EP2071261B1 - Device for drying objects, in particular painted vehicle bodies - Google Patents

Description

1. a) einem Trockentunnel, dessen Innenraum mit einer Inertgasatmosphäre gefüllt ist;
2. b) einem Fördersystem, welches die Gegenstände durch den Trockentunnel hindurchführt.

The invention relates to a device for drying objects, in particular painted vehicle bodies, with

1. a) a drying tunnel, the interior of which is filled with an inert gas atmosphere;
2. b) a conveyor system which passes the articles through the drying tunnel.

"Drying" in the present case is understood as any type of curing, regardless of whether it is associated with the expulsion of solvents or is based wholly or partly on a chemical reaction, for example a polymerization or polycondensation.

In recent years, increasingly gaining importance of lacquers that are cured under UV light. This is preferably done in an inert gas atmosphere to prevent unwanted reactions with components of the normal atmosphere, especially with oxygen. These novel coatings are characterized by a very high surface hardness and short polymerization times. The latter advantage is in paint shops, which are operated in a continuous flow, directly into smaller plant lengths, what of course leads to significantly lower investment costs.

While in conventional dryers or dry processes that work with atmospheric air as the atmosphere, the amount of air that is introduced into the dryer and also out of this is of lesser importance for cost reasons, must be paid in inert gas atmospheres on the lowest possible consumption.

A device of the type mentioned is in the DE 10 2004 025 525 B3 described. Here, an inlet lock area substantially comprises three chambers: a first, which is filled with normal atmosphere and the freshly coated objects are supplied from the coating station. A second chamber is partially below the first chamber, is connected thereto via a large-area opening through which the coated articles can be lowered, and contains an inert gas atmosphere whose density is greater than that of the outer normal atmosphere. A third lock chamber is in turn above the second lock chamber approximately at the level of the first lock chamber and adjacent to this and is also connected to the second lock chamber via a large-area opening. It also contains an inert gas atmosphere and communicates with the inert gas atmosphere within the drying tunnel. The coated objects are guided through these lock chambers in the order listed. A similar, however from the now dried objects in the reverse direction traversed outlet lock area is located at the end of the drying tunnel.

In this construction, although the inert gas losses can be kept relatively low. However, in view of the cost of the inert gas, which may be nitrogen, C0 ₂ , noble gases or combustion gases, there is always a need to further reduce the inert gas consumption.

Object of the present invention is thus to develop a device of the type mentioned so that the costs caused by inert gas consumption during operation are further reduced.

• c) im Inneren des Trockentunnels wenigstens ein auswechselbarer Füllkörper plaziert ist, der einen nicht benötigten Raumbereich des Trockentunnels ausfüllt.

This object is achieved in that

• c) in the interior of the drying tunnel at least one interchangeable filling body is placed, which fills an unused space area of the drying tunnel.

According to the invention, residual volumes in the corners of the drying tunnel, adjacent to and above the objects and / or below the conveyor system, are filled with the filling body. In this way, the inert gas to be filled with the inner volume in the drying tunnel and thus the need for inert gas is minimized. In addition, by favorably placed packing in an inerting of the drying tunnel, a preferred flow direction for the inert gas through the interior and any voids of the objects, For example, an interior, a front space and a rear space of a vehicle body, given, whereby the flushing of the interior improves and the inerting is accelerated.

In an advantageous embodiment, at least one handling device is arranged in the drying tunnel, which is suitable for acting on the object, in particular to open and close doors, front hood and / or tailgate of the vehicle body, or drying agents, in particular radiation sources for irradiating the surfaces of the objects move. In this way, all surfaces can optionally also be achieved in cavities of the objects with the drying agent and dried optimally. For this purpose, the drying agent can be moved freely in space, in particular also in the cavities of the objects, within the scope of what the handling device permits and can be optimally placed and oriented relative to the surfaces to be dried. Unused space areas outside the movement space of the handling device are filled with the filler (s).

In order to achieve optimum filling of the space regions not required, the shape, size and / or position of the filling body can advantageously be adapted to the type, in particular shape and size, of the object and / or optionally to the space requirement of the handling device.

