Patent ID: 8146840

Claim:
In an electrostatic painting in which an electrically conductive paint is supplied from a plurality of paint feed sections to a color changing valve mechanism, a paint feed channel and a painting gun, a method for continuing the electrostatic painting with the electrically conductive paint changed to a separate electrically conductive paint of different color, comprising the steps of: switching a paint valve connected to the color changing valve mechanism such that a first pathway of the paint valve is placed in communication with a paint cartridge that is connected to the paint valve, and a second pathway of the paint valve is placed in communication with a discharging channel of a fluid pathway connected to the paint valve, the fluid pathway being shorter than the paint feed channel; discharging the electrically conductive paint from the paint cartridge into the discharging channel of the fluid pathway; measuring a rate at which the electrically conductive paint flows into the discharging channel; switching the paint valve so that the paint cartridge communicates with the paint feed channel via a third pathway of the paint valve; and filling the paint feed channel with a specified quantity of the electrically conductive paint from the paint cartridge in accordance with a result of the flow rate measurement, in order to expel air from an interior of the paint feed channel.