Patent ID: 8524065

Claim:
A method of electrocoating a product, wherein the method comprises: providing an electrocoating system comprising a tank, a pump in fluid communication with the tank, an external anode positioned outside of the tank, one or more internal nozzles positioned inside of the tank, and a return path extending from the tank to the pump; positioning a part for electrocoating in the tank; delivering a fluid to the tank with the pump; electrically charging the fluid with the external anode; coating a part with the electrically charged fluid delivered by the one or more internal nozzles; and recycling the electrically charged fluid from the tank to the pump; wherein: the tank, the external anode, and the pump are directly coupled to form at least one continuous and uninterrupted loop configured for constrained flow of the fluid through the return path, pump, and external anode; and the external anode comprises a substantially membrane-free metal pipe configured to provide an electric charge to the fluid delivered by the pump.