Spray gun having display and control members on gun

#The disclosure relates to the art of applying material onto surfaces, such as for example, spraying or coating a surface with a coating material. More particularly, the disclosure and inventions relate to arrangements and methods for controlling a material application device such as a spray gun.

#Powder coating material such as powder paint is commonly applied to an object by spraying the powder coating material. Typically, a spray gun or material application device is used, and spray guns may be manually held and operated or automatic spray guns may be used that are controlled electronically. Spray technologies include for example electrostatic, non-electrostatic and tribo-electric. The powder flow path through a spray gun must be purged whenever the powder coating material, such as its color or other characteristic, is changed, in order to prevent unwanted contamination. In addition, spray parameters are commonly changed for different parts being coated or when different coating materials are used. Such changeovers result in lost production time.

#The present disclosure presents a number of inventive aspects for both apparatus and methods relating to controlling a material application device, with the apparatus and methods in some embodiments including a display device that is disposed on the material application device. In accordance with one inventive aspect of the disclosure, a display on the material application device presents information to the operator about choices available to the operator to control a coating material operation. In one embodiment, a display may be provided on a material application device such that the display is viewable by an operator when using the material application device. The functionality of the display may be selected for particular devices and coating material application systems. In accordance with another inventive aspect of the disclosure, the display may present information regarding a coating operation, such as for example but not limited to, coating material flow rates, preset recipe selection and so on.

#FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of one embodiment of a material application device, in a material application system, that incorporates one or more inventive aspects of the present disclosure;

#FIG. 2 is an elevation of the embodiment of the material application device of FIG. 1, shown in longitudinal cross-section;

#FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the corresponding region circled in FIG. 2;

#The inventions described herein are explained and illustrated in the context of a powder coating material application device, such as, for example, an electrostatic powder spray gun. However, the exemplary embodiments are not intended to be a limitation on the application or use of the various inventive aspects presented in this disclosure. For example, the inventions may be used with non-electrostatic material application devices and with tribo-charging guns that do not utilize an electrode, or combinations thereof. The inventions also are not limited to any particular type or use of coating material. Additionally, the terms ‘spray’ and ‘spray pattern’ are intended to be understood in their broadest meaning to include not only those processes commonly referred to as ‘spray’ or ‘spraying’ but additionally any application technique involving the directing of a generally dry particulate coating material across a space towards a target. The spray pattern may be but need not be atomized. When used, atomization may be based on pressure, air, or both or other atomization techniques and combinations thereof. Still further, the terms ‘spray’ and ‘spray patterns’ are not to be limited to any particular time duration that the material is directed towards the target. In other words, very short bursts of material or narrow jets of material are still to be construed as falling within the understanding herein of the word ‘spray’ and ‘spray pattern’. While the inventions are also described and illustrated herein with reference to an exemplary spray gun configuration, shape and arrangement, nothing herein should be construed as limiting the inventions o such embodiments. Many different configurations and designs may be used, far too many to identify or describe herein.

#As used herein, a purge operation refers to stopping flow of coating material from a material supply to a material application device, and applying pressurized purge air through part or all of the coating material flow path to remove as much of the coating material from the flow path as can be achieved for a given purging system design. As used herein, a coating operation refers to a set of events and/or various steps and operations that occur in order for a coating material to be applied to one or more objects. Thus the term coating operation is generally inclusive of one or more, and typically many, operations, functions, settings and conditions that determine the application of material to an object. For example, but not by way of limitation, a coating operation may include supply pump operation, spray booth and overspray recovery operations, conveyor system control, electrostatic control functions, material flow rates, atomization and flow air control, coating material characteristics and so on. For any particular coating operation then, there may be as few as one, but typically many parameters that are controlled or set, or in many cases are adjusted when coating operations are changed. These coating operation parameters may include but are not limited to, for example, voltage and current for electrostatic operations, coating material flow rates, air flow rates, purge timing and flow, as well as many other operations, functions, settings and conditions related to a coating operation. Therefore, the term coating operation parameter should be broadly construed as referring to any information, control, function, input, output, operation, setting, condition or feature related to a coating operation that affects or influences a coating operation. The various parameters or subsets thereof, associated with a specific coating operation are generally referred to herein as recipes or coating operation recipes, and such recipes are typically, though need not be, predetermined and stored in memory for access by a main control system which controls the various system components to execute a coating operation in accordance with a selected recipe. Usually recipes are fixed as far as a line operator is concerned, but some systems may be designed to permit recipe changes and other variations by any personnel with proper authority to make such changes. Thus as used herein, recipe is not intended to be limited to a set of parameters that cannot be changed, but may include recipes in which one or more parameters, instructions, controls and functions may be changed. The term recipe thus also includes recipes that are predetermined or preset, as well as recipes that are put together on a more real time basis before a coating operation, or modified prior to a coating operation.

#While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, circuits, devices and components, software, hardware, control logic, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention, the scope of the inventions instead being set forth in the appended claims or the claims of related or continuing applications. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.