DE102017000640A1 - Coating plant and method for operating a coating plant - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a coating system (10, 50) for automatic series coating of workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74), the coating of which requires a plurality of successive coating process steps, comprising at least two coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 , 24, 52, 54, 56) with respective coating devices (26, 28) for performing in each case at least one coating process step and at least one transfer point (42, 44, 58). An automatic transport system (38, 62) is provided, by means of which the workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) are arranged individually and independently between the at least two coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 , 52, 54, 56) and the at least one transfer point (42, 44, 58) can be brought. The invention also relates to a method for operating a coating system (10, 50).

Description

The invention relates to a coating system for automatic series coating of workpieces, the coating of which requires a plurality of successive coating process steps, comprising at least two coating stations with respective coating devices for carrying out at least one coating process step and furthermore comprising at least one transfer point. The invention also relates to a method for operating such a coating system.

It is known that the industrial coating of workpieces, for example of automobile bodies, requires a large number of coating processes, such as, for example, seam sealing by means of PVC, precoating by means of cathodic dip-coating or painting of the automobile body. Each of these coating processes is in turn subdivided into different process steps or coating process steps, for example, during coating a precoating with a filler, a subsequent - optionally multi-layer - coating with a basecoat, and a subsequent coating with a clearcoat. Furthermore, a distinction must also be made between exterior and interior painting. In addition, between the various coating process steps, the requirements of the applied coating material must be provided according to possible oven or evaporation times.

Separate coating stations and associated furnaces, evaporation zones and cooling zones are usually provided for the respective coating process steps, which are traversed by a workpiece to be coated or an automobile body in a sequential manner, for example on a line conveyor. For this reason, each workpiece passes through each coating station, or even each oven or each evaporation zone, regardless of whether this particular process step is required in individual cases or not.

The disadvantage here is that a corresponding coating system is thus designed for a fixed predetermined sequence of coating process steps and thus can only meet the increasingly increasing number of coating variants by coating stations for all theoretically required coating process steps are kept, which in an individual case with no need for a respective coating process step be deactivated. Thus, for example, it may be necessary for certain coating variants to eliminate a coating with a filler, or for some of the workpieces to be coated to be provided with a multicolored coating. It is also conceivable that certain workpieces or paint materials require a shorter furnace time than others.

Due to the sequential, line-like promotion of the workpieces to be painted by the coating stations of a coating system with increasing variety therefore increasingly unused dead times of coating stations, namely precisely if they are traversed by a workpiece, which does not require the associated coating process step and the respective processing components during the Cycle time can not be activated.

The patent document EP 1 702 687 B1 Attempts - at least in the area of licking - to compensate for this disadvantage by fanning out the line structure of the transport system in sections and providing a plurality of parallel alternatively approachable coating stations, which are designed such that all coating process steps for a coating process can be carried out in one and the same processing station, in particular the interior and exterior painting of a vehicle. After leaving the alternatively approachable coating stations, the section-fanned-out line structure of the transport system is brought together again. Each processing station must therefore be equipped in a complex manner with all processing devices, which are necessary for complete painting with all the respective coating process steps. Process-related waiting times may be required even when applying several coats of paint, namely, possible flash off times between the application of the different coats, in which no coating can take place in the workstation, even though the work piece is located in it, so that additional dead times arise as a result.

Based on this prior art, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved coating system or a method for operating such, which in a simple way increased flexibility with high utilization of the coating system is possible.

This object is achieved by a coating system of the aforementioned type. This is characterized in that an automatic transport system is provided, by means of which the workpieces individually and independently from each other between the at least two coating stations and the at least one transfer point can be brought.

The basic idea of the invention is to dissolve the sequential chaining of the individual coating process steps, which has been firmly prescribed by the transport system ever since. Thus, in the case of an individually unnecessary coating process step, it is no longer possible to approach the corresponding coating station with the workpiece, which advantageously enables a reduction in the number of coating stations or an increased utilization of the coating stations of the coating system according to the invention and reduced transfer times.

