Abstract
A high volume low pressure (HVLP) coating application system employing a rotary vane pump and manifold assembly that provides an improved source of air for increased spray gun atomization of high solid coatings and faster applications of more even coated surfaces with continuous HVLP pressures of 10 PSI at the spray gun output and the ability to power multiple spray guns and breathing apparatus from a single manifold system.
Claims
1. A method of applying coating solutions to a surface using High Volume, Low Pressure technology to maximize transfer efficiencies and application performance, the method comprising the steps of; A. placing said coating solutions in a flowable condition either in a spray gun cup or within pressurized lines attached to atomizing spray guns; B. attaching a Rotary Vane Pump of minimum specific capacity in volume and pressure as an air source to an intake manifold; C. using said manifold as a dynamic storage container for the said pressure source and connecting the atomizing spray guns directly to the manifold for maximum volume of air to be applied to the atomizing guns; D. using large diameter capacity hoses to transfer air from the manifold to at least one of said atomizing guns to maximize the volume of air applied for atomizing said flowable coating material; E. establishing pressure regulators within the manifold for individually regulating air pressure to each atomizing gun; F. using a pressure relief valve within the manifold to maintain a constant pressure delivered to the atomizing guns and limit cross modulation of pressures between atomizing guns.
2. An apparatus for dispensing coating solutions comprised of; A Rotary Vane Pump that produces at least 15 Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) of pressure and at least 60 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) of air volume; a manifold that accepts compressed air from said pressure source and couples it directly to at least one atomizing gun, without use or need for external air tank storage or containment device; large diameter air hoses diameter or greater to couple larger volumes of compressed air from manifold to an atomizing gun cup and/or atomizing chamber; a manifold which contains adjustable pressure regulators for each atomizing gun output; a manifold that maintains a constant pressure within and limits cross modulation between air flowing to individual said atomizing guns by using a pressure relief check valve; a manifold without a limiting storage element, capable of allowing the maximum volume of air from the pressure source to be applied to at least one of said atomizing guns, paint cup or pressurized fluid line, for optimum movement of fluids supplied to at least one of said atomizing guns without the need to create differential pressures between multiple air supply lines to the cup and atomizing pressure feed to at least one of said atomizing guns; the manifold coupled to the large diameter hoses that can connect to both the atomizing gun cup or a direct pressurized coating supply line to allow versatility in use and application.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising multiple pods comprising pump source, manifold, coupling hoses and at least one atomizing gun, each connected to the same manifold and synchronized in use by sensory feedback and control devices on each respective pod that regulate the coating application rate, paint flow rate and coating thickness which are relayed to and controlled by a central programmable computer for optimum co-ordination and performance between pods, when used to coat large surface areas requiring consistent coating results from one section covered by a given coating pod to another, and where multiple types of coating materials could be simultaneously applied, requiring extensive co-ordination and control of the process by a control feedback system.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the present invention applied to four (4) spray stations.
(2) FIGS. 2A and 2B are detailed views of the Rotary vane pump and drive motor of the present invention of FIG. 1. FIG. 2A shows an external view of the pump and FIG. 2B shows an internal view.
(3) FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an HVLP spray gun used in the present invention of FIG. 1, items 21, 22, 23, and 24 in FIG. 1.
(4) FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the fresh air breathing masks used in the present invention of FIG. 1, items 25, 26, 27, and 28 in FIG. 1.
(5) FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are detailed views of the hydraulic coatings pump used in the present invention of FIG. 1. FIG. 5A is a side view of the pump and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view.
(6) FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the air and liquid pressure controls used in the present invention of FIG. 1, items 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of FIG. 1.
(7) FIG. 7 shows a system level schematic of how multiple core stations of the present invention of FIG. 1 could be connected to allow for command and control of spraying modules for multiple coatings at multiple locations on the same coating target. Items 54 and 55 show the spray modules that can be added or subtracted from the system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(8) One preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The center of the design is the rotary vane pump 1, powered by an electric motor 2 that provides air to the manifold 15. The manifold is the center of the present invention where air from above source is distributed to both the HVLP spray guns, 21, 22, 23 and 24, along with the fresh air operator breathing apparatus 25, 26, 27. 28. Air to each of the four spray guns is individually regulated by regulators 17, 18, 19, and 20 and connect at each of the four guns at 31, the air input side of the spray guns. Individual air regulators allow losses in each line to be different due to hose length, type of gun, atomization rate, etc where each regulator can be adjusted to compensate. Air pressure regulator 14 regulates manifold pressure to each of the fresh air operator breathing apparatuses sourced at 36 and each breathing mask has its own adjustment, item 37 of FIG. 4. The gun air regulators will adjust the air within the manifold to meet the 10 pounds per square inch (PSI) requirement of the HVLP system at the cap of each of the spray guns 35 of FIG. 3, allowing for system losses in each line. The manifold contains an over pressure or relief valve 16 which prevents excessive pressure build up within the manifold and exhausts over pressured air out and away from the internal connections of the system at a specific adjustable pressure. The system rests on a portable cart 10 having wheels 29 and 30 that allow movement freely around the coating application areas. The coating reservoir 13 contains a large drum of coating material, typically of 55 gallon capacity or similar industry standard container(s). Hydraulic pump 11 pumps the coating liquid out of the reservoir 13 and into the liquid pressure regulator 12 and into the supply lines to each of the four spray guns at 32.