Conveniently, a plurality of preferably uniform packing may be placed in the space not required so that they fill as completely as possible. Uniform packings can be used flexibly on different types of articles and / or handling equipment. They can simply be arranged as needed in the drying tunnel.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the filler has at least two rectangular planar surfaces. In particular, the filler is a cuboid, a cube or a cut cuboid or cube. Right-angled flat surfaces can simply be applied without gaps to surfaces of adjacent fillers and / or a wall, a floor and / or a ceiling of the drying tunnel at right angles to one another. Cubes or cubes can be easily stacked. With cut cubes or cubes, space regions can be cut out, through which the objects travel and / or in which any handling devices have an increased space requirement, preferably for moving arms.

The filler may be solid or a closed hollow body. Massive fillers are dimensionally stable and can also be changed in shape, preferably cut to size, even when installed in the drying tunnel. Adjustments in the form of recesses for any handling devices can still be made at the installation site become. In contrast, hollow bodies are lightweight, inexpensive and have a low heat capacity.

The filler can be arranged on the floor, on at least one wall and / or on the ceiling of the drying tunnel, in particular releasably fixed. In this way unnecessary side and corner areas of the drying tunnel are optimally filled.

In a further advantageous embodiment, an inlet lock area is provided which is connected upstream of the drying tunnel and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing inside the drying tunnel from the outer normal atmosphere.

Furthermore, an outlet lock region can be provided, which is connected downstream of the drying tunnel and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing inside the drying tunnel from the outer normal atmosphere.

With the inlet lock area or the outlet lock area, the inert gas loss during insertion or removal of the articles into the drying tunnel or out of it is kept low.

Figur 1

einen Horizontalschnitt durch den Trockenbe- reich einer Lackieranlage für Fahrzeugkaros- serien;

Figur 2

einen Vertikalschnitt des Trockenbereichs aus der Figur 1 entlang der dortigen Linie II-II;

Figur 3

einen Vertikalschnitt des Trockenbereichs aus der Figur 1 entlang der dortigen Linie III- III;

Figur 4

einen Vertikalschnitt des Trockenbereichs aus der Figur 1 quer zur Förderrichtung der Fahr- zeugkarosserien entlang der dortigen Linie IV-IV;

Figur 5

einen Vertikalschnitt des Trockenbereichs aus der Figur 1 quer zur Förderrichtung entlang der dortigen Linie V-V;

Figur 6

einen Vertikalschnitt des Trockenbereichs aus der Figur 1 quer zur Förderrichtung entlang der dortigen Linie VI-VI;

Figur 7

einen Vertikalschnitt des Trockenbereichs aus der Figur 1 quer zur Förderrichtung entlang der dortigen Linie VII-VII.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description in which an embodiment of the invention is explained in detail with reference to the drawing; show it

FIG. 1

a horizontal section through the drying area of a paint shop for vehicle bodies;

FIG. 2

a vertical section of the drying area of the FIG. 1 along the local line II-II;

FIG. 3

a vertical section of the drying area of the FIG. 1 along the local line III-III;

FIG. 4

a vertical section of the drying area of the FIG. 1 transverse to the conveying direction of the vehicle bodies along the IV-IV line there;

FIG. 5

a vertical section of the drying area of the FIG. 1 transverse to the conveying direction along the local line VV;

FIG. 6

a vertical section of the drying area of the FIG. 1 transverse to the conveying direction along the local line VI-VI;

FIG. 7

a vertical section of the drying area of the FIG. 1 transverse to the conveying direction along the local line VII-VII.

FIG. 1 shows in horizontal section a drying area of a total provided with the reference numeral 10 paint shop for vehicle bodies 12th

This drying area comprises an inlet lock area 14 for a drying tunnel 16, the drying tunnel 16 itself and an outlet lock area 18.

The inlet lock area 14, the drying tunnel 16 and the outlet lock area 18 are cyclically traversed by the vehicle bodies 12 in the direction of the arrow 20, wherein a conveying system 22, which is not described in detail, is used, which is known to the person skilled in the art.

The illustrated section is preceded by a painting booth, not shown, and preparation stations, which correspond to the prior art; Downstream is a conventional cooling zone.

In the paint booth are in a known manner application devices with which automatically or by hand inside and outside on the surfaces of the vehicle bodies 12 paint can be applied. At the same time, angled, hard-to-reach areas in the interior, front, rear, hinges of the doors, the bonnet and / or the tailgate are intentionally painted or unintentionally struck by paint overspray.

