Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B13/00—Machines or plants for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces of objects or other work by spraying, not covered by groups B05B1/00 - B05B11/00
  • B05B13/02—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work
  • B05B13/04—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work the spray heads being moved during spraying operation
  • B05B13/0447—Installation or apparatus for applying liquid or other fluent material to conveyed separate articles
  • B05B13/0452—Installation or apparatus for applying liquid or other fluent material to conveyed separate articles the conveyed articles being vehicle bodies
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B13/00—Machines or plants for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces of objects or other work by spraying, not covered by groups B05B1/00 - B05B11/00
  • B05B13/02—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work
  • B05B13/04—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work the spray heads being moved during spraying operation
  • B05B13/0431—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work the spray heads being moved during spraying operation with spray heads moved by robots or articulated arms, e.g. for applying liquid or other fluent material to 3D-surfaces
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B13/00—Machines or plants for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces of objects or other work by spraying, not covered by groups B05B1/00 - B05B11/00
  • B05B13/02—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work
  • B05B13/0292—Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work devices for holding several workpieces to be sprayed in a spaced relationship, e.g. vehicle doors spacers

Definitions

• Robotic installation of in-line painting of an object in particular an automobile body
• the present invention relates to a robotic installation for in-line painting of a product such as a motor vehicle body.
• Such a painting line mainly comprises a conveyor which transports the product through the different treatment zones (or stations) which follow one another and in each of which is carried out an elementary task the sum of which constitutes the overall treatment of the product.
• the length of an area depends on the number of robots it contains to execute the task assigned to it, knowing that this task has been made as basic as possible so that it can be executed as quickly as possible.
• tasks which remain complex and require significant tools to carry them out For example, the interior paint of a vehicle (in particular the rebate of the opening frames) requires that a door be opened, that it be kept open during the painting operation and that it be then closed so that the body from the vehicle can be safely transferred to the next area. It is understood that it therefore requires in such a zone a tool (robot) for handling and holding by door and at least one painting robot.
• the conveyor crosses the succession of zones which it comprises and all the robots and tools of an area move parallel to the conveyor for the time necessary for the execution of operations (for example door opening, painting, door closing).
• the length of such a zone is therefore at least equal to the static longitudinal size of the robots and tools increased by the distance traveled by the robots and tools during the cycle time in the zone.
• document EP 0 745 429 describes an installation which comprises several successive stations.
• jointing robots are arranged on an upper floor, while underbody painting robots are provided fixed or mobile under the vehicle body.
• underbody painting robots are provided fixed or mobile under the vehicle body.
• door opening robots are described as being functionally associated only with robots for laying seals and arranged at the same level as eu.
• the present invention proposes a post organization of a paint line which makes it possible to further reduce the length of the line.
• the subject of the invention is a robotic installation for in-line painting of an object comprising a succession of zones served by a conveyor conveying the object, at least one of the zones comprising on each side of the conveyor at at least two robots equipped one with a tool for painting at least one surface of the object and the other for a tool for manipulation of a part of the object to update the surface to be painted during its residence time in the zone, in which the painting robots are arranged below the handling robots.
• the manipulator robots are outside the paint area and are protected from projections.
• the installation comprises side walls equipped with means for guiding the robots parallel to the conveyor, prefabricated and assembled in a modular fashion on each side of the conveyor /
• FIG. 1 shows, in cross section through a painting area, an installation according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a robot used in the installation according to FIG. 1.
• a line according to the invention comprises a conveyor (conveyor) 1 which supports a body (body) 2 of a motor vehicle.
• This conveyor is mounted on a clear floor 3 under which is disposed an entire infrastructure 4 (not shown) for cleaning the air loaded with paint mist.
• This infrastructure which is known in itself, is associated with an upper structure 5 also known, which is essentially constituted by an air flow distributor in a vertical direction towards the floor 3.
• an air flow scans vertically the zone shown entraining towards the infrastructure 4 all the paint particles which would not have been deposited on the automobile bodywork and all the gaseous solvents which are emitted by the sprayed paint and the paint deposited on the object.
• this air flow can have in a cross section (that shown) different speeds (higher near the walls than in the vicinity of the median axis) in order to better protect the robots and their tools from pollution by painting while avoiding blowing the paint in the vicinity of the object so as not to disturb the application.
• the installation On each side of the conveyor 1, at the level of the floor 3, the installation comprises a robot 10, 11 whose function in the area is to paint the interior or exterior of the box 2. This arrangement is identical to that used. used in known installations. In order to be able to be maneuvered at best for painting, these robots 10 and 11 are mounted on structures (not shown in this figure) for guiding their movement in translation parallel to the conveyor.
• the installation also comprises on each side of the conveyor but at a higher level, above the robot 10 and 11, a robot 12, 13.
• the function of these robots is to carry out the operations of handling the doors or. trunk lid protected from paint pollution.
• the advantage of this implantation at a different level from that of the previous robots lies in the gain in longitudinal dimensions. In fact, the robots on the upper floor can be aligned with those on the lower floor. They can even be moved independently of each other and intersect, which would not be possible at the same level.
• the robots used are 7-axis robots, thus conferring great flexibility of movement and programming thereon. It is also preferred to use robots, in particular on the upper floor, capable of moving below their basic plane.
• a robotic paint line can operate with a conveyor continuously running or actuated step by step (stop and go).
• the arrangements of the invention are particularly advantageous since the reduction in length of the line is very significant at the same production rate. This results in a greatly reduced investment and also reduced operating costs, in particular as regards the consumption of air circulating vertically in the line.
• FIG 2 there is shown schematically the connection of a robot, such as robot 10 to the infrastructure of the installation.
• the means for guiding the robot are represented by a rail 20 which is integral with the wall P side of the installation.
• the robot 10 has rollers 10a, 10b to cooperate with the rail 20 in order to guide and support this robot.
• this wall will be fitted with an identical rail (except perhaps in length) for the upper robot 12.
• each wall P can be prefabricated with its technical galleries and its rails, which leads to a modular construction of the 'installation.
• the two floors can be either in one piece or in two parts assembled on site.
• the lower part 4 can be formed in a pit by a civil engineering construction 21 supporting the modular construction P, 20, or formed above ground at the level of a base part of the prefabricated lateral structure like the wall parts carrying the rails 20 .
• the area is then capped by the distributor box 5 of the vertical air flow.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Robotics (AREA)
• Spray Control Apparatus (AREA)
• Manipulator (AREA)
• Automobile Manufacture Line, Endless Track Vehicle, Trailer (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8847949

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (16)

Family Cites Families (1)

• 2000
  • 2000-03-10 FR FR0003087A patent/FR2806012B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-03-08 WO PCT/FR2001/000694 patent/WO2001068267A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-03-08 AU AU2001239362A patent/AU2001239362A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-03-08 EP EP01913963A patent/EP1263535B1/de not_active Revoked
  • 2001-03-08 DE DE60103983T patent/DE60103983D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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