Method and apparatus for removing paint overspray
OwnerJack R. Bratteninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for removing paint overspray suspended in air exhausted from a paint spray booth, in which the exhausted air is drawn through a conveyor-carried bed of small diameter beads or granules of plastic or other material allowing only a mild adherence of the paint to their surfaces upon drying. The paint overspray is removed from the air by being deposited on the surfaces of the beads as the air passes through the beads and paint is subsequently rapidly dried on the bead surfaces in a drying chamber. The paint carrying beads are then mechanically agitated to dislodge the dried paint to clean the beads for reuse, and the dislodged paint particles are separated from the cleaned beads for collection and disposal.
Claims16
A process for removing paint overspray suspended in air comprising the steps of:
- forming a bed of beads of material to which said paint will be adherent thereto when dried but readily allow substantially complete dislodging soley by mechanical agitation of the beads;
- circulating said paint carrying air through said bed of beads to cause deposition of said paint on the surfaces of said beads in said bed;
- drying the paint deposited on the beads to form a solid deposit of dried paint on the surface of said beads;
- subsequently mechanically agitating said beads after completion of said drying step said step of mechanically agitating said beads carried out in the absence of any substantial heating of said dried paint carrying beads to substantially completely loosen and dislodge said dried paint from said bead surfaces solely by said mechanically agitating said beads;
- and
- separating said dislodged paint from said beads.
Apparatus for removing suspended paint from overspray in a paint spray booth comprising:
- a grating positioned below said spray booth;
- a conveyor positioned below said spray booth;
- means for forming a bed of coarse granules on the upper surface of said conveyor and below said grating, said granules having a characteristic such that said paint will be deposited thereon and said granules formed of material to be only mildly adherent to said paint upon drying of said paint, and being of a sufficient mass so as to be able to be readily and substantially completely loosened and dislodged solely by mechanical agitation thereof and due to said mile adherence thereto;
- means for drawing air from said spray booth through said bed of granules at a first location on said conveyor to cause said paint to be deposited thereon;
- said conveyor extending from said first location to a second location;
- drying chamber means at said second location adapted to cause paint on said granules to be substantially completely dried to form a layer of substantially completely dried paint on said granules;
- means for periodically advancing said conveyor to cause a section of said bed of granules to be advanced from said first location to said second location;
- agitator means receiving said granules after passing through said drying chamber means for mechanically agitating said granules after said paint has been dried thereon in the absence of any substantially heating of said granules to cause said substantially complete loosening and dislodging of said dried paint solely by said mechanical agitating and,
- separator means for separating said granular material from said dislodged paint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.