Powder container for a powder coating station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589302-B2
Application number	US-201515526745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a powder container for supplying coating powder to a powder coating station. The powder container includes a powder compartment for coating powder, the powder compartment being delimited by side walls, one of which is provided with an outlet port via which the powder compartment is or can be fluidically connected to an inlet of a powder deposition system. The effective flow cross-section of the fluid connection between the outlet port and the inlet of the powder deposition system can be variably adjusted.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising a powder coating system, a powder separation system, and a powder container configured to supply coating powder to the powder coating system,
wherein the powder container comprises a powder chamber for coating powder delimited by side walls,
wherein at least one powder inlet opening is provided in a side wall of the powder chamber,
wherein an outlet opening is provided in an opposing side wall of the powder container via which the powder chamber is configured to be fluidly connected to an inlet of the powder separation system,
wherein an effective flow cross section of a fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system is configured to be variably adjustable,
wherein one or more controllers are further provided,
wherein a first controller of the one or more controllers is configured to regulate the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system as a function of an operating mode of the powder coating system or powder container, and
wherein:
the first controller is configured to increase the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system when the operating mode of the powder coating system or powder container changes from a powder-coating mode to a cleaning mode by controlling a valve or gate provided in the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system; and/or
the first controller is configured to reduce the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system when the operating mode of the powder coating system or powder container changes from a cleaning mode to a powder-coating mode by controlling the valve or gate provided in the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system.

2. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a second controller of the one or more controllers is configured to regulate the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system as a function of an amount of compressed air supplied to the powder container per unit of time by a compressed air source, the effective flow cross section being regulated by controlling the valve or gate provided in the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system.

3. The system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second controller is configured to increase the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system when the amount of compressed air supplied to the powder container per unit of time exceeds a predetermined value; and/or
wherein the second controller is configured to reduce the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system when the amount of compressed air supplied to the powder container per unit of time falls below a predetermined value.

4. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a pressure sensor system is further provided for measuring a resultant pressure in the powder container.

5. The system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first controller is further configured to regulate the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system as a function of a detected pressure such that the detected pressure value does not exceed a predetermined pressure value, the effective flow cross section being regulated by controlling the valve or gate provided in the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system.

6. The system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the pressure sensor system is further configured to determine a difference between the pressure in the powder container and a pressure at the inlet of the powder separation system, and wherein the first controller is configured to regulate the effective flow cross section of the fluidic connection between the outlet opening and the inlet of the powder separation system as a function of the pressure difference determined such that a determined pressure value does not exceed or fall short of a predetermined pressure value.

7. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a controllable gate is further provided to selectively form a fluidic connection between the outlet opening and external atmosphere.

8. The system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the gate comprises a Y-piece which is fluidly connectable on one side to the powder chamber via the outlet opening provided in the side wall of the powder container and which is selectively connected on the other side to external atmosphere or to the inlet of the powder separation system.

9. The system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the gate comprises at least one valve mechanism for selectively disconnecting the fluidic connection between the powder chamber and the external atmosphere or the inlet of the powder separation system respectively, wherein the valve mechanism comprises at least one pneumatically controllable valve.

10. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fluidizing device for introducing fluidizing compressed air into the powder chamber, wherein the powder chamber comprises at least one fluidizing compressed air outlet having an outlet opening for discharging the fluidizing compressed air introduced into the powder chamber.

11. The system according to claim 10 ,
wherein the outlet opening of the fluidizing compressed air outlet is identical to the outlet opening provided in a side wall of the powder container.

12. The system according to claim 10 ,
wherein the at least one fluidizing compressed air outlet comprises a first vent line which is connectable to a riser tube external of the powder container in order to prevent a discharge of powder from the powder chamber during the powder-coating mode of the powder coating system.

13. The system according to claim 12 ,
wherein the at least one fluidizing compressed air outlet comprises a second vent line which is connectable on one side to the outlet opening of the fluidizing compressed air outlet and discharges on the other side into a suction funnel of an exhaust system.

14. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the powder separation system comprises at least one cyclone separator for the coarse separation of powder from an air/powder mixture supplied to the cyclone separator, wherein the outlet of the at least one cyclone separator is connected or connectable to the inlet of at least one afterfilter device.

15. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the powder chamber has a volume of 30 to 150 liters.

16. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one powder outlet is provided in a bottom wall of the powder container which can be opened by a pinch valve in order to selectively remove coating powder from the powder chamber by the force of gravity.

17. A system comprising a powder coating system, a powder separation system, and a powder container configured to supply coating powder to the powder coating system,
wherein the powder container comprises a powder chamber for coating powder delimited by side walls,
wherein an opening able to be closed by a cover is provided in an upper side wall delimiting

Assignees

• Gema Switzerland Gmbh

Inventors

• Mauchle Felix
• Dos Reis Paulo

Classifications

• B05B14/48

  specially adapted for particulate material · CPC title

• B05B7/1454

  comprising means for supplying collected oversprayed particulate material (spray booth with arrangements for collecting oversprayed material B05B14/40) · CPC title

• B05B14/43

  by filtering the air charged with excess material · CPC title

• B05C19/008

  Accessories or implements for use in connection with applying particulate materials to surfaces; not provided elsewhere in B05C19/00 · CPC title

• B05B14/45

  using cyclone separators · CPC title