Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – With means fusing solid spray material at discharge means – Wire or rod type supply
Utility Patent
1998-12-31
2001-01-02
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
With means fusing solid spray material at discharge means
Wire or rod type supply
C239S104000, C239S120000
Utility Patent
active
06168090
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to thermal or flame spraying and, more particularly, is concerned with a flame spray system employing splatter blocking and automated rod delivery apparatuses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thermal spraying, also known as flame spraying, is a system that involves the heat softening of a heat fusible material, such as metal or ceramic, and propelling the softened material in particulate or droplet form against a surface which is to be coated. The heated particles strike the surface where they are quenched and bonded to the surface to form a protective coating thereon. A thermal or flame spray gun is typically used for both heating and propelling the particles.
In the flame spray gun disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,512 to Kenshol, the heat fusible material in rod form is fed into a combustion head by a pair of feed rolls driven by an air-driven turbine or motor. The leading tip of the rod of heat fusible material is softened and melted by a flame in the combustion head and is atomized by an atomizing blast gas, such as compressed air, delivered to a spray head. The atomized material in finely divided particles or droplets is propelled from the spray head by the blast gas onto a surface to be coated. The spray head includes a spray nozzle and a gas cap for providing an annular flame around the axially fed rod of heat fusible material.
Several problems were experienced with the flame spray gun of the above-cited Kenshol patent which arose from the use of the air-driven motor and resulted in production of a coating of poor quality. The problems related to the introduction of contaminants with the air drawn in by the air-driven turbine and the variation in the rate of feeding of the rod of heat fusible material, and thus variation in rate of atomization of the rod, due to the inability to effectively control the volume and pressure of the air used to drive the motor. These problems were successfully overcome by the feed rate control apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,118 to Baker wherein an electric motor was provided to replace the air-driven motor and other components were provided for controlling the operation of the electric motor and thereby precisely controlling the rate of feeding of the rod of heat fusible material through the flame spray gun and the rate of atomizing of the rod into particles of heat fusible material.
However, after an extended period of experience with the operation of the flame spray system employing the feed rate control apparatus of the above-cited Baker patent, the inventor herein and also of the patented feed rate control apparatus has encountered an additional problem that was not addressed by the feed rate control apparatus of the Baker patent. This problem is a recurring interruption in the uniform and steady feeding of rods through the feed rollers of the flame spray gun due to manually feeding of rods and to a gap that always exists between trailing and leading ends of successively fed rods. This interruption results in periodic splattering of the particles of heat fusible material rather than a uniform spray. Up to the present time, the operator has had to manually place a flag in front of the spray nozzle of the flame spray gun during this feed interruption period to prevent the splattered material from reaching the product being coated.
Consequently, a need exists for further improvement of the flame spray system to solve the newly encountered problems without introduction of other problems in place thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a flame spray system with splatter blocking and automated rod delivery apparatuses designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs. The splatter blocking apparatus provides for the avoidance of splattering, as opposed to spraying, of particles of heat fusible material from a flame spray gun onto a product being coated. The automated rod delivery apparatus provides for the feeding of the rods of heat fusible material through the flame spray gun in a substantially automatic, as opposed to manual, mode that achieves a more consistent, steady and controlled feeding of the rods and thereby a more uniform spraying of the heat fusible material particles onto the product being coated.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a splatter blocking apparatus for use in a flame spray system. The splatter blocking apparatus comprises: (a) a barrier member adapted to be moved between a blocking position in which the barrier member is extended across a spray path from a flame spray gun of a flame spray system preventing travel of particles of fusible material from the flame spray gun to a product being coated and an unblocking position in which the barrier member is displaced from the spray path of the flame spray gun permitting travel of particles fusible material from the flame spray gun to the product being coated; and (b) an actuation mechanism connected to the barrier member and adapted to be selectively actuated to move the barrier member between the blocking and unblocking positions. The actuation mechanism includes a stationary member mounted in a stationary position alongside the flame spray gun and having a longitudinal axis and a guide element extending along and in an arcuate path at least partially about the axis, and a movable member mounted to the stationary member to undergo axial movement relative to the stationary member along the axis of the stationary member. The movable member has a follower element engaged with the guide element of the stationary member such that the axial movement of the movable member along the axis of the stationary member between forward and rearward positions relative to the stationary member causes corresponding rotational movement of the movable member between first and second positions relative to the stationary member. The barrier member is mounted on the movable member forwardly of the stationary member to undergo movement with the movable member. The barrier member is moved to the blocking position upon axial movement of the movable member to the forward position and rotational movement of the movable member to the first position. The barrier member is moved to the unblocking position upon axial movement of the movable member to the rearward position and rotational movement of the movable member to the second position. The actuation mechanism further includes an actuator coupled to the movable member and being operable to cause the axial movement of the movable member between the forward and rearward positions relative to the stationary member.
More particularly, the stationary member is an elongated hollow sleeve having a pair of opposite ends. The guide element is a slot defined in the hollow sleeve extending along and in an arcuate path at least partially about the longitudinal axis of the sleeve. The movable member is an elongated support rod extending through the hollow sleeve and being greater in length than the hollow sleeve such that opposite ends of the support rod extend beyond opposite ends of the hollow sleeve. The follower element is a protrusion on the support rod extending outwardly into the slot of the sleeve such that the axial movement of the support rod between forward and rearward positions causes corresponding rotational movement of the support rod between first and second positions. The barrier member is a flag. The actuator is coupled to the support rod rearwardly of the sleeve.
The present invention also is directed to an automated rod delivery apparatus for use in a flame spray system which comprises: (a) a magazine having a chamber for holding a plurality of elongated rods of heat fusible material in a stacked relationship with one another, the magazine having a front opening aligned with a lowermost one of the rods in the stack thereof in the chamber of the magazine and also aligned with a feed passage through a flame spray gun leading to a combustion head in the flame spray gun wherein the rod is advanced toward t
Flanagan John R.
Kashnikow Andres
Swartz Michael R.
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