EP1695824A2 - Coating unit, especially paint - Google Patents

Abstract

A dosing system includes an application roller that cooperates with chamber blades (20) or a dosing roller. A form cylinder with a cleaning mechanism is held by a coating central container (23) over coating central lines (24) in the direction of the chamber blades or dosing roller. The cleaning mechanism enables automatic cleaning of the chamber blades or dosing roller and the coating central lines between the coating central container and the chamber blades or dosing roller.

Description

The invention relates to a coating unit, in particular a coating unit, according to the preamble of claim 1.

DE 33 12 128 A1 discloses a printing press with a coating unit designed as a coating unit, wherein the coating unit described therein comprises a metering system comprising a applicator roller and a metering roller. Paint kept ready in a paint container reaches the application roller via the metering roller. The applicator roller transfers the paint to at least one paint mold positioned on a forme cylinder, wherein the paint, starting from the respective paint mold, is transferred to a printed sheet passing through between the forme cylinder and a printing cylinder of the coating unit.

DE 203 13 262 U1 also discloses a printing machine with a coating unit, wherein the coating unit may be formed as a coating unit or as a flexographic printing unit. The coating unit described there again has a metering system, wherein the metering system has an applicator roller which rolls on a forme cylinder. On the forme cylinder, in turn, at least one coating form, namely a paint or flexographic printing form, is arranged. In addition to the applicator roller, the metering system of the coating unit described therein comprises a metering roller or alternatively a chamber doctor blade. Coating agent kept ready in a coating agent container passes via the chamber doctor blade or the metering roller onto the application roller of the metering system, the application roller subsequently transferring the coating agent to the forme cylinder, namely to the or each coating agent mold positioned on the forme cylinder. Furthermore, the coating unit of DE 203 13 262 U1 comprises a cleaning device which serves to clean the application roller.

On this basis, the present invention is based on the problem of creating a novel coating unit, in particular a novel coating unit.

This problem is solved by a coating unit, in particular a coating unit, according to claim 1. According to the invention, the chamber doctor blade or the metering roller of the metering system and / or the coating agent lines between the coating agent container and the chamber doctor blade or the metering roller of the metering system can be automatically cleaned with the aid of the cleaning device.

The present invention proposes a coating unit in which the chamber doctor blade or the metering roller of the metering system of the coating unit and also coating agent lines which run between the coating agent container and the chamber doctor blade or the metering roller can be automatically cleaned.

The chambered doctor blade or the metering roller of the metering system and / or the coating agent lines between the coating agent container and the chamber doctor blade or the metering roller of the metering system can preferably be cleaned in two stages, namely in the sense of pre-rinsing and subsequent rinsing with a clear rinse.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the chamber doctor blade of the metering system is assigned two coating agent circuits each consisting of a coating agent supply line, a coating medium return line and a coating agent container, such that the respective other coating agent circuit can be operated in cleaning mode parallel to a coating operation of a coating medium cycle.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cleaning agent is heatable, in particular by means of a Beschichtungsungsmittelkonditionierein-. direction.

Fig. 1:

einen Ausschnitt aus einer Bogendruckmaschine mit einer Beschichtungseinheit, nämlich einem Lackwerk, nach dem Stand der Technik;

Fig. 2:

eine schematisierte Darstellung einer Reinigungseinrichtung für eine Beschichtungseinheit nach dem Stand der Technik;

Fig. 3:

eine schematisierte Darstellung einer Reinigungseinrichtung für eine Beschichtungseinheit nach einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 4:

eine schematisierte Darstellung einer Reinigungseinrichtung für eine Beschichtungseinheit nach einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung

Fig. 5:

eine schematisierte Darstellung einer Reinigungseinrichtung für eine Beschichtungseinheit nach einem dritten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 6:

eine schematisierte Darstellung einer Reinigungseinrichtung für eine Beschichtungseinheit nach einem vierten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung; und

Fig. 7:

eine schematisierte Darstellung einer Reinigungseinrichtung für eine Beschichtungseinheit nach einem weiteren Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and the description below. An embodiment of the invention will be described, without being limited thereto, with reference to the drawing. Showing:

Fig. 1:

a detail of a sheet-fed press with a coating unit, namely a coating unit, according to the prior art;

Fig. 2:

a schematic representation of a cleaning device for a coating unit according to the prior art;

3:

a schematic representation of a cleaning device for a coating unit according to a first embodiment of the invention;

4:

a schematic representation of a cleaning device for a coating unit according to a second embodiment of the invention

Fig. 5:

a schematic representation of a cleaning device for a coating unit according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6:

a schematic representation of a cleaning device for a coating unit according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 7:

a schematic representation of a cleaning device for a coating unit according to another embodiment of the invention.

