Patent ID: 7993466

Claim:
A method of cleaning at least one material jet head having an outlet device for material to be sprayed; comprising the following steps: a) providing an absorbent member that is able to absorb the material and that is disposed in accordance with a first geometric relationship in space with respect to the material outlet device; b) providing a scraper member comprising a blade, said scraper member disposed in a second geometric relationship in space with respect to the material outlet device and the absorbent member; c) positioning the material outlet device, the absorbent member and the scraper member relative to one another so that at least one portion of the absorbent member is interposed between the scraper member and the material outlet device, whereby the absorbent member and the scraper member form a cleaning assembly; d) causing a relative movement between the cleaning assembly and the material outlet device in a cleaning plane substantially perpendicular to the elevation direction, so that the scraper member moves and scrapes the material outlet device substantially simultaneously with a movement and absorption by the absorbent member, wherein the scraper member undergoes a translation movement in the direction of movement of the absorbent member; wherein the method further comprises, after step b), a purge cycle comprising the following steps: b1) applying the absorbent member against the material outlet device; b2) moving the absorbent member in the cleaning plane relative to the material outlet device and simultaneously expelling material continuously through the material outlet device for a predetermined period; b3) separating the absorbent member from the material outlet device in the elevation direction.