Vehicle collision repair booth
Provided is a booth that includes a booth housing that defines an area for locating or positioning a vehicle to undergo a filling, priming, and/or painting operation as part of an overall vehicle collision damage repair process. The booth includes a first air handling system and a second air handling system that is in fluid communication with a tool. The first handling system includes an air intake, a plenum, a filter to filter air from the air plenum before that enters into the interior of the housing, and an air exhaust. The second air handling system includes flexible and static conduits that are in communication with each other and in communication with an air exhaust outlet for removing debris and particulate from the booth. A tool is carried by a carriage and support that permits movement of the tooling throughout the paint spray booth and is in fluid communication with the second air handling system.
1 . A vehicle collision repair booth
comprising: a housing;
a first air handling system for drawing air from the ambient environment outside of said housing into an interior volume of said housing, drawing the air across and past a vehicle undergoing collision repair, and exhausting the air from said interior volume of said housing to the ambient environment outside of said housing;
a second air handling system in fluid communication with a movable tool for drawing air from said interior volume of said housing into the movable tool and exhausting air from said interior volume of said housing to the ambient environment outside of said housing, through an air exhaust duct fixed to the housing, wherein said movable tool includes a hood and a drying unit;
a pair of spaced apart elongated rails defining a first guideway for the movement of an overhead carriage from side to side within the housing;
said overhead carriage movably engaged with the pair of spaced apart elongated rails, the overhead carriage comprising a pair of spaced apart elongated rail members defining a second guideway for the movement of a sledge from the front to the rear of the housing;
said sledge movably engaged with the overhead carriage;
wherein said second air handling system comprises a flexible and movable air intake conduit extending vertically downwardly from the sledge and in fluid communication with said movable tool, a first exhaust conduit in fluid communication with the flexible and movable air intake conduit and extending upwardly from the sledge, a second exhaust conduit in fluid communication with said first exhaust conduit and with said air exhaust duct;
wherein the first exhaust conduit is movable with the overhead carriage;
wherein the second exhaust conduit is static and is affixed to the overhead carriage by the first exhaust conduit;
wherein said movable tool is engaged with said sledge by an elongated mounting, wherein said mounting extends vertically downwardly from said sledge and is positioned entirely downwardly from said sledge, and
wherein said flexible and movable air intake conduit and movable tool are movable up and down along the length of said elongated mounting and rotating 360 degrees about said elongated mounting.
2 . The vehicle collision repair booth of claim 1 , wherein said housing comprises a ceiling and at least one rigid wall defining an area for spraying an object, and wherein said first air handling system comprises an air intake duct in the ceiling of the housing.
3 . The vehicle collision repair booth of claim 2 , further comprising a fan in fluid communication with said air intake duct and a plenum in fluid communication with said fan.
4 . The vehicle collision repair booth of claim 3 , wherein said first air handling system further comprises a filter in fluid communication with an air exhaust duct.
5 . The vehicle collision repair booth of claim 1 , wherein the overhead carriage is movably engaged with a pair of elongated rails spaced-apart in the same horizontal plane.
6 . The vehicle collision repair booth of claim 1 , wherein said drying unit comprises a heater.
7 . The vehicle collision repair booth of claim 6 , wherein said heater is located within said hood.