Powder Coating Equipment

Abstract

The present application discloses a powder coating device. The powder coating device includes a reactor and a mixer. The reactor has a reaction chamber, and the reaction chamber is provided with an air inlet and an air extraction port. The mixer has a mixing chamber, and the mixing chamber is provided with a mixing inlet and a mixing outlet, and the mixing outlet is communicated with the air inlet. Wherein, a gas mixing member is arranged in the mixing chamber for changing the gas flow state in the mixing chamber. By the above method, the present application can improve the quality of powder coating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of atomic layer deposition equipment, and particularly to powder coating equipment. Background Art

[0002] Atomic layer deposition powder coating equipment is mainly used in the display industry to reduce the water vapor permeability of quantum dots and in the lithium battery industry to improve the performance of electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries. The atomic layer deposition method powder surface coating equipment has good film thickness uniformity and process controllability, excellent performance, and the film thickness can be controlled at the nanometer level, which is particularly prominent for the micro-powder industry. In the related art powder coating equipment, multiple gases need to be introduced into the reaction chamber simultaneously. However, when multiple gases are introduced into the existing powder coating equipment, the distribution of the multiple gases in the reaction chamber is uneven, which will lead to a decrease in the quality of powder coating. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of this application provides a powder coating equipment, which can improve the quality of powder coating.

[0004] An embodiment of this application provides a powder coating equipment. The powder coating equipment includes a reactor and a mixer. The reactor has a reaction chamber, and the reaction chamber is provided with an air inlet and an air extraction port. The mixer has a mixing chamber, and the mixing chamber is provided with a mixing inlet and a mixing outlet. The mixing outlet is communicated with the air inlet. Wherein, a gas mixing member is arranged in the mixing chamber for changing the gas flow state in the mixing chamber.

[0005] The beneficial effect of this application is: Different from the prior art, by arranging a mixer before the air inlet hole of the reaction chamber, the gas source can first be introduced into the mixing chamber from the mixing inlet. The gas flow state is changed by the gas mixing member in the mixing chamber, and multiple gases are mixed more evenly. The mixed gas can enter the reaction chamber from the mixing outlet through the air inlet. Each of the multiple mixed gases is more evenly distributed in the reaction chamber, which can improve the uniformity of powder coating and improve the quality of powder coating. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the powder coating equipment of this application;

[0007] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the gas mixing member in

[0008] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a schematic diagram of the gas flow direction of the gas mixing member in

[0009] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the cooperation mode between the gas mixing member and the air inlet member in

[0010] Figure 5 is Figure 1 a schematic structural view of another embodiment of the gas mixing component in

[0011] Figure 6 a schematic structural view of another embodiment of the powder coating equipment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 7 is Figure 6 a schematic cross-sectional view of the powder coating equipment in Specific Embodiments

[0013] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0014] In the related art, during the working process of the powder coating equipment, various process gases such as multiple gaseous raw materials or fluidizing gases are introduced into the reaction chamber. The gases introduced into the reaction chamber perform atomic layer deposition on the surface of the powder, thereby coating the surface of the powder to achieve the effects of modification and improvement of powder performance. However, during the process of introducing various process gases into the reaction chamber, the distribution of each gas in the reaction chamber will be closer to the position where the gas is introduced. The distribution of the process gases in the reaction chamber is not uniform, which will lead to low deposition efficiency, a decrease in the quality of the powder coating, and a low yield rate. In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application can provide the following embodiments.

[0015] Embodiment 1 of the powder coating equipment 1 of the present application describes an exemplary structure of the powder coating equipment 1. Refer to Figure 1, the powder coating equipment 1 includes a reactor 10 and a mixer 20. The reactor 10 has a reaction chamber 13. The reaction chamber 13 is used to hold the powder products that need to be coated, and the reaction chamber 13 can also be used to accommodate the process gases in the atomic layer deposition process. Among them, the process gases can be, for example, process gases such as SiH4 or NH3 in the atomic layer deposition method that react with the powder surface, or non-reactive gases used to fluidize the powder. The composition of the process gases is not specifically limited here. The reaction chamber 13 is provided with an air inlet 11 and an air extraction port 12. The reactor includes a gas source pipeline, and the gas source pipeline is connected to the air inlet. The process gas is introduced through the gas source pipeline and enters the reaction chamber 13 through the air inlet 11. After the process gas deposits a thin film on the surface of the powder in the reaction chamber 13, it can be discharged from the reaction chamber 13 through the air extraction port 12. Optionally, the air extraction port 12 is connected to a vacuum pump or an air extraction pump, etc., so as to evacuate the gases in the reaction chamber 13 that are irrelevant to the atomic layer deposition, thereby facilitating the coating of the powder by the process gas.

