Coating apparatus – Projection or spray type – Applying solid particulate material
Utility Patent
1998-09-16
2001-01-02
Weldon, Kevin (Department: 1734)
Coating apparatus
Projection or spray type
Applying solid particulate material
Utility Patent
active
06168662
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a powder feeding apparatus. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus and method which convert a powder flow stream originating from a single source into one or more continuous powdered resin streams.
When powdered resins are fused to articles such as fasteners to enhance their frictional engagement and to create self-locking fasteners, it is important to uniformly coat each individual fastener with an equivalent amount of powder. A uniform coating ensures that each individual fastener of a batch of processed fasteners will display the same performance characteristics which may include, among others, the same locking and torquing characteristics. Thus, improvements in the even distribution of powdered resins directly enhance the performance and quality of the fasteners to which the powdered resins are applied.
Prior art approaches that attempt to improve the uniform distribution of powdered resins to a system's spray nozzles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,815,414 and 5,571,323. U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,414 discloses a system which uses a conical surface to direct the powder stream into a plurality of troughs for channeling the powder to the spray nozzels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,323 teaches using an adjustable metering valve, among other structure, for controlling the amount of powdered resin supplied to the spray nozzles.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method that are capable of converting a single powdered resin stream into a plurality of uniform powdered resin streams.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects are provided by the present invention which provides an apparatus that uniformly distributes powder to a plurality of spray nozzles. In one embodiment of the present invention, a single powdered resin stream is converted into a plurality of uniform powder streams for application by a plurality of spray nozzles through a multi-tiered apparatus. The apparatus of this embodiment comprises a powdered resin reservoir that meters powdered resin through a discharge port down onto a first receptacle that includes a hopper for receiving the falling powder and a passageway that discharges the powdered resin received down onto a divider located on a second receptacle. The divider then uniformly divides the stream into two equivalent streams that may be conveyed directly to a set of spray nozzles for application to the work-pieces or further divided by a similarly constructed third receptacle that divides the two powdered resin streams into four uniform streams through the use of two dividers and four hoppers.
In another embodiment, a weir is positioned to intersect the powder discharged by the powdered resin reservoir. The weir is used to eliminate any pulsing in the powdered resin stream.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatus that may be used to proportionally divide a single powdered resin stream into several different resin streams that contain differing amounts of powdered resin. Uses in which these types of processes may be used include, but are not limited to, the creation of double-ended studs having different break-away torques.
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Publication No. EP 0 914 872 A3 dated Dec. 8, 1999 of European Patent Application No. 98650036.1 including Europen Search Report.
Duffy Richard J.
Sessa Eugene
Niro Scavone Haller & Niro
Nylok Fastener Corporation
Weldon Kevin
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