Spray booth

A paint spray booth comprising, in combination an enclosure having side and top walls defining therein a spray painting chamber, an air inlet in one side of said chamber and an air outlet in the other side of said chamber, means for drawing air through said inlet and said chamber and discharging it through said outlet, substantially vertical wall means in said enclosure between said chamber and said outlet extending from side wall to side wall and from top to bottom thereof, said vertical wall means including a plurality of longitudinally spaced sets of vertically extending laterally spaced baffles plates, the baffles plates of the first set having broad front faces exposed to said chamber and forming a rear wall for said chamber against which spray painting operations may be performed, the baffle plates of said first set being mounted closely adjacent to define narrow vertical slits between said plates for escape of air from said chamber, the baffle plates of each succeeding set being staggered relative to the plates of the preceding set with each plate of each succeeding set being aligned with and laterally broader than the respective one of the spaces between the plates of the preceding set and spaced slightly rearwardly therefrom so as to cause air passing through said sets of plates to be diverted into tortuous paths around the plates of each set, an oil reservoir in said enclosure beneath said baffle plates, oil in said reservoir the level of which is spaced below the lower ends of said baffle plates, means between the lower ends of said baffle plates and the oil in said reservoir for preventing passage of air below said baffle plates and for constraining the air to pass through said sets of baffles plates, means for pumping oil from said reservoir to the upper ends of the baffle plates of at least the first and second sets for gravitationally flowing a flim of oil uniformly over the front faces of the baffle plates of the first and second sets, whereby particles of paint sprayed against the baffle plates of the first set and carried in the air passage through the slits between the baffle plates of the first set are entrained in the oil and flushed thereby into the reservoir, the baffle plates of the first set having the broad front faces thereof in substantially a common plane and having the side edges thereof bent rearwardly toward the baffle plates of said second set, the baffle plates of said second set having a central concave portion aligned with the slits between the baffle plates of the first set for receiving the flowing film of oil and for catching and retaining oil and paint particles passing thereto from said first set of plates, and a third set of baffle plates rearwardly of said second set to which oil is not supplied, the baffle plates of said third set having the side edges thereof bent forwardly into spaced generally parallel relation with the side edges of the respective plates of the second set for catching and retaining oil and paint particles passing thereto from said second set, the longitudinal spacing between successive sets of baffle plates being progressively smaller so as to cause a progressive increase in the velocity of the air passing through the successive rows of the baffle plates to increase the air scouring action threreof, the spacing of said baffle plates above the oil level causing the oil flowing over said baffle plates to be returned to said reservoir with a free fall from the lower edges of said baffle plates to the level of the oil in the reservoir whereby to cause the entrained particles to penetrate the surface of the oil and become immersed therein to sink to the bottom of the reservoir.

A paint spray booth comprising, in combination, an enclosure having side and top walls defining therein a spray painting chamber, an air inlet in one side of said chamber and an air outlet in the other side of said chamber, means for drawing air through said inlet and said chamber and discharging it through said outlet, substantially vertical wall means in said enclosure between said chamber and said outlet extending from sidewall to sidewall and from top to bottom thereof, said vertical wall means including a plurality of longitudinally spaced sets of vertically extending laterally spaced baffle plates, the baffle plates of the first set having broad front faces exposed to said chamber and forming a rear wall for said chamber against which spray painting operations may be performed, the baffle plates of said first set being mounted closely adjacent to define narrow vertical slits between said plates for escape of air from said chamber, the baffle plates of each succeeding set being staggered relative to the plates of the preceding set with each plate of each succeeding set being aligned with and laterally broader than a respective one of the spaces between the plates of the preceding set and spaced slightly rearwardly therefrom so as to cause air passing through said sets of plates to be diverted into tortuous paths around the plates of each set, the sets of baffle plates succeeding said first set being shorter than the first set and suspended therebehind by an imperforate web coextensive with the upper protions of the baffle plates of the first set, an oil reservoir in said enclosure beneath said baffle plates, oil in said reservoir, means for pumping oil from said reservoir to the upper ends of the baffle plates of at least the first and second sets for gravitationally flowing a film of oil uniformly over the front faces of the baffle plates of the first and second sets, whereby particles of paint sprayed against the baffle plates of the first set and carried in the air passing through the slits between the baffle plates of the first set are entrained in the oil and flushed thereby into the reservoir, the oil flowing over said baffle plates being returned to said reservoir for recirculation over said plates.