[0016] The mixer 20 has a mixing chamber 23. The mixing chamber 23 is provided with a mixing inlet 21 and a mixing outlet 22, and the mixing outlet 22 is connected to the air inlet 11. Among them, a gas mixing member 30 is provided in the mixing chamber 23 for changing the gas flow state in the mixing chamber 23. The process gas first enters the mixing chamber 23 from the mixing inlet 21. The gas mixing member 30 in the mixing chamber 23 can change the flow state of the process gas entering the mixing chamber 23 by rotating or through its own structure. In this way, the process gas can be mixed in the mixing chamber 23, and the mixed process gas enters the reaction chamber 13 through the mixing outlet 22 and then through the air inlet 11. Since the process gas entering the reaction chamber 13 is mixed, the distribution of each process gas in the reaction chamber 13 is relatively uniform, which is beneficial to improving the deposition efficiency and the quality of powder coating, and is also beneficial to improving the yield.

[0017] Refer to Figure 1 , in an embodiment, the cross-section of the mixing chamber 23 is tapered in the direction from the mixing inlet 21 towards the mixing outlet 22. Specifically, the cross-section of the mixing chamber 23 can be tapered for the entire section of the mixing chamber 23 between the mixing inlet 21 and the mixing outlet 22. The cross-section of the mixing chamber 23 can also be tapered between the mixing inlet 21 and any position between the mixing inlet 21 and the mixing outlet 22. The tapered setting of the cross-section of the mixing chamber 23 can, on the one hand, guide the process gas in the mixing chamber 23 to the mixing outlet 22, and on the other hand, guide the process gas entering the mixing inlet 21 to the gas mixing member 30, so as to supply the gas mixing member 30 to mix the process gas.

[0018] Optionally, the cross-section of the reaction chamber 13 is configured to gradually expand from the gas inlet 11 towards the gas outlet 12. Specifically, it can be configured to gradually expand from the gas inlet 11 to any position between the gas inlet 11 and the midpoint of the line connecting the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12. Such a configuration can increase the contact rate between the powder and the process gas in the reaction chamber 13, reduce the process dead zones where the process gas cannot flow through in the reaction chamber 13, and is beneficial to improving the deposition efficiency and coating uniformity.

[0019] In an alternative embodiment, referring to Figure 1 , the reactor 10 is configured in a cylindrical shape, and the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12 are located at both ends in the axial direction of the reactor 10. Among them, the axial direction of the reactor 10 is parallel to the direction of gravity, and the gas inlet 11 is located below the gas outlet 12. Such a configuration enables the process gas entering from the gas inlet 11 to blow up the powder in the reaction chamber 13, and the powder in the reaction chamber 13 can fall under the action of gravity. The powder can be better mixed with the process gas under the cooperation of the process gas and gravity, which is beneficial to improving the deposition efficiency and coating uniformity. In other words, such a configuration can enable the process gas entering from the gas inlet 11 to fluidize the powder in the reaction chamber 13, which is beneficial to the full contact between the powder and the process gas. In other embodiments, the placement direction of the reactor 10 may not be limited.

[0020] The following gives an exemplary introduction to the specific structure of the gas mixing member 30:

[0021] In one embodiment, specifically, referring to Figure 2 , the gas mixing member 30 is configured in a ring shape and is fixedly installed in the mixing chamber 23. Among them, at least two through slots 31 are provided on the gas mixing member 30, and the at least two through slots 31 are spaced along the circumferential direction of the gas mixing member 30, and the through slots 31 penetrate the gas mixing member 30 obliquely. Among them, the installation direction of the gas mixing member 30 is to install the axial direction of the gas mixing member 30 parallel or approximately parallel to the direction from the mixing inlet 21 towards the mixing outlet 22. After the process gas enters the mixing chamber 23 from the mixing inlet 21, it flows towards the gas mixing member 30. The process gas will pass through the gas mixing member 30 from the through slots 31. Since the extension direction of the through slots 31 provided on the gas mixing member 30 is different from the direction in which the process gas is introduced, the gas mixing member 30 will change the flow state of the process gas.

