the duct.
4. A powder coating system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cleaning air supply means directs air down the side portions along the length of the diverter plate.
5. A powder coating system comprising a powder spray booth having walls and a floor, one or more powder spray devices positioned with respect to the walls to spray articles passed through the booth via openings in the walls, and a powder recovery system having an overspray intake communicating with the interior of the booth, the powder recovery system including suction means for drawing overspray powder from the booth interior into the overspray intake, wherein at least a portion of the booth floor is sloped and wherein cleaning air supply means is provided for directing air down the sloped portion(s), wherein the cleaning air supply means comprises a source of air and at least one plenum with plural air outlets extending along at least part of the sloped portion and located at the upper edge of the sloped portion.
6. A powder coating system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the outlets directs the air at an angle of 1�3� to the sloped portion.
7. A powder coating system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the air source provides periodic pulses of air to the air outlets.
8. A powder coating system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the air source is a compressed air source, one or more fans or an air supply of the powder recovery system.
The powder which does not adhere to an article to be coated in a powder spray booth is known as the �overspray�. Overspray powder may miss the article to be coated, rebound from a surface of the article, or be deflected by the electrostatic fields in the spray booth away from the article.
In one aspect the present invention provides a powder coating system comprising a powder spray booth with walls and a floor having two side portions and a downwardly offset region therebetween which defines a trough between the side portions, one or more powder spray devices positioned with respect to the booth walls to spray articles passed through the booth via openings in the walls, a powder recovery system having an overspray intake communicating with the interior of the booth, the powder recovery system including suction means for drawing overspray powder from the booth interior via the overspray intake, and, a diverter plate held within the booth between the floor side portions such as to close at least part of the trough and form a duct which is in communication with the overspray intake, the diverter plate including at least one aperture for the passage of overspray powder deposited thereon to the duct.
In a rectangular booth of the design shown in European Patent Application No. 98940476.9 with an overspray intake at each end, a diverter plate may be provided extending from each end. It has been found that a booth with air intakes at both ends in fact produces the best balancing of the air flow in the booth and actually results in a �dead� zone in the middle of the booth where powder coating is particularly efficient since powder particles have an opportunity to adhere to the part relatively unaffected by the collection system air flows. The plates can be arranged to extend to either side of this �dead� zone.
Very preferably the air source provides periodically pulses of air to the air outlets. It has been found that it is an unnecessary waste of energy to constantly direct air across the slope portion or portions and it suffices just to pulse the air to start movement of deposited overspray powder down the sloped portion or portions. It is currently believed that the best effects are achieved when the cleaning air supply means directs the air generally parallel to the surface of the sloped portion or portions, preferably at an angle of 1�3� to the sloped portion or portions.
Very preferably this fourth aspect is combined with the second aspect and the air jets are directed across at least part of a sloping portion of the booth floor. For effective movement of deposited overspray powder on the sloping portion(s), the air jets are directed generally parallel the sloping portion(s), preferably at an angle of between 1�3� thereto.
FIG. 12 is a section along X�X of the powder coating system of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a section along Y�Y of the powder coating system of FIG. 11;
As rectangular powder spray booths are preferably cleaned from one end to the other, for the purposes of cleaning the overspray intake is preferably located at one end of the booth. In the booth depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the overspray intake is shown in dotted outline at 18 and is located at one corner of the booth. Rising thereabove is a duct 20 which leads to the powder recovery system which is preferably a powder recovery system of the type styled �close coupled cyclone� as described in European Patent Application No. 94929600.8, now European Patent No. 723,481.
In the arrangement of FIG. 3A, a plenum 34 again extends the length of the side portion at its upper edge. The plenum is formed in two parts 34 a, 34 b, the forwardmost part 34 b being formed with spaced outlets 35 which extend to a generally v-shaped groove 38 which is milled in the forwardmost part 34 b. The plenum is supplied by a series of air feed tubes 39 spaced along the length of the booth. The feed tubes 39 are in turn supplied by a valved pressurised air source as in the arrangement of FIG. 3 but not shown in FIG. 3A, the connections being via threaded inlet fittings 40.