• • Vorbehandlung mit Beschichtungsflüssigkeit A
• • Vorbehandlung mit Beschichtungsflüssigkeit B
• • KTL Beschichtung
• • Nahtabdichten Innenraum Automobilkarosserie mit PVC
• • Nahtabdichten Unterboden Automobilkarosserie mit PVC
• • Nahtabdichten Türbereich Automobilkarosserie mit PVC
• • Lackieren mit einem Füller Innenbereich
• • Lackieren mit einem Füller Außenbereich
• • Lackieren einem Basislack Innenbereich
• • Lackieren mit einem Basislack Außenbereich Schicht 1
• • Lackieren mit einem Basislack Außenbereich Schicht 2
• • Auftrag Mehrfarblackierung
• • Lackieren mit einem Klarlack
• • Ggf. Nacharbeit

A typical but not necessarily complete or compelling sequence of coating process steps in the automotive sector is, for example, the following, and depending on the boundary conditions, selected process steps are not required in individual cases:

• • Pretreatment with coating liquid A
• • Pretreatment with coating liquid B
• • KTL coating
• • seam sealing interior automotive body with PVC
• • Seam sealing underbody automobile body with PVC
• • Seam sealing door area automotive body with PVC
• • Painting with a filler inside area
• • Painting with a filler exterior
• • Painting a basecoat interior
• • Painting with a base coat Exterior area Layer 1
• • Painting with a basecoat Exterior Layer 2
• • Order multi-color finish
• • varnishing with a clear varnish
• • Possibly. rework

In the case of a PVC application or coating, a coating station is typically configured more like a cab, with the workpiece to be coated, for example, being moved in and out centrally over one of the front sides of the cabin. An extension is also possible without further ado on the opposite end face. On either side of the center, robots may be provided for coating with a sealant such as PVC or for painting. But a coating station can also - for example, in the case of multi-colored paint - have manual workstations, if the coating work to be done can not be fully automated. Door and hood opener robots are also common processing components in coating stations. A coating station is to be provided in an advantageous manner with an enclosure and air-conditioned in particular in the case of painting.

In the case of a pretreatment such as cathodic dip painting (KTL), a coating station is typically designed to be similar to a basin, wherein a coating requires immersion of the workpiece in the basin filled with a respective coating liquid. Yes, after the required pre-coating, it may be necessary to immerse in one or more tanks filled with different coating liquids. Immersion of an automobile body in such a pelvis, for example, may be via a heavy duty robot which removes the automobile body from another component of the transport system, such as an automated guided vehicle (FTS) vehicle, using an adapter device. A basin may optionally also have its own diving device, to which the workpiece or the automobile body is then transferred from the transport system.

The transport system is - deviating from a strictly line-like constructed transport system of the prior art - designed such that the workpieces individually and independently from each other between the at least two coating stations and the at least one transfer point can be brought. In the case of the presence of a plurality of processing stations for different types of coatings, however, a complete flexibility of an individual transport is not required, but rather depends on the boundary conditions specified by the coating process.

Although it makes sense to provide a flexible transport within the coating stations for a pretreatment or within the coating stations for painting, but a return transport of a painted workpiece in the coating stations for seam sealing with PVC or for a pretreatment is not technically required.

At a transfer point, a workpiece to be coated or an automobile body is transferred to the transport system of the coating installation or a finished coated workpiece is transferred to a further transport system for further processing from the coating installation. Depending on the transport system used, however, the boundaries here are fluent, it is also quite possible that a workpiece to be painted from the shell directly by means of a driverless transport system is placed in a coating station of the coating plant. In this case, the entry point of the driverless transport system in the area of the coating system would be considered as a transfer point.

Typically, the workpieces to be coated are mounted on a workpiece carrier, which in turn is tuned to the transport system. The transport system may include, for example, a driverless transport system with a plurality of autonomously moving transport vehicles, which are each intended to receive a workpiece or an automobile body, which then reciprocate individually according to the requirements, inter alia, between the coating stations.

If a transport vehicle has reached a coating station, it is also conceivable that such a transport vehicle enters the coating station together with the workpiece, after the coating has run out of it again and, for example, continues on to the next coating station. However, it is also conceivable that the workpiece is transferred on reaching the coating station of the transport vehicle or a corresponding transfer device on a coating station related transport system and after the coating back to this or another transport vehicle. This is advantageous, for example, in the case of a basin for a precoating, because otherwise the transport vehicle would at least partially also submerge in the coating liquid of the basin.