[0022] Specifically, referring to Figure 3 , the angle between the line connecting the position of each through slot 31 and the geometric center of the gas mixing member 30 and the extension direction of the through slot 31 is set (refer to Figure 3α) in it. Herein, the position where each through slot 31 is located may refer to the geometric center of the through slot 31 or any point in the through slot 31, without specific limitation. Optionally, the through slots 31 are arranged in a circumferential array along the circumference of the gas mixing member 30. In other words, the angle between the line connecting the position where each through slot 31 is located and the geometric center of the gas mixing member 30 and the extending direction of the through slot 31 is the same. Refer to Figure 3 In the airflow direction (partially shown, not all shown) shown in Figure 3 , the process gas entering from the mixing inlet 21 can flow from the outer circumference of the gas mixing member 30 to the inner circumference of the gas mixing member 30 under the guiding action of the mixer 20. Generally, the process gas is introduced into the mixing inlet 21 through the gas source pipeline by multiple gas sources. The position where each gas source is introduced can be located on different sides of the gas mixing member 30. For example, one side of the gas mixing member 30 is one gas source, and the other side is another gas source. The gases introduced from the gas sources located on different sides of the gas mixing member 30 flow through the gas mixing member 30. After passing through the through slots 31 on the gas mixing member 30, the flow direction of the gas will be changed to, for example, Figure 3 The direction shown in Figure 3 . The flow direction of the process gas inside the inner circumference of the gas mixing member 30 can form a vortex. The formation of the vortex enables the process gases introduced from the gas sources located on different sides of the gas mixing member 30 to be better mixed. The mixed vortex gas enters the reaction chamber 13 from the mixing outlet 22 through the air inlet 11, and the effect of uniform distribution of the process gas in the reaction chamber 13 can be achieved, improving the deposition efficiency and coating quality.

[0023] Furthermore, an air inlet member 40 is provided at the mixing inlet 21. The air inlet member 40 can be, for example, an air inlet flange, so that the air inlet member 40 can be conveniently connected to the mixer 20 or other components in the powder coating equipment 1. The air inlet member 40 can also be, for example, an air inlet plate with openings, without specific limitation. At least two air inlet holes 41 are provided on the air inlet member 40. The air inlet holes 41 are used to communicate with the gas source pipeline, and the air inlet holes 41 communicate with the mixing inlet 21. With such a setting, the gaseous material can enter the mixing chamber 23 through the gas source pipeline via the air inlet holes 41. The setting of the air inlet member 40 can isolate the mixing chamber 23 from the outside, but the setting of the air inlet holes 41 enables the process gas to enter the mixing chamber 23. Optionally, the gas mixing member 30 is installed on the air inlet member 40. In this way, the position of the gas mixing member 30 is close to the position of the air inlet holes 41, and the process gas can enter the gas mixing member 30 for mixing at a shorter distance after entering the mixing chamber 23. At the same time, installing the gas mixing member 30 on the air inlet member 40 can also facilitate the cooperation between the air inlet holes 41 and the side wall of the mixer 20, so as to facilitate the side wall of the mixer 20 to guide the process gas to the gas mixing member 30.

