Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B7/00—Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas
  • B05B7/02—Spray pistols; Apparatus for discharge
  • B05B7/04—Spray pistols; Apparatus for discharge with arrangements for mixing liquids or other fluent materials before discharge
  • B05B7/0408—Spray pistols; Apparatus for discharge with arrangements for mixing liquids or other fluent materials before discharge with arrangements for mixing two or more liquids
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
  • B01F25/40—Static mixers
  • B01F25/42—Static mixers in which the mixing is affected by moving the components jointly in changing directions, e.g. in tubes provided with baffles or obstructions
  • B01F25/43—Mixing tubes, e.g. wherein the material is moved in a radial or partly reversed direction
  • B01F25/431—Straight mixing tubes with baffles or obstructions that do not cause substantial pressure drop; Baffles therefor
  • B01F25/4314—Straight mixing tubes with baffles or obstructions that do not cause substantial pressure drop; Baffles therefor with helical baffles
  • B01F25/43141—Straight mixing tubes with baffles or obstructions that do not cause substantial pressure drop; Baffles therefor with helical baffles composed of consecutive sections of helical formed elements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
  • B01F25/40—Static mixers
  • B01F25/42—Static mixers in which the mixing is affected by moving the components jointly in changing directions, e.g. in tubes provided with baffles or obstructions
  • B01F25/43—Mixing tubes, e.g. wherein the material is moved in a radial or partly reversed direction
  • B01F25/433—Mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences the mixing, e.g. mixing tubes with varying cross-section or provided with inwardly extending profiles
  • B01F25/4331—Mixers with bended, curved, coiled, wounded mixing tubes or comprising elements for bending the flow
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F35/00—Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
  • B01F35/10—Maintenance of mixers
  • B01F35/145—Washing or cleaning mixers not provided for in other groups in this subclass; Inhibiting build-up of material on machine parts using other means
  • B01F35/1452—Washing or cleaning mixers not provided for in other groups in this subclass; Inhibiting build-up of material on machine parts using other means using fluids
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F2101/00—Mixing characterised by the nature of the mixed materials or by the application field
  • B01F2101/2305—Mixers of the two-component package type, i.e. where at least two components are separately stored, and are mixed in the moment of application
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B5/00—Electrostatic spraying apparatus; Spraying apparatus with means for charging the spray electrically; Apparatus for spraying liquids or other fluent materials by other electric means
  • B05B5/025—Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns
  • B05B5/04—Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements, i.e. spraying being also effected by centrifugal forces
  • B05B5/0403—Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements, i.e. spraying being also effected by centrifugal forces characterised by the rotating member
  • B05B5/0407—Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements, i.e. spraying being also effected by centrifugal forces characterised by the rotating member with a spraying edge, e.g. like a cup or a bell