Of course, other transport systems are conceivable, as far as they meet the requirements of individuality and flexibility according to the invention. So it is also quite possible, at least partially provide a crane-like transport system, with which the workpieces can be lifted from a floor conveyor or a transport vehicle and spent, for example, directly in a coating station.

In order to coordinate the coating processes in the coating installation according to the invention, it is expedient to provide a control device which controls the coating installation on the basis of a production plan. The production plan can be created on the basis of the data of pending coating operations according to the respective required coating process steps, wherein for each workpiece an individual order is determined according to which the respective workpiece by means of the automatic transport system for coating in a respective suitable processing stations or to other components of the coating system spend is.

According to a further variant of the coating installation according to the invention, the latter comprises at least one coating station for carrying out a plurality of different successive coating process steps. Not every coating station must be provided exclusively for carrying out a single coating process step, even if an excessive integration density of process steps in one and the same coating station often leads to a disproportionate effort in the realization of a corresponding coating station.

For example, depending on the given boundary conditions, it is certainly possible to combine several coating process steps during seam sealing in one and the same coating station. If appropriate, a respective automatic change of the application tool can be provided, while the workpiece is located in the coating or processing station. It is also possible to have the necessary for an internal coating opening and closing operations of hoods or doors by a robot, which is primarily intended for coating the workpiece by means of an application tool.

It is also possible to have several coating process steps of a coating operation carried out in one and the same coating station, for example a combined interior and exterior painting or the application of a first and a second layer of basecoat, to name just a few selected examples.

In the event that a coating process step imperatively requires a directly subsequent coating process step, for example an evaporation or drying step, the relevant coating station can also be connected directly downstream of a flash zone and / or an oven. It is also conceivable to integrate such functionalities directly into a coating station.

A significant advantage of the coating system according to the invention over the prior art is that by means of the transport system a change of the workpiece from one coating station to another between two successive coating process steps is always possible, even if such a change would not theoretically necessary due to the design of the respective coating stations , In fact, this is precisely when using coating stations, which for the implementation of several different Process steps or different variants of the same process step are provided, a significantly increased flexibility in the overall operation of the coating system achieved.

On the other hand, omitting an individually unnecessary process or coating process step and any integration of several coating process steps into one and the same coating station due to the transport system of the coating system according to the invention leads to a removal or to a reduction of transfer times.

Thus, for example, it is possible - in order to correspond to the material-dependent evaporation, oven or drying times - to move a workpiece out of the respective coating station after carrying out one or more coating process steps, for example into an evaporation or cooling zone or an oven, and then back into the same Coating station to spend back, where in the meantime, one or more other workpieces can be coated.

Incidentally, it corresponds to the idea of the invention to incorporate appropriately provided ovens or evaporation zones as well as coating stations in the transport system of the coating system and, if necessary, to move individually with the workpiece. It is also conceivable, for example, to operate a plurality of furnaces with different temperatures and / or residence times in order to meet the requirements of a high number of variants of workpieces. These can then be designed both as continuous furnaces or as garage-like boxes. The latter offer the advantage that the furnace process can be individually adapted to the coating of each workpiece.

When coating workpieces, in particular automobile bodies, it is seldom the case that all workpieces go through the same coating process. Rather, a considerable variance of both the types of workpieces and the respective coating process can be expected.

In order to meet this high variance with a high flexibility of the coating installation, it is provided according to a variant of the coating installation that it comprises at least two identical coating stations for carrying out similar or identical coating process steps. Likewise, it is optionally provided that the coating installation according to the invention comprises at least two different coating stations for carrying out similar or identical coating process steps. In a particularly preferred manner, it is also provided that at least one, but ideally most of the coating stations are provided for coating different types of workpieces.