[0024] In an embodiment, refer to Figure 4, the intake holes 41 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, or the intake holes 41 are arranged in an array. At least one of the at least two intake holes 41 is arranged inside the perimeter of the projection of the gas mixing member 30 on the intake member 40. Optionally, the intake hole 41 is arranged at the geometric center of the projection, and the geometric center is located on the axis of the mixing outlet 22. The remaining intake holes 41 are arranged outside the perimeter of the projection of the gas mixing member 30 on the intake member 40. With such an arrangement, one intake hole 41 arranged inside the perimeter of the projection can directly introduce the process gas into the mixing chamber 23 and then directly into the reaction chamber 13. Since the intake hole 41 is located on the axis of the mixing outlet 22, the process gas input in this way can still be relatively evenly distributed after entering the reaction chamber 13 even without passing through the gas mixing member 30. The remaining intake holes 41 are arranged outside the perimeter of the projection, so that after the remaining process gas enters the mixing chamber 23, it can enter the reaction chamber 13 after being mixed by the gas mixing member 30. In summary, the arrangement of the intake holes 41 in this embodiment can rationalize the overall arrangement of the intake holes 41. Optionally, the intake hole 41 penetrates the intake member 40 obliquely. The oblique penetration specifically means that the angle between the axis direction of the intake hole 41 and the axis direction of the mixing inlet 21 is set, or the angle between the axis direction of the intake hole 41 and the width direction and thickness direction of the intake member is set. The obliquely arranged intake holes 41 can make the flow direction of the process gas entering the mixing chamber 23 from the gas source pipeline also oblique. Multiple obliquely arranged intake holes 41 can form a vortex when the process gas is introduced into the mixing chamber 23, which is beneficial to the mixing of the process gas.

[0025] Further, the intake member 40 covers the mixing inlet 21 to seal the mixing inlet 21. The gas mixing member 30 divides the mixing chamber 23 into an intake space 231 and a mixing space 232. Specifically, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the gas mixing member 30 is arranged in a ring shape, and the outer wall of the gas mixing member 30 or a part of the side wall of the mixer 20 and the intake member 40 together enclose the intake space 231. The inner perimeter space of the gas mixing member 30 itself and the space enclosed by another part of the side wall of the mixer 20 are connected and together form the mixing space 232. The through groove 31 of the gas mixing member 30 connects the intake space 231 and the mixing space 232. The intake space 231 is connected to the intake holes 41 whose projections are located outside the gas mixing member 30. The mixing space 232 is connected to the mixing outlet 22. With such an arrangement, the intake of the gas source pipeline will first enter the intake space 231 through the intake holes 41, and then enter the mixing space 232 from the intake space 231 through the gas mixing member 30. This can ensure that the process gas introduced from the gas source pipeline can be mixed by the gas mixing member 30, and reduce the situation where the process gas enters the reaction chamber 13 without being mixed by the gas mixing member 30. In summary, dividing the mixing chamber 23 into the intake space 231 and the mixing space 232 can make the mixing of the process gas more sufficient, which is beneficial to further improving the coating quality.

[0026] In another embodiment, referring to Figure 5 , the gas mixing member 30 is arranged in a plate shape, and a plurality of through holes 32 are provided on the gas mixing member 30. The through holes 32 penetrate through the gas mixing member 30 obliquely, or the through holes 32 are arranged in an array on the gas mixing member 30. The plate-shaped gas mixing member 30 spaces the process gas entering from the mixing inlet 21. After being blocked by the gas mixing member 30, the process gas flows to the through holes 32 in various directions along the surface of the gas mixing member 30, and then passes through the through holes 32. Since each process gas will flow in various directions along the surface of the gas mixing member 30, it will mix the introduced process gas in this way. Among them, the obliquely arranged through holes 32 can change the flow direction of the process gas, and a plurality of obliquely arranged through holes 32 can cause the process gas passing through them to form a vortex on the side of the gas mixing member 30 close to the mixing outlet 22, which is beneficial to the mixing of the process gas.

[0027] In yet another embodiment, the gas mixing member 30 is rotatably installed in the mixing chamber 23. The gas mixing member 30 has a rotating shaft and a plurality of blades, and the plurality of blades are arranged radially around the rotating shaft. With such an arrangement, the gas mixing member 30 arranged to rotate can stir the process gas located in the mixing chamber 23, thereby mixing the process gas and improving the deposition efficiency and coating quality.

