Apparatus and method for applying dry colorant to wood particulate material
OwnerGary M. Bardos, Larry C. Burkholderinventors
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Abstract
An apparatus, method of producing, method of operation and method of construction for producing a decoratively colored finish ground wood material includes providing a hopper adjacent a conveyor mechanism for maintaining and dispensing dry colorant onto a primary ground wood material. Further, providing and arranging a liquid dispensing mechanism adjacent an opening of a receptacle of a communition apparatus and dispensing liquid to wet the coated primary ground wood material. Lastly, grinding the wetted primary ground wood material with the comminution apparatus into a finish ground material of a lesser size than the primary ground wood material.
Claims18
A method of operating a comminution system having a dry colorant application system, the comminution system being capable of grinding wood material through the use of a hammer mill which is rotatable about an axis and maintained in a housing adjacent one opening in a chamber, said chamber having another opening for introducing the wood material prior to its being ground, the comminution system having a conveyor mechanism for transporting the ground wood material to a desired location, wherein the method of operation comprises:
- providing a hopper for maintaining dry colorant and having an opening for dispensing the dry colorant from the container and onto a primary ground wood material of an initial size;
- maintaining the hopper adjacent the conveyor mechanism;
- filling the hopper with dry colorant and disbursing the dry colorant from the hopper onto the primary ground wood material transferring along the conveyor mechanism;
- reintroducing the primary ground wood material to said chamber and arranging a water spigot adjacent said one opening of said chamber for operable connection with a source of fluid and dispensing the fluid into said chamber and wetting the primary ground wood material with dry colorant thereon;
- and
- rotating said hammer mill and further grinding the wetted ground wood material with the hammer mill providing a finish ground material of a lesser size than the primary ground material whereupon the wetted colorant is impregnated within the finish ground material to alter the visual appearance of the primary ground wood material to take on the desired decorative color of the finish ground material.
A method for grinding and coloring ground wood material utilizing comminution apparatus having at least one wood accommodating chamber with chip grinder elements, comprising:
- grinding wood material to provide primary ground wood material of an initial size;
- conveying said primary ground wood material along a path;
- dispensing dry colorant substantially uniformly onto said primary ground wood material as it is being conveyed;
- transferring said primary ground wood material with said dry colorant coated thereon into said chamber of the comminution apparatus;
- wetting the coated primary ground wood material in said chamber;
- and
- at the same time, further grinding the wetted and coated primary ground wood material to produce a decoratively colored finish ground wood material of lesser finished size than the initial primary ground wood material.
A method of constructing a multiple step wood grinding and chip colorant system comprising:
- a. providing a grinder system having primary chipping and secondary chip size reducing capability and incorporating housing structure for rotatable chipper elements including an exit conveyor mechanism;
- b. providing a hopper for dry colorant located to dispense dry colorant to wood chips exiting said grinder system on said exit conveyor mechanism to coat primary ground wood chips with dry colorant;
- c. providing a conveying mechanism introducing the coated wood chips to said grinder system;
- and
- d. providing a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing a liquid in a controlled stream to said housing structure onto said coated wood chips while said chipper elements reduce said coated wood chips in size in a size reducing operation and thoroughly impregnate them with wetted dry colorant during said reducing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.