Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Alan G McKown

Robert M Petrie

Ian R Owen

Constantin I Ruta

Russell E Blette

Lowell W Holland

Douglas J Laska

W Randolph Merton

Robert J Mariana

Philip W Claybourne

A spray assembly for mixing catalyst with a high viscosity material and applying thin coatings of that material to a substrate that is particularly useful for applying body putty to a surface. The spray assembly has first and second through air passageways between an inlet end portion and different portions of an outlet end. The through air passageways each have a straight central axis adjacent the outlet end, the extensions of which axes outside the spray nozzle intersect a short distance from the outlet end of the spray nozzle. A large suction tube for the larger first air passageway has an upper end positioned within a cylindrical portion of the first air passageway. Air streams propelled through the passageways draw high viscosity material through the larger suction tube and catalyst through a smaller suction tube into those air streams. Intersection of those air streams outside of the nozzle mixes the catalyst material with the high viscosity material. A manually operable valve in the larger suction tube can adjust the amount of catalyzed high viscosity material being sprayed.

Spray assembly for high viscosity materials

A spray assembly including a venturi type spray nozzle, a valve attached to the spray nozzle, a reservoir adapter that can engage a reservoir containing a liquid coating material to be sprayed, and a flexible hose between tile reservoir adapter and the valve. The outer surface texture of material being coated can be adjusted using the valve which is useful in matching the surface texture of chip resistant coatings and undercoatings on an automobile, and the hose allows the operator to spray material onto a substrate from any orientation of the spray nozzle which facilitates coating locations such as the lower portions of panels or in wheel wells and trunks. A valve passageways is shaped to facilitate fine adjustment of the air/coating material ratio when small amounts of material are being delivered, and the valve includes an air purge to remove material from the valve and nozzle when the valve is shut off.

Spray assembly

Co-spraying nozzle

A pneumatic applicator for shear thinning viscous coating materials that includes a nozzle having a through material opening, and a distal end surface at an outlet end of the nozzle, an air operated system for dispensing viscous material at a steady rate through the nozzle, and an air directing housing defining, with the outer surface of the nozzle, an air chamber around the nozzle. The air directing housing includes a front end having a distal surface and defines an air outlet opening for the air chamber from an inner surface to the distal surface of the air directing housing. The distal surfaces of the housing and nozzle are close to co-planar and the portion of the annular air outlet opening has an area measured in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the nozzle in the range of about 5 to 15 square millimeters; and a manually adjustable system directs air under pressure into the air chamber so that when the viscous material is dispensed through the nozzle at a generally uniform rate, air can be directed into the chamber and out through the air outlet opening around the nozzle and only the amount of air being directed into the chamber need be adjusted.

Applicator for shear thinning viscous coating materials

A pneumatic applicator for shear thinning viscous coating materials that includes a nozzle, an air operated system for dispensing viscous material at a steady rate through the nozzle, and an air directing housing defining an air chamber around the nozzle. The air directing housing defines an air outlet opening for the air chamber around the nozzle. Distal surfaces of the housing and nozzle are close to co-planar and the air outlet opening has an area in the range of about 5 to 15 square millimeters. An adjustable system directs air under pressure into the air chamber so that when the viscous material is dispensed through the nozzle at a generally uniform rate, air can be directed into the chamber and out through the air outlet opening around the nozzle and only the amount of air being directed into the chamber need be adjusted to cause viscous material being dispensed from the nozzle to be applied to a surface adjacent the nozzle in coatings of various widths and thicknesses.

A disposable spray dispensing assembly for liquid materials includes a container comprising an aerosol can, and a spray head initially detached from the container. A cap closes an opening of the can and has a coined cover portion which may be ruptured by impact force to present a hole for reception of a dip tube of the spray head. A resilient, deflectable leg has a groove which locks with the cap when the dip tube is inserted into the container, and thereby provides a non-releasable coupling to secure the spray head to the container in captive fashion.

Non-releasable spray head and dip tube assembly

An assembly for mixing two different liquid components includes a container having two barrels, and an exit conduit detachably connected to the container. The exit conduit includes a static mixer along with a check valve located between the static mixer and an outlet of the exit conduit. The check valve prevents the dripping of mixed materials from the exit conduit between intended dispensing operations, and may be discarded along with the exit conduit after extended interruptions between dispensing operations.

Growing community of inventors

Oakdale, MN, United States of America

Alan G McKown