Powder dispensing device with a dilute phase powder pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12350697-B2
Application number	US-201917291965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

A powder discharge device includes a powder thin flow pump for delivering powder, particularly coating powder, from a powder reservoir to a powder spray device, with a control device being integrated in the powder discharge device, which control device is designed to adjust at least one parameter, which is characterizing in relation to a spray coating process performed with the powder spray device and/or in relation to a powder delivery performed with the powder thin flow pump, the control device forming a structural unit with the powder thin flow pump.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A powder dispensing device comprising:
a dilute phase powder pump for conveying powder from a powder reservoir to a powder spraying device; and
a control device integrated into the powder dispensing device, configured to set at least one parameter which is characterizing with respect to a spray coating process effected with the powder spraying device and/or with respect to powder conveyance effected with the dilute phase powder pump, wherein the control device forms a structural unit with the dilute phase powder pump,
wherein the control device is realized as a control module and comprises a compressed air control with a central compressed air connection via which compressed air can be supplied to the compressed air control from an external compressed air source, wherein the compressed air control has at least one compressed air outlet for providing the compressed air used by the dilute phase powder pump for conveying powder, and wherein the compressed air control is configured to be adjusted by setting of a target powder conveying parameter by at least one of the group consisting of: a manually actuatable parameter setting element; external control signals provided on a communication bus of the control device; and a memory device storing a plurality of spray coating programs each having at least one respective adjustable parameter, to set a volume of compressed air provided via the at least one compressed air outlet per unit of time for conveying powder,
wherein the at least one compressed air outlet of the compressed air control comprises a first compressed air outlet for providing conveying air used by the dilute phase powder pump for conveying powder and a second compressed air outlet for providing supplementary air used by the dilute phase powder pump for conveying powder, wherein the compressed air control is configured to set volumes of the conveying air/supplementary air provided via the first and second compressed air outlet by the dilute phase powder pump per unit of time for conveying the powder,
wherein the dilute phase powder pump is realized as a pump module and comprises a powder-conveying injector having a drive nozzle and a collecting nozzle, wherein the collecting nozzle of the powder-conveying injector includes a collecting channel distanced axially opposite the drive nozzle of the powder-conveying injector, wherein the powder-conveying injector includes a first compressed air connection via which the conveying air can be supplied to the drive nozzle and a second compressed air connection via which the supplementary air can be supplied to the powder-conveying injector, wherein the first compressed air connection is fluidly connected to the first compressed air outlet of the control device realized as a control module and the second compressed air connection is fluidly connected to the second compressed air outlet of the control device realized as a control module,
wherein the dilute phase powder pump realized as a pump module comprises a powder inlet via which the powder from the powder reservoir can be supplied to the dilute phase powder pump realized as a pump module, and wherein the dilute phase powder pump realized as a pump module comprises at least one pinch valve which is actuatable by the control device which is arranged in a flow path between the powder inlet of the dilute phase powder pump realized as a pump module and a powder inlet of the drive nozzle for selectively interrupting a fluidic connection between the powder inlet of the dilute phase powder pump realized as a pump module and the powder inlet of the drive nozzle, and
wherein the dilute phase powder pump realized as a pump module has a compressed air inlet device via which compressed air can be supplied to the powder inlet of the drive nozzle of the powder-conveying injector, wherein the compressed air inlet device is arranged in a flow path between the at least one pinch valve and the powder inlet of the drive nozzle of the powder-conveying injector.

2. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to set at least one of the parameters listed below and characterizing a spray coating operation effected in respect of the powder spraying device:
an electrode spray current of one or more high-voltage electrodes of the powder spraying device;
a voltage on one or more high-voltage electrodes of the powder spraying device;
a volume of electrode purge air to be supplied to the powder spraying device per unit of time; and
a volume of shaping air to be supplied to the powder spraying device per unit of time;
and/or wherein the control device is configured to set at least one of the parameters listed below and characterizing a powder conveyance effected in respect of the powder dispensing device:
an amount of powder to be conveyed by the powder dispensing device per unit of time; and
a volume of compressed conveying air to be conveyed together with the powder per unit of time.

3. The powder dispensing device according to claim 2 , wherein the control device comprises the at least one manually actuatable parameter setting element for setting a target parameter value for the at least one parameter which is characteristic with respect to a spray coating process effected with the powder spraying device and/or with respect to powder conveyance effected with the powder dispensing device.

4. The powder dispensing device according to claim 3 , wherein the control device comprises an optical display unit for displaying the at least one set target parameter value and/or for displaying a corresponding actual parameter value.

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 configured to set a volume of compressed fluidizing air to be supplied to the fluidizing device per unit of time, and wherein the control device in particular comprises the at least one manually actuatable parameter setting element for setting a target value for the volume of compressed fluidizing air to be supplied to the fluidizing device per unit of time.

6. The powder dispensing device according to claim 3 , wherein the control device comprises an interface connection for leading out the communication bus of the control device configured to set the at least one parameter via remote control and/or to communicate the at least one set target parameter value to the processing unit.

7. The powder dispensing device according to claim 6 , wherein the interface connection has a parallel or serial interface and/or wherein the communication bus is configured as a field bus system.

8. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device configured to effect spray coating procedures, wherein the control device comprises the memory device storing the plurality of spray coating programs that contain at least one respective adjustable parameter, wherein the control device has the at least one manually actuatable parameter setting element for setting a target parameter value of the at least one adjustable parameter, and wherein the control device in particular further comprises an optical display unit for automatically displaying the at least one set target parameter value.

9. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the compressed air control has a third compressed air outlet for providing compressed air for spraying powder as electrode purge air, shaping air and/or compressed conveying air, wherein the compressed air control is configured to set the volume of the compressed air provided via the third compressed air outlet per unit of time for spraying powder.

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Assignees

• Gema Switzerland Gmbh

Inventors

• Tobler Roger
• Sanwald Marco
• Mauchle Felix

Classifications

• B05B5/1683

  specially adapted for particulate materials · CPC title

• B05B5/0533

  Electrodes specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of electrodes · CPC title

• B05B5/032 Primary

  for spraying particulate materials · CPC title

• B05B7/1472 Primary

  Powder extracted from a powder container in a direction substantially opposite to gravity by a suction device dipped into the powder · CPC title