Device for separating powder material from an air flow

Abstract

A device is disclosed for automatically collecting powder material displaced from between a belt conveyor and a chute which is disposed above the belt conveyor for feeding the powder material onto the belt conveyor, and for placing the collected powder material onto the belt conveyor. The device includes a) a duct device (10) disposed adjacent the chute and the belt conveyor for collecting powder material, b) a horizontally extending hollow cylinder (31) disposed above the belt conveyor, the cylinder having an air-flow inlet (33) which communicates with the duct device (10) and having a slit (34) at its bottom, the cylinder allowing an air flow from the duct device to pass along the inner surface of the cylinder, c) a blower (40) to suck air in the cylinder, and d) a chamber (35) disposed under the cylinder and having a weighted damper (36) at its bottom. When the blower is driven, an air flow is generated in the duct device. Thus the powder material caught in the duct device is carried by the air flow into the cylinder where it is separated from the air flow by centrifugal force and accumulates in the chamber. The powder material is then automatically discharged through the weighted damper onto the belt conveyor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.