Spray Gun Cup Cleaning Device Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cleaning devices for cup-like containers of spray guns face challenges in completely separating differently contaminated cleaning agents, leading to unnecessary contamination and high solvent consumption, as some cleaning agents cannot be reused effectively after initial pre-cleaning.

Innovation Solution

The device separates cleaning processes into distinct steps with dedicated cleaning compartments, pumps, and collecting containers for each step, ensuring spatial separation and exclusive allocation of cleaning liquids to prevent contamination and optimize solvent use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single cleaning compartment with shared drains is used, then device complexity is reduced, but cleaning agent contamination increases and reuse becomes impossible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure complexityVSAvoidcleaning agent contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The cleaning device is divided into multiple independent cleaning compartments (first cleaning compartment, second cleaning compartment, etc.), each with its own dedicated drain and collecting container. This segmentation prevents mixing of differently contaminated cleaning agents, allowing each fraction to be separately managed and reused where possible, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and contamination prevention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of substance

If cleaning agents are reused after pre-cleaning, then solvent consumption is reduced, but contamination from shared drains prevents reuse

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesolvent consumptionVSAvoidcleaning agent purity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

By providing separate drain allocations and collecting containers for each cleaning compartment, the system maintains pure cleaning agent fractions that can be reliably reused. The first cleaning compartment's drain leads to a first collecting container, and the second cleaning compartment's drain leads to a second collecting container, ensuring that pre-cleaning agents remain separate from post-cleaning agents and can be reused in subsequent cycles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables recovery and reuse of cleaning agents by directing them to separate collecting containers based on their contamination level. Cleaning agents from the first cleaning compartment (less contaminated) can be recovered and reused in subsequent pre-cleaning steps, while only the most heavily contaminated agents from later stages are discarded, significantly reducing overall solvent consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Loss of substance

If multiple drain allocation devices are used for each cleaning step, then cleaning agent separation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning agent separationVSAvoidnumber of drain allocation devices
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using multiple complex drain allocation devices within a single compartment, the system segments the cleaning process into separate compartments, each with its own simple drain allocation. This approach achieves effective separation of cleaning agents while keeping each individual drain allocation device relatively simple in structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 approach minimizes solvent consumption while maintaining high cleaning performance by allowing partially used cleaning agents from pre-cleaning to be reused and reducing the need for additional solvents in subsequent steps.

Implementation Method 1

the device only has one drain allocation device and the device has a rotating device for rotating a receiving device for receiving the cup-like containers of spray guns, spray guns and parts thereof to be cleaned, wherein the pneumatic operation of the rotating device prevents any greater mixing of the differently contaminated orThe cleaning agents used in the respective cleaning steps

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPneumatics:

Data Source

PatentEP4045199B1Device and method for cleaning cup-like containers of spray guns, and use thereof
Publication Date: 2024.01.31 B TEC
  • EP4045199B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4045199B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a device for cleaning cup-like containers (1) of spray guns, spray guns, and parts thereof. The device is designed such that while carrying out a cleaning process, cleaning fluid contaminated with substances to be removed is allocated, in the form of a discharge, to a collecting container, and the cleaning process is divided into at least two separate cleaning steps such that during each individual cleaning step, cleaning fluid which is contaminated with substances to be removed and/or which is uncontaminated is allocated, in the form of a discharge, to a collecting container allocated solely to the individual cleaning step. The device is designed such that the discharges are carried out in a spatially separate manner functionally. In the process, a so-called system holder is used which is normally manually supplied from a cleaning compartment assigned to the first cleaning step to a cleaning compartment assigned to the following step after the first cleaning step.