Whichever arrangement is employed, that of FIG. 3 or that of FIG. 3A, the air outlets 35 are preferably arranged to direct the air jets at an angle of 1�3� to the side portions 22. Therefore if the angle (a) of the side portions 22 is 37 o with respect to the horizontal floor of the booth, the air outlets 35 will direct air at an angle (b) of 38�40� to the horizontal. This orientation of air outlets 35 will cause the air jets to impinge on side portion 22 at an angle of 1 degree to 3 degrees. In the arrangement of FIG. 3A where the groove 38 is provided, the lower wall of the groove may be at an angle (c) of 135� to the vertical, that is, 45� to the horizontal.
The booth 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a single diverter plate 26 which is used in conjunction with the single overspray intake 18. However in a booth with two overspray intakes such as that shown in European Patent Application No. 98940476.9, a diverter plate 26 could be provided at both ends extending towards the middle of the booth 2. The diverter plates 26 would preferably stop short of the �dead� zone in the middle of the booth which it has been found is created by the provision of two overspray intakes, one at each end of the booth. The dead zone is a relatively quiet area of the booth, in that the air flows caused by the collection system are not as strong in that area of the booth as in the remainder of the booth.
The circular booths 2 of FIGS. 9 to 13 can be manually cleaned such as by blowing them down with an air wand or wiping. Alternatively, automatic cleaning devices could be used. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate an automatic cleaning arrangement with a double �D� profile cleaning air ring 54 shown in both an upper position and a lower position. The ring 54 directs air towards the walls 4 of the booth 2 as it is lowered and raised therein. As cleaning ring 54 is lowered from the ceiling, it blows any powder which has collected on the walls down the walls of the booth and into the collection system housed in the lower portion of the booth. The ring 54 may be retracted into the booth roof for normal cleaning.
In order to allow manual powder coating guns to be used in combination with automatic powder spray guns, the circular configuration shown in FIGS. 9 to 16 may be modified to provide at least one station for an operator. FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate modified booth shapes which accommodate manual spray guns. The illustrated configurations allow manual spray guns to be used from both sides of the booth 2 but manual guns used from one side alone may suffice in which case the other side would preferably be smoothly curved to prevent accumulation of powder therein. It will be appreciated that other shapes are possible; For example, rather than being indented as shown in FIG. 18 the booth walls may be straight between the sides of the article entrance slot 12 and the automatic gun slots 14.
Reverting to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning operation which is performed when the colour of the powder is to be changed will now be described. It will be appreciated that the description applies equally to the other embodiments provided with a diverter plate 26 and a powder recovery system which provides for air exhaust. The powder spray devices are shut off and doors closed across the access openings 12 in the end wall 6. The diverter panel 26 is pivoted up against the adjacent end wall 6 as too are the doors 32 to the duct 20. An operator preferably using an air hose, begins at the opposite end of the booth 2 from the duct 20 and moves along the booth blowing the deposited overspray powder which remains therein from all wall and floor surfaces and the surfaces of the diverter panel 26, the duct 20 and the overspray intake 18. These last two operations are simplified because of the hinged mounting of the diverter panel 26 and the doors 32 of the duct 20. As the powder is blown off of the surfaces of the booth, it is drawn into the extraction duct 20 by the fan.
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Wagner AgCabin for coating a work piece with powder* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification454/50, 454/53International ClassificationB05B15/12, B05B15/04Cooperative ClassificationB05B15/1237, B05B15/1285, B05B15/1211, B05B15/1229, B05B15/1218European ClassificationB05B15/12F9, B05B15/12D2, B05B15/12C2, B05B15/12F1, B05B15/12F3Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 12, 2013FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8Sep 17, 2009FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jun 6, 2006CCCertificate of correctionNov 19, 2002ASAssignmentOwner name: NORDSON CORPORATION, OHIOFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:AINSWORTH, JAMES;VAN DEN BERGH, LOUIS;REEL/FRAME:013253/0278;SIGNING DATES FROM 20021028 TO 20021031RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google