While oxygen-containing "normal atmosphere" is located in the paint booth preceded by the drying tunnel 16 and in the cooling zone connected downstream of the drying tunnel, inside the drying tunnel 16 lies an inert gas atmosphere containing, for example, nitrogen and / or CO ₂ . With the inlet lock area 14 and the outlet lock area 18, which has a piston lock 19, the two named atmospheres are kept separated during the passage through the vehicle bodies 12 in such a way that the least possible loss of inert gases takes place. The piston lock 19 is in the Figures 2 . 3 and 7 shown. The operation of the lock areas 14 and 18 is not of interest here.

The vehicle bodies 12 pass through the drying tunnel 16 in the conveying direction 20 immediately behind the inlet lock area 14 initially a top dry area 24, in which the paint outside on the roofs, the front hoods 12b and the tailgate 12a of the vehicle bodies 12 and at the substantially perpendicular to Conveying direction is cured with vertical component extending surfaces in the front and rear. The top drying section 24 is in the FIG. 4 shown in a vertical section transverse to the conveying direction 20 and described in more detail below.

The top dry area 24 is followed by a side dry area 26 of the drying tunnel 16 where the paint on the outside of the vehicle and the doors 12c and 12d are cured. A vertical section of the side drying area 26 transversely to the conveying direction 20 shows the FIG. 5 , on the basis of which a more detailed description is given below.

In the conveying direction 20 behind the side drying area 26 is an interior dry area 28 of the drying tunnel 16. In the interior dry area 28, the curing of the paint and the paint overspray in the interior, in the rear compartment and in the front of the vehicle bodies 12 and in an angular area the door, rear room and front room openings. Vertical sections of the interior drying area 28 transverse to the conveying direction approximately in the middle and in the vicinity of the outlet lock area 18 are in the FIGS. 6 and 7 shown, which are used below for a more detailed description.

The upper side drying area 24 is tapered in a region adjacent to the inlet lock area 14 in the horizontal dimension transverse to the conveying direction 20 with respect to the remaining drying tunnel 16 in order to minimize the inner volume of the drying tunnel 16 and thus the demand for inert gas ,

In the broad area of the upper-side drying area 24, a bridge portal 30 is displaceable in and against the conveying direction 20 on two parallel floor rails 32. The bridge portal 30 is a total of approximately U-shaped and open at the bottom (see. FIG. 4 ). It is dimensioned so that the vehicle bodies 12 can drive under it.

At the bridge portal 30 are about a height-adjustable and the inclination motor-adjustable U-shaped receiving profile 34 five tubular UV lamps 36a suspended.

With the UV light emitted by the UV lamps 36a and the UV lamps 36b, 36c and 36d described below, the paint applied in the paint booth and the paint overspray on the surfaces of the vehicle bodies 12 can be cured.

In the side drying area 26, a side irradiation device 42 is provided, which in a vertical section transverse to the conveying direction 20 in FIG. 5 is shown. The side irradiation device 42 comprises, in the conveying direction 20 on both sides of the conveying path of the vehicle bodies 12, in each case a radiator frame 44, which carries in each case three UV radiators 36b.

The radiator frames 44 are identical and arranged symmetrically with respect to a parallel to the conveying direction 20 extending vertical center plane on opposite sides of the conveying path of the vehicle bodies 12.

The radiator frames 44 each have a horizontal base frame 44a, on the bottom of four rollers 44b are arranged and with which the radiator frames 44 on horizontal bottom rails 46 are transversely displaceable to the conveying direction 20.

On the vehicle body 12 side facing a vertical frame 44c is placed at the edge on the horizontal bottom frame 44a.

On the bottom frame 44a, moreover, a filler 90b explained in greater detail below is specially adapted.

On the vertical frame 44c are offset from one another and three cylindrical UV lamps 36b attached. Each UV emitter 36b may be aligned substantially parallel to the lateral surfaces of the vehicle bodies 12 for optimum illumination.

In the interior drying area 28 is adjacent to the side drying area 26 on the right in the conveying direction 20 side of the vehicle bodies 12, a tailgate opener 50. With the tailgate opener 50, the tailgate 12a of the vehicle body 12 can be opened in not interesting further here ,

The liftgate opener 50 is constructed similar to a bonnet opener 150 which is shown in FIG FIG. 7 is shown and with which the front hood 12 b of the vehicle body 12 can be opened.

