Powder-dispensing device and powder-coating installation for spraying articles with a powder coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406544-B2
Application number	US-201515501389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2015
Priority date	Aug 4, 2014
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A powder-dispensing device in the form of a dense-phase powder pump or of a powder injector is provided to deliver coating powder from a powder reservoir to a powder-spraying device. To make the spray coating operation easier for the customer and to be able to make it more cost-effective, without having to compromise on good coating quality and good coating efficiency, a control device is integrated in the powder-dispensing device or is connected, in particular directly, to the powder-dispensing device and is designed to establish at least one parameter that is characteristic of a spray coating procedure carried out with the powder-coating device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A powder-dispensing device in the form of a dense phase powder pump or a powder injector for conveying coating powder from a powder reservoir to a powder-spraying device, wherein the powder-dispensing device comprises:
a control device integrated into the powder-dispensing device and being configured to set at least one parameter which is characteristic in respect of a spray coating process effected with the powder-spraying device;
wherein the control device is further configured to perform spray coating processes, wherein the control device comprises a storage device having a plurality of spray coating programs, wherein each spray coating program has at least one respective adjustable parameter, wherein the control device comprises at least one manually operable parameter adjuster element for setting a parameter target value for the at least one adjustable parameter, and wherein the control device comprises a visual display unit for automatically displaying the at least one set parameter target value;
wherein the control device is further designed to set at least one parameter which is characteristic in respect of a powder conveyance effected with the powder-dispensing device; and
wherein the at least one manually operable parameter adjuster element is further configured for setting a parameter target value for the at least one characteristic parameter of the powder conveyance effected with the powder-dispensing device.

2. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control device is designed to set at least one of the following parameters characteristic of a spray coating process effected with the powder-spraying device:
an electrode spray current of one or more high-voltage electrodes of the powder-spraying device;
a high voltage at one or more high-voltage electrodes of the powder-spraying device;
a volume of electrode flushing air supplied to the powder-spraying device per unit of time;
a volume of shaping air to be supplied to the powder-spraying device per unit of time;
an amount of coating powder to be supplied to the powder-spraying device per unit of time; and
a volume of compressed conveying air to be supplied to the powder-spraying device together with the coating powder per unit of time.

3. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control device is designed to set at least one of the following parameters characteristic of a powder conveyance effected with the powder-dispensing device:
an amount of coating powder to be conveyed by the powder-dispensing device per unit of time; and
a volume of compressed conveying air to be conveyed with the coating powder per unit of time.

4. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the visual display unit is designed for automatically displaying the at least one set parameter target value for the at least one characteristic parameter of the powder conveyance effected with the powder-dispensing device.

5. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the powder reservoir is provided with a fluidizing device, and wherein the control device is further designed to set a volume of compressed fluidizing air supplied to the fluidizing device per unit of time.

6. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the at least one manually operable adjuster element is further configured for setting a target value for the volume of compressed fluidizing air supplied to the fluidizing device per unit of time.

7. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control device further comprises an interface connection as a lead for a communication bus of the control device designed to set the at least one parameter via a remote control and/or to communicate the at least one set parameter target value to a remote processing unit.

8. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the interface connection has a parallel or serial interface, and/or
wherein the communication bus is designed as a field bus system.

9. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the powder-dispensing device is designed in the form of a dense phase powder pump having at least one feed chamber provided with a powder intake valve and a powder outlet valve, and wherein the control device is designed to generate control signals in order to repeatedly implement the following a) to d) operating cycle:
a) generating a negative pressure in the feed chamber to suck coating powder in the feed chamber through the open powder intake valve while the powder outlet valve is closed;
b) closing the powder intake valve and opening the powder outlet valve;
c) introducing compressed gas into the feed chamber to dispense the coating powder out of the feed chamber through the open powder outlet valve while the powder intake valve is closed; and
d) closing the powder outlet valve and opening the powder intake valve,

wherein the control device is further designed to produce a control signal at cycle step a) or when switching from cycle step d) to cycle step a) in order to generate the negative pressure in the feed chamber.

10. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control device is further designed to set at least one parameter which is characteristic in respect of a flushing effected in a purging operation.

11. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the control device is designed to set at least one of the following parameters characteristic in respect of a flushing effected in a purging operation:
a volume of compressed flushing air supplied to the powder-dispensing device per unit of time;
a volume of compressed flushing air supplied to the powder-spraying device per unit of time;
a frequency of pulsed compressed flushing air supplied to the powder-dispensing device per unit of time;
a frequency of pulsed compressed flushing air supplied to the powder-spraying device per unit of time.

12. The powder-dispensing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control device further comprises a regulating device to regulate an electric spray current which flows from a high-voltage electrode of the powder-spraying device with the coating powder to be sprayed onto an object to be coated by the powder-spraying device to the object to be coasted, wherein the control device further comprises a spray current measurement circuit to automatically measure the spray current, and wherein the control device is designed to counter an increase in current by a decrease in voltage, and wherein the control device further comprises a current limiter and a high-voltage limiter each at a preset value.

13. A powder-dispensing device in the form of a dense phase powder pump or a powder injector for conveying coating powder from a powder reservoir to a powder-spraying device, wherein the powder-dispensing device comprises:
a control device immediately physically connected to the powder-dispensing device being configured to set at least one parameter which is characteristic in respect of a spray coating process effected with the powder-spraying device;
wherein the control device is further configured to perform spray coating processes, wherein the control device comprises a storage device having a plurality of spray coating programs, wherein each spray coating program has at least one respective adjustable parameter, wherein the control device comprises at least one manually operable parameter adjuster element for setting a parameter target value for the at least one adjustable parameter, and wherein the control device comprises a visual display uni

Assignees

• Gema Switzerland Gmbh

Inventors

• Mauchle Felix

Classifications

• B65G53/04

  Conveying materials in bulk pneumatically through pipes or tubes; Air slides · CPC title

• B05B7/1459 Primary

  comprising a chamber, inlet and outlet valves upstream and downstream the chamber and means for alternately sucking particulate material into and removing particulate material from the chamber through the valves (conveying material in bulk by using a combination of gas pressure and suction B65G53/28; pumps in general F04B; apparatus for repeatedly measuring and separating a predetermined volume of fluent solid material from a supply or container G01F11/00) · CPC title

• B65G53/34

  Details · CPC title

• B65G53/28

  Systems utilising a combination of gas pressure and suction (inducing feed of the materials by suction in gas pressure systems B65G53/14) · CPC title

• B05C11/1002

  Means for controlling supply, i.e. flow or pressure, of liquid or other fluent material to the applying apparatus, e.g. valves · CPC title