[0028] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , an operating pipeline 50 is provided on the outer periphery of the reactor 10, and a vibrating member 51 is arranged in the operating pipeline 50. The vibrating member 51 is used to move along the operating pipeline 50 under the action of the driving gas introduced into the operating pipeline 50. The driving gas can be, for example, a gas with a relatively high pressure manufactured by a gas pump and introduced into the operating pipeline 50 to drive the vibrating member 51 to move. Among them, the vibrating member 51 performs rolling or sliding motions in the operating pipeline 50. When the vibrating member 51 rolls or slides along the annular operating pipeline 50 at a certain speed, a centrifugal force will be generated. The direction of the centrifugal force changes continuously with the movement of the vibrating member 51, and the operating pipeline 50 can transmit the centrifugal force of the vibrating member 51 to the reactor 10. In summary, under the action of the vibrating member 51 and the operating pipeline 50, the reactor 10 will be subjected to a centrifugal force with a continuously changing direction. In other words, the reactor 10 will vibrate continuously under the action of the vibrating member 51 and the operating pipeline 50. With such an arrangement, the vibration of the reactor 10 can be transmitted to the powder in the reaction chamber 13. On the one hand, the powder can be fluidized by the fluidizing gas under continuous vibration, and on the other hand, it can also facilitate the full contact between the process gas and the powder, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency and quality of powder coating.

[0029] Optionally, one end of the operation pipeline 50 is communicated with the gas source pipeline, and the other end is communicated with the mixing inlet 21. When the mixing inlet 21 is provided with the air inlet member 40, the gas source pipeline can be communicated with the air inlet hole 41. In other words, the driving gas in the operation pipeline 50 can be the process gas of the gas source pipeline. Any one of the process gases can first enter the operation pipeline 50 to drive the movement of the vibration member 51. Then, it enters the mixing chamber 23 from the operation pipeline 50 for mixing, and then enters the reaction chamber 13 for reaction. Such a setting enables the driving of the vibration member 51 without additionally setting driving components such as an air pump, which is beneficial to the overall intensification of the powder coating equipment 1.

[0030] The above are only the embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A powder coating equipment, characterized in that, it includes: a reactor, which has a reaction chamber inside, and the reaction chamber is provided with an air inlet and an air extraction port; a mixer, which has a mixing chamber inside, and the mixing chamber is provided with a mixing inlet and a mixing outlet, and the mixing outlet is communicated with the air inlet; wherein, a gas mixing member is arranged in the mixing chamber for changing the gas flow state in the mixing chamber and forming a vortex; the gas mixing member is arranged in a ring shape and is fixedly installed in the mixing chamber. Among them, at least two through grooves are arranged on the gas mixing member, and at least two through grooves are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the gas mixing member. The through grooves penetrate the gas mixing member obliquely, and the connecting line between the position of each through groove and the geometric center of the gas mixing member forms an included angle with the extending direction of the through groove; the extending direction of the through groove is different from the direction in which the process gas is introduced into the mixing chamber; an air inlet member is arranged at the mixing inlet, and at least two air inlet holes are arranged on the air inlet member. One of the at least two air inlet holes is arranged inside the projection of the gas mixing member on the air inlet member, and the remaining air inlet holes are arranged outside the projection of the gas mixing member on the air inlet member; the air inlet member covers the mixing inlet to seal the mixing inlet, the gas mixing member divides the mixing chamber into an air inlet space and a mixing space, and the through grooves communicate the air inlet space and the mixing space; the air inlet space is communicated with the air inlet holes whose projections are located outside the gas mixing member, and the mixing space is communicated with the mixing outlet.

2. The powder coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: the air inlet holes are used for communicating with the gas source pipeline, the air inlet holes are communicated with the mixing inlet, and the gas mixing member is installed on the air inlet member.

3. The powder coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: the air inlet holes penetrate the air inlet member obliquely.

4. The powder coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: the reactor further includes a gas source pipeline, and the gas source pipeline is communicated with the air inlet.

5. The powder coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: an operating pipeline is arranged on the outer periphery of the reactor, and a vibrating member is arranged in the operating pipeline. The vibrating member is used to move along the operating pipeline under the action of the driving gas introduced into the operating pipeline.

6. The powder coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: one end of the operating pipeline is communicated with the gas source pipeline, and the other end is communicated with the mixing inlet.

7. The powder coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: the reactor is arranged in a cylindrical shape, and the air inlet and the air extraction port are located at both ends in the axial direction of the reactor. Among them, the axial direction of the reactor is parallel to the direction of gravity, and the air inlet is located below the air extraction port.

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