Sandblasting cabinet

[0001] The present invention relates to a sandblasting cabinet, a kit for making the cabinet, and a method of sandblasting utilizing the cabinet after it is assembled.

[0002] The present invention relates to abrasive systems and more particularly to a light weight collapsible sandblasting cabinet for use in abrading various articles, the abrading process being performed inside the cabinet.

[0003] In the prior art abrasive particles such as sand have been used to remove surface portions of various articles. The sand is propelled against the workpiece surface in a stream of high velocity air which carries the sand. Impingement of the sand against the workpiece surface wears away a top layer of the workpiece, producing dust. Unless the used sand and dust are confined they will be scattered and wasted and they will contaminate the environment. Accordingly enclosures of various types are used to contain the sand so that it can be reused and to avoid detrimental environmental effects. The enclosure must be large enough to contain the articles to be abraded and to permit viewing by an operator while abrasion is taking place. Additionally the enclosure generally provides arm holes fitted with gloves so that an operator may manipulate the work being abraded. These requirements make for an intricate design so that prior art cabinets made from metal, plastic, or glass panels are relatively expensive. Most prior art cabinets are large enough and sufficiently heavy to make transportation an expensive proposition. Accordingly there still remains a need for an inexpensive sandblasting cabinet that is light and collapsible into a compact shape so that it can be folded up and then transported and stored easily and inexpensively.

[0004] Sandblasting cabinets are disclosed in various existing patents including Numemaker U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,375 for “Sand-Blasting Device”; Brown U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,740 for “Portable Abrading Cabinet Device for Recycling Abrasive Blasting System”; Bowes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,564 for “Sandblasting Cabinet Assembly”; Guseman U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,395 for “Collapsible Sandblasting Cabinet”; and Williams et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,677 for “Portable Sand Blasting Cabinet and Accessory End Caps”. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein, to the extent consistent with the present invention. However, the prior art sandblasting cabinets includes one or more serious deficiencies making them less than entirely suitable for their intended purpose.

[0005] A principal objective of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and light weight sandblasting cabinet by making at least one wall of the cabinet from corrugated plastic or corrugated cardboard sheet material. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a sandblasting method including assembly of a sandblasting cabinet from a kit comprising sheets of corrugated plastic or corrugated cardboard sheet material. A related objective of the invention is to assemble a sandblasting cabinet from a kit containing the sheets, utilizing hook and loop fasteners to connect side wall flaps. Additional objectives and advantages of my invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a particularly preferred embodiment.

[0006] In accordance with the present invention there is provided a sandblasting cabinet for containing an abrading device and a workpiece to be abraded by abrasive particles emanating from the device. The abrading device is preferably a sandblasting gun. The sandblasting cabinet includes side walls and a top wall. A first side wall defines at least one arm hole to be used for manipulating articles inside the cabinet. The first side wall also defines a window opening covered by a sheet of transparent material. A second side wall or rear wall defines an exhaust port for removing dust from within the cabinet. The top wall or a side wall defines an opening for a light illuminating the workpiece and the sandblasting gun. The cabinet preferably includes 4 side walls joined with the top wall to define a blasting chamber. At least one wall selected from the side walls and the top wall comprises a corrugated cardboard sheet or a corrugated plastic sheet. Corrugated plastic is particularly preferred. The corrugated plastic may be polyethylene, polypropylene, a polyethylene-polypropylene copolymer, a blend of polyethylene with polypropylene, or polyvinyl chloride. Polyethylene is particularly preferred. The cabinet preferably also includes a bottom wall or floor comprising a corrugated cardboard sheet or a corrugated plastic sheet. In a particularly preferred embodiment the 4 side walls, top wall, and bottom wall are formed integrally from a first sheet of corrugated cardboard or corrugated plastic.

[0007] Adjacent top flaps and bottom flaps on the side walls are preferably connected by hook fasteners and loop fasteners. The fasteners are adhesively joined to the side walls. The exhaust port is connected to a vacuum source to remove dust particles from the blasting chamber. A deflector shield inside the chamber deflects abrasive particles away from the exhaust port. The deflector shield extends downwardly from the top wall and rearwardly. The deflector shield preferably extends between the top wall and the second side wall, preferably to a location on the second side wall below the exhaust port. A kit for making the sandblasting cabinet of the invention includes a first sheet of corrugated plastic making up the side wall flaps, top wall, and bottom wall; and a second sheet of corrugated plastic making up the deflector shield. The kit preferably also includes two additional side insert sheets. The kit preferably includes 4 corrugated plastic sheets altogether.

[0008] The invention moreover contemplates a method of sandblasting comprising assembling the sandblasting cabinet from a kit as described above; positioning inside the cabinet an abrading device and a a workpiece to be abraded; and spraying abrasive particles from the abrading device toward the workpiece, thereby removing from the workpiece a portion thereof. For example the abrading device removes a layer of rust from iron and steel articles. The method of the invention preferably also includes steps of manipulating the workpiece manually through at least one arm hole; illuminating the workpiece through an opening in the top wall; viewing the article through the window; deflecting abrasive particles inside the blasting chamber by means of a downwardly and rearwardly sloped deflector shield; and exhausting dust from the blasting chamber through the exhaust port.

