WO2010006401A1

WO2010006401A1 - 4-way dual purge valve

Info

Publication number: WO2010006401A1
Application number: PCT/CA2008/001297
Authority: WO
Inventors: James L. Doyle
Original assignee: Doyle James L
Priority date: 2008-07-16
Filing date: 2008-07-16
Publication date: 2010-01-21

Abstract

The invention provides a valve which consists of a plurality of poppet valve. These valves are internally piloted and air operated in groups inside a valve housing to control the flow of fluid from a designated inlet port to a designated outlet port. This valve splits a single fluid circuit into two separate circuits to assist in cleaning of the circuit or mixing the fluids. The valve body consists of a single-piece common seat, seal and fluid passage.

Description

4 - Way Dual Purge Valve

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a mechanical apparatus that is pneumatically controlled for use in paint systems. More specifically it is designed to split an industrial paint circuit into two halves in order to assist in cleaning and accelerate paint colour changes.

In the past, inventors have faced some difficulties overcoming problems in industrial paint circuits. For example, the length of the fluid line as well as the large number of components involved reduces the effectiveness of a solvent/air chop by the time it reaches the paint applicator. Previous paint system designs have used a second colour manifold with four or more individual valves to split the paint circuit into two halves. This system is rarely successful because the second colour manifold has pockets (or nooks) that could retain previous paint colours that will contaminate the new colour that has been loaded. Today's modern, high-tech, colours can easily be altered or destroyed by very miniscule portions of contaminates. These contamination, or off-colour, issues in the industrial coatings industry (i.e. Automotive Industry) will result in significant expense for re- work and ultimately scrap.

The object of this invention is to allow paint users with high-tech systems (mainly robotic systems), as in the Automotive Industry, to split their fluid delivery systems in half, thus shortening the time required to change paint colours.

By using the 4 - Way Dual Purge Valve to split the fluid delivery system in half, the user can shorten solvent purge time, thereby saving time and solvent, while cleaning their entire system more thoroughly. Furthermore, by using an internal pilot system the risk of incorrectly assembling or installing the valve is removed. The incorporation of the one-piece seat, seal and fluid passage creates user friendly assembly and guarantees 100% cleanliness of the internal fluid passage.

Refer to Figure 1 for an exploded view of the 4 - Way Dual Purge Valve. This exploded view shows the individual components of the invention as well as the sequence of assembly.

The Center Valve Block (2) holds the One Piece Seat, Seal and Fluid Passage component (8). The O-Rings (15) are placed in the Center Valve Block (2) to create a seal. On the internal pilots that are connected to the Outer Valve Blocks (3). The Outer Valve Blocks (3) are aligned to the Center Block (2) by using the Dowels (20) and then fastened with the Screws (17). The Poppet Valve Seal (10), Inner Base Gasket (11) and Outer Base Gasket (13) are placed in the Outer Valve Blocks (3) and held in place by the Poppet Valve Cylinder (4). The Piston Stem Air Seal (12) and Piston Seal (14) are placed on the Piston and Valve Stem Assembly (5), which is inserted into the Poppet Valve Cylinder (4). The Piston and Valve Stem Assembly (5) are internally piloted in opposing pairs and seal against, and open from, the One-Piece Seat, Seal and Fluid Passage component (8) to alternate between Fluid Inlet Adapters (7). The Return Springs (16) are used to close the Piston and Valve Stem Assemblies (5) in normal operation of the 4 - Way Dual Purge Valve, as well as a safety position in the event of a power or energy failure. The Cylinder Cap (6) and the Retaining Ring (9) hold the Spring (16) in place on the Poppet Valve Cylinder (4). The One Piece Seat, Seal ans Fluid Passage (8) is mad in whole or in par of Teflon®, Delrin® or any other chemically inert plastic. The Center Valve Block (2), Outer Valve Blocks (3) and Fluid Inlet Adapters (7) are all made, in whole or in part, of stainless steel, Delrin® or coated aluminum. All other components may be made of any suitable metal or plastic.

The invention could be used to split an existing paint supply circuit to a painting robot into two sections to shorten colour change time and improve circuit and applicator cleaning.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A 4- Way Dual Purge Valve consisting of a plurality of pneumatic poppet valves which controls the flow of fluid through fluid inlet adapters, to an internal seat assembly, which is housed in a main body, to the fluid ports.

2. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 1, wherein said poppet valves are manufactured with a protruding boss on the exhaust side to indicate their function position.

3. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 2, wherein said poppet valves are spring closed to cancel all functions to a neutral state in the event of a power or energy loss.

4. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 1, wherein said valve contains a one-piece seat, seal and fluid passage manufactured of Teflon®, Delrin® or other suitable chemically inert plastic.

5. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 1 , wherein said main body comprised of three symmetrical blocks which allows fool-proof assembly and repeatable flow patterns.

6. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 5, wherein said blocks are located on a multiple dowel system to maintain symmetry and the accuracy of alignment

7. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 6, wherein said blocks are internally piloted in a symmetrical pattern to allow for accurate connection of the pilot passages which control flow in the desired direction.

8. The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 1, wherein said outlet adapters are designed to be leak-proof without the aid of an additional seal.

The 4- Way Dual Purge Valve recited in Claim 7 wherein the center of said block contain an elongated slot to house the internal one-piece seat assembly in a symmetrical pattern.