Low-pressure and high volume sandblasting booth and cleaning system

Abstract

An enclosed booth is provided with a low pressure, high volume air pump that outputs a stream of air for sandblast cleaning. A venturi nozzle having a venturi restriction at the end is positioned at the distal end of a first flexible tube. A second flexible tube has an outlet positioned adjacent to the venturi restriction which therefore creates a vacuum to pull sand media from the reservoir into the airflow and eject it out of the outlet nozzle of the first hose. This provides a low pressure stream of sandblast media for cleaning various parts. A reservoir is positioned at the bottom of the booth which is filled with the sandblast media. After the sandblasting media is output from the outlet nozzle, it falls through a substrate having apertures therein and enters the reservoir again.

1 . A sandblasting apparatus, comprising:
 a booth having a bottom wall;   a sandblasting media reservoir position in the bottom wall of the booth;   a first sidewall on a first side of the booth;   an air pump providing an air flow to an inlet in the first sidewall of the booth;   a first tube having a first end coupled to the inlet and second end extending into the booth;   a venturi nozzle positioned at the second end of the first tube;   a mixing chamber positioned surrounding the venturi nozzle, the mixing chamber having an air pressure inlet, a sandblasting media inlet positioned adjacent to the venturi nozzle of the first tube, and an outlet;   a second tube having an inlet positioned in the sandblasting media reservoir in the bottom wall of the booth and an outlet coupled to the sandblasting media inlet of the mixing chamber; and   an outlet nozzle coupled to the outlet of the mixing chamber, the outlet nozzle having an inlet positioned to receive the air flow combined with the sandblasting media and outlet providing a sandblasting cleaning stream.   
     
     
         2 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the mixing chamber includes a mixing zone fully surrounding the venturi nozzle. 
     
     
         3 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1 , further including a sandblasting media inlet tube located in the sandblasting media reservoir, the sandblasting media inlet tube having a plurality of first apertures on a underside thereof located within the sandblasting media reservoir. 
     
     
         4 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 3  further including a second aperture in the sandblasting media inlet tube, the second aperture being positioned outside of the sandblasting media reservoir and exposed to ambient air outside of the booth to permit local ambient air to enter the sandblasting media inlet tube. 
     
     
         5 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1 , further including:
 a retaining fastener that couples the outlet nozzle to the outlet of the mixing chamber.   
     
     
         6 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the mixing chamber is rotatably coupled to the first tube that permits the mixing chamber to rotate about its own longitudinal axis and also the longitudinal axis of the first tube while remaining coupled to the first tube with an air tight seal. 
     
     
         7 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 6 , further including:
 a sealing O ring coupled to the first tube and the mixing chamber and providing an air tight seal between the first tube and the mixing chamber.   
     
     
         8 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 7 , further including:
 two retaining posts extending from the mixing chamber towards the first tube and positioned to retain the mixing chamber on the first tube.   
     
     
         9 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 8 , further wherein the two retaining posts are positioned upstream of the O ring. 
     
     
         10 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a flange positioned on the second end of the first tube; and   a groove positioned upstream of the flanged and positioned to receive the retaining posts extending from the mixing chamber, the groove extending circumferentially around the second end of the first tube.   
     
     
         11 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1 , further including:
 a second wall of the booth having protective gloves extending from the second wall into the booth, the protective gloves being positioned to receive the hands of a user that extend into the booth.   
     
     
         12 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the bottom wall of the booth is a downward extending funnel from the first and second sidewalls of the booth to the sandblasting reservoir and coupled at a bottom end thereof to the sandblasting reservoir. 
     
     
         13 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1 , further including:
 a support grid positioned above the bottom wall of the booth, the support grid having a plurality of apertures therein in which each of the apertures has an area that is greater than 20 times larger than a diameter of the sandblasting media.   
     
     
         14 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 1 , further including:
 a dust collection outlet positioned at an upper region of a sidewall of the booth, the dust collection outlet configured to receive a vacuum air stream that removes air from the booth.   
     
     
         15 . A sandblasting apparatus, comprising:
 a booth having a bottom wall;   a sandblasting media reservoir position in the bottom wall of the booth;   a first sidewall on a first side of the booth;   an air pump providing an air flow to an inlet in the first sidewall of the booth;   a first tube having a first end coupled to the inlet, a body extending into the booth and a second end within the booth;   a venturi nozzle positioned at a second end of the first tube;   a second tube having a first end as an inlet positioned in the sandblasting media reservoir in the bottom wall of the booth and a second end as an outlet positioned adjacent to the venturi nozzle of the first tube;   a mixing zone positioned adjacent to an outlet the venturi nozzle and the second tube outlet; and   an outlet nozzle positioned downstream of the mixing zone.   
     
     
         16 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 15 , further including:
 a mixing chamber positioned surrounding the venturi nozzle, the mixing chamber having an air pressure inlet coupled to the second end of the first tube, a sandblasting media inlet coupled to the second end of the second tube and an outlet, and the mixing zone being formed in the space between the mixing chamber inlet and the mixing chamber outlet.   
     
     
         17 . The sandblasting apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the mixing chamber is rotatably coupled to the second end of the first tube.