This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Applications 201910090917.8, filed Jan. 30, 2019. The entire disclosure of the application referenced above is incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure generally relates to spraying equipment, and more particularly to low-pressure airless spraying equipment.
Hand-held fluid sprayers (e.g., hand-held electric spray guns, high-pressure airless sprayers, and general-purpose spray guns, etc.) are often used in household painting. Low-pressure hand-held electric spray guns are usually used to paint relatively small area. Because the fluid pressure is low at the inlet of the passage and the fluid pressure is even lower at the outlet of the passage due to the pressure loss, the sprayed pattern may have nonuniform diffusion.
Thus, a spray tip with an improved internal flow channel structure for a low-pressure fluid sprayer to produce a uniformity of the spray pattern is desired. As disclosed below, the spray tip with improved internal flow channel structure significantly improves upon the state-of-the-art, solves the above problems, and enables functions that could not have been effectively performed before.
The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A low-pressure spraying equipment includes a spray tip body having a top and a lower end, a handle arranged on the top of the spray tip body, and a chamfer defined at the lower end of the spray tip body. The handle further includes a spray direction indicator on a side of the handle. The spray direction indicator is designed to point to a discharge direction of the spray tip body. The spray tip body further includes a retaining shoulder and a ring collar, a mounting hole having a channel axis, a pre-atomizing component, and a tip atomizing component. The pre-atomizing component further includes a feeding channel, a pre-atomization channel, and a pre-atomization regulating channel. The feeding channel, the pre-atomization channel, and the pre-atomization regulating channel are three coaxial hollow channels sequentially defined and connected along the channel axis inside the pre-atomizing component. The feeding channel, the pre-atomization channel, and the pre-atomization regulating channel form a dumbbell-shaped hallow structure. The pre-atomizing component and the tip atomizing component are connected to each other sequentially along the channel axis, in a fluid stream direction.
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and/or identical elements.
The present disclosure describes a low-pressure spray nozzle assembly that has the following enhanced outcomes: for example, produces a uniform spraying pattern and eliminates streaks of spraying fluid deposits formed at or near the edges of the sprayed area. As such, the spraying fluid can be uniformly applied to the surface of the workpiece, with no obvious fringe, therefore greatly improves the coating quality.
In household painting, the general spraying area is relatively small, and the working pressure of the equipment is, for example, about or less than one-third of the pressure of the high-pressure airless spraying machine. The current trend is to use a hand-held electric spray gun for concentrated and efficient small-area spraying. In this case, the sprayed pattern may have uneven diffusion. Because the input pressure of the device is low, more spray fluid is deposited at or near the edge of the spray area, resulting in streaks on the edges of the area. The above defects can usually be reduced or eliminated by increasing the injection pressure to therefore increase the spraying pressure. However, with a high spraying pressure, the fluid particles may easily be dispersed to a larger than intended spraying area. In addition, insufficient adhesion to the coated surface may happen. Therefore, high-pressure airless spraying machines are usually used in industrial coating for large-area construction.
The internal structure of a traditional typical spray tip flow channel includes two parts, a first part being a spraying fluid feed channel and a second part being a spraying fluid atomizing component. The inside of the spraying fluid feed channel is a general circular through hole, which serves to guide the flow of the spraying fluid. The spraying fluid is transmitted to the chamber of the spraying fluid atomizing component, then enters an outlet passage of the spraying fluid atomizing component, and finally passes through a tip outlet orifice with a wedge-shaped cut to produce an atomized spray.
Since this structure does not produce spray fluid turbulence in the spraying fluid feed channel, the net pressure loss of the spraying fluid at the outlet orifice is significant. In other words, the output pressure at the outlet orifice and the input pressure at the inlet of the spraying fluid feed channel are quite different. The low spraying pressure cannot produce uniform atomization, causing more spray fluid deposited at or near the edge of a spray pattern. This results in streaks on the edges of the pattern, and the distribution of the paint is uneven, as shown in
The problem of non-uniformity of the spray pattern under low pressure conditions can be solved by changing the internal flow channel structure of the spray tip.
