WO1989002787A1

WO1989002787A1 - Demountable spray booth with arcuate walls

Info

Publication number: WO1989002787A1
Application number: PCT/AU1988/000386
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephen Mervyn Fox
Original assignee: Stephen Mervyn Fox
Priority date: 1987-09-30
Filing date: 1988-09-30
Publication date: 1989-04-06

Abstract

A clean booth is provided having side walls (13) and a top wall (12) defining an interior booth surface including an overhead surface which is characterized by a lack of surface features on which contaminates may accumulate. The side walls (13) and top wall (12) together comprise an arcuate wall extending between opposed floor mountings (17). The arcuate wall includes wall sections (11) releasably attached to each other by means of complementary otuwardly extending peripheral flanges (15). A pair of opposed end walls are provided to close the ends of the booth. Illuminating means comprising an aperture (22) closed by a translucent or transparent panel (24) are provided. Ventilation means (30) are provided for the removal of noxious fumes and the like.

Description

DEMOUNTABLE SPRAY BOOTH WITH ARCUATE WALLS

This invention relates to a demountable structure. By way of example, the present invention shall be described in relation to structures suitable for use in a clean room application such as spray painting. However, it should be appreciated that the invention as herein described is quite appropriate for use as a garden shed, garage or the like. By use in a "clean room" application it is meant that a. structure in accordance with the present invention may find use as a clean booth. A clean booth in this context is a room or other enclosed space wherein the level of a contaminant is controlled within acceptable limits dictated by the product or process involved. Of course the characteristics of a structure which make it suitable for use as a clean room or booth are also characteristics desirable, in a spray painting booth. References herein after to a clean booth should be taken to include a reference to a spray booth.

Spray painting of such items as cars or furniture is mostly conducted in the confines of a building. All buildings require ventilation systems for the removal of the fumes generated by the painting. However many of the buildings used are not all suitable for use as a booth for spray painting. The buildings often include ceilings having sharp edges or corner-s and light fittings suspended from the ceiling, usually directly above the job to be painted. These light fittings and corners, especially in the ceiling, tend to attract a high proportion of dust particles which accumulate and periodically fall onto still wet, freshly painted articles.

The present invention aims to alleviate the above disadvantages and to provide a demountable structure which will be reliable and efficient in use. Other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter become apparent. With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a structure including an enclosure wall which extends continuously between opposed floor mountings whereby zones in which dust may accumulate are eliminated. The enclosure wall may be a permanent fabricated structure, but preferably it is in the form of a demountable structure having opposed side wall sections each formed from at least one panel and wherein use said structure forms a protective canopy over the contents housed therein. The structure may include a base wall.

The wall sections of the structure may include one or more windows and/or a door. The wall sections of the structure as stated above may be formed from a single panel or a plurality of panels. It is preferred that adjacent wall sections and hence adjacent panels from which the structure is constructed be releasably attached.

The base wall may be a permanent, or demountable structure to which the wall sections may bo releasably attached. In a further aspect, this invention resides in a clean booth having si o walls and n top wnll defining an interior booth surface including an overhead surface which is characterised by a lack of surface features on which contaminates may accumulate. The side walls and top wall together may comprise an arcuate wall forming a tunnel-like structure. Preferably, the arcuate wall is comprised of wall sections. The dimensions and proportions of the wall section may be chosen such that the articles to be contained fit entirely within a single wall section. Al ernatively, the clean booth may comprise more than one wall section where long i ems are to be contained or when the clean booth assembly needs to be demounted into components of a specified size or weight.

Preferably, each wall section extends between opposed floor mountings. The floor mountings may comprise means . adapted to conjoin the wall section to a fixed or demountable, but otherwise separate floor. Such means may comprise a bracket or section either attached to or formed integrally with the wall section and fixed to the floor by, for example, bolts. Alternatively, the floor mountings may simply comprise the junction between the wall section and an integral bottom wall comprising the floor of the clean booth. The integral bottom wall may be either unitary with the side wall or alternatively may be assembled to it.

The floor may be provided as unit lengths corresponding to the length of the wall sections, or may be provided in any other length such as in a multiple of the unit length of the wall section.

Where multiple wall sections are envisaged for use in forming a clean booth in accordance with the present invention, the wall sections are preferably releasably attached to each other. Where appropriate, it is preferred also that the wall section or sections be releasably attached to said opposed floor mountings .

