Spray Booth Curvilinear Guide Trajectory for Uniform Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spray booths for planar semi-finished products, such as leathers and fabrics, face issues with reduced encumbrance, low productivity, and unsatisfactory coverage due to overlapping spray cones and structural complexity, leading to inconsistent and low-quality spraying, especially when one spray gun malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a displacement group using flexible dragging elements and curvilinear guide elements to move spray members along a predetermined trajectory, ensuring precise positioning and uniform coverage, even in case of malfunction, while maintaining a compact size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If parallel-type spray booths with continuous motion are used, then reduced encumbrance is achieved, but spray coverage uniformity deteriorates due to difficult-to-foresee overlapping angles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvilinear guide elements with specific radius of curvature to guide the spray members along a curved trajectory. This curvature allows the spray cones to overlap at predetermined angles, ensuring uniform coverage while maintaining compact booth dimensions. The curved path replaces straight-line motion, enabling precise control of spray pattern overlap.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the motion parameters of spray members by guiding them along a curved trajectory with specific velocity and positioning characteristics. This parameter change enables the spray cones to overlap at controlled angles, improving coverage uniformity while maintaining reduced encumbrance.
2Device complexity
If alternative-type spray booths with reciprocating motion are used, then fewer spray guns are needed, but productivity deteriorates due to low velocity of application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from reciprocating motion to continuous circular motion of the spray members. This dynamic change eliminates the stopping and reversing inherent in reciprocating systems, maintaining continuous high-velocity application of coating material and thereby improving productivity while using fewer spray guns.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved guide trajectory enables continuous circular motion of spray members without interruption or reversal. This continuity of useful action maintains constant high velocity of coating application, eliminating the productivity losses associated with reciprocating motion and improving overall throughput.
3Extent of automation
If rotary-type spray booths are used, then continuous motion is achieved, but device complexity and size increase greatly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the spray system into multiple independent spray members (2, 3, 4) that move along separate but coordinated curved trajectories. This segmentation allows continuous motion without requiring a single complex rotary mechanism, thereby maintaining automation while reducing overall structural complexity and size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses curvilinear guide elements that create a two-dimensional curved trajectory for spray members, replacing the three-dimensional rotary mechanism. This dimensional change achieves continuous motion with simpler, more compact structure by constraining motion to a controlled curved path rather than requiring full rotary apparatus.
4Manufacturing precision
If spray members are positioned to ensure complete coverage, then manufacturing precision improves, but device complexity increases due to need for multiple spray guns
Solution Approach 1:
The curvilinear guide elements with specific radius of curvature enable spray members to follow curved paths that naturally create optimal overlap patterns. This geometric approach achieves complete uniform coverage with fewer spray members by leveraging the curvature to distribute spray patterns effectively across the workpiece surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors and control mechanisms that monitor the positioning and spray output of each member. This feedback enables precise control of spray member trajectories and timing, ensuring complete coverage uniformity while optimizing the number of spray members needed by coordinating their actions based on real-time data.
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatus for spraying (1) planar or substantially planar semi-finished products (100), comprises spray members (50) for spraying a covering and/or colouring product. The apparatus (1) comprises, furthermore, a device for moving forward (40) for causing the or each planar or substantially planar semi-finished product (100) to advance along a predetermined advancing direction (140), and a displacement group (10) comprising at least one flexible dragging element (15,15') to move the plurality of spray members (50) along a predetermined movement trajectory (ym). A guide group (30) is, furthermore, provided to guide the or each flexible dragging element (15,15') along a predetermined guide trajectory (yg). The guide group (30) comprises at least one first and one second curvilinear guide element (31,32) to guide the or each flexible dragging element (15) along at least a respective circular portion (21) of the guide trajectory (yg) having a predetermined radius of curvature (R1). The first and second curvilinear guide elements (31,32) comprise respective first and second parts (31a,32a;31b,32b) each of which comprises at least a first and a second circular portion (21a,21b) having respective radii of curvature (R1,R2) different from each other and decreasing going from an end (35a,35b;36a,36b) towards a respective central portion (35c,36c) of said first, or said second, curvilinear guide element (31,32).