Electrostatic atomizing head

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGAL ATOMIZATION OF A LIQUID COATING MATERIAL HAVING A PNEUMATICALLY GENERATED FORWARD VELOCITY TOWARD THE ARTICLE TO BE COATED AND EMPLOYING ELECTROSTATIC FORCE FOR DEPOSITION OF THE ATOMIZED LIQUID COATING MATERIAL UPON THE ARTICLE COMPRISING, A MOTOR DRIVEN SHALLOW CUP-SHAPED ATOMIZER HEAD HAVING AN ANNULAR ATOMIZING EDGE AND HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED OPENING IN THAT END THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID ATOMIZING EDGE, A FLUID MATERIAL CONDUIT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING AND TERMINATING IMMEDIATELY INSIDE SAID CUP-SHAPED HEAD, A HUB MOUNTED COAXIALLY AND INTERNALLY OF SAID ATOMIZER HEAD AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING AND HAVING A DISCSHAPED RADIALLY EXTENDING FLANGE AND SPACED CENTRIFUGAL IMPELLER-TYPE ACCELERATORS DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SYMMETRICALLY THEREON FOR GENERATING AN AIR CURRENT INTERNALLY OF SAID HUB TO PROVIDE A FORWARD VELOCITY OF AIR AND OF COATING MATERIAL ATOMIZED BY SAID ATOMIZER HEAD AND TO INITIALLY BREAK UP THE LIQUID COATING MATERIAL AND ROTATE SAME AT A SPEED SIMILAR TO THE ROTATIONAL SPEED OF THE ATOMIZING EDGE TO INCREASE THE SHEAR ACTION OF THE LIQUID COATING MATERIAL AS IT IS EMITTED FROM THE ATOMIZER HEAD TO CONTROL THE ATOMIZED PARTICLE SIZE, THE PLANE OF THE FRONT FACE OF THE HUB FLANGE BEING DISPOSED A DISTANCE OF SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN 1/8" TO 1/2" FROM THE PLANE OF THE ATOMIZING EDGE TO CONTROL THE TIME INTERVAL THE LIQUID COATING MATERIAL TRAVELS SO THAT THE COATING MATERIAL REMAINS ON THE SURFACE OF THE ATOMIZING HEAD A MINIMUM TIME AFTER BEING ACCELERATED CENTRIFUGALLY, AND MEANS PROVIDING AN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD ADJACENT THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE ATOMIZER TO FACILITATE DEPOSITION OF THE COATING MATERIAL ONTO THE ARTICLE TO BE COATED.