The wall sections may be releasably attached to each other by any suitable means. Preferably, adjacent wall sections are releasably attached to each other by means of complementary peripheral flanges extending outwardly of the cavity. The complementary peripheral flanges may comprise an integrally formed continuous web disposed along subs antially the whole mating edge of each of the wall sections. Alternatively, the peripheral flanges may comprise a plurality of shorter complementary flanges.

The wall sections may themselves be unitary in construction, or alternatively the one or each of the wall sections may be comprised of separable arcuate or planar panel members. The panel members may be interconnected by any means consistent with the requirement that the interior surface of the wall section lacks surface features on which contaminates may accumulate. In one embodiment adjacent panels may be releasably interconnected by mutually abutting outwardly extending flanges and fastening means associated with said flanges. Associated with the side edges of each panel, there may be provided a single outwardly extending flange extending along at least part of the length of the side edge of the panel or a plurality of discrete outwardly extending side flanges extending along the length of the side edge of the panel, thereby forming the aforementioned peripheral complementary flanges. In an alternative embodiment, panels may be releasably interconnected to form the wall sections by mutually engaging return flanges or folded edges. In yet another embodiment, the edges of panels may overlap and be secured to one another by a suitable releasable fastener. The wall sections or the panels which may constitute them may be formed from a sheet of a suitable metal or metal composite material. Alternatively the walls or panels may be moulded from a reinforced or unreinforced polymeric material. Preferably the walls or panels are laid up, sprayed up or moulded from fibre reinforced synthetic resin material.

The walls, when formed, may include apertures formed therein which in use may provide the assembled structure with necessary ventilation means providing in use for the removal of noxious fumes and the like. Associated with each apertur there may be provided an outwardly extending peripheral flange or a plurality of outwardly extending flanges. The flanges in use may serve as means to which ducting, preferably flexible, may be attached.

The panels may also include illumination means associated therewith. The illumination means may include light fittings in some way secured to the interior surface o the panel. The light fittings may be housed in suitably shaped recesses formed in the surface, and disposed in any location appropriate to the spraying or other task at hand. For example it may be desirable to locate the light fittings remote from the highest central portion of the structure formed by the wall sections. In any case, where the cavity is illuminated it is preferred that the illumination be provided by illuminating means mounted flush with said surface. In one embodiment of the present clean booth the illuminating means each simply comprise an aperture provided through the wall section at a selected position, the aperture being closed by a translucent or transparent panel, preferably mounted flush or substantially flush with said surface. The aperture may then provide illumination to the " interior of the booth in the manner of a skylight whereby natural light may enter. Alternatively, artificial light sources may be shone through the apertures as appropriate to illuminate the interior of the booth. It should be understood that where the booth is used for spray painting such apertures may also serve to enable stoving of those finishes which may be stoved by, for example, infrared radiation. In such cases, the material of the translucent or transparent covers may be chosen for its ability to transmit electromagnetic radiation of the appropriate wavelength.

Where required, the surface may incorporate reflective panels or zones adapted to provide an operative overhead light source whilst maintaining the actual light source at a point remote from the overhead location.

Alternatively the wall section or a portion thereof may 5 be formed from a transparent or translucent material. Use may then be made of a light source situated outside the structure.

The clean booth may be open ended such as may be suitable for use within a larger building. Alternatively, 10 the said side walls may further include a pair of opposed end walls. The opposed end walls may be provided with any feature generally useful in respect of, for example, spray booths, such as doors, windows and the like and including any racks, shelving, tool storage and ports for the passage of 15 compressed air, water or gas pipes and hoses. Preferably, the end walls are detachably affixed to the ends of the structure by means adapted to cooperate with the preferred outwardly disposed peripheral flange associated with the edge of the wall section located at the end of the structure. 20 This has particular advantage where the clean booth components are to be used to fabricate clean booths of ^• . various sizes since it is not necessary to supply wall sections which are different in order to affix ends to them. In order that this invention may be more easily 25 understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:-

FIG 1 is an end elevation of a demountable painting booth according to the present invention; 30 FIG 2 is a side elevation of the demountable booth shown in Figure 1 ;

FIG 3 is a plan view of the demountable booth shown in Figure 1 ; FIG 4 is a sectional elevation through line A; FIG 5 is a detached view of the connection between an adjacent side wall and a base wall, and FIG 6 illustrates typical connection details. Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a demountable booth 10 formed from two substantially identical wall sections 11. Each wall section 11 has a top wall portion 12 and a side wall portion 13 interconnected by a curved transition section 14 to provide a continuous inner surface which may be highly polished to inhibit the adherence of dust particles thereto. Each wall section 11 is moulded from a reinforced plastics material, such as fiberglass, and includes an integral outwardly extending flange 15 which extends about the periphery of the wall section 11. The flanges 15 of adjacent wall sections 11 along the respective inner edges 16 of the top wall portions 12 are apertured whereby they may be bolted together to rigidly connect the opposed wall sections together.