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a cartridge for a multi-component product injection module, as well as a multi-component product injection module for a coating product sprayer, which includes such a cartridge.
• the invention also relates to a multi-component coating product sprayer comprising such a module.
• a multi-component coating product comprises at least two components.
• some two-component products are obtained by mixing a water-soluble paint and a solvent-based hardener, these two components being only slightly miscible.
• an injection module that incorporates a cartridge forming a static mixer and defining a mixing path equipped with baffles. This mixing path allows for the intimate bonding of the coating product components.
• Such static mixers are known from EP3446776A , WO2019/014181A , WO2017/151305A , WO2017/027279A , WO2021/094278A , US2023/032382A , US476657A , DE102014017032A , WO2021/108245A And WO2017/005354 A .
• baffles are housed within channels that define the mixing path. Despite careful attention to fitting the baffles within the channels, gaps remain between the baffles and the channels. These gaps allow some of one or more components of the multi-component coating product to leak through, potentially leading to inhomogeneities in the mixture. Furthermore, rinsing the mixing path, which must be performed when changing the coating's color, may be incomplete due to these gaps.
• the invention intends to remedy in particular by proposing a new cartridge for a multi-component product injection module, particularly effective in terms of mixing and cleaning, which limits the risks of inhomogeneity of the multi-component coating product at the output of the injection module.
• the invention relates to a cartridge for a multi-component product injection module of a coating product sprayer.
• This cartridge forms a static mixer and defines, within a rigid mixing body, a multi-component product mixing path.
• the cartridge is equipped with fluid mixing baffles for feeding an injector of the multi-component product injection module.
• the baffles and the mixing body are integral, and the multi-component product mixing path is helical in shape.
• a helical cleaning fluid flow path is defined within the mixing body.
• the helix of the multi-component product mixing path and the helix of the cleaning fluid flow path are nested within the mixing body.
• the fact that the baffles and the mixing body are a single unit eliminates any gaps between the baffles and the channels defined by the body. This ensures that all components of the multi-component product being mixed are subjected to the action of the baffles along the entire length of the mixing path. This guarantees that the multi-component coating product is homogeneous at the cartridge outlet, and therefore at the injection module outlet.
• the interlocking of the flow paths of the multi-component product and the cleaning fluid contributes to the compactness, particularly the axial compactness, of the cartridge, and thus of an injection module comprising the cartridge and a sprayer equipped with this injection module.
• the invention relates to a multi-component product injection module for coating product sprayer, this injection module comprising an injector and a static mixer formed by a cartridge as described above.
• the injector and cartridge are mounted in an alignment sleeve.
• the invention relates to a two-component coating product sprayer comprising a first supply line for a first liquid component, a second supply line for a second liquid component, a spraying element, and a module for injecting a multi-component product into the spraying element.
• the multi-component product injection module is as described above.
• the sprayer 1 shown in the figure 1 is intended to project a multi-component coating product onto unrepresented objects, for example, motor vehicle bodies.
• This sprayer is intended to be mounted at the end of the arm 2 of a multi-axis robot and includes a main body 4 which defines an axis of rotation X6 for a spraying element, here a bowl 6, driven in rotation by a turbine 8, which is advantageously an air turbine.
• the main body 4 also supports a high voltage unit 10, which allows a high continuous voltage to be applied to the coating product discharged from the edge of the bowl 6, when it rotates around the axis X6.
• the coating product applied by means of the sprayer 1 is a two-component product comprising a water-soluble paint, the flow of which is controlled by a first proportional valve 12, and a hardener, the flow of which is controlled by a second proportional valve 14.
• the valves 12 and 14 are part of the supply lines to the bowl 6, respectively for paint and hardener, which open into the plane of the figure 1 at the level of these valves.
• a line 16 supplying cleaning product opens into the plane of the figure 1 and extends, for the most part, outside of this plan.
• Supply pipes 18 wound around an auxiliary body 20 of the sprayer 1 supply the turbine 8, the valves 12 and 14 and the line 16, respectively with air, paint, hardener and cleaning product. They are part of the aforementioned supply lines.
• a multi-component product injection module 30 for the bowl 6 is mounted on the main body 4 by means of three screws 32. This injection module is centered on the rotation axis X6. X30 denotes a longitudinal axis of the injection module 30. In the mounted configuration of the injection module 30 on the main body 4, the axes X6 and X30 coincide.
• the injection module 30 comprises a sleeve 34, preferably made of electrically conductive material such as a metal, in the shape of a socket, one piece with a base 36 in which are provided orifices 38 for the passage of the screws 32.
• a cartridge 40 which is part of the injection module 30, is mounted in the casing 34.
• the cartridge 40 is preferably inserted into the envelope 34, which facilitates the replacement of the cartridge 40 during maintenance operations of the injection module 30.
• the cartridge 40 is one piece with the envelope 34.
• the cartridge is configured to be mounted at the top of the sprayer 1, that is, on the side of this sprayer facing the bowl 6.
• "at the head” means that an object is mounted in the sprayer 1 by being inserted in the center of the turbine 8, more precisely of a rotor of the turbine, or in the bowl 6.
• the injection module 30, therefore the cartridge 40 is mounted at the head of the sprayer 1.
