Abstract: Objects to be coated enter an enclosure and a coating product with specific characteristics is sprayed onto the objects while in the enclosure. There is a respective enclosure for each of a plurality of coating products adapted to be removably attached to an external framework. Changing the coating product entails changing the enclosure.

Abstract: A centrifugal device for atomizing a coating product comprises a generally bowl-shape rotating member having an inside wall substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotating member between a drive hub and the interior surface of the bowl. The wall defines within the bowl a front cavity open in the spraying direction and a rear cavity surrounding the hub. A coating product nozzle and a cleaning product nozzle are accommodated in the rear cavity and are both directed towards the wall. Passages are formed at the outside periphery of the wall near the interior surface, and the wall incorporates an annular opening communicating with the rear cavity and within which is defined a reflector surface adapted to reflect some of a jet of liquid towards the central part of the wall. The cleaning product nozzle is oriented towards the reflector surface.

Abstract: A coating product sprayer installation enabling a rapid change of coating product. The installation includes two parallel distribution branches each containing a piston or membrane type intermediate storage tank defining an actuation chamber actuated by a liquid, the branches being connected by means of valves between a coating product change unit and at least one coating product sprayer. The apparatus can be used advantageously for electrostatic spraying of conductive coating products.

Abstract: An electrostatic coating product sprayer device is provided with quick cleaning means. The sprayer device comprises a rotatable sprayer member and at least one cleaning product nozzle fixed relative to the rotatable member. The nozzle is directed towards a generally convex surface of the rotatable member so that the jet from it impinges on the generally convex surface with a large angle of incidence. The nozzle is disposed in the immediate proximity of the generally convex surface, to its rear.

Abstract: At least part of an electrostatic spraying installation for spraying an electrically conductive liquid product such as a coating product is grounded. The installation includes at least one intermediate storage tank that is electrically insulated from ground and at least one electrostatic sprayer device that is supplied from this intermediate storage tank. The electrostatic sprayer device is connected to a variable or switchable high-tension voltage source. The installation includes at least one electrical insulation device which incorporates a section of insulative conduit and a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet at respective ends of this conduit section. A piston movable in the conduit section scrapes its inside wall clean.

Abstract: An installation particularly suited to use in the automobile industry for electrostatic application of conductive coating product is partly at a high-tension voltage and partly grounded, these parts being separated by at least one temporary insulating device. The electrostatic sprayer is fed from a first storage tank insulated from ground and the latter is filled in a very short time period with coating product previously stored in a grounded second storage tank, through a temporary insulating device.

Abstract: A device for connecting two conduit parts, in particular two parts of a pollutant fluid circuit, comprises a first connector part enclosing a first valve member elastically urged towards a first valve seat to isolate a fluid outlet. A second connector part comprises a tubular element defining an inlet conduit and enclosing a second valve member elastically urged towards a second valve seat to isolate a fluid inlet. A system is provided for cleaning contacting surfaces of the two connector parts and in particular those of the two valve members. The valve members have respective complementary shape mutually contacting surfaces and are adapted to be movable conjointly while remaining in contact so as to enable the fluid to pass.

Abstract: An electrical insulator device is in the form of a section of pipe for a conductive liquid. The device comprises an insulative casing accommodating a mobile assembly and an expandable pipe part is connected between one end of the casing and this mobile assembly, which carries ano-ring for scraping clean an end surface of a connection mechanism arranged in the vicinity of the second end of the casing, with which it cooperates.

Abstract: An installation for spraying a coating product includes a manually controlled pneumatic sprayer operated by a trigger. The compressed air flowrate is varied according to the position of the trigger. The coating product feed system can include a gear pump driven at variable speed by a motor controlled by an electric signal representing the position of the trigger.

Abstract: An installation for spraying coating product, such as water-soluble or metallic paint to be sprayed onto automobile bodies, comprises a coating product change unit on a downstream side of which is at least one distribution pipe. This feeds at least one sprayer for the coating product. An intermediate storage tank for the coating product formed in the distribution pipe(s) consists of a section of the pipe itself. An arrangement is provided for feeding rinsing product into the distribution pipe(s) and, by virtue of a selective connection device, the coating product is propelled by the rinsing product during spraying.

Abstract: An installation for spraying a coating product in liquid form, as in the automobile industry, comprises at least one circuit and, in that circuit, a pump, at least one sprayer, and a flexible conduit connecting an outlet of the pump to the sprayer. The flowrate of liquid in the conduit is controlled by a servo-system which controls the pump. The pump is preferably a gear pump.

Abstract: An electrostatic sprayer device for spraying products in powder form comprises an air-powder mixture pipe with an ejector orifice at one end. It has a charging electrode adjacent this orifice and a counter-electrode coaxial with and to the rear of the charging electrode relative to the direction in which the mixture is ejected from the pipe. This counter-electrode is external to the pipe and substantially perpendicular to the axis of the pipe, with the result that an annular space is defined between the two electrodes and around the pipe. The electrodes have a potential difference applied between them to generate an electric field which attracts free ions towards the counter-electrode. A blower adjacent the counter-electrode discharges into the annular space formed between the two electrodes and around the pipe.

