CH684334A5 - Active Container for receiving, mixing and dispensing of fluid materials. - Google Patents

Abstract

The exchangeable container which can be attached to application units, vehicles, robots and the like serves for receiving, mixing or homogenising and also discontinuously dispensing single or multicomponent fluid coating materials and/or repair materials. It is relevant to the container that it possesses, as main components, an outer container (1.1) for the coating material and/or repair material (1.2) and a mixing insert (1.4) which can be inserted in said outer container (1.1) and removed from it again, the two front sides (1.6, 1.7) of the exchangeable container being designed such that, when the mixing insert is inserted in the container, they can be brought into contact with fixing counter-surfaces. A plurality of partial containers and also active or passive mixing inserts may be present; the latter may also comprise a conveying unit. <IMAGE>

Description

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description

This invention relates to an application device, vehicle, robot, etc. attachable active containers for taking up, mixing or homogenizing and - also discontinuously - dispensing one- or multi-component fluid coating and / or repair materials and their use.

Robots for the repair and renewal of lines with exchangeable containers for the repair material have been known since EP-B 0 211 825. Only with the repair robots in accordance with this EP-B document was the practically continuous repair work on site possible.

The material container according to the aforementioned EP-B, as well as the various repair materials contained therein, are not further specified in the document.

On the other hand, multi-component containers for resins and the like. also known from the patent literature:

For example, CH-A5 659 629 teaches and claims a two-chamber container for pasty masses, consisting of a housing and an ejection arrangement, the housing being divided into two separate chambers by a longitudinally arranged partition. At the upper end of each chamber there is an outlet opening, which can be closed by a gate valve which can be moved transversely to the longitudinal direction. A piston is also provided in each chamber and can be displaced in the direction of the outlet opening.

Use of this container on any machine is not intended, and the corresponding changes in terms of shape are not indicated. A mixed tip is mentioned in the text, but is neither specified there nor in the drawing.

The material container according to US-A 4 811 549 is, according to FIGS. 4 and 5, also a two-chamber container for two-component resins. According to Example 5 belonging to the figures mentioned, the separating membrane is removed before the resin is used; discontinuous dispensing of the resin is practically impossible.

Due to its shape, use of this material container in application devices is also taught away.

Finally, US Pat. No. 4,771,919 describes a mixing tip that can be screwed onto such containers. The entire arrangement obviously cannot be used on devices etc. attached (among other things, neither the front design of the mixing tip nor the front of the container in the sense of ejection are specified or explained as an example).

Even for the person skilled in the art, it is not readily foreseeable that the task specified above can be achieved with the active container according to the invention in practically sufficient scope of application.

The inventive, on application devices,

Vehicles, robots, etc. Interchangeably attached active containers for receiving, mixing or homogenizing and - also discontinuously - dispensing single or multi-component fluid coating and / or repair materials is characterized in that the container, as the main components,

- An outer sleeve for receiving the coating and / or touch-up materials as well

- Has a mixed insert inserted in the sleeve in the ejection direction at the front and removable therefrom, the two circular front surfaces of the active container being designed such that they can be brought into contact with fixing counter surfaces.

In the active container mentioned, the outer sleeve is advantageously of circular cylindrical design; it has one or more co-axially or ex-axially arranged cylindrical material containers in its interior.

A central axial material container can be provided as a feedthrough for a rod, a pipe or at least one line.

It is essential that all material containers in the exhaust sense are sealed at the rear by mechanically or hydraulically movable pistons or by tight closures.

In the case of fixed closures, the mixing insert advantageously contains a delivery unit such as a centrifugal, gear, rotary piston or spindle pump, which unit conveys the coating and / or repair material through the mixing insert (mixed use with delivery unit).

In the case of movable pistons, the mixing insert usually consists of several layers, a compact layer having only through-holes being provided at the rear in the sense of ejection, the following layers having a sintered or filler structure which becomes finer towards the front, and where the foremost layer has an outlet opening approximately corresponding to the counter surface (passive mixing insert). It also applies to movable pistons that the mixing insert is either a mechanical, hydraulic or electrical mixing head, vane or screw mixer - possibly with a drive motor - or a thermal head for the purpose of a rod, pipe or line moving through the central sub-container Solution of solid hardeners in one-component epoxy resin mixtures before delivery (active mixing use).

