MODULAR FLAT WETBLAST NOZZLE

Abstract

A modular flat wetblast nozzle. The nozzle includes: a slurry inlet chamber coupled to a slurry plate; an air inlet chamber coupled to an air plate; a mixing chamber formed between the slurry plate and air plate; and an air jet manifold removably mountable between the slurry plate and the air plate and configured to receive slurry from the slurry inlet chamber via the slurry plate and to receive air from the air inlet chamber via the air plate, and further configured to force the slurry and air into the mixing chamber to create a flattened mixture that is expelled between the slurry plate and air plate.

Claims

1. A modular flat wetblast nozzle, comprising: a slurry inlet chamber coupled to a slurry plate; an air inlet chamber coupled to an air plate; a mixing chamber formed between the slurry plate and air plate; and an air jet manifold removably mountable between the slurry plate and the air plate and configured to receive slurry from the slurry inlet chamber via the slurry plate and to receive air from the air inlet chamber via the air plate, and further configured to force the slurry and air into the mixing chamber to create a flattened mixture that is expelled between the slurry plate and air plate.

2. The nozzle of claim 1, further comprising a blast path side fitting positioned around the air jet manifold between the slurry plate and the air plate, wherein the blast path side fitting includes sidewalls configured to direct the flattened mixture out a blast path outlet.

3. The nozzle of claim 2, wherein the air jet manifold includes a lateral wall having a plurality of mini-nozzles for expelling air received from the air inlet chamber into the mixing chamber.

4. The nozzle of claim 3, wherein the air jet manifold further includes a partially enclosed surface region with an opening along the lateral wall for forcing slurry received from the slurry inlet chamber to the mixing chamber.

5. The nozzle of claim 4, wherein the mixing chamber formed adjacent to the lateral wall.

6. The nozzle of claim 5, wherein the slurry plate and air plate include beveled edges within the mixing chamber.

7. The nozzle of claim 3, wherein the air jet manifold further includes an internal air feed that receives air flow from an air channel in the air plate.

8. The nozzle of claim 4, wherein the partially enclosed surface region includes a lip that mates with the slurry plate about a slurry channel to form a slurry feed.

9. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the slurry inlet chamber includes a bypass fitting having a relief gap.

10. The nozzle of claim 3, further comprising a second air jet manifold, wherein second air jet manifold includes different sized mini-nozzles than the air jet manifold and is swappable with the air jet manifold.

11. A wetblast robot, comprising: a chamber for holding a workpiece; a robotic arm that moves within the chamber; and a flat wetblast nozzle connected to the robotic arm, wherein the flat wetblast nozzle includes: a slurry inlet chamber coupled to a slurry supply hose; an air inlet chamber coupled to an air supply hose; and an air jet manifold configured to receive slurry from the slurry inlet chamber via a slurry plate and to receive air from the air inlet chamber via an air plate, and to force the slurry and air into a mixing chamber to form a flattened mixture that is expelled between the slurry plate and air plate.

12. The robot of claim 11, further comprising a blast path side fitting positioned around the air jet manifold between the slurry plate and the air plate, wherein the blast path side fitting includes sidewalls configured to direct the flattened mixture out a blast path outlet.

13. The robot of claim 12, wherein the air jet manifold includes a lateral wall having a plurality of mini-nozzles for forcing air received from the air inlet chamber into the mixing chamber.

14. The robot of claim 13, wherein the air jet manifold further includes a partially enclosed surface region with an opening along the lateral wall for forcing slurry received from the slurry inlet chamber into the mixing chamber.

15. The robot of claim 14, wherein the slurry plate and air plate form the mixing chamber adjacent to the lateral wall.

16. The robot of claim 15, wherein the slurry plate and air plate include beveled edges within the mixing chamber.

17. The robot of claim 16, wherein the air jet manifold further includes an internal air feed that directs air flow from an air channel in the air plate to the mini-nozzles.

18. The robot of claim 14, wherein the partially enclosed surface region includes a lip that mates with the slurry plate about a slurry channel to form a slurry feed.

19. The robot of claim 11, wherein the slurry inlet chamber includes a bypass fitting having a relief gap.

20. The robot of claim 13, further comprising a second air jet manifold, wherein second air jet manifold includes different sized mini-nozzles than the air jet manifold and is swappable with the air jet manifold.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 shows a modular flat wetblast nozzle according to embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 2 depicts components of the nozzle according to embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 3 depicts further components of the nozzle according to embodiments.

[0012] FIGS. 4a and 4b show the nozzle being deployed in a robotic chamber according to embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 5 shows a cutaway view showing a bypass fitting according to embodiments.

[0014] The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] As noted, challenges exist in achieving a precision surface using wetblasting operations. For example, striped irregularities or the like can occur when processing surfaces such as glass, metal, ceramic, plastic, etc. The current approach to overcoming such irregularities when trying to achieve a highly precise and uniform finish is to provide a wide, i.e., flat, nozzle capable of wetblasting a wider path during each pass.