The bonnet opener 150 is located on the same side of the vehicle body conveyance path 12 as the tailgate opener 50. It is viewed in the direction of conveyance 20 at the end of the drying tunnel 16 in FIG Near the outlet lock area 18 also attached to the ground.

The tailgate opener 50 and the bonnet opener 150 each include a handling device 52 and 152, respectively.

The handling devices 52 and 152 each have a pivoting arm 58 or 158, which are pivotable within a respective pivoting space in the drying tunnel 16.

On the front hood opener 150 and the tailgate opener 50 opposite side of the conveying path is in each case a terminal interior irradiation device 60th

The terminal interior irradiation devices 60 are constructed identically and serve for irradiating the inner surfaces of the front space or the rear space with UV light. The front interior irradiation device 60 is also in the FIG. 7 shown.

Each terminal interior irradiation device 60 has a handling device 62 which is rotatably attached to the bottom of the drying tunnel 16. With the respective handling device 62, a in FIG. 1 shown cylindrical tubular UV radiator 36 c moved into the front and in the rear compartment and aligned there as needed.

The handling device 62 has a three-part pivot arm 66, which is particularly good in the FIG. 1 is recognizable.

The pivot arm 66 carries at its free end the UV lamp 36c.

On both sides of the conveying path for the vehicle bodies 12, moreover, door openers 70 for the front doors 12c and the rear doors 12d are arranged. The door openers 70 are identical. The two door openers 70 for the rear doors 12d are in FIG. 6 shown in vertical section.

Each door opener 70 has a handling device 72 with a three-part pivot arm 76. The handling device 72 is attached to the bottom of the drying tunnel 16.

In the conveying direction 20 on both sides of the conveying path of the vehicle body 12 are also on each side two lateral interior Bestrahleinrichtungen 80, each carrying a tubular UV lamp 36 d.

The UV lamps 36d can, as in the FIGS. 1 and 6 shown with the doors open 12c, 12d are inserted through the door openings in the interior of the vehicle body 12 to irradiate the surfaces there. The sake of clarity are in the FIG. 1 the components of the lateral interior Bestrahleinrichtungen 80, which are located in the interior, shown in the foreground, although these are actually hidden in the local perspective by the roof or the struts of the roof of the vehicle body 12.

The indoor irradiation devices 80 are constructed identically. The interior trim devices 80 associated with the rear doors 12d are shown in FIGS FIG. 6 shown in vertical section.

The interior irradiation devices 80 each have a handling device 82 with a three-part swivel arm 86, which carries and can move the UV emitter 36d. The handling device 82 is rotatably mounted on the ceiling of the drying tunnel 16 about a vertical first axis.

With the handling devices 82, the UV lamps 36d can be easily inserted through the open doors 12c, 12d into the interior of the vehicle body 12 and moved there as needed, similar to what happens in the paint booth with the application equipment used there for interior painting.

The side walls of the drying tunnel 16 have in the upper-side drying area 24 and in the interior drying area 28 each one in FIG. 1 shown door 88 through which the drying tunnel 16 is accessible.

In the interior of the drying tunnel 16, a plurality of interchangeable packing bodies 90 are additionally placed, which fill out unused space areas of the drying tunnel 16. In this way, the internal volume of the drying tunnel 16 is kept as low as possible in order to reduce the need for inert gas.

The shape, size and location of the unnecessary room areas depend on the type, in particular shape and size, of the vehicle body 12 by the space requirements of the handling devices 52, 62, 72, 82, the radiator frame 44 and the bridge portal 30. The filler 90 can be adjusted accordingly positioned in the interior of the drying tunnel 16.

In the described embodiment, in the upper-side drying region 24 in the conveying direction 20 on both sides of the bridge portal 30 on the side walls of the drying tunnel 16, a plurality of uniform cube-shaped filling n90a stacked in several rows on the floor (see. FIGS. 1 and 4 ). The area in which the doors 88 are in the working position of the vehicle body 12 is left free.

In the side drying area 26, as already mentioned above, the specially adapted cuboid filling bodies 90b are placed on the radiator frames 44 (compare FIGS. 1 and 5).

At the ceiling of the drying tunnel 16 in the narrow part of the top drying section 24, in the side drying section 26 and in the interior drying area 28 is in each case a filler plate 90d, 90g and 90h suspended (see. Figures 2 . 3, 5 and 6 ).