The mixing insert can generally contain both construction elements of the passive and the active mixing inserts.

The active container according to the invention is used for receiving and conveying discharge of one or more fluid material (s); it is characterized in that

- The mixing insert with the conveyor unit in the front is inserted into the outer sleeve containing the material or the material container that

- the energy supply to the unit is connected and that

- The active container is sealingly attached to the counter surfaces.

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For the pneumatic ejection of one or more fluid material (s)

- The mixing insert is inserted in the front into the outer sleeve containing the material or the material container and

- The active container is inserted into the intended mounting device of the device, the rear container front surface being sealingly attached to the fixing counter surface with the compressed air duct and the front front surface being sealingly attached to the counter surface with the material outlet opening.

For the absorption and discharge of the fluid material (s), the procedure is such that

- For the time being, the outer sleeve containing the material or the material container is inserted into the receiving device by introducing the rod, the tube or the line (s) into the central, coaxial partial container, so that, subsequently,

- The mixing insert is inserted into the sleeve mentioned and that, finally,

- The active container is sealingly attached to the fixing counter surfaces.

It is the case here that, for the peumatic ejection of the fluid material (s), the compressed gas moving the pistons is either supplied from the outside via hoses or generated by means of a compressor in the device.

The invention will now be explained by way of example with reference to the attached FIGS. 1 to 3 and the subsequent written statements:

Show:

1 shows the general arrangement of the main components of the active container according to the invention,

- The Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of several cylindrical material containers and

3 shows a passive mixing insert.

All figures are depicted in such a way that the left end means "behind" in the sense of ejection and the right end means "front" in the sense of ejection.

In Fig. 1, the cylindrical outer sleeve is designated 1.1. It is made of metal or - possibly reinforced - plastic. To prevent the repair material from adhering to the inner wall, it can be specially pretreated or coated.

The repair material 1.2 itself can be a one-component; However, the two-component are technically more important. These belong to the group of structural adhesives; typical representatives are phenolic resins, polyurethanes, unsaturated polyesters and epoxy resins.

When used as a repair material, epoxy resins are usually cured with amines. The hardening reaction takes place with the formation of hydroxyl groups, which ensure good adhesion, in particular on metals and building materials, via hydrogen bonds. Depending on the desired processing and end properties, the hardeners used are aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic amines, polyaminoamides or their

Mixtures used. Polyaminoamides are long-chain polymeric compounds that have a flexibilizing effect. They are cold curing and extend the service life as well as the curing time.

The standard systems of epoxy resins are liquid or two-component systems that are pasty due to the use of fillers. The processing properties of both components are coordinated. The flow properties of the resin and hardener components are similar in order to avoid errors in metering and subsequent mixing.

Dosing, mixing and application can be done by hand or by machine.

Depending on the size of the area to be repaired and the mixed viscosity, the material is applied with a spatula, toothed spatula or squeegee, poured on or rolled on. 2-component systems are cold to warm curing. Depending on the system, the curing time is approx. 24 hours at 20 ° C and a few minutes at 120 ° C. The higher the curing temperature, the better the heat resistance of the system.

Epoxy resins in the form of one-component systems are used when, after curing, high strengths at temperatures above 100 ° C and easy processing are required. In such systems, resin and hardener are present side by side in the mixture. The hardener is solid and insoluble at room temperature. Only when heat is added does it go into solution and thus initiate the hardening reaction. Depending on the system, the storage stability is limited to a period of a few weeks to a year. See especially “Epoxy Resins” in Die Bibliothek der Technik, No. 51, CIBA-GEIGY.

1 is the schematically illustrated mixing insert in FIG. 1 and 1.6 and 1.7 denote the two front sides of the active container.

The arrangement according to FIG. 2 shows the active container according to the invention with a total of three coaxial, cylindrical material containers; the respective outer and inner walls of the middle container are designated 2.1. 2.2 contains the rod / line / pipe 2.4 guided thereby. The various movable sealing pistons 2.6 are located in the containers in the sense of ejection at the rear. In the arrangement according to FIG. 2, there are therefore two circular hollow cylinders; the piston (not numbered) in FIG. 1 is a circular cylinder. The various components of the repair material are covered at the front with a removable protective cover 2.8. This is removed before the mixing insert is inserted.