As shown in Fig 5, the flange 17 along the bottom edge 18 of each wall section 11 is apertured and is through bolted to a base wall 28 which in this embodiment is a formed from steel plate. The flanges 19 along the ends 20 of the wall sections 11 serve to stiffen the booth and to provide α mounting flange for coupling end walls thereto or further wall sections 11.

Each wall section 11 includes a substantially rectangular ventilation opening 30 formed therein through which air may be extracted from the booth 10. The opening 30 is provided with a mounting flange 21 which extends outwardly therefrom so as to provide an external mounting for connecting ducting to the opening whereby the inner surface remains unobstructed. Suitably, flexible ducting is secured to the mounting flange 21 and extends to a pump mounted remote from the booth whereby operations vibrations are not transmitted to the booth 10.

Each wall section 11 also includes a recess 22 for a light fitting. The recess 22 is provided with a protective cover or lens 24 mounted flush with the inner surface of the wall section 11 thereby avoiding exposed edges or corners on which dust particles may collect. The surface of the recess 22 is coated with a suitable reflective material and is arranged so as to project or reflect light around the booth. In particular the light is reflected towards the top wall portions 12 whereby light may be reflected down onto an article to be painted in the booth 10. This provides the effect of overhead lighting without the problems associated with light fittings suspended above the article to be painted.

Each side wall portion 13 is provided with a door assembly 24 providing access to the booth.

Each end of the demountable booth 10 has a pair of access doors 26 hingedly connected to the respective opposed end flanges 19 and arranged so that when closed, the doors each extend halfway across the end of the booth 10 to enclose the booth 10. Each access door is provided with a fixed viewing window 25 and is shaped so as to be closely accommodated within the wall sections 11 when closed. The demountable booth 10 described above is particularly suitable for use as a booth in which spray painting may be conducted as it provides an enclosure which has an inner surface which will not collect debris and dust particles and which may be readily cleaned. The booth may also be easily assembled and positioned either within the confines of a building or outside and extended by the simple addition of additional pairs of wall sections thereto as required. The additional sections may be identical to the sections described or they may be formed without openings if required.

Booths may be positioned inside a building in side by side relationship to shield articles to be painted in the respective booths from over-spray from adjacent booths. The booth of this invention may be used in exposed locations to shield against dust particles and the like.

Furthermore the booth or booth wall sections may, when not in use, be easily stored or stacked away.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention defined in the claims appendant hereto.

Claims

— CLAIMS —

1. A clean booth having side walls and a top wall defining an interior booth surface including an overhead surface which is characterised by a lack of surface features on which contaminates may accumulate.

2. A clean booth according to Claim 1, wherein said side walls and top wall together comprise an arcuate wall.

3. A clean booth according to Claim 2, wherein said arcuate wall extends between opposed floor mountings.

4. A clean booth as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said arcuate wall includes wall sections releasably attached to each other and to said opposed floor mountings .

5. A clean booth as claimed in Claim 4, wherein arcuate wall sections are releasably attached to each other by means of complementary outwardly extending peripheral flanges.

6. A clean booth as claimed in Claim 5 , wherein said arcuate wall sections comprise separable arcuate or substantially planar panel members.

7. A clean booth as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said side wall includes a pair of opposed end walls.

8. A clean booth as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said side walls and/or top wall are moulded fibre reinforced synthetic resin material.

9. A clean booth as claimed in any one of the preced claims, wherein the interior of the booth is illuminated b illuminating means mounted flush with said interior booth surface .

10. A clean booth as claimed in claim 9, wherein sai illuminating means comprises an aperture provided through wall section and closed by a translucent or transparent panel .

11. A clean booth as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including ventilation means .

12. A demountable structure including an enclosure w which extends continuously between opposed floor mountings.

13. A spray booth substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.