The filler plate 90d in the top drying section 24 leaves out the space in which the bridge gantry 30 is movable. On the side facing the bridge gantry 30, the packing plate 90d is additionally chamfered.

The sides of the packing plates 90g and 90h located above the liftgate opener 50 and the bonnet opener 150 are also chamfered so that the openers 50 and 150, the bonnet 12b and the liftgate 12a are not limited in their freedom of movement.

The filler plate 90h has in the region of the suspension of the lateral interior Bestrahlleinrichtungen 80 further corresponding recesses 92 (see. Figures 2 . 3 and 6 ).

In the interior drying area 28 cubic filling bodies 90a are stacked on the side walls of the drying tunnel 16 on the bottom on the side drying section 26 facing on both sides of the conveying path in a different arrangement to the local space conditions (see. FIG. 1 ).

In the area of the door opener 70 and the lateral interior Bestrahleinrichtungen 80 are below the packing plate 90h, attached to this, each attached to the side walls beveled packing 90c. The filler bodies 90c have the shape of cuboids bisected along a diagonal cutting plane. The pointed edges of the tapered packing 90c are directed downward (see. FIGS. 1 and 6 ). The chamfered packing 90c are specially adapted to the type of the vehicle bodies 12 and the swivel space requirement of the interior side roughening devices 80 and the door opener 70.

In the rear right corner of the interior drying area 28 in the conveying direction 20, a single block-shaped filling body 90e is arranged, which extends over the entire height of the drying tunnel 16 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 7 ). The block-shaped filling body 90e is specially adapted to this position in the drying tunnel 16. It has a recess 94 for the bonnet opener 150.

A tapered filling body 90f in the form of an irregular tetrahedron is fastened in the conveying direction 20 left rear corner of the drying tunnel 16 below the ceiling of the drying tunnel 16 at the local side wall. The tip of the packing 90f faces downward so that the lower portion of the drying tunnel 16 remains free so as not to hinder the freedom of movement of the terminal interior space irradiation device 60 for the front space of the vehicle body 12. In the above-described embodiment of a device for curing paint, the following modifications are possible, inter alia:

Instead of the piston lock 19, another type of lock can also be used.

Instead of the handling devices 52, 62, 72 and 82 described, other automatic handling devices, for example commercially available industrial robots, may be provided. The then not required space areas are then optimally filled with the same or other similar packing.

All packing 90 can be both closed hollow body as well as massive body.

Claims (9)

1. A device (10) for drying articles (12), in particular painted vehicle bodies, having

   a) a drying tunnel (16) whereof the interior is filled with an inert gas atmosphere;

   b) a conveying system (22) which guides the articles (12) though the drying tunnel (16);
   characterised in that

   c) at least one replaceable packing element (90) is positioned inside the drying tunnel (16) and occupies a spatial region of the drying tunnel (16) which is not required.
2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that at least one handling apparatus (52, 62, 72, 82) is arranged in the drying tunnel (16) and is suitable for acting on the article (12), in particular for opening and closing the doors (12c, 12d), bonnet (12b) and/or tailgate (12a) of the vehicle body (12), or for moving drying means, in particular sources of radiation (36) for irradiating the surfaces of the articles (12).
3. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the shape, size and/or position of the packing element (90b, 90c, 90d, 90e, 90f, 90g, 90h) are matched to the type, in particular the shape and size, of the article (12) and/or where appropriate to the spatial requirement of the handling apparatus (62, 82).
4. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a plurality of preferably uniform packing elements (90a) are positioned in the spatial region which is not required such that they occupy this as fully as possible.
5. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the packing element (90) includes at least two right-angled planar surfaces, in particular a cube, hexahedron, or a section of a cube or hexahedron.
6. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the packing element (90) is solid or an enclosed hollow body.
7. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the packing element (90) is arranged on the floor, on at least one wall and/or on the ceiling of the drying tunnel (16), in particular being fixed in detachable manner.
8. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by an inlet airlock region (14) which is arranged upstream of the drying tunnel (16) and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing within the drying tunnel (16) from the normal atmosphere outside.
9. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by an outlet airlock region (18) which is arranged downstream of the drying tunnel (16) and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing within the drying tunnel (16) from the normal atmosphere outside.

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