Before the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7, the prior art will be described in advance with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

1 shows a section of a printing press in the area of a printing unit 10, a coating unit 11 1 connected downstream of the printing unit 10 and a jib 12 connected downstream of the coating unit 11. The coating unit 11 in FIG. 1 is a coating unit. The printing unit 10 are usually preceded by further printing units. Printing sheets to be printed are moved over a plurality of sheet guiding cylinders 13 through the printing press, with some sheet guiding cylinders 13 being in the form of transfer cylinders 14 and other sheet guiding cylinders 13 as impression cylinders 15. In the area of the inking unit 10 rolls on the impression cylinder 15, a rubber cylinder 16 and on the blanket cylinder 16 a at least one printing plate carrying plate cylinder 17 from. In the area of the coating unit or the coating unit 11, a forme cylinder 18 rolls on the impression cylinder 15, on which at least one coating mold, namely a paint mold, is positioned. On the forme cylinder 18 rolls off an applicator roller 19 of a dosing system, wherein on the applicator roller 19 in a chambered doctor blade 20 of the dosing kept ready coating agent, namely paint passes, starting from the applicator roller 19 on the or each on the forme cylinder 18 positioned paint form and of the Paint form reaches a printed sheet to be printed. Printed in this way in the printing units 10 with a printed image and finished in the Lackwerk11 printed sheet are discharged via a conveyor system 21 from the printing press and stored to form a delivery stack 22 each other.

According to FIG. 2, the chambered doctor blade 20 of the dosing system of the coating unit 11 can be fed via a coating agent supply line 24 in a coating agent container 23, wherein a feed pump 26 driven by a motor 25 is integrated in the coating medium supply line 24. About the coating agent supply line 24 is the Chamber doctor blade 20 supplied from the coating agent container 23 coating agent, wherein excess coating agent is collected in a return trough 27 and conveyed back via a coating agent return line 28 in the direction of the coating agent container 23. For this purpose, a feed pump 30 driven by a motor 29 is in turn integrated into the coating medium return line 28. The system shown in FIG. 2 may also have a free, gravity-based return without a separate feed pump in the coating agent return line 28.

The coating unit according to the invention has a cleaning device for the metering system, namely at least for the chamber doctor blade 20 of the metering system and / or for the coating agent lines 24 and 28 which extend between the coating agent container 23 and the chamber doctor blade 20. With the help of the cleaning device is an automated and preferably two-stage cleaning of the dosing, whereby the two-stage cleaning in terms of pre-rinsing and rinsing is carried out. It should be noted that the invention can also be used in metering systems which, instead of the chamber doctor blade, have a scoop roller or squeezing roller cooperating with the discharge roller 19.

According to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at least one three-way valve 31 or 32 is integrated in the coating agent supply line 24 and in the coating medium return line 28, wherein a detergent supply line 34 protruding into a detergent container 33 is connected to the three-way valve 31 integrated into the coating medium supply line 24. Connected to the three-way valve 32 integrated into the coating medium return line 28 is a cleaning agent return line 35, which also opens into the detergent container 33. In the detergent container 33, detergent is kept ready for a pre-rinse of the dosing unit.

According to FIG. 3, another three-way valve 36 is integrated in the detergent feed line 34 between the three-way valve 31 integrated into the coating medium feed line 24 and the coating medium container 33, wherein another three. Way valve 36 adjacent to the three-way valve 31 and the detergent feed line 34 communicating with the detergent container 33 Cleaning agent supply line 37 is connected, by means of which a rinse can be performed.

All three-way valves 31, 32 and 36 of the arrangement according to Fig. 3 are motorized, e.g. electromotive, or pneumatically or hydraulically operated and further controlled automatically. In a coating operation of the arrangement according to FIG. 3, the three-way valves 31 and 32 are connected in such a way that coating agent held ready in the coating agent container 23 can be fed to the chambered doctor blade 20 via the coating agent supply line 24, excess coating agent collected in the return trough 27 being conveyed via the coating medium return line 28 into the coating agent container 23 is promoted back. In the context of the present invention, if three-way valves 31, 32 and 36 are to be automatically controlled in such a way that pre-rinsing detergent in the detergent container 33 via the detergent feed line 34 through the downstream of the three-way valve 31st positioned portion of the coating agent supply line 24 and the chamber doctor blade 20 can be passed. The thus supplied to the chambered doctor blade 20 cleaning agent is collected in the return trough 27 and passed over the upstream of the three-way valve 32 extending portion of the coating medium return line 28, the detergent then passes through the downstream of the three-way valve 32 subsequent cleaning agent return line 35 into the detergent container 33.

