Booth for coating objects with powder

• US 6,964,708 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2003
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eisenmann Maschinenbau KG
• Original Assignee: Eisenmann Maschinenbau KG
• Inventors: Hihn, Erwin, Bezner, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Fiorilla, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAZOR, MICHELLE A
• Application Number:
  US10/379,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20030192472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 454 50- 55, 118308-311, 118/326
• US Class Current: 118/326
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/43 by filtering the air charged with excess material
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 16/60 Ventilation arrangements specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/10 Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working

Abstract

A booth for coating objects with powder, in particular for powder painting, comprises in a manner known per se a housing, in which there is situated at least one application device, with which powder can be applied to the objects. Situated in the upper region of the housing is an air plenum, which is fed with supply air via an inlet opening. The air plenum is closed off downwardly by a filter ceiling. In contrast to known filter ceilings, the one according to the invention is air-permeable in its marginal region only, while in its central region it consists of air-impermeable material. The supply air is thus introduced into the interior of the booth as a kind of “air curtain” which flows mainly along the side walls of the housing of the booth, entrains in the process stray excess powder which has not adhered to the objects to be coated, and supplies it to at least one extraction opening situated in the bottom of the booth. This extraction opening leads to a filter unit which, for its part, is connected to an extraction fan and in which the powder present in the air/powder mixture can be separated off and passed on for reuse. The effects achieved by the special design of the filter ceiling are that less turbulence forms in the coating region, no particles falling off from the filter ceiling can lead to coating defects and, on changing the filters contained in the filter ceiling, there is less fouling of the booth.

Claims

1. Booth for coating objects with powder, in particular for powder painting, having

a) a housing, in an upper region of which there is formed an air plenum, which can be charged with supply air via an inlet and is bounded downwardly by a filter ceiling, the housing having one or more walls;

b) at least one application device in the housing, with which device powder can be applied to objects;

c) at least one first extraction opening in a lower region of the housing, running along at least part of the one or more walls, via which opening a mixture of air and excess powder can be extracted and supplied to a recovery unit;

d) at least one second extraction opening in a central region of the lower region of the housing, and adjacent the at least one first extraction opening, via which a mixture of air and excess powder can be extracted, filtered, and reused;

e) the filter ceiling having a central region and a marginal region, wherein the central region consists of air-impermeable material such that the filter ceiling is air-permeable in the marginal region only, which marginal region is adjacent to walls of the housing; and

f) an upwardly projecting apron separating the at least one first extraction opening and the at least one second extraction opening, wherein the apron partitions the total flow of air/powder mixture between the first extraction opening and the second extraction opening and wherein the position of the apron is adjustable so as to enable proportion of the total flow of air/powder mixture between the first extraction opening and the second extraction opening to be altered.

2. Booth according to claim 1, wherein the filter ceiling consists of electrically non-conductive material in its central region.

3. Booth according to claim 2, wherein the filter ceiling consists of plastic in its central region.

4. Booth according to claim 1, wherein the apron is extended upwards to such a degree that it surrounds at least a lower region of the objects to be coated.