GRAVITY FED SPRAY DEVICE AND METHODS FOR SPRAYING MULTIPLE COMPONENTS

1 . A spray gun for spraying a coating composition comprising a first component and a second component, said spray gun comprising:

(D) a spray gun body ( 1 ) comprising a carrier inlet ( 12 ), a first inlet ( 10 ) connected to a first connection path, and a second inlet ( 8 ) connected to a second connection path;

(E) a tubular nozzle casing ( 55 ) having a nozzle ( 13 ), said tubular nozzle casing being housed within said spray gun body; and

(F) a hollow spray needle ( 56 ) having a longitudinal channel within said hollow spray needle and a channel opening ( 13 a ″) at an end of said hollow spray needle towards said nozzle; said hollow spray needle is configured to slide in said tubular nozzle casing between a closed position and a spray position; wherein:

said first component and said second component are maintained separated in said spray gun;

said first connection path is connected to a spray passage defined by said tubular nozzle casing and said hollow spray needle for conveying said first component to said nozzle by gravity; and

said second connection path is connected to said longitudinal channel for conveying said second component when said hollow spray needle is at said spray position.

2 . The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein said longitudinal channel is configured to disconnect from said second connection path when said spray needle is at said closed position.

3 . The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein said spray passage is configured to disconnect from said first connection path when said spray needle is at said closed position.

4 . The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein said longitudinal channel is configured to disconnect from said second connection path and said spray passage is configured to disconnect from said first connection path when said spray needle is at said closed position.

5 . The spray gun of claim 1 further comprising a main reservoir ( 3 ) for conveying said first component to said first inlet by gravity.

6 . The spray gun of claim 1 further comprising a second reservoir ( 15 ) for conveying said second component to said second inlet by gravity.

7 . The spray gun of claim 1 further comprising a first flow control means coupled to said first inlet for regulating flow of the first component.

8 . The spray gun of claim 1 further comprising a second flow control means coupled the second inlet for regulating flow of the second component.

9 . The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein said tubular nozzle casing or said spray needle has a tapered opening at the nozzle.

10 . The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein the hollow spray needle is configured to seal the nozzle at said closed position.

11 . A method for producing a layer of a coating composition comprising a first component and a second component on a substrate, said method comprising the steps of:

i) providing a spray gun comprising:

(A) a spray gun body ( 1 ) comprising a carrier inlet ( 12 ), a first inlet ( 10 ) connected to a first connection path, and a second inlet ( 8 ) connected to a second connection path;

(B) a tubular nozzle casing ( 55 ) having a nozzle ( 13 ), said tubular nozzle casing being housed within said spray gun body; and

(C) a hollow spray needle ( 56 ) having a longitudinal channel within said hollow spray needle and a channel opening ( 13 a ″) at an end of said hollow spray needle towards said nozzle; said hollow spray needle is configured to slide in said tubular nozzle casing between a closed position and a spray position; wherein:

said first component and said second component are maintained separated in said spray gun;

said first connection path is connected to a spray passage defined by said tubular nozzle casing and said hollow spray needle for conveying said first component to said nozzle by gravity; and

said second connection path is connected to said longitudinal channel for conveying said second component when said hollow spray needle is at said spray position;

ii) providing the first component of said coating composition to the first inlet and the second component of said coating composition to said second inlet;

iii) producing atomized said first component and atomized said second component to form an atomized coating mixture by supplying a pressurized carrier to said carrier outlet through said carrier inlet and sliding said spray needle to said spray position; and

iv) applying said atomized coating mixture over said substrate forming said layer thereon.

12 . The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of curing said layer of said coating composition.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the pressurized carrier is selected from compressed air, compressed gas, compressed gas mixture, or a combination thereof.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said substrate is a vehicle, vehicle body, or vehicle body parts.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said coating composition is selected from a lacquer coating composition, a chemical curable coating composition, a radiation curable coating composition, or a chemical and radiation dual-cure coating composition.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises a crosslinkable and a crosslinking component and said second component comprises a catalyst or a latent catalyst.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises a radiation curable component and said second component comprises a photo initiator.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises a crosslinkable component, a crosslinking component and a radiation curable component, and said second component comprises a catalyst, an initiator, a radiation activator, or a combination thereof.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises a crosslinkable component and said second component comprises a crosslinking component.

20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises a radiation curable component and a crosslinkable component, and said second component comprises a crosslinking component.

21 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises protected crosslinkable groups and a crosslinking component, and wherein said second component comprises water and optionally an acid.

22 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said first component comprises protected crosslinkable groups, and said second component comprises a crosslinking component, water, and optionally an acid.

23 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said second component is selected from a catalyst, an initiator, an activator, a radiation activator, a curing agent, or a combination thereof.

24 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said coating mixture has a coating viscosity that is increasing upon time and said first component and said second component are at essentially constant individual viscosity upon time.

25 . A method for controlling viscosity of a coating composition comprising a first component and a second component, wherein said first component reacts with said second component causing increasing viscosity of said coating composition, said method comprising the steps of:

i) providing a spray gun comprising:

(A) a spray gun body ( 1 ) comprising a carrier inlet ( 12 ), a first inlet ( 10 ) connected to a first connection path, and a second inlet ( 8 ) connected to a second connection path;

(B) a tubular nozzle casing ( 55 ) having a nozzle ( 13 ), said tubular nozzle casing being housed within said spray gun body; and

(C) a hollow spray needle ( 56 ) having a longitudinal channel within said hollow spray needle and a channel opening ( 13 a ″) at an end of said hollow spray needle towards said nozzle; said hollow spray needle is configured to slide in said tubular nozzle casing between a closed position and a spray position; wherein:

said first component and said second component are maintained separated in said spray gun;

said first connection path is connected to a spray passage defined by said tubular nozzle casing and said hollow spray needle for conveying said first component to said nozzle by gravity; and

said second connection path is connected to said longitudinal channel for conveying said second component when said hollow spray needle is at said spray position;

ii) providing the first component of said coating composition to the first inlet and the second component of said coating composition to said second inlet;

iii) producing atomized said first component and atomized said second component to form an atomized coating mixture by supplying a pressurized carrier to said carrier outlet through said carrier inlet and sliding said spray needle to said spray position; and

iv) applying said atomized coating mixture over said substrate forming said layer thereon;

wherein said coating mixture has a coating viscosity that is increasing upon time and said first component and said second component are at essentially constant individual viscosity upon time.