Various embodiments and examples are disclosed in the present disclosure to illustration the solution.
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Additionally, the feeding channel 1b1 and the pre-atomization regulating channel 1b3 both have smooth inner surfaces. As shown in
Alternatively, in some other embodiments of the pre-atomizing component 1b′, as shown in
The fluid enters the feeding channel 1b1′ through an upstream feeding entry. The feeding channel 1b1′ with the feed turbulence thread 1b11′ on its inner surface may increase the disturbance of the fluid to form a vortex that forces the fluid to rotate towards the upstream along the internal surface of the pre-atomization regulating channel 1b3′. As such, the mass flow rate is reduced and the net pressure loss of the fluid is also reduced. Specifically, the fluid is propelled by a swirling force against the internal surface of the internal thread groove of the feed turbulence thread 1b11′ to thereby reducing the mass flow rate and the net pressure loss of the working fluid.
Additionally, the number of turns of the feed turbulent thread 1b11′ can be increased or decreased according to the length of the feeding channel 1b1′, which is a first-stage turbulent chamber for the fluid flowing downstream. Specifically, the number of turns of the feed turbulent thread 1b11′ may depend on the thread pitch and the relevant specifications that influence the thread turns. For example, smaller number of turns of the feed turbulent thread 1b11′ may be configured for the feeding channel 1b1′ having steeper pitch threads but same length. Bigger number of turns of the feed turbulent thread 1b11′ may be configured for the feeding channel 1b1′ having same pitch threads but greater length.
Furthermore, the pre-atomized fluid flows through the regulating turbulence thread 1b31′, which increases the disturbance of the fluid to form a vortex and the fluid is further pushed by the centrifugal force to flow close to the internal surface of the internal thread groove of the regulating turbulence thread 1b31′. Accordingly, the mass flow rate is reduced and the net pressure loss of the fluid is therefore further reduced. As such, the net pressure of the fluid from the downstream to the upstream of the pre-atomization channel is balanced.
Similarly, the number of turns of the regulating turbulence thread 1b31′ can be increased or decreased according to the length of the pre-atomization regulating channel 1b3′.
Similar to the components of the pre-atomizing component 1b1 of
The second-stage turbulent chamber further agitates the vortex in the fluid, to thereby enhancing the turbulence effect and the diffusion of the fluid particles. As such, the net pressure of the working fluid from the downstream to the upstream of the pre-atomization channel 1b2′ can be balanced. Such strengthened fluid vortex can significantly reduce or eliminate undesirable streaks in the spray pattern shown in
The frustoconical structured feeding channel 1b1″ can help the fluid to form vortex inside the channel, and pre-atomize through the pre-atomization channel 1b2″, thereby reducing the net loss of pressure in the fluid and properly refining the work fluid particles.
As shown in
The fluid flows from the pre-atomization regulating channel (e.g., 1b3, 1b3′, or 1b3″) and enters the turbulence chamber 1c1 inside the tip atomizing component 1c, in which the fluid expands and increases its flow speed to be kept in a turbulent state.
The fluid further flows from the downstream end to the upstream end of the turbulence chamber 1c1 through the frustoconical passage 1c2, and is then forced into the outlet passage 1c3.
As shown in
The tip atomizing component 1c is made of tungsten carbide or similar rigid, powder-based materials, and can be grounded or machined to form the outlet orifice 1c4. The diameter of the outlet orifice 1c4 is the smallest among those of all the orifices or internal passages within the spray tip body 1 of the low-pressure spraying equipment 100. As such, the fluid can be ejected through the outlet orifice 1c4 to produce atomization.