For subsequent rinsing, the three-way valve 36 can then be activated in such a way that, via the detergent feed line 37, a rinse aid again flows via the section of the coating medium supply line extending downstream of the three-way valve 31 24 of the chamber doctor blade can be fed. The rinsing agent supplied to the chamber doctor blade 20 collects in the return trough and is supplied to the detergent container 33 via the section of the coating medium return line 28 running upstream of the three-way valve 32 and the detergent return line 35 downstream of the three-way valve 32. Accordingly, with the arrangement of a coating unit shown in FIG. 3, the coating agent supply line 24, the coating medium return line 28 and the chamber doctor blade 20 of the metering system of the coating unit according to the invention are automated and can be cleaned in two stages.

As already mentioned, the cleaning or the entire cleaning process is automated. In a control station of the printing machine for this purpose so-called washing programs are deposited, which can be selected depending on the degree of contamination of the coating unit or depending on the used paint or coating agent. Parameters of the washing programs, such as pre-rinsing times, rinsing times, rinsing temperatures and the like, can be adapted and stored in the control room. The cleaning of the coating unit can be carried out in parallel with other cleaning processes in the printing press, for example by cleaning the blanket cylinders or printing cylinders. A machine control takes over the control of the processes.

According to FIG. 3, for example, the rinse aid can be heated via a heating device 70 assigned to the cleaning agent supply line 37. The heater 70 may also be integrated downstream of the three-way valve 36 and upstream of the three-way valve 31 in the detergent feed line 34, in which case the rinse aid and the pre-rinse be tempered can. Also, the heater 70 may be integrated downstream of the three-way valve 31 in the flow line 24, in which case additionally in the coating operation, the coating agent can be heated.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, a valve 71 is integrated in the detergent feed line 37 in order to be able to introduce the rinse aid into the system in the sense of a temporally defined rinse pulse by opening and closing the valve 71. In the case of rinse aids, the cleaning of dispersion-coating systems is preferably water, wherein water is already provided with sufficient pressure via the detergent feed line 37.

When cleaning UV coating systems, the pressure build-up in the rinse aid can be effected by integrating a pump into the detergent feed line 37. Alternatively, the rinse aid can be kept in a container, which then takes place by pressurized air into the container, the pressure build-up in the rinse aid.

The detergent container 33 is associated with a level sensor 73. Upon reaching a maximum level, the detergent container 33 can be automatically emptied to avoid overflow. Also, a warning message for manual emptying of the detergent container 33 can be generated. The valve 32 can be closed automatically for overflow protection. New rinsing agent for rinsing is no longer supplied during this time. The valve 71 is automatically locked.

According to FIG. 3, the cleaning agent return line 35 is assigned a sensor 74, with the aid of which the contamination of the cleaning agent can be measured. This may be, for example, a turbidity sensor. On the basis of the signal from the sensor 40, the cleaning agent used for pre-rinsing can be automatically emptied out of the detergent container 33 in the event of excessive contamination. For this purpose, a drain valve is then integrated into the bottom of the detergent container 33. The emptying can be done in a central collection or in a water treatment station. In the water treatment station a separation of water and sediments can take place. A consumption of cleaning agent can via flow sensors or be determined by weighing the detergent container 33 and accounted for. The detergent container 33 is preferably designed as a sedimentation container, wherein then paint pigments or coating agent pigments deposited or collect at the bottom of the detergent container 33. The cleaning agent collecting on the surface can be used for pre-rinsing.

