Powder Recovery System

Cyclone collectors

The input to the cyclone is connected to the booth while the output is connected to a suitable exhaust fan.  The overspray powder arrives at the cyclone inlet at a velocity of about 20 metres per second.

On entering the cyclone chamber tangentially the air/powder mixture is given a rotary motion which creates a centrifugal force on the particles.  The larger and heavier particles tend to be ejected to the outside walls of the chamber and fall to the bottom where they are collected.  The lighter fractions will stay suspended in the air stream which on reaching the bottom is deflected by a conical tail air/powder mix into a rising spiral which is then carried through the central stack to a filter collector.

For a standard powder the recovery efficiency can be as high as 95%.  For lines that have a high % of particles <10µ in the recovered powder the recovery efficiency will be reduced (as low as 85%).  Inevitably therefore a cartridge filter is used in conjunction with a cyclone solely to prevent discharge of the fine powder to the atmosphere.