Patent ID: 8539967

Claim:
A spray pretreatment system comprising: a spraying tunnel; an entry region located within said spraying tunnel and followed by at least one treating region comprising at least one treating installation comprising nozzles for treating workpieces by spraying or flooding an aqueous solution comprising water and chemicals onto the workpieces; a collecting tank located below said treating installation for collecting the aqueous solution from said treating installation; a pump for supplying the aqueous solution from said collecting tank to said treating installation; and a conveyor for transporting workpieces through said spraying tunnel; wherein said entry region comprises an inlet opening having an upper edge located at a level below said treating installation; wherein said conveyor is configured for feeding workpieces from outside said inlet opening through said inlet opening, for lifting said workpieces from said inlet opening to said treating installation located on a higher level, and for lowering said workpieces from said at least one treatment installation to an intermediate zone or an outlet of said spraying tunnel; wherein said upper edge of said inlet opening is on a lower level than said nozzles so that vapor escaping from said aqueous solution sprayed through said nozzles or from said aqueous solution collected within said collecting tank is maintained within said spraying tunnel; wherein said inlet opening and said nozzles positioned to be in gaseous communication with an ambient environment outside said entry region through the entry region during treating of the workpieces by spraying or flooding the aqueous solution comprising water and chemicals onto the workpieces.