Spray coating device for spraying coating material, in particular coating powder

1. Spray apparatus for coating materials comprising an apparatus housing, the apparatus housing further comprising:

a coating powder duct;

a spray outlet at a downstream end of the coating material duct, the spray outlet configured to spray the coating material onto an object to be coated;

a shaping air outlet configured to adjustably shape compressed air, said shaping air outlet running near the spray outlet and around a flow path of the coating material apart from the flow path; and

at least one electrode arranged in the flow path of the coating material at or close to the spray outlet, the at least one electrode configured to be connected to a high-voltage generator for electrostatic charging of the coating material;

wherein the shaping air outlet is further configured to generate from compressed air, a shaping air flow enclosing a coating material spray jet, the shaping air outlet comprising a large number of holes in a body, said holes being configured in a distributed manner around the flow path of the coating, separated from the flow path, and pointing forward to the coating material spray jet, the holes being further configured such that the shaping air flow from the holes will converge to a cross-sectionally annular shaping air flow at the latest at a point of impact of the air flow with the flow path of the coating material spray jet, the distributed manner comprising an ambient-air passage that is radially inwardly offset relative to the holes and which runs from an ambient-air inlet situated behind the body to an ambient-air outlet situated in front of the body; and which further runs in the form of a single component or in the form of several apertures around and apart from the flow path of the coating material, whereby the ambient air can be aspirated from the ambient air inlet through the ambient-air passage toward the ambient-air outlet by means of a flow suction effect of the coating material spray jet and/or the flow suction effect of the shaping air flow.

2. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the body is undivided at the holes.

3. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein there are at least ten or more holes.

4. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a mutual distance between adjacent holes as seen in a circumferential direction around the flow path of the coating material is larger by a factor of at least five or more, preferably at least ten or more than the aperture size of the holes in said circumferential direction.

5. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aperture cross-section of each hole is less than 2 mm 2 .

6. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the holes exhibit a circular cross-section.

7. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the body is a hose or a tube enclosing the flow path of the coating material while being apart from it, and in that the holes are present in a wall of the hose or the tube.

8. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an outlet end of the holes is configured in a rearwardly offset manner relative to the spray outlet at the upstream side.

9. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein all the holes are pneumatically connected to a compressed-air manifold duct which is fitted with at least one compressed-air inlet aperture.

10. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein an aperture cross-section of the manifold duct and an aperture cross section of the holes are mutually matched in a manner that a same quantity of compressed air per unit time may issue from all the holes.

11. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a baffle disposed downstream of the spray outlet, the baffle including an electrode axially orientated downstream of the baffle.

12. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a high voltage generator disposed within the apparatus housing, the high voltage generator configured to generate a high DC voltage applied to the at least one electrode from a received low voltage alternating current (AC) source.

13. The spray apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least two set of air shaping holes connected to separate sections of a air manifold duct and fitted with separate compressed air intake apertures, enabling finer adjustment of the quantity of compressed air per unit time issuing from the holes.

14. A method of spraying a coating material, comprising:

forming a coating material spray jet for spraying the coating material onto an object to be coated from a spray outlet at a downstream end of a spray apparatus having a coating material duct;

adjustably shaping compressed air exiting air outlet running near the spray outlet and around a flow path of the coating material jet apart from the flow path, the compressed air exiting the air outlet via a large number of holes configured in a distributed manner around the flow path of the coating, separated from the flow path, and pointing forward to the coating material spray jet, the holes being further configured such that the shaping air flow from the holes will converge to a cross-sectionally annular shaping air flow at the latest at a point of impact of the air flow with the flow path of the coating material spray jet, the distributed manner comprising an ambient-air passage that is radially inwardly offset relative to the holes and which runs from an ambient-air inlet situated behind the body to an ambient-air outlet situated in front of the body; and which further runs in the form of a single component or in the form of several apertures around and apart from the flow path of the coating material; and

aspirating ambient air from the ambient air inlet through the ambient-air passage toward the ambient-air outlet by means of a flow suction effect of the coating material spray jet and/or the flow suction effect of the shaping air flow.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein shaping compressed air exiting an air outlet is performed by at least two sets of holes supplied by separate compressed air intake apertures, enabling finer adjustment of the quantity of compressed air per unit time issuing from the holes.