Spray Gun Alignment Tool Visual Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
The alignment of spray tips in air assisted airless spray guns is cumbersome and imprecise due to the lack of reliable indicators, requiring multiple adjustments and rotations to ensure proper alignment, which can lead to inefficiencies and defects in coating applications.
Innovation Solution
An alignment tool that interfaces with the air cap of the spray gun, exerting rotational force on the air cap to adjust the spray pattern orientation, utilizing engagement surfaces and indicators to facilitate quick and accurate alignment of the spray tip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the tip or retaining ring assembly is removed from the spray gun for cleaning or replacement, then maintenance can be performed, but the alignment process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming requiring multiple adjustments and rotations
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment tool provides preliminary visual indication of the correct tip orientation through engagement surfaces and indicators before the actual spraying operation. This allows the operator to pre-align the tip correctly during maintenance reassembly, eliminating the need for multiple trial spray iterations to verify alignment.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple spray iterations are performed to test alignment, then proper alignment can be ensured, but material waste and time loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the trial-and-error mechanical spray testing method with a visual indicator system. The engagement surfaces and indicators provide direct visual feedback on tip orientation, substituting the need for multiple spray iterations and material consumption with a non-consumptive alignment verification method.
3Device complexity
If no reliable indication method is provided for tip orientation, then the spray gun structure remains simple, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment tool acts as an intermediary device between the spray gun components and the operator. It provides visual indicators that mediate the alignment process, allowing the operator to accurately determine tip orientation without complex internal sensors or indicators integrated into the spray gun itself.
4Ease of operation
If the air cap is rotated multiple times during alignment, then proper orientation can be achieved, but the process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement surfaces and indicators provide immediate visual feedback on the air cap's rotational position. This feedback mechanism allows the operator to make precise rotational adjustments and know when the correct orientation is achieved, reducing the number of rotations needed and simplifying the alignment process.
Data Source
AI summary
An alignment tool is configured to mount to a spray gun to be supported by the spray gun. The alignment tool includes path indicators that project from a tool body and provide an indication of the gap distance between the spray gun and a target surface prior to spraying by the spray gun.