Vehicle compounding system

Abstract

A compounding system for use in finishing a vehicle having a vehicle body having painted surfaces. The compounding system employs a spray gun having a nozzle having a fluid opening that is substantially 3 millimeters in diameter and a reservoir in communication with the fluid opening. Compressed air selectively flows past the fluid opening to atomize the compound paste into a compound spray that is used to cover all of the painted surfaces of the vehicle with a thin, uniform coating in a single step. The compound paste is removed by buffing all painted surfaces on the vehicle body to a shine in a single step.

Claims

1. A compounding system, for use on a vehicle body using compound paste and a spray gun, comprising the steps of: creating painted surfaces on a vehicle body using automotive paint; spraying compound paste onto all painted surfaces in a single step; and then shining all painted surfaces by removing the compound paste by buffing all painted surfaces in a single step.

2. The compounding system as recited in claim 1, wherein the steps as recited are preceded by the step of providing a spray gun having a nozzle having a fluid opening of substantially 3 millimeters and a reservoir containing compound paste in communication with the fluid opening, and wherein the step of spraying compound paste onto all painted surfaces further comprises atomizing the compound paste into a compound paste spray by the spray gun at the fluid opening.

3. The compounding system as recited in claim 2, wherein the spray gun has an air inlet and a compressed air source is connected to the air inlet.

4. A compounding system, for use on a vehicle body having painted surfaces, using compound paste and a spray gun having a nozzle having a fluid opening of substantially 3 millimeters and a buffer having a buffing pad, comprising the steps of: spraying compound paste onto all painted surfaces in a single step; and then shining all painted surfaces by removing the compound paste by buffing all painted surfaces in a single step by engaging the painted surfaces with a rotating buffing pad.

5. The compounding system as recited in claim 4, wherein the spray gun has a trigger control, a compressed air inlet, and wherein the step of spraying compound paste onto all painted surfaces further comprises atomizing the compound paste into a compound paste spray by the spray gun at the fluid opening by enabling air flow through the compressed air inlet by depressing the trigger control.

6. The compounding system as recited in claim 5, wherein the spray gun has an outer channel, and wherein the step of spraying compound paste onto all painted surfaces further comprises shaping the compound paste spray by flowing air through the outer channel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating the common method of squirting compound paste onto a single vehicle panel.

(3) FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, illustrating a glob of compound of compound paste on a vehicle body panel.

(4) FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, illustrating the glob of compound paste being unevenly distributed on a rotating buffing pad.

(5) FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating a spray gun having a reservoir containing compound paste being used to atomize and spray compound paste onto the vehicle body in a thin, even coating.

(6) FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, illustrating a thin, even coating of compound paste on a vehicle body panel.

(7) FIG. 6 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, illustrating compound paste being evenly distributed onto a rotating buffing pad.

(8) FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating paint on the vehicle panel being brought to a high gloss shine via the rotating buffing pad.

(9) FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, illustrating internal components and operation of the spray gun.

(10) FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating the spray gun creating a thin, even coating of compounding paste on all painted surfaces of the vehicle body.

(11) The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(12) FIGS. 1-3 illustrates prior art compounding procedures. In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle body panel 12 of a vehicle body 10. The vehicle body 10 and vehicle body panel 12 has a painted surface 20. Generally, prior to compounding, the vehicle is painted by spraying all painted surfaces of the vehicle body 10 with automotive paint. Often several coats of paint will be applied. In FIG. 1, compound paste 30 is contained within a squirt bottle 40 and is being squirted onto the painted surface 20 by squeezing the squirt bottle 40. The compound paste 30 is an abrasive paste that contains fine grit components. The compound paste 30 is accumulating on the painted surface 20 in globs 32, such as seen in FIG. 2, where portions of the painted surface 20 have a large quantity of compound paste 30 while portions of the painted surface 20 remain entirely uncoated by the compound paste 30. Referring now to FIG. 3, a buffer 40 is being used to perform a buffing operation. In particular a buffing pad 42 (or bonnet) is secured to the buffer 40 via a rotting shaft 44. The buffing pad 42 is rotated by the buffer 40 and is placed in edgewise engagement with the painted surface 20 as shown. Note that as the buffer 40 encounters globs 32 of compound paste 30 on the painted surface 20, it is spread onto the buffing pad 42 in an uneven manner, which results it in haphazardly re-encountering the painted surface 20 as the buffing operation continues.