Specifically, the pre-atomizing component (e.g., 1b, 1b′, or 1b″), the feeding channel (e.g., 1b1, 1b1′, or 1b1″), the pre-atomization channel (e.g., 1b2, 1b2′, or 1b2″) and the pre-atomization regulating channel (e.g., 1b3, 1b3′, or 1b3″) are sequentially connected along the channel axis X, in the fluid stream direction. Further, the feeding channel (e.g., 1b1, 1b1′, or 1b1″), the pre-atomization channel (e.g., 1b2, 1b2′, or 1b2″) and the pre-atomization regulating channel (e.g., 1b3, 1b3′, or 1b3″) as a whole has a dumbbell-shaped structure. The tip atomizing component 1c having the turbulence chamber 1c1, the outlet passage 1c3 and the outlet orifice 1c4 are also sequentially connected along the channel axis X, with the turbulence chamber 1c1 being connected with the pre-atomization regulating channel (e.g., 1b3, 1b3′, or 1b3″), and the outlet orifice 1c4 having a wedge-shaped cut outlet.
Further, the downstream end of the tip atomizing component 1c includes a spherical shape and abuts the step surface of the stepped mounting hole 1a.
A gap space is arranged between the tip atomizing component 1c and the mounting hole 1a to prevent deposit around the outlet orifice 1c4 from impacting the spray pattern.
The above low-pressure spray tip design, whether spraying with an electric spray gun or an airless sprayer, with spraying pressure at 1000 psi or lower, can diffuse the spray pattern uniformly during low-pressure spraying. Accordingly, the disclosed example low-pressure spraying equipment can apply the spray fluid uniformly to the surface of the workpiece, eliminate the streaks of spray fluid deposits formed at or near the edges, and greatly improves the coating quality.
In addition, the present low-pressure spray tip design can substantially extend the lifespan of the sprayer. The higher operating pressure usually wears down the spray tip faster. For example, the presented disclosed spray tip can operate well at a pressure of 1000 psi and lower, which is at least 50% lower than the normal operating pressure of a high-pressure airless sprayer in today's market, such as 2000 psi to 3000 psi. As such, the spray tip according to the present disclosure can increase the working lifespan by at least 50%, can meanwhile resolve the issue of overspraying.
In summary, the present disclosure provides the following advantages:
Firstly, whether spraying with an electric spray gun or an airless sprayer, the low-pressure spraying equipment can diffuse the spray pattern uniformly during low-pressure spraying, thereby applying the spray fluid uniformly to the surface of the workpiece and eliminating the streaks of spray fluid deposits formed at or near the edges, which greatly improves the coating quality.
Secondly, the use of low-pressure spraying equipment can also significantly extend the lifespan of the sprayer. The higher the pressure, the greater the friction, and the lower the service life, and vice versa. For example, when the high-pressure airless sprayer uses the current invention low-pressure spray tip, the working pressure can be reduced by at least one-half compared to the use of conventional high-pressure spray tips, therefore, the service life of the sprayer can be almost doubled. It also solves the problem of overspray of the spray fluid.
Thirdly, the spray pattern of the low-pressure spray tip of the current invention has the characteristics of high density in the middle and uniform dilution on both edges. As such, during continuous spraying, two adjacent thin edges are overlapped to form substantially the same density as the middle portion, which greatly reduces the difficulty of splicing adjacent painting areas, and therefore improves the aesthetics of the coating.
Lastly, the current invention realizes a secondary atomization by improving the internal flow channels, so that the particles of the sprayed fluid after atomization are further refined than the conventional high-pressure spray tip, which further improves the aesthetics of the coating.
The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/or combined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if that combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.
Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example, between modules, elements, components, layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,” “coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and “disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when a relationship between first and second elements is described in the above disclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where no other intervening elements are present between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or more intervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements.
As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.” The term subset does not necessarily require a proper subset. In other words, a first subset of a first set may be coextensive with (equal to) the first set.
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Machine Translation of DE102017002139A1, May 19, 2021, Google Patents, 11 Pages (Year: 2021). |
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20200238310 A1 | Jul 2020 | US |