In preferably removed chambered doctor blade 20, the lines 24 and 28 can be shorted in the region of the chambered doctor blade 20 to flush the lines 24 and 28 under pressure. Optionally, in addition to another, not shown, and preferably arranged in the region of the detergent feed line 37 valve air are blown into the detergent, so as to increase the cleaning effect. Furthermore, a detergent additive, for example a paint cleaner, can be automatically mixed into the cleaning agent.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 3, wherein to avoid unnecessary repetition for the same components same reference numerals are used and will be discussed below only on the details that distinguish the embodiment of FIG. 4 from the embodiment of FIG.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the heater 70 is integrated downstream of the three-way valve 31 in the detergent feed line 34, in which case the rinse aid and the pre-rinse and additionally in the coating operation, the coating agent can be heated.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, a valve 72 is connected between the detergent feed line 34 and the detergent return line 35. Further valves 75 and 76 are integrated in the region of the detergent container 33 into the detergent feed line 34 and the detergent return line 35. By opening the valve 72 and by closing the valves 75 and 76, a bypass can be formed and the detergent container 33 can be decoupled, so that a defined amount of detergent multiple times through the system. As a result, cleaning agents can be saved. In this case, the following cycle is performed: First, the valve 75 is open, so that detergent can be sucked from the detergent container 33, the valves 72 and 76 are then closed; in the subsequent circulation of the cleaning agent, the valves 75 and 76 are closed and the valve 72 is open; Finally, it is emptied with the valve 72 closed and with the valve 76 open.

Fig. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the arrangement of FIG. 3, wherein the same reference numerals are used to avoid unnecessary repetition for the same modules.

The arrangement of FIG. 5 differs from the arrangement according to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 in that, in the arrangement according to FIG. 5, a coating agent conditioning device 38 can be used to apply the cleaning agent used for rinsing, which is supplied via the detergent feed line 37 and the three-way valve 36 is insertable into the assembly to heat. As a result, the cleaning agent used for rinsing can be tempered in such a way that the cleaning effect is improved. By heating the cleaning agent, preferably the cleaning agent used for rinsing, it is thus possible to optimize the cleaning result. The coating agent conditioning device 38 has an integrated agitator. This agitator is automatically brought into operation during rinsing, in order to improve the cleaning effect.

The coating agent conditioning device 38 can utilize waste heat of the printing press or individual units thereof. For this purpose, it is then coupled into the coating agent conditioning device 38 to a heat exchanger, which utilizes the waste heat in the sense of a heat feedback or residual heat utilization. This principle of residual heat use can also be related be exploited with the heater 70 of FIG. As a result, the overall efficiency of the printing press can be improved.

Of course, the detergent used for pre-rinsing, kept ready in the detergent container 33, for temperature control by the coating agent conditioning device 38 are passed. However, this is not shown in Fig. 5.

The arrangement of Fig. 5 shows two detergent feed lines 37, which serve to supply detergent for rinsing. One of the detergent feed lines 37 is connected directly to the three-way valve 36 and serves to supply non-tempered detergent. The other detergent feed line 37 extends to the temperature of the cleaning agent used for Kiarspülen by the coating agent conditioning device 38. In all other details, the arrangement of FIG. 5 is consistent with the arrangement of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6, the chamber doctor 20 is assigned two coating agent circuits 39 and 40. Each of the coating agent circuits 39 and 40 has a coating agent supply line 41 and 42 and a coating medium return line 43 and 44, wherein the coating agent supply lines 41 and 42 and the coating agent return lines 43 and 44 of the coating agent circuits 39 and 40, each with a coating agent container 45 and 46 in Connection stand. The coating agent return lines 43 and 44 of the two coating agent circuits 39 and 40 are forked as shown in FIG. 6 and thus have two sub-strands.

In the coating agent supply lines 41 and 42 and the sub-strands of the coating agent return lines 43 and 44 in turn via motors 47 driven feed pumps 48 are integrated.