By means of the aforementioned measures, the number of production variants with which a respective workpiece can be coated in an individually predetermined sequence of coating process steps with an identical result is advantageously increased. For example, a coating process step P for a workpiece X may be performed by the coating stations A, B and C and for a workpiece Y through the coating stations B, C and D. Stations B and C are thus suitable for both workpieces. Depending on the current production share of workpieces X and Y to be coated, these can be distributed in a flexible manner to the coating stations A, B, C and D, so that the highest possible utilization rate is achieved.

An analogous approach also results, for example, for different coating process steps P1, P2, P3 and P4, of which two individually per workpiece are to be executed by the coating stations D and / or E, wherein the coating station D for the coating process steps P1, P2 and P3 and the Coating station E may be provided for the coating process steps P2, P3 and P4.

The process step combinations P1 + P2 or P1 + P3 in this case only by D and P2 + P4 or P3 + P4 only by E executable. The process step combination P2 + P3 is equally executable by coating stations D and E in this case. The assumed very rarely occurring process step combination P1 + P4 can be represented only together by the coating stations D and E, in which case a transport of the workpiece from coating station D to E is required, which however can be realized without problems by the transport system of the coating system according to the invention. Likewise, the process step combinations P1 + P2, P1 + P3, P2 + P3, P2 + P4, as well as P3 + P4 can also be represented jointly by the coating stations D and E.

The coating system according to the invention can therefore react in a flexible manner to a high variance in the coating processes to be carried out, while still allowing a high utilization of the coating stations. Nevertheless, it is advantageously avoided that each coating station is equipped to the maximum extent possible for carrying out each of the relevant coating process steps. An essential one The prerequisite for this is the automatic transport system, by means of which the workpieces can be moved individually and independently between the coating stations.

According to a further variant of the coating installation according to the invention, the latter comprises at least one temporary store for workpieces in which workpieces can be individually and independently loaded or unloaded by means of the automatic transport system. The buffer is - similar to the processing stations - integrated into the transport system, which also has the option that a separate cache-related transport system is provided, to which a workpiece is transferred in the case of storage, for example, from a vehicle of a driverless transport system, or from which a workpiece is transferred in the event of outsourcing to a vehicle of a driverless transport system. Of course, it is also possible that instead of such a vehicle another suitable means of transport is selected, for example, a bottom conveyor as part of the transport system.

The use of an intermediate memory can achieve a temporal equalization in carrying out the coating process steps and thus an increased utilization of the coating stations. If, for example, due to the current volume of workpieces to be coated, a temporary bottleneck prevails during the processing of a coating process step P1 but sufficient capacity is currently available for the process steps P2, P3 and P4, then those workpieces which require the process step P1 can be stored in the temporary storage until an appropriate processing capacity is available again. Of course, as a boundary condition, possibly material-related process times must be taken into account. The prerequisite for this procedure, in turn, is the automatic transport system, by means of which the workpieces can be moved individually and independently between the coating stations and also the temporary storage.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the coating installation according to the invention, the at least one buffer store is configured as an evaporation zone, cooling zone and / or furnace at least in some areas. As already described, between the various coating process steps the requirements of the applied coating material according to any furnace or Abdunst- or cooling times are provided. For this purpose, appropriate furnaces, evaporation zones or cooling zones are to be provided in the coating installation, which are likewise to be integrated into the transport system of the coating installation according to the invention.

According to this embodiment, at least one of these zones or an oven is integrated as a separate area in the temporary storage. For example, it is possible to design such areas as pass-through zones or as individual garage-like boxes. After passing through a workpiece through a zone, for example, it can be transferred to a regular storage location. For this purpose, it is advantageous if the buffer has its own transport system.

Preferably, the at least one buffer is pronounced as a high-bay warehouse. Due to the relatively low height of a workpiece or an automobile body, for example, a ceiling height of a multi-storey high-bay warehouse of 2.5 m is usually sufficient. For the transport of the workpieces between the floors of the high-bay warehouse a corresponding transport system is provided in this case, for example in the form of an elevator. In this way, both the space requirement of a coating system with temporary storage can be reduced as well as the buffer storage internal traverse paths required for storage or retrieval.

As already described, a typical full-scale coating in the automotive sector includes a painting application, a PVC application for sealing seams on the automobile body, and pretreatment. Therefore, it is provided according to the invention that at least one of the coating stations of the coating installation according to the invention is provided for a coating application, at least one of the coating stations for a PVC application and / or at least one of the coating stations for a dip application or other pretreatment.

