Tapered Paint Filter

A filter for a spray coating system, the filter comprising:

• (a) a housing including at least first, second, third, and fourth peripheral sidewalls having an inlet opening on a first side and an outlet opening on a second, opposite side of the housing, the inlet and outlet openings providing substantially no resistance to a flow of gas along a flow path extending through the housing from the inlet opening to the outlet opening;
• (b) at least first and second substantially planar panels disposed within the peripheral sidewall between the inlet and outlet openings, the panels being interconnected together with the panels in a non-parallel relationship, wherein each of the panels has openings formed therethrough to provide substantially no resistance to the flow of gas, wherein the first panel has at least first and third tabs extending from opposite first panel ends and the second panel has at least second and fourth tabs extending from opposite second panel ends, wherein the first panel is disposed at a predetermined angle relative to the second panel;
• (c) a filtration media disposed adjacent to the at least first and second panels and extending at least between the opposite first and second panel ends;
• (d) a first end cap disposed within the housing adjacent and substantially parallel to the first housing sidewall, the first end cap having at least first and second slots spaced from one another, the first slot receiving the first tab extending from the first panel and the second slot receiving the second tab extending from the second panel, for maintaining the first panel at the predetermined angle relative to the second panel;
• (e) a second end cap disposed within the housing adjacent and substantially parallel to the second housing sidewall at an opposite end of the first and second panels from the first end cap, the second end cap having at least third and fourth slots spaced from one another, the third slot receiving the third tab from the first panel and the fourth slot receiving the fourth tab from the second panel, for maintaining the first panel at the predetermined angle relative to the second panel;
• and
• (f) at least a first layer of filtration material mounted to at least the first end cap, the first layer of filtration material extending across at least the first and second slots and attaching to a surface of the first end cap that faces the second end cap, wherein the first and second tabs received by the first and second slots extend through openings in the first layer of filtration material that align with the corresponding first and second slots, and wherein the first layer of filtration material is disposed between the first end cap and corresponding ends of the first and second panels.