Each of the coating agent circuits 39 and 40 further has a detergent container 49 and 50, with which detergent feed lines 51 and 52 and detergent return lines 53 and 54 are in communication. The detergent feed lines 51 and 52, in turn, engage the three-way valves 55 and 56 integrated into the coating medium supply lines 41 and 42, respectively. The detergent return lines 53 and 54 engage via three-way valves 57 and 58 to the coating agent return lines 43 and 44, respectively. The cleaning agent held ready in the detergent containers 49 and 50, in turn, serves for pre-rinsing, rinsing takes place via a cleaning agent which can be introduced into the coating agent supply lines 41 and 42 via cleaning agent supply lines 59 and 60 and three-way valves 61 or 62. Alternatively, cleaning agents provided in containers 63 and 64 may also be used for rinsing, for which purpose three-way valves 65 and 66 are integrated into the detergent supply lines 59 and 60, respectively.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, both coating agent circuits 39 and 40 can be operated in parallel in such a way that according to FIG. 6, for example, the coating agent circuit 40 in the coating mode and the coating medium circuit 39 can be operated in parallel in the cleaning mode. Thus, according to FIG. 6, coating agent is supplied to the chambered doctor blade 20 via the coating agent circuit 40, that is to say via the coating agent supply line 42, excess coating agent being returned to the coating agent container 46 via the coating agent return lines 44 of the coating medium circuit 40. In parallel, the coating agent lines 41 and 43 of the coating agent circuit 39 can be flushed with the aid of the detergent provided in the detergent container 49. As such, the chamber doctor blade 20 is of course not rinsed in this case, but rather filled with coating agent via the coating agent circuit 40. All three-way valves of the arrangement of FIG. 6 are automatically controlled, so automated between a coating operation and cleaning operation for each Coating medium circuit 39 or 40 can be switched automatically. As already mentioned, accordingly, in the arrangement of FIG. 6, a coating medium cycle can operate in the coating mode, whereas the other coating medium cycle is automatically rinsed.

In the above parallel operation, when one coating agent circuit is operating in the coating mode, the other coating agent circuit is rinsed, i. in a paint change takes place after painting caused by rinsing no production interruption. As a result, the setup time is minimized. The two coating agent circuits of the coating preferably serve with different types of paint.

The chamber doctor blade 20 are associated with coding switches, not shown, which detect which coating medium circuit in the coating operation and which coating medium circuit operates in the rinsing operation. As a result, the corresponding valves and pumps can be controlled automatically via the wash programs.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7, wherein the embodiment of FIG. 6 substantially corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 6, so that in turn to avoid unnecessary repetition for the same components same reference numerals are used. In the following, only the details are discussed, by which the embodiment of FIG. 7 differs from the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the coating agent circuit 40 is operated in the cleaning mode and the coating medium circuit 39 in the coating mode. By controlling the three-way valves, however, the arrangement of FIG. 7 is so unconfigurable that, as in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the coating agent circuit 39 is operated in the cleaning mode and the coating medium circuit 40 in the coating mode.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, with the arrangement according to the invention also cooperating with the chambered doctor blade 20 applicator roller 19 is automatically cleaned. Thus, the applicator roller 19 is associated with a cleaning strip 67, wherein the applicator roller 19 can be sprayed with cleaning agent on the cleaning bar 67 to clean the same. The cleaning strip 67 is connected in accordance with FIG. 7 via valves 68 and 69 to the coating agent supply lines 41 and 42, wherein the valves 68 and 69 are only opened when the application roller 19 is cleaned in a cleaning operation of the respective coating medium circuit 39 or 40 should.

All feed pumps of the embodiments shown can be operated in alternating conveying direction.

For the purposes of the present invention, a coating unit is proposed, which has at least one coating medium circuit, wherein a coating medium cycle can be operated either in the cleaning mode or in the coating operation by appropriate control of automatically controllable three-way valves. In the case where two coating agent circuits per coating unit are present, one coating medium cycle in the cleaning mode and another coating medium cycle can be operated in parallel in the coating mode. By incorporating a coating agent conditioning device, cleaning agent can be heated or tempered to improve the cleaning effect. According to the invention, the coating unit can be rinsed under pressure. By changing the direction of rotation of the feed pumps, the cleaning effect can be improved again.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

printing unit

11 1

Coating unit / coating unit

12

boom

13

Sheet guiding cylinder r

14

Transferterzylinder

15

Impression cylinder

16

rubber cylinder

17

plate cylinder

18

form cylinder

19

applicator roll

20

chambered doctor blade

21

conveyor system

22

delivery pile

23

Coating agent container

24

Coating agent supply line

25

engine

26

feed pump

27

Return pan

28

Coating agent return line

29

engine

30

feed pump

31

Three-way valve

32

Three-way valve

33

Detergent tank

34

Detergent supply line

35

Detergent return line

36

Three-way valve

37

Detergent supply line

38

Beschichtungsmittelkonditioniereinrichtung

39

Coating agent circuit

40

Coating agent circuit

41

Coating agent supply line

42

Coating agent supply line

43

Coating agent return line

44

Coating agent return line

45

Coating agent container

46

Coating agent container

47

engine

48

feed pump

49

Detergent tank

50

Reinigüngsmittelbehälter

51

Detergent supply line

52

Detergent supply line

53

Detergent return line

54

Detergent return line

55

Three-way valve

56

Three-way valve

57

Three-way valve

58

Three-way valve

59

Detergent supply line

60

Detergent supply line

61

Three-way valve

62

Three-way valve

63

container

64

container

65

Three-way valve

66

Three-way valve

67

cleaning strip

68

Valve

69

Valve

70

heater

71

Valve

72

Valve

73

level sensor

74

sensor

75

Valve

76

Valve

Claims (12)

