Rotary Atomizer Laser Ionization Eliminates High Voltage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary atomizers for coating applications require complex high-voltage equipment for ionization, which is costly and poses safety risks due to the need for electrical isolation to prevent voltage flashovers.
Innovation Solution
The use of an electromagnetic beam, specifically generated by a radiation source such as a laser, to ionize air and coating material, eliminating the need for high-voltage equipment and allowing for the creation of a focused spray jet by forming an ionization channel that directs the coating material onto the object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high-voltage equipment is used to ionize the coating material, then ionization is achieved, but device complexity and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical high-voltage ionization system with an optical laser system. The laser beam ionizes the coating material through photodissociation and photoionization effects, eliminating the need for complex high-voltage equipment while achieving reliable ionization for electrostatic spraying.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces laser radiation as an intermediary medium to transfer energy to the coating material for ionization. Instead of direct electrical contact and high-voltage discharge, the laser beam serves as a non-contact energy carrier that ionizes the coating material through electromagnetic radiation.
2Reliability
If high-voltage equipment is used for ionization, then coating material can be charged, but safety risks due to voltage flashovers increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the hazardous high-voltage electrical system with a safe optical laser system. The laser provides non-contact ionization through electromagnetic radiation, eliminating the risk of voltage flashovers and electrical discharge while maintaining reliable charging of the coating material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful high-voltage electrical energy into beneficial laser electromagnetic radiation. By using laser energy to ionize the coating material, the system eliminates the harmful effects of high voltage while achieving the desired charging effect through a safer energy form.
3Device complexity
If electromagnetic radiation is used to ionize air and coating material, then high-voltage equipment is eliminated, but energy requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy form from electrical to optical, using laser radiation with specific wavelengths and intensities to ionize the coating material. By adjusting laser parameters such as power, pulse duration, and wavelength, the system achieves efficient ionization with controlled energy consumption.
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
This solution simplifies the rotary atomizer design, reduces costs by eliminating high-voltage requirements, and ensures safety by using electromagnetic radiation to ionize the coating material, resulting in a more efficient and controlled application of the coating material onto the object.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one radiation source can generate electromagnetic radiation, which ionizes the air and/or coating material
Implementation Method 2
it is particularly favorable if laser radiation can be generated by the at least one radiation source
Implementation Method 3
a type of channel towards the object can be created by means of an electromagnetic beam, along which coating material moves towards the object
Implementation Method 4
Due to centrifugal forces acting on the coating material, it is driven outwards as a film on the bell cup until it reaches a radially outer tear-off edge of the bell cup. There, such high centrifugal forces act on the coating material that it is ejected tangentially in the form of fine droplets
Implementation Method 5
The coating material, e.g. a paint, is ionized and exposed to an electric field in which the coating material is transported to the object due to electrostatic forces
Data Source
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AI summary
The rotary atomizer (2) has a bell-shaped plate (10) having an outflow surface (16), which is supplied with a coating material, where the plate is rotatable around an axis of rotation (18), so that the coating material from the bell-shaped plate is thrown off. A radiation device (34) is provided with a radiation source (36), which is produced by using an electromagnetic radiation, where the electromagnetic radiation conducts the thrown-off conducting material of the bell-shaped plate. The electromagnetic radiation generated by the radiation source is ionized through air or coating material. An independent claim is included for method for applying a coating material on an object.