Powder Container Cleaning via Air Roll Vortex
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Solution Overview
Problem
Powder coating installations require time-consuming manual cleaning when switching between different powders, especially when changing colors, due to residual powder particles causing coating errors.
Innovation Solution
A powder supplying device with a powder container that uses compressed air to form an air roll for automatically cleaning residual powder from the container, utilizing the same inlet opening for both powder feeding and cleaning, and featuring a fluidizing device to maintain powder in a fluidized state for easy pneumatic conveyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning is used to remove residual powder from the powder container, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cleaning with an automated pneumatic cleaning system. Compressed air is introduced through a cleaning compressed-air inlet to automatically remove residual powder from the powder container, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system is designed to be self-service, where the powder container's own structure (with integrated cleaning inlet and outlet openings) enables automatic cleaning without external manual assistance. The system uses its own compressed air supply to perform the cleaning function.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate inlet openings are provided for powder feeding and cleaning, then functional clarity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by designing the cleaning compressed-air inlet opening to serve dual purposes: it functions as both a powder feeding inlet during normal operation and as a cleaning air inlet during maintenance. This reduces the total number of openings needed in the powder container.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the powder feeding function and cleaning function into a single inlet opening structure. The same opening that receives powder during operation is used to introduce compressed air for cleaning, thereby simplifying the overall device structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and effective automatic cleaning of the powder container during powder changes, preventing coating errors by ensuring the container is thoroughly cleared of residual powder without manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
the inlet opening of the at least one cleaning compressed-air inlet, via which cleaning compressed air is introduced into the powder chamber during the cleaning operation, is provided in the same side wall of the powder chamber as the outlet opening of the at least one residual powder outlet
Implementation Method 2
the coating powder should be in a fluidized state in the powder container so that it can be extracted, for example, by the suction effect of an injector and fed in a compressed-air stream to the spraying device
Implementation Method 3
the coating powder should be in a fluidized state in the powder container so that it can be extracted, for example, by the suction effect of an injector and fed in a compressed-air stream to the spraying device
Implementation Method 4
the coating powder should be in a fluidized state in the powder container so that it can be extracted, for example, by the suction effect of an injector
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The invention relates to a powder supplying device for a powder coating installation (1) with at least one closed or closable powder container (24), which has a substantially cuboidal powder chamber (22) for coating powder. In order to make it possible for the powder to be changed quickly in an easy manner, it is provided according to the invention that at least one cleaning compressed-air inlet (32-1, 32-2) to which a compressed air source (6) can be connected in a cleaning operation of the powder coating installation (1) for removing residual powder from the powder chamber (22), in order to introduce cleaning compressed air into the powder chamber (22), is provided in a side wall (24-3) of the powder container (24). In addition, at least one residual powder outlet (33) is provided, through which residual powder can be driven out from the powder chamber (22) with the aid of the cleaning compressed air introduced into the powder chamber (22). The at least one cleaning compressed-air inlet (32-1, 32-2) has an inlet opening (26), which points in the same direction as the outlet opening of the residual powder outlet (33).