Coating unit, in particular coating unit, with a metering system, wherein the metering comprises a applicator roller (19) and a coater (20) or metering roller cooperating with the applicator roller (19), one from a coating agent container via coating medium lines in the direction of the chambered doctor blade (20) or the metering roller is conveyed by means of the applicator roller (19) in the direction of at least one coating mold, in particular paint form, carrying the form cylinder (18) can be conveyed, and with a cleaning device, characterized in that with the aid of the cleaning device, the chambered doctor blade (20) or the metering roller the metering system and / or the coating agent lines (24, 28, 41, 42, 43, 44) between the coating agent container (23, 45, 46) and the chambered doctor blade (20) or the metering roller of the metering system are automatically cleaned. Coating unit according to Claim 1, characterized in that the chambered doctor blade (20) or the metering roller_ of the metering system and / or the coating agent lines (24, 28; 41, 42, 43, 44) between the coating agent container (23; 45, 46 ) and the chamber doctor blade or the metering of the metering two-stage, namely in terms of pre-rinsing and a subsequent rinse, are cleanable. Coating unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a coating doctor (20) of the dosing system in at least one coating agent container (23; 45, 46) prepared coating material via a respective coating agent supply line (24; 41, 42) can be supplied, wherein the chambered doctor blade (20 ) excessively supplied coating agent via a respective coating agent return line (28; 43, 44) in the direction of the respective coating agent container is traceable. Coating unit according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one automatically controllable three-way valve (31, 32, 55, 56, 57, 57, 43, 44), and the or each coating agent return line (28; 58) is integrated to direct coating agent through the or each coating agent supply line (24; 41,42) and the or each coating agent return line (28; 43,44) in a coating operation and cleaning agent in a cleaning operation. Coating unit according to claim 4, characterized in that two or three three-way valves (31, 36; 55, 65, 56, 66) are integrated in the or each coating agent supply line (24, 41, 42) to pass over the or each coating agent supply line and the or each coating agent return line in the cleaning operation for a two-stage cleaning process successively to run pre-rinse and rinse aid. Coating unit according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized by a coating agent conditioning device (38) by means of which cleaning agent can be heated. Coating unit according to one or more of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the chambering doctor (20) of the metering system is associated with a single coating agent supply line (24) and a single coating medium return line (28), in dependence on the position of the three-way valves (31 , 32, 36) through the coating agent supply line (24), the coating agent return line (28) and the chamber doctor blade (20) in a coating operation coating agent and in a cleaning operation to guide cleaning agent. Coating unit according to one or more of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the chamber doctor blade (20) of the metering system has two coating medium circuits (39, 40) each consisting of a coating medium supply line (41, 42), a coating medium return line (43, 44) and a coating agent container ( 45, 46) are assigned such that in parallel to a coating operation of a coating medium circuit, the respective other coating agent circuit can be operated in the cleaning operation. Coating unit according to claim 8, characterized in that in the coating operation of a coating medium circuit (39; 40) by the respective coating agent supply line (41; 42) and the respective coating medium return line (43,44) of this coating medium circuit (39; 40) and by the chamber doctor blade (20). Coating means is conductive, and that in the cleaning operation of the other coating agent circuit (40; 39) by the respective coating agent supply line (42; 41) and the respective coating medium return line (44; 43) of this coating medium circuit detergent is conductive. Coating unit according to one or more of Claims 1 to 9, characterized by a cleaning strip (67) associated with the application roller (19), the cleaning strip (67) being connected to at least one coating agent supply line (41, 42) via a respective controllable valve (68, 69). is connected to automatically clean the applicator roller (19) in the cleaning operation. Coating unit according to one or more of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that washing programs stored in a control station can be called up and executed automatically. Coating unit according to claim 11, characterized in that parameters of the washing programs, such as pre-rinsing times, rinsing times, rinsing temperatures and the like, can be adapted and stored in the control station.

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