Powder coating booth

• US 8,714,101 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nordson Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nordson Corporation
• Inventors: Shutic, Jeffrey R., Schroeder, Joseph G., Dailidas, Jeffrey E., Kreeger, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): TADESSE, YEWEBDAR T
• Application Number:
  US13/658,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20130061886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 118/308, 118/309, 118/326, 118/634, 118/DIG.7, 454/50, 454/53, 454/55, 427/180, 427/345, 55D/IG.46
• US Class Current: 118/309
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/14 for supplying a selected one of a plurality of liquids or other fluent materials or several in selected proportions to a spray apparatus, e.g. to a single spray outlet
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0405 with reciprocating or oscillating spray heads B05B13/0436, B05B13/0442, B05B13/0447, B05B13/0468 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/41 by cleaning the walls of the booth
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/43 by filtering the air charged with excess material
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/45 using cyclone separators
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/48 specially adapted for particulate material
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 16/40 Construction elements specially adapted therefor, e.g. floors, walls or ceilings ceiling elements filtering inflow of air into the booth B05B16/60; walls specially adapted for promoting separation of excess material B05B14/44
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 16/90 comprising conveying means for moving objects or other work to be sprayed in and out of the booth, e.g. through the booth
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/46 Spray booths

Abstract

A powder spray for lengthy parts includes a booth wall structure comprised primarily of doors. A moveable roof may be raised and lowered to clean powder overspray from the interior surfaces of the booth. A cleaning process may be performed with a sideways extraction mode and a downward extraction mode. The mode change occurs when a bulkhead that travels with the moveable roof blocks the inlet duct to the recovery system. The recovery system may be a cyclone system for example. The doors of the booth are hinged so that they can be positioned for spraying operations and cleaning operations. Live hinge designs are provided and hose stress relief designs are also provided. The roof may carry accumulators for pressurized air that feed cleaning nozzles as the roof descends. In addition, exhaust air may be used to assist cleaning the interior surfaces as the roof descends. All of the energy provided for cleaning and color change may be provided by accumulators.

Claims

1. A powder spray booth, comprising:

a vertical wall with a vertically extending slot therein, a roof that raises and lowers within said powder spray booth interior during a cleaning operation, a booth floor, a vertical duct that communicates with said vertically extending slot and with an inlet to a cyclone, and a member that travels within said vertical duct with said roof for a portion of the travel of said roof.

2. The powder spray booth of claim 1 wherein said member blocks said cyclone inlet at a predetermined vertical position of the roof.

3. The powder spray booth of claim 1 comprising an opening for extracting powder from said powder spray booth interior other than through said vertically extending slot.

4. The powder spray booth of claim 3 wherein said member blocks said cyclone inlet at a predetermined vertical position of said roof, and powder is extracted from said powder spray booth interior through said vertically extending slot when said member is not blocking said cyclone inlet, and powder is extracted from said powder spray booth interior through said opening when said member blocks said cyclone inlet.

5. The powder spray booth of claim 4 wherein said opening is provided in said booth floor.

6. The powder spray booth of claim 5 wherein a slide cover is used to selectively open and close said opening in said booth floor.

7. The powder spray booth of claim 6 wherein said slide cover is moved from a closed position to an open position when said member blocks said cyclone inlet.

8. The powder spray booth of claim 4 wherein said opening comprises a second slot, said second slot being provided at a lower end of said vertical wall and said booth floor.

9. The powder spray booth of claim 4 wherein said vertical wall forms part of said vertical duct, said vertical duct having a first portion that communicates with said cyclone inlet and said vertically extending slot, said vertical duct having a second portion that communicates with a recovery duct and said opening.

10. The powder spray booth of claim 1 wherein said vertical wall forms part of said vertical duct, said vertical duct having a first portion that communicates with said cyclone inlet and said vertically extending slot, said vertical duct having a second portion that communicates with a recovery duct and said opening.

11. The powder spray booth of claim 10 wherein said member blocks said cyclone inlet at a predetermined vertical position of said roof, and powder is extracted from said powder spray booth interior through said vertically extending slot when said member is not blocking said cyclone inlet, and powder is extracted from said powder spray booth interior through said opening when said member blocks said cyclone inlet.

12. The powder spray booth of claim 11 wherein said opening is provided in said booth floor.

13. The powder spray booth of claim 12 wherein a slide cover is used to selectively open and close said opening in said booth floor.

14. The powder spray booth of claim 11 wherein said opening comprises a second slot, said second slot being provided at a lower end of said vertical wall and said booth floor.

15. The powder spray booth of claim 14 comprising a door that is opened to said recovery duct when said member blocks said cyclone inlet.

16. The powder spray booth of claim 1 wherein said vertically extending slot tapers from a wider portion at either end thereof to a narrower portion near said cyclone inlet.

17. The powder spray booth of claim 1 comprising an accumulator supported by said roof and that is carried by said roof as the roof is raised and lowered.

18. The powder spray booth of claim 17 wherein said roof comprises air nozzles that receive compressed air from said accumulator to blow powder from interior surfaces of the spray booth during a cleaning operation.

19. The powder spray booth of claim 18 wherein said air nozzles received pulsed pressurized air during a cleaning operation.

20. The powder spray booth of claim 17 wherein said accumulator is replenished while said roof is moving during a cleaning operation.

21. The powder spray booth of claim 20 wherein said roof has a perimeter that is sized to provide a gap with interior surfaces of the powder spray booth, with air flow being pulled through said gap and into said cyclone inlet to assist removing powder from said interior surfaces.

22. The powder spray booth of claim 1 wherein said member comprises a bulkhead that travels within said vertical duct.

23. The powder spray booth of claim 22 wherein said bulkhead blocks said cyclone inlet at a predetermined vertical position of said roof.

24. The powder spray booth of claim 23 comprising an opening for extracting powder from said spray booth interior other than through said vertically extending slot.

25. The powder spray booth of claim 24 wherein said bulkhead blocks said cyclone inlet at a predetermined vertical position of said roof, and powder is extracted from said powder spray booth interior through said vertically extending slot when said bulkhead is not blocking said cyclone inlet, and powder is extracted from said powder spray booth interior through said opening when said bulkhead blocks said cyclone inlet.

26. The powder spray booth of claim 25 wherein said opening is provided in said booth floor.