3 finally shows schematically the structure of a passive mixing insert for the active container according to the invention. The first layer 3.1 in the sense of ejection is compact and has various separate bores as lines for the repair material from the container to the first mixed layer of the insert. The latter 3.2 consists of a sintered material or of interconnected filling or mixing structures. The third layer 3.3 of the mixed insert

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consists of even finer sintered or filling structure materials.

These sintered or mixed body structures do not have to be made of metal, simple ceramic or polymer materials can be used for this.

The active mixing inserts to be used in the active container according to the invention belong to the following, known elements:

- Mixing and / or pumping units which are mechanically driven by a rod 2.4; the repair material or materials is / are in any case also conveyed into the unit by piston pressure;

- Corresponding mixing and / or pumping units which are driven hydraulically (compressed air through pipe 2.4) or by means of a built-in electric motor (electric line 2.4);

- Thermal head, especially for 1-component epoxy resin mixtures in which the hardener is deactivated and activated by heating, e.g. brought into solution is what the hardening reaction begins.

Claims (12)

Claims 1. On application devices, vehicles, robots, etc. interchangeably attached active container for taking up, mixing or homogenizing and - also discontinuous - delivery of one- or multi-component fluid coating and / or repair materials, characterized in that the active container, as main components, - An outer sleeve (1.1) for receiving the coating and / or repair materials (1.2) and - insert a mixing insert (1.4) in the sleeve at the front in the sense of ejection and can be removed therefrom The two circular front surfaces (1.6, 1.7) of the active container are designed such that they can be brought into contact with fixing counter surfaces. 2. Active container according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer sleeve (1.1) is circular cylindrical and has one or more coaxially or ex-axially arranged cylindrical material containers (2.1) in its interior. 3. Active container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a central axial material container (2.2) is provided as a passage for a rod, a pipe or a line (2.4). 4. Active container according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that all material containers in the ejection sense are sealed at the rear by mechanically or hydraulically movable pistons or by fixed closures (2.6). 5. Active container according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that with fixed closures (2.6) the mixing insert (1.4) comprises a delivery unit such as a centrifugal, gear, rotary piston or spindle pump, which unit that Coating and / or repair material is promoted by the mixed insert (mixed insert with conveyor unit). 6. active container according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that in the case of movable pistons (2.6), the mixing insert consists of several layers, a compact layer (3.1) having only through-holes being provided at the rear in the sense of ejection, the following layers (3.2) have a sintered or filler structure that becomes finer towards the front, and the foremost layer (3.3) has an outlet opening that roughly corresponds to the counter surface (passive mixing insert). 7. Active container according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that in the case of movable pistons (2.6) the mixing insert is either a mechanically, hydraulically or electrically moved by means of a rod, pipe or line carried through the central partial container Mixing head, paddle or screw mixer, possibly with a drive motor, or a thermal head for the purpose of dissolving solid hardeners in one-component epoxy resin mixtures prior to delivery (active mixing use). 8. Active container according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the mixing insert has both construction elements of the passive as well as the active mixing inserts. 9. Use of the active container according to patent claims 2 and 5 for receiving and conveying one or more fluid materials, characterized in that - The mixing insert with the conveyor unit in the front is inserted into the outer sleeve containing the material or the material container that - the energy supply to the unit is connected and that - The active container is sealingly attached to the counter surfaces. 10. Use of the active container according to claims 2 and 6 for receiving and pneumatic ejection of one or more fluid materials, characterized in that - The mixing insert is inserted in the front into the outer sleeve containing the material or the material container and that - The active container is inserted into the intended receiving device of the device, the rear container front surface being sealingly attached to the fixing counter surface with the compressed air duct and the front front surface being sealingly attached to the counter surface with the material outlet opening. 11. Use of the active container according to claims 3, 7 and 8 for receiving and expelling the fluid material (s), characterized in that - For the time being, the outer sleeve containing the material or the material container is inserted into the receiving device by introducing the rod, the tube or the line (s) into the central, coaxial partial container, so that, subsequently, - The mixing insert is inserted into the sleeve mentioned and that, finally, 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4th 7 CH 684 334 A5 - The active container is sealingly attached to the fixing counter surfaces. 12. Use according to claims 10 or 11 for the peumatic ejection of the fluid material (s), characterized in that the compressed gas moving the pistons is either supplied from the outside via hoses or generated by means of a compressor in the device. 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 5