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AssigneeBinks Manufacturing Company
InventorsSteve E. Telchuk, Leslie H. Brown
Estimating the term…
A paint spray booth apparatus and method, particularly for automated paint applications, is illustrated and disclosed. The booth has a spray painting chamber and a plenum thereabove. Unlike prior art booths, the plenum of the present invention provides air flow only where needed to control overspray, and generally the plenum is only 60%, or less, in width or cross-section than the prior art, full ceiling width plenums. In carrying out the method of the present invention air is supplied from the plenum to the spray painting chamber only where needed to control overspray so that consequently the quantity of air utilized is substantially less than in prior art booths with air flow from their full width plenums. In certain booths where painting occurs on both sides of the booth, it is advantageous to provide the plenum in the form of two or dual plenums, each offset from the center of the booth.
In an automated paint spray booth using air flow and water flow and subsequently cleaning with the water flow the paint laden air created during spray painting an article, the booth having a spray painting chamber with a ceiling, a length and a floor area, and at least one automated spray painting machine therein, the improvement comprising means for moving air into said spray painting chamber at a total volume of 75, or less, cubic feet per minute per square foot of booth floor area and high velocity of 300, or more, feet per minute, plenum means located above and in communication with said means for moving air and said spray painting chamber for supplying substantially the total air flow into said spray painting chamber, said plenum means having a total cross-sectional area of 25l%, or less, of the cross-sectional area of the said spray painting chamber to maintain the high velocity of the air flow therein before and after it leaves said plenum means and enters said spray painting chamber, said plenum means having a total width substantially 60%, or less, than the width of said spray painting chamber, means for controlling air flow from said plenum means substantially into said spray painting chamber for permitting air flow into first portions of said spray painting chamber only where painting occurs and overspray is generated to control the overspray and for substantially reducing air flow from said plenum means into other portions of said spray painting chamber where no spray painting occurs and no overspray is generated, single washer means for cleaning all said air flow and overspray discharged from said spray painting chamber with water flow, said water flow being 50, or less gallons, per minute per lineal foot of the booth floor length, whereby through the quantity of air supplied to the plenum means and spray painting chamber is 75, or less, cubic feet per minute per square foot of booth floor area, the velocity of the air entering the spray painting chamber from said plenum means into said first portions of said spray painting chamber remains high at 300, or more, feet per minute so that the air entering said first portions of the spray painting chamber from the plenum means can control the overspray generated during spray painting, the discharged air flow is cleaned utilizing 50, or less, gallons per lineal foot of the booth floor length, and reduced quantities of both air flow and water flow are utilized.
A method of controlling paint overspray in an automated paint spray booth for spray painting a plurality of articles having a plenum, a spray painting chamber with a floor area, a ceiling through which air flow may be selectively passed, single washer means and an automated spray painting machine therein, comprising the steps of:
In an automotive paint spray booth for spray painting automotive articles using moving air to control overspray and subsequently cleaning with water the paint laden air created during spray painting the articles, the booth having a centerline, a length, a floor area, a spray painting chamber with a ceiling, and at least one automated spray painting machine therein for spray painting automotive articles, the improvement comprising means for moving a reduced quantity of high velocity air into said spray painting chamber at a total volume of 75, or less, cubic feet per minute per square foot of booth floor area and at a high velocity of 300, or more, feet per minute, a pair of separated, spaced apart plenums located above said spray painting chamber and said ceiling, each of said pair of separated, spaced apart plenums having a centerline and being offset between four to six feet between the booth centerline and the centerline of each plenum, said pair of separated plenums being located above and in communication with said spray painting chamber for carrying substantially all the air from said means for moving air into the top of said spray painting chamber, said pair of separated plenums having a combined width of 60%, or less, of the width of the ceiling of said spray painting chamber and a total cross-sectional area of 25% or less of the cross-sectional area of said spray painting chamber, substantially no air being admitted into said spray painting chamber from between said pair of separated plenums to maintain the high velocity of the air flow therein, before and after entering said spray painting chamber, means for adjusting the flow of air from said pair of separated plenums to permit flow at a high velocity of 300, or more, feet per minute into said spray painting chamber only where needed to control overspray, and solely single means for discharging paint ladened air out of the bottom of said spray painting chamber and for cleaning said paint ladened air with a reduced flow of water, said reduced flow of water being 50 gallons per minute, or less, per foot of booth length, whereby though the quantity of air supplied to said pair of separated, spaced apart plenums and spray painting chamber is reduced to 75, or less, cubic feet per minute per square foot of booth floor area, the velocity of the air entering the spray painting chamber from said pair of plenums remains high at 300, or more, feet per minute so that the air entering said spray painting chamber can control the overspray generated during spray painting, the water flow for cleaning the air flow can be commensurately reduced to 50 gallons per minute, or less, per foot of booth length, and both reduced air and water flows are achieved.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.