According to a preferred variant of the coating system according to the invention, this has a circular, square or comparable polygonal ground plan which has approximately the same width as its length. In particular, when using a transport system, by means of which the workpieces individually and independently between the at least two coating stations, the at least one transfer point and a possible intermediate storage can be brought, proves such an arrangement as the required routes shortening. The technical and time required for the transport is thereby reduced in an advantageous manner.

According to a further variant of the coating installation, the automatic transport system comprises a driverless transport system, a crane-like lifting device, a robot and / or a branched track-bound conveyor system. Driverless transport systems have a large number of autonomously along corresponding travels movable self-propelled and mostly centrally coordinated hall vehicles, which are not track bound and therefore, for example, can pass each other. These are particularly suitable for an inventive individual transport of workpieces.

But also crane-like lifting devices and robots are suitable means for an individual transport of workpieces, in particular for the loading of workpieces from one transport system to another. Likewise, robots can also be used as a local transport device assigned to a coating station, for example for immersing a workpiece in a basin filled with a coating liquid.

Insofar as corresponding branches are present, a track-bound conveying system is also suitable-at least in subsections-for transporting workpieces according to the invention. By appropriate branches, no purely sequential transport structure is given more and an individual transport of workpieces at least possible.

According to a particularly preferred variant of the coating system, this is intended for coating automobile bodies. This means, for example, for the transport system that this must be designed for the transport of body shells with an exemplary floor plan of up to about 5m x 2m and a height of about 1.8m with a weight of up to 1000kg. The coating systems must also be adapted accordingly in their dimensions.

• • Bereitstellen eines Datensatzes mit einer Vielzahl an Daten über zu beschichtende Werkstücke, umfassend den jeweiligen Typ der Werkstücke und Kenndaten über die jeweils zur individuellen Beschichtung erforderlichen Beschichtungsprozessschritte,
• • automatisches Erstellen eines optimierten Produktionsplanes zur individuellen Beschichtung der Werkstücke entsprechend den jeweils erforderlichen Beschichtungsprozessschritten, wobei für jedes Werkstück eine individuelle Reihenfolge ermittelt wird, entsprechend derer das jeweilige Werkstück mittels des automatischen Transportsystems zur Beschichtung in jeweils geeignete Bearbeitungsstationen beziehungsweise in den Zwischenspeicher zu verbringen ist, berücksichtigend folgende Optimierungskriterien:
  • • Vermeidung des Verbringens von Werkstücken in solche Beschichtungsstation, welche zumindest auch für Beschichtungsprozessschritte vorgesehen sind, die für die individuelle Beschichtung des jeweiligen Werkstückes nicht erforderlich sind,
  • • möglichst homogene Auslastung der Beschichtungsstationen,
• • Beschichtung der Werkstücke entsprechend dem Produktionsplan.

The object according to the invention is also achieved by a method for operating a coating system according to the invention described above, characterized by the following steps:

• Providing a data set with a multiplicity of data about workpieces to be coated, comprising the respective type of workpieces and characteristic data about the coating process steps respectively required for the individual coating,
• Automatic creation of an optimized production plan for individual coating of the workpieces according to the respective required coating process steps, wherein for each workpiece an individual order is determined, according to which the respective workpiece is to be transferred by the automatic transport system for coating in each case suitable processing stations or in the cache, taking into account the following optimization criteria:
  • Avoidance of the transfer of workpieces into such coating station, which are at least provided for coating process steps which are not required for the individual coating of the respective workpiece,
  • • as homogeneous as possible utilization of the coating stations,
• • Coating of workpieces according to the production plan.

The operation of a production plant is characterized by the fact that all the workpieces to be coated are to be coated in the required quality, whereby the number and type of the workpieces as well as the characteristic data about their respective individual coating are predetermined by the current order situation.