Abstract: In an electrostatic paint spraying installation or the like, a high-tension voltage generator comprises a voltage rectifier-multiplier in a mobile subsystem and a grounding connection in a fixed subsystem. A conductive wire connects an input terminal of the voltage rectifier-multiplier to the grounding connection. When the high-tension voltage generator operates, a high-frequency alternating current residual signal injected into this conductive wire is sensed and measured. The measured value is compared against a reference value that may be variable. The high-tension voltage generator is disabled if the difference between the measured value and the reference value reaches or crosses a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A rotary spray head comprises a shaft in a longitudinal cavity in a body with spray means mounted on one end of the shaft and projecting axially from the body. At least one magnetic bearing is provided to support the shaft at least partially in the radial direction. The magnetic bearing comprises two magnetized annular parts respectively forming a stator and a rotor. These are in face-to-face relationship to each other so as to define between them an airgap occupying a plane substantially perpendicular to the main axis of symmetry of the shaft. They have respective main axes of symmetry coincident with that of the shaft.

Abstract: A method of recovering powder, for example in a powder-coating installation, uses processing plant adapted to operate at a pressure different to atmospheric pressure. Powder accumulating in a receptacle communicating with the processing plant is fluidized and a pressure head of fluidized powder is created to compensate the pressure difference imposed by the processing plant. A corresponding powder recovery device comprises processing plant adapted to operate at a pressure different to atmospheric pressure, a receptacle for the powder, a substantially vertical column through which this receptacle communicates with the processing plant, and structure for fluidizing at least the powder in this column. The processing plant may comprise a cyclone type separator, in which case the column is a pipe extending the cyclone downwardly. Alternatively, the processing plant may comprise a box having an air inlet and an air outlet and filters between the air inlet and the air outlet.

Abstract: A powder product to be sprayed is conveyed by a stream of gas in a flexible conduit between a storage tank and a spray orifice from which a mixture of the gas and the product is ejected. The mixture is agitated upstream of and in the vicinity of this orifice by oscillating a section of the flexible conduit in the vicinity of this orifice. The powder product sprayer comprises a flexible conduit and a device for circulating a mixture of the product and the gas in this conduit. It further comprises an enclosure surrounding a section of the conduit and a device for oscillating this section of the conduit. The device for oscillating the conduit may comprise a vibrator fixed to this section of the conduit and free to move inside the enclosure. The vibrator may comprise an annular cage surrounding and fixed to this section of the conduit, a ball movable inside the cage and a device for injecting air into the cage in a direction adapted to cause movement of the ball inside the cage.

Abstract: A spray nozzle comprises a liquid passage, spray air passages adapted to create a divergent jet of sprayed liquid and shaping air passages for shaping this jet. The shaping air passages include first passages having axes coplanar with the liquid passage. They converge to form a divergent flattened jet coplanar with the liquid passage and having a median plane perpendicular to the plane containing the axes of the first passages and the liquid passage. The shaping air passages also include second passages having axes disposed symmetrically to each side of the aforementioned plane and directed towards the aforementioned median plane.

Abstract: An electronic safety device to prevent electrical arcing in electrostatic sprayer apparatus for spraying material such as paint comprises a device for generating a very low voltage AC signal in a fixed supply and control unit and a voltage step-up device in a mobile sprayer. A device sensitive to variations in the alternating current flowing in the conductors linking the generating device to the step-up device is connected to a disabling device capable, for example, of blocking the generating device when too sudden a current variation is measured, since such a current variation may precede electrical arcing.

Abstract: Electrostatic spraying equipment having, in a working area likely to contain inflammable mixtures, at least a terminal part of a high-voltage generator with an electrode for charging a jet of material sprayed from a sprayer. At least one low-voltage line connects the terminal part of the generator to a remotely sited power supply equipped with cut-out device. A protective device designed to prevent repeated arcing in the working area as a result of deterioration of the low-voltage line comprises, in series with the line, a sensing device for sensing a current lower than a predetermined minimum current. A control device responsive to the sensing device are connected to the aforementioned cut-out device so as to operate them when a current in the line lower than the predetermined minimum is sensed.

Abstract: Electrostatic painting apparatus comprises a support moveable at high speed along a slide. On this support is a pneumatically controlled paint sprayer producing an electrostatically charged jet of paint. A paint feed assembly comprising a pressure regulator and a discharge valve is juxatposed with the sprayer. Sprayer control devices are disposed on a chassis connected to the feed assembly by a harness. These control means comprise three gas pressure regulators supplying the sprayer and controlling the paint pressure regulator and a high DC voltage generator. The position of the chassis relative to the slide is determined such that the harness is as short as possible, so as to reduce to a minimum the command transmission time. This arrangement makes it possible to reduce the weight carried by the support. The units carried by the chassis are remotely controlled by a microprocessor-based unit over a remote control line.