Apparatus for applying a primer coating with the aid of vacuum

1. Apparatus for application of primer onto work pieces with the aid of vacuum, comprising:

a reservoir for liquid primer,

an applicator nozzle having an applicator chamber and a suction chamber which are separated by a partition wall and both open-out into parallel slots that face a surface of the work piece, the applicator nozzle being entirely spaced apart from that surface, with an opening provided between a lower end of the applicator nozzle and ambient air surrounding the applicator nozzle to permit air to enter the applicator nozzle,

a conveyor for moving the work pieces past the applicator nozzle,

a supply system for supplying primer from the reservoir to the applicator chamber,

a suction system for sucking ambient air into the suction chamber through the opening formed between the applicator nozzle and the surface of the work piece and withdrawing air and primer from the suction chamber,

a cyclone separator for separating primer from the withdrawn air and recirculating the separated primer into the reservoir, and

the reservoir including a dam inside the reservoir which divides the reservoir into an input sedimentation chamber to which a liquid discharge port of the separator is connected and an output clean liquid chamber that is connected to the supply system, with the dam having a height less than an upper level of liquid in the output clean liquid chamber.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction system is operated such that an underpressure of 5 to 15 kPa is maintained in the suction system including the separator and the reservoir.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the primer is an aqueous dispersion.