The aim of the operation of a coating system is, in addition to a high-quality coating, to ensure, on average, the highest possible utilization of the coating stations, regardless of the type and coating requirements of the workpieces currently being coated. This is made possible by a correspondingly optimized production plan. This specifies the individual series and sequence in which the workpieces are each to be transferred to the various coating stations or other analog components such as a buffer, oven, evaporation zone or the like. A production plan can be prepared in advance for a given expected production volume for a given period of time, for example for a full day, and also adjusted as needed with changing boundary conditions.

As with any optimization problem, there is an objective function here, which in this case encompasses, on average, the highest possible utilization of the individual coating stations, and boundary conditions which must be observed. The boundary conditions include, for example, production-logistical boundary conditions such as the earliest and latest date on which a workpiece has to be finished coated or else material-specific process specifications such as minimum / maximum evaporation time, furnace time and drying time.

However, the prerequisite for sustainable optimization is that as many as possible Optimization degrees of freedom are given, ie parameters that can be influenced to achieve the optimization goal. By means of the transport system of the coating installation according to the invention, by means of which the workpieces can be moved individually and independently between the at least two coating stations and the at least one transfer station, correspondingly many degrees of freedom are provided for a successful optimization. In particular, it is possible to individually coat one and the same workpiece with different production paths with one and the same result.

Reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the invention, further embodiments and other advantages will be described in detail.

• 1 eine exemplarische erste Beschichtungsanlage,
• 2 eine exemplarische zweite Beschichtungsanlage sowie
• 3 Fahrzeug eines fahrerloses Transportsystem (FTS) mit Werkstück.

Show it:

• 1 an exemplary first coating plant,
• 2 an exemplary second coating system as well
• 3 Vehicle of a driverless transport system (FTS) with workpiece.

1 shows an exemplary first coating system 10 for workpieces 30 , 32, 34, 36 - in this example automobile bodies - in a schematic plan view. On a rectangular base are several coating stations 12 , 14 for seam sealing by means of PVC, several coating stations 16 . 18 for painting as well as several coating stations 20 . 22 . 24 arranged for pretreatment. In addition, there is a cache 40 provided in which the workpieces 30 . 32 . 34 . 36 can be stored and outsourced.

A transport system 38 is provided for the workpieces 30 . 32 . 34 . 36 individually and independently between the coating stations 12 . 14 . 16 , 18, 20, 22, 24, the cache 40 and two transfer points 42 . 44 to spend, as indicated by the dashed lines. The dashed lines in this example do not represent a direct lane but rather a travel corridor along which the workpieces are 30 . 32 . 34 . 36 be transported by means of vehicles not shown driverless transport system. The transfer point 42 indicates the entry point of a workpiece to be coated in the area of the coating system and the transfer point 44 indicates the exit location of a finished coated workpiece from the coating plant.

The coating stations 12 . 14 for seam sealing by means of PVC comprise three or two coating robots 26 . 28 which are arranged on both sides of the central coating position of the workpiece to be coated in each case. The coating stations 16 . 18 For painting, in each case four coating robots which are arranged on both sides of the central coating position of the workpiece to be coated. An input and removal of a workpiece in these coating stations 12 . 14 . 16 . 18 is possible at their respective two end faces, so as to achieve the highest possible flexibility.

The coating stations 20 . 22 . 24 for pretreatment are arranged in a semicircle. A workpiece 30 . 32 . 34 . 36 can by means of a provided in the center of the circle and not shown in this image robot from the transport system 38 be removed and optionally in one of the designed as a dip tank coating stations 20 . 22 . 24 be dipped. The plunge pools have separate holding or transporting devices for the workpieces 30 . 32 . 34 . 36 so that the robot is only required for entry and exit and can serve all plunge pools in parallel.

The cache 40 is designed as a matrix-like constructed high-bay warehouse, in which the workpieces 30 . 32 . 34 . 36 can be stored. In addition, the buffer has a furnace, not shown, with downstream cooling zone.

2 shows an exemplary second coating system 50 for workpieces in a schematic plan view. There are several coating stations 52 for seam sealing with PVC, several coating stations 54 for painting as well as several coating stations 56 arranged for pretreatment. In addition, there is a cache 60 provided, in which the workpieces can be stored and outsourced. A transport system 62 is provided for the workpieces between the coating stations 52 . 54 . 56 and the cache 60 to proceed. The coating system 50 is by a hexagonal floor plan 64 characterized, which allows particularly short travel paths of the workpieces. The pretreatment stations 56 are indicated in this case as multiple arranged in two circular formations plunge pool.