(13) In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, referring to FIG. 4, painted surfaces 20 of the vehicle body 10 are being sprayed with compound paste 30 using a spray gun 50. The spray gun 50 has a body 51, a reservoir 52 that contains a quantity of the compound paste 30, a spray control assembly 54 that includes a trigger control 55A and a fluid control 55B, a compressed air inlet 56 that is connected to a compressed air source 57, and a compressed air control 58 for controlling the flow of compressed air through the spray gun 50. The spray gun 50 also has a nozzle 60 where the compound paste 30 is atomized into a compound paste spray 30A that is sprayed onto the painted surfaces 20. The trigger control 55A allows compressed air from the compressed air source 57 to flow to the nozzle 60 to atomize the compound paste 30 from the reservoir 52 when the trigger control 55A is depressed. The spray gun 50 shown in FIG. 4 may be similar to one used previously to actually paint the car with one notable and unexpected exception. Referring to FIG. 8, the nozzle 60 has a fluid tube 61 that has a fluid channel 64 which terminates in a fluid opening 62 that is at least 3 millimeters in diameter, and optimally should be substantially 3 millimeters in diameter. A fluid opening 62 that large is unheard of in the field of conventional automotive spray guns. The fluid opening 62 allows the spray gun 50 to do something that no spray gun could have done previously: to atomize the thick compound paste 30 into the fine spray of compound paste 30A.

(14) Still referring to FIG. 8, the nozzle 60 has a proximal end 60P and a distal end 60D and includes an outer air conduit 70 and an inner air conduit 72. The inner air conduit 72 surrounds the fluid tube 61 near the fluid opening 62 and provides air flow that draws the compound paste 30 from the fluid opening 62 and atomizes it into compound paste spray 30A. The outer air conduit 70 is directed further distally from the fluid opening 62 so that the air flow therefrom encounters the compound paste spray 30A and shapes it in a manner consistent with the operation of conventional automotive paint spray guns. Note that the fluid channel 64 is contoured so that it is wider proximally and then tapers down distally toward the fluid opening. The tapered shape of the fluid channel 64 is appropriate to accommodate a needle, which has been omitted for illustration clarity, that is withdrawn proximally using the fluid control 55B (FIG. 4) to increase the discharge of compound and extended distally to decrease or stop the discharge of compound from the nozzle 60.

(15) Referring to FIG. 9, the spray gun 50 is actuated and is producing the compound paste spray 30A. Note that ordinarily the vehicle would be masked to cover non-painted surfaces and prevent them from being covered, but in FIG. 9 such masking is omitted for the sake of illustration clarity. The compound paste spray 30A is directed at the vehicle body 10 and the user proceeds to spray all painted surfaces 20 of the vehicle body 10, so that all painted surfaces 20 of the vehicle body 10 are covered with a substantially uniform coating of compound paste 30 in a single operation. Note that covering the entire vehicle with compound in a single step was considered highly inadvisable prior to the innovation described herein. The unexpected ability to spray compound thinly and uniformly across the vehicle allows this to take place without the normally expected consequences of leaving compound on a vehicle for an extended period of timeincluding burning the paint.

(16) Referring to FIG. 5, after the spraying operation is complete, all painted surfaces 20 of the vehicle body 10 are covered with the compound paste 30 as shown in FIG. 5. Next, referring to FIG. 6, a buffing step commences whereupon the buffer 40 is actuated to rotate the buffing pad 42 via the rotating shaft 44. Note that because of the uniform coating of compound paste 30 on the painted surfaces 20, the buffing pad 42 acquires a uniform coating of compound paste 30, which further facilitates even compounding of the painted surfaces 20. The buffing continues across all painted surfaces 20, until as illustrated in FIG. 7, the buffer 40 has been utilized to bring all painted surfaces 20 to a high gloss shine. Notably the user does not need to interrupt the buffing to reapply compound, since all painted surfaces 20 were coated prior to the buffing commencing, as seen in FIG. 9. Accordingly, not only are the results superior to prior art processes, but the results can be achieved much faster because the application of compound is consolidated to a single operation and buffing is a single continuous operation.

(17) It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being on another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on another element, there are no intervening elements present.

(18) Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.

(19) It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, first, second, third, are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

(20) Spatially relative terms, such as beneath, below, lower, above, upper and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as below or beneath other elements or features would then be oriented above the other elements or features. Thus, the example term below can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

(21) Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.

(22) In conclusion, herein is presented a vehicle compounding system that allows an entire vehicle to be compounded in an efficient manner, easily, and with superior results. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.