Spray coating process and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of spray coating articles, comprising the steps of:
- (1) introducing an article to be spray coated into a closed coating chamber through an inlet of said chamber, by selective opening of a door covering said inlet opening;
(2) supplying a coating material into said chamber to surface coat said article,(3) removing said coated article from said chamber through an outlet opening of said chamber by selective opening of a door covering said outlet opening,(4) controlling operation of said doors covering said inlet and outlet openings such that at least one of said doors is closed at all times to substantially prevent movement of air into or out of said coating chamber to maintain any excess coating, material in a reusable state by preventing exposure thereof to air, and(5) collecting excess coating material supplied into said chamber in a bottom reservoir coupled to a recirculation system, and controlling recirculation of excess coating material back to means to supply said coating material such that said excess coating material is maintained within said reservoir between minimum and maximum levels above an outlet opening in said bottom reservoir.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A continuous spray coating apparatus and process generally comprises a housing defining a closed coating chamber, the coating chamber having inlet and outlet openings. Automatic doors are provided to cover the inlet and outlet openings, and the opening and closing of the doors is selectively controlled such that only one of the doors will be open at any one time during the spray coating operation. The introduction of the coating composition into the chamber creates a predetermined atmosphere within the chamber which is substantially saturated with constituents of the coating material, and by means of the automatic doors and control thereof, introduction of air from the outside atmosphere into the chamber is substantially prevented to maintain a predetermined atmosphere within the chamber. The apparatus and method may also monitor the level of excess coating material within a reservoir formed in the bottom of the chamber, and actuate a coating material recirculation system which will return excess coating material to an external supply for reuse without exposure to the atmosphere outside the coating chamber. The process and apparatus provides improved coating of articles with less waste.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of spray coating articles, comprising the steps of:
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(1) introducing an article to be spray coated into a closed coating chamber through an inlet of said chamber, by selective opening of a door covering said inlet opening; (2) supplying a coating material into said chamber to surface coat said article, (3) removing said coated article from said chamber through an outlet opening of said chamber by selective opening of a door covering said outlet opening, (4) controlling operation of said doors covering said inlet and outlet openings such that at least one of said doors is closed at all times to substantially prevent movement of air into or out of said coating chamber to maintain any excess coating, material in a reusable state by preventing exposure thereof to air, and (5) collecting excess coating material supplied into said chamber in a bottom reservoir coupled to a recirculation system, and controlling recirculation of excess coating material back to means to supply said coating material such that said excess coating material is maintained within said reservoir between minimum and maximum levels above an outlet opening in said bottom reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13)
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3. A method of spray coating articles, comprising the steps of:
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(1) introducing an article to be spray coated into a closed coating chamber through an inlet opening of said chamber, (2) supplying a coating material into said chamber from an external supply source, (3) removing said coated article from said chamber through an outlet opening, (4) collecting excess coating material in a bottom reservoir of said chamber, (5) preventing exposure of said excess coating material to the atmosphere so as to maintain said excess coating material in a sprayable, reusable state, wherein said step of preventing comprises the steps of; (i) maintaining the level of excess coating material within said reservoir between minimum and maximum levels above an outlet opening of said bottom reservoir, and (ii) recirculating excess coating material to said external supply for reuse, while maintaining said minimum level of excess coating material within said reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15)
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Specification