Rotary atomizer cup

A rotary atomizer cup for atomizing coating material, comprising:

• a rotatable cup body including a wall having an outer surface and an inner flow surface having a forward end which terminates at an atomizing lip, said cup body being adapted to receive coating material which flows in a forward direction along said inner flow surface toward said atomizing lip;
• a plurality of ribs each extending outwardly from said inner flow surface and having a forwardmost end spaced upstream from said atomizing lip, said ribs being spaced from one another to divide the coating material flowing along said inner flow surface into individual streams of coating material, said individual streams being discharged from between adjacent ribs and flowing to said atomizing lip to form atomized particles of coating material.

Apparatus for atomizing coating material, comprising:

• a housing carrying a motor;
• a cup body carried by said housing and rotatably driven by said motor, said cup body including a wall having an outer surface and an inner flow surface which terminates at an atomizing lip, said cup body being adapted to receive coating material which flows along said inner flow surface toward said atomizing lip;
• a plurality of ribs each extending outwardly from said inner flow surface, said ribs being spaced from one another to divide the coating material flowing along said inner flow surface into a number of individual streams, said individual streams of coating material being discharged from said atomizing lip of said cup body to form atomized particles of coating material.

A method of atomizing coating material, comprising:

• directing coating material along the inner surface of a rotating atomizing cup toward an atomizing lip of the cup;
• dividing the coating material into individual streams at a location upstream from said atomizing lip and directing said individual streams onto a blow area along said inner surface of said atomizing cup between said upstream location and said atomizing lip where centrifugal force created by said atomizing cup at least partially flattens said individual streams;
• discharging said at least partially flattened individual streams from said atomizing lip to form atomized particles of coating material.

A method of atomizing coating material, comprising:

• directing coating material into spaces between a number of ribs extending outwardly from the inner surface of a rotating atomizing cup to form a number of individual streams of coating material;
• transmitting the individual streams toward the atomizing lip of the cup so that the individual streams are subjected to centrifugal force created by the rotating atomizing cup at a location outside of the space between adjacent ribs;
• discharging said individual streams from the atomizing lip of the cup to form atomized particles of coating material.

A rotary atomizer cup for atomizing coating material comprising:

• a rotatable cup body including a wall having an outer surface and an inner flow surface which terminates at an atomizing lip, said cup body being adapted to receive coating material which flows along said inner flow surface toward said atomizing lip;
• a plurality of ribs each extending outwardly from said inner flow surface, said ribs being spaced from one another to divide the coating material flowing along said inner flow surface into a number of individual streams, each of said ribs terminating upstream from said atomizing lip forming a space therebetween where said individual streams are not confined by adjacent ribs and along which said individual streams are at least partially flattened while remaining divided from one another, said at least partially flattened individual streams of coating material being discharged from said atomizing lip of said cup body to form atomized particles of coating material.