(9) FIG. 1 shows the overview of the present invention embodying four spray guns and utilizing four operators each with their own fresh air breathing systems. The present invention is not limited to four stations and could have more or less depending on the requirements of the coating application and size of the pump specified. Four stations represents a good average for coating applications involving large size targets such as airplanes, heavy equipment, ships, trains or large architectural surfaces requiring precise and even coating application and is cost efficient for the standard rotary vane pumps that are readily available. The concept is valid and applicable to any size and number of spray stations required for a specific application and is only limited by the size and volumetric capacity of the rotary vane pump source. Ideally the design of these four stations could represent one autonomous work pod, and on extremely large projects, multiple in dependent pods of four stations could work together to achieve a coordinated performance compatible coatings application system. FIG. 7 shows the design with eight operator stations and any multiple number of stations could be added depending on the capacity of the pump and system.
(10) FIG. 2A shows an external view of Rotary Vane pump 1. Air is input at 3 and output 4, driven by electric drive motor 2 with starting and speed control electronics 8 and mounting base 9. FIG. 2B shows a cross sectional view of the internal workings of the rotary vane pump 1 where the turbine 7 contains blades 6 and the volute of the pump 5 allows air to enter at 3 when the turbine rotates and exhaust at 4 into the manifold 15 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an HVLP spray gun showing the internal workings and adjustments. Air from the regulators is input at 31 where pressure input to the gun is controlled by trigger 33. Pulling the trigger 33 toward the handle allows more air to enter the gun and releasing the trigger slows down the air flow within the gun. The coating input from the hydraulic pump 11 and flow regulator 12 connect to the gun at 32. The ratio of liquid to air atomization within the gun is adjusted at 34. The cap of the gun 35 is removable to allow various spray patterns to be achieved by the design of the specific cap. The gun accomplishes atomization of the coating material at HVLP pressures of 10 PSI and delivers the output so that the operator can control output volume intensity and spray pattern delivery simultaneously, while also controlling the air to liquid ratio of the atomization occurring. When heavier coatings are required this ratio is weighted toward more liquid and when lighter coats are required the weighting shifts to more air. This is one typical version of an HVLP spray gun and others types exist and are equally compatible with the present invention.
(11) FIG. 4 shows the fresh air breathing apparatus used by each spray operator for breathing externally supplied filtered fresh air that also keeps the facemask cool so that the operator can work cleaner, cooler and safer without the workplace environmental concerns of overspray and the potential damage to lungs and eyes. Air is sourced at 36 from the regulator 14 of FIG. 1. Air pressure adjustment is made at 37 and breathing chamber 38 contains a clear face mask allowing the operator to have good vision. The breathing chamber 38 is sealed by rubber cushion 40 around the circumference of the breathing chamber so that cool air is held close to the face to help reduce heat fatigue. The mask is attached to the operator by means of adjustable straps 39 that fit under the chin at the bottom and around the neck, ears and forehead at the top. This is one typical version of a standard fresh air operating system used and others types exist and are equally compatible with the present invention.
(12) FIG. 5A shows side view of the Hydraulic pump 11 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 5B shows a cross sectional view. Electric motor 41 rotates a vane turbine 42 that creates an input vacuum at 43 where coatings are pulled from reservoir 13 of FIG. 1. The pump volute 45 allows for space within the casing for liquid to channel through and as the turbine 42 rotates coating material is exhausted from output 44 into the system and to the regulator 12 of FIG. 1. The coating material then travels to each spray gun fluid input at 32 and remains at the pressure set by the regulator 12. This is one typical version of a hydraulic pump system used for moving coatings and others types exist and are equally compatible with the present invention.
(13) FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of the internal working of an air or liquid pressure regulator, items 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of system drawing shown by FIG. 1. Air or liquid enters the regulator at 49 and is allowed into the pass chamber 52 by adjustment of spring loaded screw 48 via knob 47, within the valve casing 46. The screw moves a flat pass plate 51 which controls the amount of air or liquid that is allowed to through the pass chamber 52 and on to the output of the regulator 50. This is one typical version of a pressure regulator for controlling air or liquid pressures and others types exist and are equally compatible with the present invention.
(14) FIG. 7 shows a schematic version of the present invention connected to multiple spray pods 54 and 55. In this embodiment the design of FIG. 1 shown below the pods is equipped with a command and control computer 53, that receives sensory inputs from the rotary vane pump 1, the hydraulic pump 11, the drive train of the mobile vehicle 10 via wheels 29, 30, the manifold 15, the coating supply container 13, the coating pressure regulator 12 shown at Point C, the fresh air regulator 14 shown combined at Point B, and air gun regulators 17, 18, 19, 20 shown combined at point A. Each of these control lines provides sensor data to the computer and send back control signals from the computer to regulate these devices. The computer keeps tracks of all the various functions involved in the spray operation via the feedback sensors placed throughout the system and sends commands controlled by internally programmed software. It can receive WIFI or Bluetooth radio signals at antenna 56 from any operator or outside source for further command and control of the coating delivery system. The gun air supply is combined and simplified for drawing purposes at A. Likewise the breathing apparatus supply lines are combined and simplified at point B and the coating supply lines at point C. By this means the basic design of FIG. 1 can, with added computer, sensory and command electronics, control multiple groups of painters in multiple pods of HVLP spraying with multiple coatings at multiple locations on a single large target, effectively multiplying the productivity and cost efficiency of the coating operation. There are many other possible variations of these preferred embodiments. Accordingly, any and all modifications, variations or equivalent arrangements which occur to those skilled in the art should be considered to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the claims that follow.
