Vacuum loader for conveying powder
AssigneeColourMate, Inc.
InventorAnthony MacGregor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Plastic powder/dust is cyclonically pulled into the loading chamber by vacuum. The finer dust rises due to the flow of air upwardly through a separation chamber, and a coaxially arranged intensifying chamber communicates with the lower portion of the loading chamber by a tube that recovers the finer dust. At least two filters between the vacuum unit and the separator, are sequentially activated during phases of successive cycles, so the inactive filter can be cleared of dust by admitting ambient air so the cleared dust is delivered to the loading chamber. Multiple miniature cyclonic separators are provided atop the primary loader in a version without filters.
Claims14
A vacuum loader for feeding powder to a molding machine, said loader comprising;
- a vacuum operated pickup for conveying powder/dust, said pickup being connected to a vacuum source;
- a generally frusto-conical loading chamber having an inlet opening oriented tangentially into an upper portion of said frusto-conical loading chamber;
- a separation chamber also of frusto-conical shape and having a bottom portion communicating with said loading chamber upper portion, said separation chamber having a closed top portion;
- an intensifying chamber inside said separation chamber, said intensifying chamber having a closed top portion defining an opening to the vacuum source, said intensifying chamber defining a plurality of tangentially oriented inlets from said separation chamber opening into said intensifying chamber adjacent said top portion thereof;
- a collection tube carried by a lower portion of said intensifying chamber and extending downwardly into said loading chamber, said collection tube having an open lower end spaced above an open lower end of said loading chamber;
- dual valve elements for selectively closing the open lower ends of said loading chamber and said collection tube;
- and
- a control system for opening and closing said dual valve elements, in timed relation to operation of the vacuum source and in response to an input signal indicative of the needs of the processing machine.
Apparatus for vacuum loading powder cyclically and on demand into a processing machine, each loader cycle having a powder collection phase and a powder loading phase, a vacuum source operated during the collection phase, the improvement comprising;
- at least two dust filters arranged in parallel between said loader and said vacuum source, an inlet valve for controlling delivery of dust laden air from the loader through at least two dust filters during a given loader cycle, an outlet valve for isolating one of said at least two dust filters during said given cycle, means for reversing airflow through at least one of said at least two filters during said given cycle to clear the dust captured therein during a prior cycle, and means for recovering and returning the dust cleared from said at lease one filter to said loader along with the reversed air flow.
Apparatus for vacuum loading powder cyclically and on demand into a processing machine, each loader cycle having a powder collection and powder loading phase, and a primary cyclonic separator operated from a vacuum source during the collection phase, the improvement comprising:
- a secondary cyclonic separator between the loader and the vacuum source, valve means controlling delivery of dust laden air from the loader into said secondary cyclonic separator during the collection phase of the loader's cycle, and valve means admitting ambient air at the upper end of said secondary cyclonic separator toward the end of said collection phase to reverse the flow of dust laden air in said secondary cyclonic separator, and an air line connecting the lower end of said secondary cyclonic separator communicating with said loader for allowing dust and ambient air flow to move down from said secondary cyclonic separator into said loader only toward the end of said collection phase of the loader cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.