[0016] However, in various applications, a flat wetblast nozzle may need to make several passes when processing larger workpieces. To overcome irregularities such as striping in highly precise applications, the nozzle, slurry and associated settings may need to be fine-tuned using trial and error for the particular type of surface. Accordingly, a one size fits all approach is not practical as, e.g., different blast media sizes may require different nozzle specifications. Furthermore, different parts of the nozzle may wear out over time, requiring costly replacements or rebuilds.

[0017] The present flat wetblast nozzle addresses these challenges by providing a modular design in which components can be easily swapped out to achieve different specifications or to replace worn out parts. The result is a much more robust and cost-effective wetblast solution.

[0018] FIG. 1 depicts a side cut-away view of an illustrative flat wetblast nozzle 10. Nozzle 10 generally includes: a slurry inlet chamber 12 with an inlet port 13; a slurry plate 18 that includes a slurry channel 19; a blast path side fitting 24; an air plate 20 having an air channel 21 that connects to a compressed air inlet chamber 16; and an air jet manifold 22 having an slurry feed 39 and an air feed 37 configured to respectively receive slurry from slurry channel 19 and air from air channel 21. The slurry and air are forced from the manifold 22 and mixed in mixing chamber 23 using beveled surfaces 29 shown on the bottom of the slurry plate 18 and top of the air plate 20. The resulting mixture is expelled from the mixing chamber 23 to the blast path outlet 14 as a flattened mixture.

[0019] FIG. 2 depicts an exploded isometric view of the slurry inlet chamber 12, slurry plate 18, and blast path side fitting 24. Slurry plate 18 includes a slurry channel 19 that delivers slurry from slurry inlet chamber 12 to the air jet manifold 22 (FIG. 1). As shown, blast path side fitting 24 includes a pair of legs 27 that form a lateral channel that guides the flattened mixture outward between the slurry plate 18 and air plate 20 (not shown in FIG. 2-see FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0020] FIG. 3 depicts an exploded isometric view of the air jet manifold 22, air plate 20, and air inlet chamber 16. With continuing reference to FIG. 1, air jet manifold 22 includes a lateral wall 25 having a plurality of mini-nozzles 31 for forcing air received from the air inlet chamber 16 out into the mixing chamber 23. As shown in FIG. 1, air jet manifold 22 includes an internal air feed 37 that directs the air to the mini-nozzles 31. Air jet manifold 22 further includes a partially enclosed surface region 33 with an opening along the lateral wall 25 for forcing slurry received from the slurry inlet chamber 12 into the mixing chamber 23. Partially enclosed surface region 33 includes a lip 35 along three sides of region 33 that mate with the underside of slurry plate 18, creating a slurry feed 39 (as shown in FIG. 1) above the mini-nozzles 31. The air and slurry are expelled from air jet manifold 22 and mixed in the mixing chamber 23 as the two hit the beveled surfaces 29 in air plate 20 and slurry plate 18 (see FIG. 1). The resulting flattened mixture is then expelled to the blast path outlet 14.

[0021] In one aspect, the air jet manifold is removably mounted within the nozzle 10 so that different manifolds 22 can be swapped in/out for different applications. Note that the number and size of the mini-nozzles (i.e., holes) 31 in a given manifold 22 can be selected and installed for a particular application to achieve a specific result.

[0022] FIGS. 4a and 4b depict an image of nozzle 10 in a robotic chamber 40 connected to a slurry supply hose 26 and an air supply hose 28. As shown, the nozzle 10 is moved by a robot arm 30 and the wetblast is blasted downward onto a work surface from the nozzle 10 to wide blast a workpiece (not shown). Robot arm 30 is, e.g., part of an industrial robot that is managed by a set of robot controls.

[0023] FIG. 5 depicts a cut-away view of nozzle 10 cut along 5-5 of FIG. 4b. Nozzle 10 include a selectable bypass fitting 32 having a bypass or relief gap that helps control the flow of the blast. The size of the gap can be altered by selecting different fittings 32 to help fine tune the flow. Bypass fitting 32 can be threaded and screwed into a pipe connected to the slurry inlet chamber 12.

[0024] The modular flat wetblast nozzle 10 accordingly takes in slurry (i.e., a mixture of media and water) under pressure from a slurry pump, and then accelerates and atomizes the slurry with compressed air from the air inlet chamber 16 via the air jet manifold 22. The final mixture is forced out between the slurry plate 18 and the air plate 20 at high velocity with a consistent slurry air mixture distribution. The nozzle 10 can be manufactured in a variety of widths to accommodate different application requirements.

[0025] The nozzle is modular in that individual components such as the air jet manifold 22, slurry inlet chamber 12, bypass fittings 32, and/or other parts can be easily swapped to accommodate, e.g., a different blast media size, blast velocity, coverage requirements, etc. Further, as components wear out, individual components can be easily changed as well. Components may be connected to each other in any manner, e.g., via nuts and bolts, clamps, grooves, etc., and the nozzle 10 can be manufactured from a variety of materials based on weight requirements, durability, lifespan etc.

[0026] The foregoing description of various aspects of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to an individual in the art are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.