Patent ID: 8851397

Claim:
Rotary bell cup atomizing apparatus having improved, integral cleaning capability, the apparatus comprising: a rotary bell cup atomizer having a rotatable bell cup component mounted at its proximal end to a rotatable motor shaft, the bell cup component having an inner front surface and an outer rear surface, said bell cup component having a conically diverging opening distally of the motor shaft and being connected thereto by means of a hollow hub affixed to or integral with said bell cup component, thereby mating said bell cup component and hub, the motor shaft being hollow and housing supply lines for different fluids, the supply lines being connected at their upstream ends to respective fluid supply reservoirs, each line extending into said hub to supply a desired fluid thereto on demand, the supply lines including at least one paint supply line for supplying paint to the inner front surface of said bell cup component via a nozzle, the paint to be atomized and applied to a substrate, and at least one solvent cleaning agent supply line for supplying solvent to said nozzle and into the hollow of said hub, said mated bell cup component and hub receiving said motor shaft at its distal end, the hub, shaft and bell cup component being dimensioned so as to provide an annular gap between the outer, rear surface of said bell cup component and said motor shaft, said gap having a proximal and a distal end and extending an effective distance axially, adjacent said shaft, wherein said mated bell cup component and hub include a plurality of solvent channels formed therein extending from entrance openings from said hollow of said hub and extending within said hub circumventing said gap, each of said channels then extending in a direction generally rearwardly to an intermediate opening into a manifold channel formed therein extending circumferentially about the axis of rotation of said bell cup component, said manifold channel interconnecting all said solvent channels, wherein said mated bell cup component and hub includes a plurality of solvent discharge channels extending generally rearwardly from said circumferential manifold channel, each discharge channel extending to an exit opening therefrom proximate said distal end of said annular gap, whereby a cleaning solvent which is introduced into said apparatus passes partially through said nozzle and partially into and through said hub and solvent channels, wherein solvent passing through said solvent channels is directed to and into said gap and impinges upon said motor shaft in a generally rearwardly flow direction, then passes through said gap and flows over the outer surface of said bell cup component, whereby both the inner surface and the outer surface of said bell cup component and said motor shaft are cleaned by a rinsing action on injection of said solvent.