[0019] A particularly preferred embodiment of a sandblasting cabinet 10 of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1–5. Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, the cabinet 10 has side walls including a front wall 11, a rear wall 12, and left and right side wall flaps 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b extending between the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12. A top wall 16 and a bottom wall 18 are formed integrally with the side walls. The left and right side wall flaps each include a front interior flap 13a folded rearwardly of the front wall 11; a rear interior flap 13b folded forwardly of the rear wall 12; a top exterior flap 14a folded downwardly from the top wall 16; and a bottom exterior flap 14b folded upwardly from the bottom wall 18. The exterior flaps 14a, 14b are adhered to two spaced hook fasteners 24, 25, both joined to loop fasteners 26, 27 on respective front and rear interior flaps 13a, 13b. The hook fasteners 24, 25 and the loop fasteners 26, 27 are attached by an adhesive to their respective flaps. The side walls 11, 12, 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b; top wall 16; and bottom wall 18 are preferably constructed from a single sheet of corrugated plastic material. The cabinet 10 also includes a first side insert panel 28 adjacent the left side wall interior flaps 13a, 13b and a second side insert panel 29 adjacent the right side wall interior flaps 13a, 13b. Together, the top wall 11, bottom wall 12, side wall flaps 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, and the left and right side insert panels 28, 29 define a blasting chamber 30 inside the cabinet 10.

[0020] Referring now to FIG. 2, the front wall 11 defines a left hand port 32 and a right hand port 33. Each hand port 32, 33 supports a flexible diaphragm 34 allowing a user's hand to slip through the ports 32, 33 for manipulation of a workpiece inside the blasting chamber 30. The front wall 11 also defines a window opening 36 covered by a sheet 37 of transparent material supported by a frame 38 attached to the wall 11. The transparent material may be plastic or glass and is preferably a transparent polycarbonate. The sheet 37 may be replaced as needed if it becomes cloudy after long periods of use.

[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the top wall 16 defines a generally rectangular opening 40 covered by a polycarbonate sheet 41. A light deflector 43 attached to the top wall 16 in front of the opening 40 extends upwardly and rearwardly. The deflector 43 reflects light from an electric lamp (not shown) downward through the opening 40 and shields an operator's eyes from such light. The polycarbonate sheet 41 is attached to a frame 44 so that the sheet can be replaced if it loses transparency after use.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, the rear wall 12 defines a generally circular vacuum port or exhaust port 50 covered by a rubber diaphragm 51. The exhaust port 50 communicates with a conduit (not shown) connected to a vacuum source, for evacuating dust from the blasting chamber 30.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the cabinet 10 also includes a deflector shield or deflector insert 60 inside the blasting chamber 30. The deflector shield 60 defines 2 sets of laterally spaced dust collection holes 61 allowing passage of fine dust while larger abrasive granules settle to the bottom of the chamber 30 for later collection. Placement of the dust collection holes 61 at lateral ends of the shield 60 prevents air from flowing in a straight path from the chamber to the exhaust port 50. The deflector shield 60 extends downwardly from the top wall 16 at a 27° angle to the rear wall 12, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 6–10, a kit 65 for making the sandblasting cabinet of the invention includes a first sheet 70; a second sheet 75; and two third sheets 80. All 4 sheets are preferably made from corrugated plastic. The first sheet 70 includes the front wall 11, rear wall 12, top wall 16, bottom wall 18, and side flaps 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b. The second sheet 75 includes the deflector shield 60 and a rear support wall 82 supporting a lower end of the shield 60 upwardly of the bottom wall 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The third sheets 80 make up the side inserts 28, 29. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the kit 65 is easily collapsed into a compact, light weight package. The second sheet 75 and two third sheets 80 are contained inside a folded first sheet 70 for making the cabinet body. Opposed lower end portions of the first sheet 70 are held together by a handle 85 containing loop fasteners releasably attached to hook fasteners 86, 87 adhered to opposite sides of the first sheet 70.

• [0025] 10 Sandblasting cabinet
• [0026] 11 Front wall
• [0027] 12 Rear wall
• [0028] 13a Front interior flap
• [0029] 13b Rear interior flap
• [0030] 14a Top exterior flap
• [0031] 14b Bottom exterior flap
• [0032] 16 Top wall
• [0033] 18 Bottom wall
• [0034] 24,25 Hook fasteners
• [0035] 26,27 Loop fasteners
• [0036] 28 First side insert panel—left side
• [0037] 29 Second side insert panel—right side
• [0038] 30 Blasting chamber
• [0039] 32 Left hand port
• [0040] 33 Right hand port
• [0041] 34 Flexible diaphragm
• [0042] 36 Window opening
• [0043] 37 Sheet of transparent material
• [0044] 38 Frame
• [0045] 40 Opening
• [0046] 41 Polycarbonate sheet
• [0047] 43 Light reflector
• [0048] 44 Frame
• [0049] 50 Exhaust port
• [0050] 60 Deflector shield
• [0051] 61 Dust collector holes
• [0052] 65 Kit for making the sandblasting cabinet
• [0053] 70 First sheet
• [0054] 75 Second sheet
• [0055] 80 Third sheet
• [0056] 82 Rear support wall
• [0057] 85 Handle

[0058] The foregoing detailed description of my invention has been provided with reference to one particularly preferred embodiment. Persons skilled in the art understand that numerous modifications can be made in my invention without materially departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.