Patent ID: 7100851

Claim:
An apparatus for dispersing pigment in a water-based or oil-based intermediate mixture useful for producing a coating composition, the apparatus comprising a mixer and a dispersing device, the mixer having a vacuum pump and configured to conduct a primary mixing of a pigment component and resin-containing liquid medium to form an intermediate mixture, the dispersing device configured to conduct the secondary mixing of the intermediate mixture, the mixer and the dispersing device being connected by pipes to form a circulation channel for the intermediate mixture, one of the pipes being provided with a pump to circulate the intermediate mixture between the mixer and the dispersing device through the circulation channel, wherein a condenser is provided between the mixer and the vacuum pump so as to obtain a gas fraction of the intermediate mixture and a liquid fraction of the intermediate mixture, wherein the vacuum pump is configured to exhaust the gas fraction, and wherein the mixer is connected to the condenser so as to conditionally receive the liquid fraction based at least in part on the viscosity of the intermediate mixture.