Rotary bell cup atomizer with auxiliary turbine and vortex shaping air generator

Apparatus for coating a substrate comprising:

• a rotatable bell cup coating applicator affixed to the distal end of a rotatable main drive shaft driven by a main turbine, and including
• a source of supply of coating material, wherein
• said main drive shaft has an axial conduit therethrough for supplying coating material from said source to and through said main drive shaft and into said bell cup for spraying said coating material onto said substrate upon actuation of rotation of said main drive shaft, including
• multiple pressurized air sources and air passageways formed within and through said apparatus to convey air to and through said apparatus, including
• a first source of pressurized air for driving said main turbine,
• a second source of pressurized air for creating and directing a first curtain of shaping air circumferentially, axially and externally about said bell cup to envelop, control and shape the diameter and pattern of said coating material sprayed from said bell cup, this first curtain of shaping air being formed by air conveyed from said second source of pressurized air and channeled through passageways in said apparatus to and through a first plurality of axially oriented nozzles positioned circumferentially adjacent to and around the outer edge of said bell cup, to form said first curtain of shaping air,
• and also including
• a second, hollow, independently rotatable drive shaft mounted on, radially and externally of, and being concentric with, said main drive shaft, said second drive shaft being driven by a second, auxiliary turbine,
• and including
• a third source of pressurized air for driving said auxiliary turbine, said auxiliary turbine being driven and controlled independently and separately from said main turbine,
• and further including
• a fourth source of air for creating a second curtain of shaping air circumferentially, axially and externally about said bell cup to further control and shape the diameter and pattern of said coating material sprayed from said bell cup, this second curtain of shaping air being formed by said air conveyed from said fourth source of pressurized air and channeled through passageways in said apparatus to and through a second plurality of axially oriented nozzles positioned circumferentially adjacent to and around the outer edge of said bell cup and in immediate proximity to said first plurality of nozzles, thereby, in operation on actuation of said turbines, forming said second curtain of shaping air, the apparatus also including
• a vortex generator mounted on said second drive shaft proximate the distal end of said second drive shaft adjacent the outer surface of said bell cup, the vortex generator having an annular shape with an inner surface extending along and generally mirroring the outer surface of the adjacent bell cup, said vortex generator being rotatable within a gap provided between said bell cup and said vortex generator, said vortex generator having a distal edge extending to near proximity with the spray edge of said adjacent bell cup and having a plurality of shaped vanes affixed thereto and therearound proximate said distal edge of said vortex generator and extending perpendicularly and outwardly therefrom, said vanes configured with respect to said second plurality of nozzles such that in operation, said second curtain of shaping air exiting from said second plurality of nozzles is directed to, impacts and passes between said vanes, is deflected by said vanes, and is mixed with said first curtain of shaping air emerging from said adjacent first plurality of nozzles, the mixed first and second curtains of shaping air thereby producing a final, mixed applied curtain of shaping air for ultimately controlling the pattern of said coating sprayed onto said substrate.