Powder coating booth

• US 7,665,414 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nordson Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nordson Corporation
• Inventors: Shutic, Jeffrey R., Kreeger, Kenneth, Dailidas, Jeffrey E., Schroeder, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tadesse; Yewebdar T
• Application Number:
  US11/425,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20070062444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 118/308, 118/309, 118/326, 118/634, 118/DIG.7, 454/50, 454/53, 454/55, 55D/IG.46, 427/180, 427/345
• 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 spray booth for application of powder coating material to an object, the booth comprising a first booth wall, a second booth wall, a third booth wall and a fourth booth wall, each of said four booth walls having first and second vertical edges, each first vertical edge being hinged to a frame, each second vertical edge of respective pairs of said four booth walls being movable toward and away from each other to close and open passages for objects to move into and out of the spray booth;

at least one spray gun to spray powder coating material on an object inside the spray booth and at least one opening to remove powder overspray from inside the spray booth, and actuators to move said second vertical edges of said respective pairs of said four booth walls towards and away from each other.

2. The spray booth of claim 1 wherein each booth wall comprises two vertically stacked sections.

3. The spray booth of claim 1 wherein said actuators move said booth walls between an open position wherein each said vertical edge of respective pairs of said four booth walls is spaced from the other vertical edge and a closed position wherein each second vertical edge of respective pairs of said four booth walls is in contact with the other vertical edge.

4. The spray booth of claim 1 comprising a roof having a perimeter that generally conforms to the shape of the booth when said booth walls are in said closed position.

5. The spray booth of claim 4 wherein said roof is generally diamond shaped in plan view.

6. The spray booth of claim 1 comprising a roof that is raised and lowered within the booth interior during a powder removal operation.

7. The spray booth of claim 6 wherein said roof carries a plurality of air nozzles for removing powder off of interior surfaces of said booth walls.

8. The spray booth of claim 7 comprising a reservoir for pressurized air carried by said roof to provide pressurized air to said nozzles.

9. The spray booth of claim 1 wherein one or more of said booth walls comprises air nozzles along a lower end thereof to remove powder from the booth floor.

10. The spray booth of claim 1 comprising a vertically extending intake slot through which powder is extracted from the booth interior.

11. The spray booth of claim 10 wherein said intake slot has a first width near the center of the booth and tapers to a second width at the top and bottom of the booth.

12. The spray booth of claim 11 wherein said intake slot communicates with an inlet duct of a cyclone.

13. The spray booth of claim 12 comprising a roof that is raised and lowered within the booth interior, and a member that travels at about the same speed and position as said roof within an extraction duct that is connected to the cyclone inlet duct.

14. The spray booth of claim 13 wherein said extraction duct comprises a tangential inlet.

15. The spray booth of claim 13 wherein powder overspray enters said extraction duct through a floor slot.

16. The spray booth of claim 15 comprising a floor having an opening therein that communicates with the extraction duct, and a cover that can selectively open and close said floor opening.

17. The spray booth of claim 16 wherein as the roof is lowered during a cleaning operation, powder initially is extracted from the booth through said intake slot, said member closing off the inlet duct to the cyclone when the roof reaches a predetermined height within the booth, said floor opening being opened to extract powder through the floor and into a bypass duct of the cyclone as the roof continues to lower to near the floor.

18. The spray booth of claim 1 wherein the booth has a vertical height that is at least about two times greater than its length.

19. The spray booth of claim 1 wherein said four booth walls extend from a floor of the spray booth to a roof of the spray booth.

20. The spray booth of claim 1 wherein said four booth walls are configured in a diamond shape in plan view, with first and second apexes of said diamond shape being formed by adjacent pairs of said vertical edges that are moveable toward and away from each other to provide said passages.

21. The spray booth of claim 20 wherein a third apex of said diamond shape is truncated and forms an opening for removing powder overspray, and a fourth apex of said diamond shape if truncated and formed by an opening for spray guns.

22. The spray booth of claim 21 wherein said opening for removing powder overspray is generally opposite said opening for spray guns.

23. A spray booth for application of powder coating material to an object, the booth comprising doors with at least one door hinged for movement, said doors substantially comprising the booth wall structure, a roof that is raised and lowered within the booth interior during a powder removal operation, said roof carries a plurality of air nozzles for removing powder off of interior surfaces of said doors.

24. The spray booth of claim 23 comprising a reservoir for pressurized air carried by said roof to provide pressurized air to said nozzles.