The soft spray produced by ultrasonic spray systems often requires shaping in order to meet the needs of an application, particularly where high precision of uniform deposition is required. Several patented air shaping technologies have been developed by Sono-Tek to shape the atomized spray into defined patterns that can be precisely controlled using low-pressure air to entrain the atomized spray.
WideTrack™ Ultrasonic Spray Systems
In applications requiring wide width spray patterns, low velocity air/gas is introduced to shape the atomized spray. A jet block, which holds the nozzle, uses two jets of air/gas that pulse alternately to shear the spray as it emerges from the nozzle. The position of the jets can be adjusted, creating a pattern up to 24” wide with a single nozzle. By combining several spray assemblies, a uniform spray pattern of any width can be achieved in either spray-up or spray-down configurations.
MicroMist™ Ultrasonic Spray Systems
The MicroMist system combines Sono-Tek’s unique focusing ultrasonic atomizing nozzle with low-pressure air/gas to produce a soft, highly focused beam of small spray drops. An isolated hypotube delivers liquid to the nozzle’s atomizing surface while air/gas, delivered through the nozzle orifice at a fixed low pressure, shapes the atomized drops into a very precise, targeted spray beam as thin as 0.020” (0.5 mm) in diameter.
AccuMist™ Ultrasonic Spray Systems
The AccuMist™ system combines Sono-Tek’s unique MicroSpray ultrasonic atomizing nozzle with low-pressure air/gas to produce a soft, highly focused beam of small spray drops. Compressed air/gas, typically at 1 psi, is introduced into the diffusion chamber of an air shroud, which surrounds the nozzle, producing a uniformly distributed flow of air/gas around the nozzle stem. The ultrasonically produced spray at the tip of the stem is immediately entrained in the low pressure air/gas stream. An adjustable focusing mechanism on the air shroud allows complete control of spray width. The spray envelope is very narrow and hourglass-shaped. The width of the shape is controlled by adjusting the nozzle distance to the substrate and varies from 0.070 – 1.0 inches (1.78 – 25 mm).
This type of air-shaping system produces an intermediate width spray pattern, wider than the AccuMist nozzle but narrower than the WideTrack spray pattern. The vortex nozzle uses low velocity, rotational air/gas to produce a wide, stable spray pattern. The Vortex nozzle produces a conical spray pattern that is 2 – 4” (50.8 – 101.6 mm) in diameter, depending on distance to the substrate. The vortexing velocity can be varied depending on the application.
Impact EDGE™ Ultrasonic Spray Systems
The Impact EDGE™ System combines Sono-Tek’s ultrasonic atomizing nozzle with a controlled jet of air from the flat jet air deflector. The ultrasonically produced spray at the atomizing surface is immediately entrained in the air stream, creating a fan-shaped spray pattern. The velocity of the air stream is controllable, allowing low or high-impact of the atomized spray onto the product or substrate. This versatile air shaping system is capable of spray patterns up to 15 “ (38 cm) with unlimited widths possible in wide area applications where multiple nozzles are used in tandem.