3 shows in a schematic side view 70 a vehicle 72 a driverless transport system (FTS) with a workpiece arranged thereon 74 , in this case, an automobile body. The vehicle 72 It has its own drive and steering system and is designed to be autonomous within certain corridors on the floor surface of a coating plant move. For the operation of a coating system with a driverless transport system (FTS) is a variety of such vehicles 72 required. Coordination of the vehicles takes place by means of a superordinate control system.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

exemplary first coating plant

12

first coating station (PVC)

14

second coating station (PVC)

16

third coating station (painting)

18

fourth coating station (painting)

20

fifth coating station (pretreatment)

22

sixth coating station (pretreatment)

24

seventh coating station (pretreatment)

26

Coating device (robot)

28

Coating device (robot)

30

Workpiece (car body)

32

Workpiece (car body)

34

Workpiece (car body)

36

Workpiece (car body)

38

transport system

40

cache

42

Transfer point

44

Transfer point

50

exemplary second coating system

52

Coating stations (PVC)

54

Coating stations (painting)

56

Coating stations (pretreatment)

58

Transfer point

60

cache

62

transport system

64

hexagonal outline coating device

70

Vehicle of a driverless transport system (AGV) with workpiece

72

Vehicle of a driverless transport system (FTS)

74

Workpiece (car body)

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• EP 1702687 B1 [0006]

Claims (15)

A coating system (10, 50) for automatic series coating of workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74), the coating of which requires a plurality of successive coating process steps, comprising • at least two coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) with respective coating devices (26, 28) for carrying out in each case at least one coating process step, • at least one transfer point (42, 44, 58), characterized . in that an automatic transport system (38, 62) is provided, by means of which the workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) are arranged individually and independently between the at least two coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 , 52, 54, 56) and the at least one transfer point (42, 44, 58) can be brought. Coating plant after Claim 1 characterized in that it comprises at least one coating station (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) for performing a plurality of different successive coating process steps. Coating plant after Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that it comprises at least two identical coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) for performing similar or identical coating process steps. Coating plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least two different coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) for carrying out similar or identical coating process steps. Coating plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) for coating different types of workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) is provided. Coating plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one intermediate store (34, 60) for workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) in which or from which by means of the automatic transport system (38, 62) workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) individually and independently from each other or be stored. Coating plant after Claim 6 , characterized in that the at least one intermediate store (34, 60) is configured, at least in partial areas, as an evaporation zone, cooling zone and / or furnace. Coating plant after Claim 6 or 7 , characterized in that the at least one temporary store (34, 60) is designed as a high-bay warehouse. Coating plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the coating stations is provided for a painting application. Coating installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) is provided for a PVC application. Coating installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) is provided for a dip application or other pretreatment. Coating installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a circular, square or comparable polygonal (64) floor plan. Coating plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the automatic transport system (38, 62) comprises a driverless transport system (FTS, 70), a crane-like lifting device, a robot and / or a branched track-bound conveyor system. Coating plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is intended for coating automobile bodies. Method for operating a coating installation according to one of Claims 1 to 14 characterized by the following steps: providing a data set with a plurality of data on workpieces to be coated (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) comprising the respective type of workpieces and characteristics of the respective coating process steps required for individual coating, automatic Creating an optimized production plan for the individual coating of the workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) according to the respective required coating process steps, wherein for each workpiece (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) an individual order is determined, according to which respective workpiece (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) by means of the automatic transport system (38, 62) for coating in each case suitable Processing stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56) or in the intermediate memory (34, 60) is to spend, taking into account the following optimization criteria: • avoiding the placement of workpieces in such coating station (12 , 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56), which are also provided at least for coating process steps that are not required for the individual coating of the respective workpiece (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) , • as homogeneous as possible utilization of the coating stations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 52, 54, 56), • coating of the workpieces (30, 32, 34, 36, 74) according to the production plan.

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