• X40 a longitudinal axis of the cartridge 40. This longitudinal axis X40 coincides with the axis X30 in the mounted configuration of the cartridge 40 in the envelope 34.
• the injection module 30 also includes an injector 42 and a cleaning product diffuser 44. Seals 46, 48 and 50 ensure the sealing of the flow of the coating product along the injection module 30.
• the sleeve formed by the envelope 34 receives both the cartridge 40 and the injector 42, which it allows to be aligned on the axis X6 of rotation of the bowl 6.
• the cartridge 40 is a spare part of the injection module 30 and can be exchanged during the life of the injection module 30 and the sprayer 1, in particular after a prolonged stop which induces a clumping of the product within it, or when changing the sprayed coating product, if the catalyst/base component pairs are no longer miscible, or when the number of baffles in the cartridge needs to change.
• the cartridge 40 comprises a main body 402 which is rigid and extends longitudinally along the axis X40, and a base 404 disposed at one end of the main body 402, which surrounds this body and which includes a projecting part 406 which extends radially to the axis X40, on one side of the main body 402.
• the cartridge 40 also includes an end piece 408 provided on the side of the base 404 and on which the seal 46 is mounted.
• Cartridge 40 is a single piece and preferably manufactured by additive manufacturing of a synthetic material such as a polyamide resin.
• cartridge 40 is 3D printed from synthetic material, and parts 402, 404, 406, and 408 are single pieces.
• main body 402 is monobloc and parts 404, 406 and 408 are attached to it, after it has been produced by additive manufacturing.
• the main body 402 or the entire cartridge 40 is 3D printed from a metallic material. This makes it possible to consider cleaning the cartridge 40 by pyrolysis, particularly if the coating product being mixed solidifies in the main body 402.
• L402 is the axial length of the main body 402 of the cartridge 40, this axial length being measured parallel to the axis X40, therefore to the axis X30 in the mounted configuration of the cartridge 40 in the injection module 30.
• the nozzle 408 is positioned opposite a mixing chamber 22 in which flows of paint and hardener coming out of valves 12 and 14 respectively meet.
• the injection module 30 is supplied with both paint and hardener, by valves 12 and 14.
• the main body defines a path T1 for mixing the components of the multi-component product.
• This path which can also be called the mixing path, extends from bottom to top on insert A) of the figures 2 And 3 .
• This mixing path T1 is helical in shape, centered on the X40 axis, and has a developed length LT1, visible at the figure 4 , which is strictly greater than the length L402, due to the helical nature of the path T1.
• a ratio LT1/L402 is therefore strictly greater than 1.
• the LT1/L402 ratio is greater than or equal to 1.1.
• this LT1/L402 ratio is greater than or equal to 1.5.
• the path T1 of mixing the coating product can be long enough to obtain an efficient mixing of the two components of the coating product, within the static mixer formed by the main body 402 of the cartridge 40, without creating an over-length of the cartridge 40 or the injection module 30.
• the injection module 30 maintains an axial length consistent with industry standards.
• its axial length can be equal to, or approximately equal to, that of single-component coating injection modules. Therefore, the sprayer 1 is no more cumbersome than a single-component sprayer, and its trajectory relative to a vehicle body within a coating booth can be determined in the same way as that of a single-component product sprayer.
• the entire mixing path T1 is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis X40, therefore not parallel to this axis, due to the helical nature of this path.
• the mixing path T1 is defined by a conduit C1 which is formed inside the main body 402 and in which baffles 410 are arranged whose function is to intimately mix the components coming respectively from the valves 12 and 14.
• the 410 baffles are propeller or blade shaped.
• chicanes may be chosen, including those disclosed in the documents mentioned above.
• the baffles 410 are integral with the main body 402, which prevents the coating product components being mixed from flowing between the baffles and a conduit wall C1. This ensures efficient mixing of the coating product components throughout the entire flow path T1.
• the baffles 410 and the body 402 there are no gaps. between the baffles and the body, through which part of one or more components of the multi-component coating product could flow.
• the risks of inhomogeneity of the multi-component coating product at the outlet of the cartridge 40, and therefore at the outlet of the injection module 30, are thus eliminated.
• baffles are not visible since they are embedded in the mass of the main body 402, which is possible thanks to the additive manufacturing of the main body 402 of the cartridge 40.
• the two helices of paths T1 and T2 are nested around the longitudinal axis X40, within the mixing body 402, which gives good axial and radial compactness to the body 402.
• the path T2 is formed by a helical conduit C2 whose internal volume is free of baffles or any relief that could impede the flow of the cleaning fluid.
• the C2B outlet of the C2 duct is radially offset with respect to the longitudinal axis X40, as visible on insert E) of the figure 2 Furthermore, the outlet C2B of the conduit C2 is arranged to supply one or more longitudinal grooves 422 formed on the external peripheral surface of the injector 42, which allows the diffuser 44 to be supplied with cleaning product.
• the invention is described above and illustrated in the figures in the case where the multi-component product is a two-component product. However, it is applicable with products having more than two components, in which case the number of supply lines and valves of sprayer 1 is adapted.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Nozzles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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ID=92456956

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (12)

• 2024
  • 2024-05-10 FR FR2404842A patent/FR3162010A1/fr active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-05-09 EP EP25175364.6A patent/EP4647151A1/de active Pending

Patent Citations (12)

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