Electrostatic dispensing nozzle assembly

A nozzle assembly for electrostatically dispensing a flowable material onto a predetermined target in a controllable and uniform manner, said assembly comprising:

• a nozzle having a housing with a predetermined longitudinal length and a substantially continuous dispensing edge spanning a substantial portion of said longitudinal length, and front and rear members joined together to provide a substantially continuous longitudinal slot adjacent to said dispensing edge;
• a plurality of substantially hydraulically independent distribution chambers arranged serially along said longitudinal length of said housing, each of said chambers being in fluid communication with said slot and comprising a material inlet port through which flowable material can be selectively supplied;
• means located at least partially within each chamber for providing an electrical charge to said flowable material therewithin and adjacent to said slot to cause said material to be electrostatically dispensed from said nozzle assembly in use;
• and
• means for selectively supplying said flowable material to individual active chambers to control the dispensing width of said nozzle, as desired, and a relatively low pressure to maintain each active chamber properly filled with flowable material for electrostatic dispensing.

A nozzle assembly for electrostatically dispensing a flowable material onto a predetermined target in a controllable and uniform manner, said assembly comprising:

• a nozzle with a housing having a longitudinal length and a substantially continuous dispensing edge spanning substantially said entire longitudinal length, and front and rear members joined together to provide a substantially continuous slot adjacent to said dispensing edge;
• a plurality of substantially hydraulically independent distribution chambers arranged serially along said longitudinal length of said housing, each of said chambers being in fluid communication with said slot and comprising an inlet port through which flowable material can be selectively supplied;
• means located at least partially within each chamber for providing an electrical charge to flowable material therewithin and adjacent to said slot to cause said material to be electrostatically dispensed from said nozzle assembly in use;
• and
• a pair of spaced field gates, one field gate located at each of opposite ends of the longitudinal length of said housing, whereby an electrical charge is provided adjacent said dispensing edge, but no fluid communication with a source of said flowable material is provided.

A nozzle assembly for electrostatically dispensing a flowable material onto a predetermined target in a controllable and uniform manner, said assembly comprising:

• a nozzle having a housing with a dispensing edge of a predetermined longitudinal length, and front and rear members joined together to provide a substantially continuous slot adjacent said dispensing edge;
• a plurality of substantially hydraulically independent distribution chambers arranged serially along said longitudinal length of said housing, each of said chambers in fluid communication with said slot;
• means for providing an electrical charge to said flowable material within said distribution chambers and adjacent to said slot to cause said material to be dispensed from said nozzle assembly in use;
• and
• means for independently attaching each chamber to a source of flowable material, wherein said material can be selectively supplied from a source of said flowable material to individual distribution chambers to control dispensing along said nozzle slot as desired;
• and
• an integral field gate at each end of the longitudinal length of said housing wherein no fluid communication with a source of said flowable material is provided, but wherein means for providing electrical charge to flowable material is provided adjacent said dispensing edge.

A nozzle assembly for electrostatically dispensing a flowable material onto a predetermined target in a controllable and uniform manner, said assembly comprising:

• a nozzle having a housing with a predetermined longitudinal length and a substantially continuous dispensing edge spanning a substantial portion of said longitudinal length, and front and rear members joined together to provide a substantially continuous longitudinal slot adjacent to said dispensing edge;
• a plurality of substantially hydraulically independent distribution chambers arranged serially along said longitudinal length of said housing, each of said chambers being in fluid communication with said slot and comprising a material inlet port through which flowable material can be selectively supplied;
• means located at least partially within each chamber for providing an electrical charge to said flowable material therewithin and adjacent to aid slot to cause said material to be electrostatically dispensed from said nozzle assembly in use;
• and
• an integral field gate at each of the opposite ends of the longitudinal length of said housing, wherein no fluid communication with a source of said flowable material is provided, but wherein means for providing electrical charge to flowable material is provided adjacent said dispensing edge.