The present disclosure relates to sprayers, and more particularly to texture sprayers usable to apply a texture coating to ceilings, walls, and the like.
Texture sprayers typically include a spray gun that can be coupled to a source of compressed air. A material hopper feeds texture material into the spray gun, where the material is entrained in a stream of compressed air and expelled from the gun through a nozzle.
The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a texture sprayer including a main body and an inlet coupled to the main body. The inlet is configured to receive compressed air. A mixing chamber is disposed downstream of the inlet. The mixing chamber is configured to combine the compressed air with texture material to form a texture spray. The texture sprayer also includes a nozzle holder coupled to the main body. The nozzle holder is movable between a first position and a second position. A first nozzle is coupled to the nozzle holder, and a second nozzle is coupled to the nozzle holder. The texture sprayer is configured to discharge the texture spray along a spray axis through the first nozzle when the nozzle holder is in the first position. The texture sprayer is configured to discharge the texture spray along the spray axis through the second nozzle when the nozzle holder is in the second position.
The present disclosure provides, in another aspect, a texture sprayer including a main body, an inlet coupled to the main body, the inlet being configured to receive compressed air, a nozzle holder rotatably coupled to the main body, and a plurality of nozzles coupled to the nozzle holder. The nozzle holder is rotatable between a plurality of positions, each position placing a different one of the plurality of nozzles in fluid communication with the inlet.
In another embodiment, a texture sprayer is disclosed. The texture sprayer includes a main body, an inlet coupled to the main body and configured to receive compressed air, an internal pathway disposed in the main body, the internal pathway being in fluid connection with the inlet, a hopper configured to supply texture material to the internal pathway, and a tilting mechanism that couples the hopper to the main body such that the hopper is pivotable relative to the main body. relative to the feed neck.
Other features and aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
In the illustrated embodiment, the spray gun 14 includes an inlet 30 extending rearward from the main body 22 that may be connected to an external source of compressed air 34 (e.g., an air compressor) via an air hose 38. Alternatively, the spray gun 14 may include an inlet at the base of the pistol grip 26, at other locations on the spray gun 14, or an internal inlet that receives air from an internal source of compressed air, such as a pressurized air cartridge, a battery-operated internal compressor, a combustible fuel cartridge, and/or the like.
The hopper 18 may receive and hold a volume of texture material to be applied to a surface (e.g., a wall, ceiling, or the like) during operation of the texture sprayer 10. The texture material may include wall texture compound, sand, joint compound, or any other desired material, optionally mixed with water, paint, or any other fluid. The hopper 18 may have an opening (not shown) in its top side for adding the texture material into the hopper 18. A lid 42 may cover the opening and may be removed or opened to provide access to the opening. The illustrated hopper 18 has a tapered or funnel shape that may feed the texture material, under the influence of gravity, toward a feed neck 46 of the spray gun 14. The hopper 18 may additionally include a handle 44, which may be disposed at an angle respective to the lid 42. In this way, the hopper 18 and/or the texture sprayer 10 may be more easily maneuvered, gripped, and/or handled when in use.
The feed neck 46 may have a generally cylindrical shape, and the hopper 18 may be removably coupled to the feed neck 46 by at least one clamp 50, such as a hose or band clamp. In other embodiments, the feed neck 46 may have other shapes, and the hopper 18 and feed neck 46 may be coupled together in a variety of different ways, such as via a friction fit or a clamping mechanism integrated into the feed neck 46. When connected, the hopper 18 and the feed neck 46 may collectively move respective to an axis, for example, by way of tilting or pivoting respective to the axis (e.g., pivot axis 190), as described further herein. In this way, the hopper 18 may articulate relative to the spray gun 14, which may improve the ease of adding material to the hopper 18 and/or improve the ease of handling the texture sprayer 10 during spraying operations.
With reference to
The plunger 66 may be movable along a longitudinal axis or a plunger axis 78 that may extend centrally through the plunger 66. In the illustrated embodiment, the plunger axis 78 is coaxial with the spray axis 58, but the plunger axis 78 may be offset from the spray axis 58 and/or non-coaxial respective to the spray axis 58 in other embodiments. The plunger 66 may be movable along the plunger axis 78 between an initial or unactuated position (
The plunger 66, the stopper 86, and the bushing 70 may each include a respective channel portion 90. The channel portions 90 may collectively align for defining an internal pathway that fluidly connects the inlet 30 to the nozzle 54 when a valve element 92 of the valve assembly 74 is in an open position, as illustrated in
With continued reference to
A biasing member 124 may surround the plunger 66 and be positioned between the annular wall 118 and the bushing 70. The biasing member 124 may bias the actuator lever 94 towards the unactuated position. In the illustrated embodiment, the biasing member 124 is a compression spring. In other embodiments, other types of biasing member may be used (e.g., a torsion spring, magnets, or the like), and the biasing member may be positioned in different positions or orientations to bias the actuator lever 94 to the unactuated position.
