This invention relates to a needle packing assembly more particularly for sealing the valve needle of a spraygun. In existing sprayguns for spraying fluids using conventional atomising air the needle is sealed by woven asbestos filled with a P.T.F.E. and a grease mixture, sometimes graphite is used in the grease.

The needles of these existing needle valves are subjected to wear and to improve the seal an adjustment has to be made of a spring loaded collar. This has the disadvantage of having to remove the front of the spraygun to provide access to the needle packing assembly. An aim of the invention is to overcome the above mentioned disadvantage and to provide an improved needle packing assembly which eliminates the use of asbestos for health reasons.

According to the present invention there is provided a needle packing assembly comprising an annular seal of ultra-high molecular weight plastics material and a liner of yieldable plastics material of a lower molecular weight, a sealing lip being formed at one end of the inner annular wall of the annular seal, the liner being forced against the annular seal to expand and form a self lubricating bearing for a needle passing through the assembly, the sealing lip engaging the needle to prevent the passage of a fluid past the seal.

Preferably, the annular seal has a shoulder in the interior of the seal against which the liner abuts.

Conveniently, the sealing lip forms an angle of 15° with the inner wall of the annular seal.

Embodiments of the needle packing assembly will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of an automatic spraygun fitted with a first embodiment of a

needle packing assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional detail of the needle packing assembly; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of a sealing lip of the annular seal.

Fig. 4 .is a cross-sectional elevation of a hand¬ held spraygun fitted with a second embodiment of the needle packing assembly according to the invention; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the needle packing assembly shown in Fig. 4.

The needle packing assembly comprises an annular seal 1 of ultra-high molecular weight plastics material such as polyethylene. The seal 1 has a cone shaped wall 2 at one end and a bevel 3 at its other. A stepped concentric passage 4 passes through the seal with a reduced diameter 5 forming a stepped shoulder 6. The outer end of the inner wall of the passage has a sealing lip 7 formed by a 15° angle with the inner wall as shown in the enlarged detail of Fig. 3. This lip engages a needle 8 ^* of a valve preventing ingress of the fluid being sprayed past the seal.

The needle packing assembly also comprises a sleeve shaped liner 9 made of a lower molecular weight yieldable plastics material, such as P.T.F.E. to provide a slidable seal with the needle 8. This liner abuts against the shoulder 6 and is forced against the shoulder by a stainless steel packing piece 10 formed with a collar 11 of reduced diameter around which are arranged a number of stainless steel disc springs 12, the other end of the packing piece having a bevelled end face 13. The springs

12 and packing piece 10 are forced against the liner 9 by a screw-threaded stainless steel packing nut 14 encircling the collar 11 and the needle 8, the end wall

15 of the nut applying an adjustable pressure on the - springs when the nut is screwed onto a sleeve 16 of the spraygun 17.

Adjustment of the ^' nut 14 expands the liner 9,

sealing it against the needle 8 and forces the cone shaped wall 2 against a matching taper in the sprayhead sealing it against needle 8 preventing ingress of the fluid material being sprayed past the seal. 5 To facilitate adjustment of the needle packing assembly, the body of the spraygun 17 (see Fig. 1) has an opening 18 through which a tommy bar can be inserted to locate in holes 19 in the nut to tighten it. It will be appreciated that this adjustment can be readily carried 10 out without having to remove the sprayhead from the spraygun.

In the second embodiment of the needle packing assembly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the assembly is mounted in front of the trigger 20 and comprises an annula seal 15 21 made of an ultra-high molecular plastics material such as polyethylene. The annular seal has cone shape ends 22 and 23 and is mounted in the body 24. Located in the annular seal 21 is a liner 25 of a yieldable plastics material such as P.T.F.E. which has self-lubricating 20 properties. An adjustable nut 26 is screw-threaded into the body 1 and has a cone shaped forward end 27 which engages the cone shaped end 23 of the annular seal and liner to force them into the gun body. By adjustment of the nut the liner expands into engagement with a needle 25 28 lubricating it. This forward force applies pressure to the annular seal to force a lip 29 against the needle preventing the ingress of fluid back through the seal. Any wear of the needle or liner can be adjusted by adjustment of the nut 26. 0 Although the most suitable material for the annular sleeve is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, other ultra-high molecular weight plastics material may be used. Similarly although the liner is described as being made of a lower molecular weight yieldable plastics 5 material, such as P.T.F.E., any suitable yieldable plastics material can be used.