Process for producing powder paint particles from liquid paint II

Claim 2

A process for producing powder particles from a liquid dispersion of organic paint components in an organic solvent which comprises: 1. depositing upon the surface of a stream of an aqueous saline solution containing between 1 and about 15 weight percent of a water-soluble salt in continuous movement through a spreading and extraction zone without strong agitation at the point of initial contact a liquid dispersion of resin comprising organic paint components in an organic solvent that is miscible with said saline solution, has surface tension in the range of about 20 to about 40 dynes/cm. and contains between 10 and 40 weight percent paint components which will float together on said saline solution, said resin having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000, 2. maintaining the resultant floating deposit of paint dispersion in said spreading and extraction zone for a time sufficient to admit of A. spreading of said dispersion in contact with said saline solution upon the surface of said saline solution, B. extraction of at least 90 weight percent of said organic solvent from said dispersion of organic paint components floating upon the surface of said saline solution into said saline solution, and C. solidification of said organic paint components on said surface into plate-like solids, 3. breaking said plate-like solids into smaller particles after said plate-like solids have passed from said spreading and extraction zone into a collection zone, and 4. recovering said smaller particles from said collection zone.

Claim 3

A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resin has average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000 and said dispersion of organic paint components contains at least two particulate pigments at least one of which is metal flakes that will pass through a 270 mesh screen and at last one of which is non-metal.

Claim 4

A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said particles recovered from said collection zone have average thickness of less than 15 microns and are subsequently pulverized to form flakes having both length and width in the range of about 5 to about 140 microns and thickness not greater than 1/5 of the lesser of said length and said width.

Claim 5

A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said salt is NaCl.

Claim 6

A process for producing powder paint particles from a liquid dispersion of organic paint components which comprises: 1. depositing upon the surface of a stream of an aqueous saline solution containing between about 1 and about 10 weight percent of a water-soluble salt in continuous movement through a spreading and extraction zone without strong agitation at the point of initial contact discrete droplets of a liquid dispersion of resin-comprising organic paint components in an organic solvent that is miscible with said saline solution, has surface tension in the range of about 20 to about 40 dynes/cm. and contains between 15 and 35 weight percent paint components which will float together on said saline solution, and resin having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000, 2. maintaining the resultant floating droplets of said liquid dispersion in said spreading and extraction zone for a time sufficient to admit of A. spreading of said floating droplets upon the surface of said saline solution, B. extraction of at least 90 weight percent of said organic solvent from said floating droplets into said water, and C. solidification of said paint components of said droplets on said surface into plate-like solids

Claim 7

A process for producing powder paint particles from a liquid dispersion of organic paint components which comprises: 1. depositing upon the surface of a stream of an aqueous saline solution containing between about 1 and about 10 weight percent of a water-soluble salt in continuous movement through a spreading and extraction zone without strong agitation at the point of initial contact discrete droplets of a liquid dispersion of resin-comprising organic paint components in an organic solvent that is miscible with said saline solution, has surface tension in the range of about 20 to about 40 dynes/cm. and contains between 15 and 35 weight percent paint components which will float together on said saline solution, and resin having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000, 2. maintaining the resultant floating droplets of said liquid dispersion in said spreading and extraction zone for a time sufficient to admit of A. spreading of said floating droplets upon the surface of said saline solution, B. extraction of at least 90 weight percent of said organic solvent from said floating droplets into said water, and C. solidification of said paint components of said droplets on said surface into plate-like solids

Claim 8

breaking said plate-like solids into smaller particles after said plate-like solids have passed from said spreading and extraction zone into a collection zone by agitating said saline solution in said collection zone, and 4. recovering said smaller particles from said collection zone.

Claim 9

breaking said plate-like solids into smaller particles after said plate-like solids have passed from said spreading and extraction zone into a collection zone by agitating said saline solution in said collection zone, and 4. recovering said smaller particles from said collection zone.

Claim 10

A process in accordance with claim 5 wherein said water-soluble salt is selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, CaCl 2 , Na 2 CO 3 , Na 2 SO 4 , K 2 CO 3 , NH 4 Cl, (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 , (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , BaCl 2 , AlCl 3 Al 2 SO 4 ) 3 , and mixtures thereof and said resin has average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000.

Claim 11

A process for producing powder paint particles containing metal flakes which comprises: 1. depositing upon the surface of a stream of an aqueous saline solution containing between 1 and about 15 weight percent of a water-soluble salt in continuous movement through a spreading and extraction zone without strong agitation at the point of initial contact discrete droplets of a liquid dispersion of resin-comprising organic paint components and metal flakes that will pass through a 270 mesh screen in an organic solvent that is miscible with said saline solution, has surface tension in the range of about 20 to about 40 dynes/cm. and contains between 15 and 35 weight percent paint components which together will float on said saline solution, said resin having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000, 2. maintaining the resultant floating droplets of said liquid dispersion in said spreading and extraction zone for a time sufficient to admit of A. spreading of said floating droplets upon the surface of said saline solution, B. extraction of at least 90 weight percent of said organic solvent from said floating droplets into said water, and solidification of said paint components of said droplets on said surface into plate-like solids having average thickness of less than 15 microns, 3. breaking said plate-like solids into smaller particles after said plate-like solids have passed from said spreading and extraction zone into a collection zone by agitating said saline solution in said collection zone, and 4. recovering said smaller particles from said collection zone and pulverizing said smaller particles into flakes containing said metal flakes having both length and width in the range of about 5 to about 140 microns and thickness not greater than 1/5 of the lesser of said length and width.

Claim 12

A process for producing powder paint particles containing metal flakes which comprises: 1. depositing upon the surface of a stream of an aqueous saline solution containing between 1 and about 15 weight percent of a water-soluble salt in continuous movement through a spreading and extraction zone without strong agitation at the point of initial contact discrete droplets of a liquid dispersion of resin-comprising organic paint components and metal flakes that will pass through a 270 mesh screen in an organic solvent that is miscible with said saline solution, has surface tension in the range of about 20 to about 40 dynes/cm. and contains between 15 and 35 weight percent paint components which together will float on said saline solution, said resin having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 15,000, 2. maintaining the resultant floating droplets of said liquid dispersion in said spreading and extraction zone for a time sufficient to admit of A. spreading of said floating droplets upon the surface of said saline solution, B. extraction of at least 90 weight percent of said organic solvent from said floating droplets into said water, and solidification of said paint components of said droplets on said surface into plate-like solids having average thickness of less than 15 microns, 3. breaking said plate-like solids into smaller particles after said plate-like solids have passed from said spreading and extraction zone into a collection zone by agitating said saline solution in said collection zone, and 4. recovering said smaller particles from said collection zone and pulverizing said smaller particles into flakes containing said metal flakes having both length and width in the range of about 5 to about 140 microns and thickness not greater than 1/5 of the lesser of said length and width.

Claim 13

A process of claim 7 wherein said aqueous saline solution contains between about 3 and about 10 weight percent of said water-soluble salt and said water-soluble salt is NaCl.