The actuator control mechanism 98 may be shaped as a user-manipulable dial and may be rotated about the plunger axis 78 to adjust an axial position of the actuator control mechanism 98 due to the threaded engagement between the actuator control mechanism 98 and the plunger 66. This, in turn, may adjust a position of the actuator lever 94 relative to the plunger 66 and therefore vary a total amount of travel required for the actuator lever 94 to move the plunger 66 to the actuated position. In other embodiments, the actuator control mechanism 98 may include a locking pin or any other mechanism configured to hold the actuator lever 94 in a desired position. In some embodiments, the actuator lever 94 may be operatively coupled to the valve assembly 74 such that movement of the actuator lever 94 may open and/or close the valve assembly 74 to allow compressed air to respectively flow and/or stop flowing into the internal pathway.
With reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle holder 126 is rotatably coupled to the main body 22 of the spray gun 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle holder 126 has a tri-lobe shape and is rotatable about a center axis 134 (
In some embodiments, the nozzles 54A-54C may be removably coupled to the nozzle holder 126 and interchangeable with other nozzles. For example, individual nozzles may be removed from the nozzle holder 126 and replaced if they become clogged, or if other spray characteristics are desired. In some embodiments, each of the nozzles 54A-54C may be threadably coupled to the nozzle holder 126. In other embodiments, the nozzles 54A-54C may be coupled to the nozzle holder 126 in other ways that provide a fluid tight seal. In some embodiments, the texture sprayer 10 may include a spare nozzle carrier (not shown) including a plurality of recesses configured to securely receive and store extra interchangeable nozzles. In some embodiments, the spare nozzle carrier may be coupled to or integrally formed with the hopper 18.
The nozzle holder 126 may be secured to the spray gun 14 via an adjustment mechanism 138 positioned along the center axis 134 of the nozzle holder 126. The adjustment mechanism 138 may allow the nozzle holder 126 to be selectively rotated between a plurality of positions to align a selected one of the nozzles 54A-54C with the spray axis 58. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 138 includes a bolt 142 that extends through the nozzle holder 126 and a nut 146 positioned on the front side of the nozzle holder 126 in threaded engagement with the bolt 142. (
Rotation of the nut 146 about the center axis 134 in a loosening direction may loosen the nozzle holder 126 and allow rotation of the nozzle holder 126 about the central axis 134 between a plurality of positions. For example, the nozzle holder 126 may be rotated between a first position in which the first nozzle 54A aligned with the spray axis 58, a second position in which the second nozzle 54B is aligned with the spray axis 58, and a third position in which the third nozzle 54C is aligned with the spray axis 58. In some embodiments, the nut 146 may be completely removed from the bolt 142 to allow the nozzle holder 126 to be removed and replaced with a replacement nozzle holder. In this way, the efficiency at which clogged and/or damaged nozzles may be interchanged may improve.
In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 138 further includes a plurality of recesses 150 (see, e.g.,
With reference to
The hopper 18 may be coupled to the feed neck 46 by a flexible coupling 182. The feed neck 46 and the hopper 18 may include integral annular projections or beads 184 (
In operation, the hopper 18 may be filled with a desired texture material, and the compressed air source 34 may be coupled to the inlet 30 of the spray gun 14 (
The texture material may be fed from the hopper 18 into the mixing chamber 62 and/or the internal pathway under the influence of gravity. With the plunger 66 in the actuated position, the distal end 82 of the plunger 66 is spaced from the stopper 86 to provide a gap for the texture material in the mixing chamber 62 to mix with the air flowing through the plunger 66. The texture material is entrained in the air stream, and the resulting mixture is forcefully discharged through the selected nozzle 54A-54C to form a texture spray. In some embodiments, the actuator control mechanism 98 may be rotated to hold the actuator lever 94 in the desired position, or to change the amount of travel or “feel” of the actuator lever 94 to initiate a spraying operation.
The spray characteristic of the texture sprayer 10 may be changed by rotating the nut 146 of the adjustment mechanism 138 about the center axis 134 to loosen the nozzle holder 126. Once loosened, the nozzle holder 126 may then be rotated about the center axis 134 to align a selected nozzle 54A-54C with the spray axis 58.
During operation, it may be desirable to tilt the spray gun 14 up or down (e.g. to vary an angle of inclination of the spray axis 58 relative to the horizon) to target particular areas of a surface being sprayed. The tilting mechanism 186 allows the hopper 18 to remain in a generally vertical orientation as the spray gun 14 is tilted, to an extent limited by the ends of the guide tracks 170 (
As the user loosens the fasteners 178, the biasing member 194 may urge the movement of the hopper 18 toward a vertical position. This may prevent the hopper 18 from moving suddenly under the influence of gravity when the fasteners 178 are loosened. In some embodiments, the biasing member 194 may also be sufficiently strong to restore the hopper 18 to its vertical orientation (relative to the feed neck) without the application of any other external force(s).
Various features of the present subject matter are set forth in the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/657,165, filed Apr. 13, 2018, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62657165 | Apr 2018 | US |