Patent ID: 8690080

Claim:
A distributor for a pressure atomizer comprising: a) a distributor body having an upstream end defining an internal liquid circuit, a downstream end defining a spin chamber for swirling a liquid flowing therethrough, and an outboard peripheral surface extending from the upstream end to the downstream end, wherein the upstream and downstream ends are spaced apart along a longitudinal axis; and b) an inclined passage defined in the outboard peripheral surface in fluid communication with the internal liquid circuit and with the spin chamber for producing a relatively wide spray angle for a given distributor body size, wherein the inclined passage is angled to diverge from the longitudinal axis of the distributor body in a direction toward the downstream end, wherein the inclined passage is in fluid communication with the spin chamber by way of a swirl slot defined in the downstream end of the distributor body through an annular rim around the spin chamber, and wherein the swirl slot includes opposed slot walls in the annular rim, wherein the opposed slot walls define a flow path therethrough that is off-center with respect to the annular rim to induce swirl on fluids passing therethrough.