Patent ID: 8042578

Claim:
A method for manufacturing paints from a set of prepaints, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of storage tanks each containing a prepaint, wherein each of said storage tanks is associated with a weigh tank; (b) transferring the prepaint from at least one of said storage tanks to its associated weigh tank; (c) delivering pressurized gas to at least one of said weigh tanks, and using said pressurized gas to cause the prepaint to flow out of at least one of said weigh tanks in a weigh tank exit process line; (d) weighing the contents of said at least two weigh tanks using a weigh tank weighing device and determining a weigh tank weight loss for each of the weigh tanks; (e) transporting at least two of said prepaints through a multiple-plane valve block bearing more than one valve, each valve having have at least one mode; (f) delivering said prepaints to a paint receptacle; (g) weighing said paint receptacle to determine a paint receptacle weight gain; and (h) adding said weigh tank weight losses to determine a combined weigh tank weight loss, and comparing the combined weigh tank weight losses to the paint receptacle weight gain.