EP2160253B1 - Coating zone with inclined guide rails - Google Patents

Abstract

A coating zone comprises a conveyor for transporting an application object. At least one guide rail extends through the coating zone adjacent the conveyor, arranged above the conveyor at a height at least at the level of the top of the object. At least one robot may move along the conveyor on the guide rail, the robot having a first axis for joint rotation of at least one moving member of the robot in relation to a main body guided along the guide rail. A load-bearing structure supports the at least one guide rail, the load-bearing structure including at least one load-bearing pillar extending substantially vertically downwards from the level of the guide rail. The guide rail and the main body of the robot are arranged in such a way that the first axis of the robot is inclined relative to a vertical plane parallel to the conveying direction.

Description

The invention relates to a zone of a coating system and a coating system with such zones. In particular, it is painting zones or other zones of a system for the series coating of application objects such as vehicle bodies or their attachments using robots including painting or other application robots, other manipulators such as accessories and / or handling robots such. Door or hood openers.

In conventional paint booths for car bodies with robots whose guide rails are usually mounted laterally on the cabin floor. For various reasons, however, the arrangement of robot guide rails above the conveyor or even above the bodies may be more convenient, for example because they less affect visibility through the side wall of the cabin and accessibility to the bodies or other application objects, and / or because they are elevated Robots have a correspondingly improved freedom of movement, and / or because the elevated guide rails are less contaminated by overspray, which is dissipated by the usual air flow in the cabs down. Furthermore, increased-mounted robots may have the advantage of less disturbing the airflow flowing down from the cabin ceiling along the body sides into the cabin floor than the robots located on the floor adjacent to the body, which narrow the airway directly to the body, causing undesirable elevation can lead to the flow velocity.

Out EP 1 506 819 is a generic coating zone known.

At one of the WO 2004/037430 A1 known paint shop are each a plurality of painting robots on two parallel guide rails, which in turn are mounted on a arranged in the interior of the cabin frame with four similar to the known gantry robotic structures by cross braces interconnected legs.

From the EP 1 263 535 B1 Also already known is a painting zone in a paint booth for vehicle bodies with air supply through the upper ceiling wall and two walkable control areas arranged vertically one above the other on the side walls, whereby robot guide rails arranged above the conveyor are built into modular prefabricated side wall elements of the booth. The support structures of the guide rails are in contrast to the frame after the WO 2004/037430 A1 separated in the cabin interior, so avoid their cross struts in the cabin interior and possible problems in terms of mechanical stability of the known frame. At the bottom of this known paint booth, which is formed as usual by a grid construction for dissipating the vertical air flow, additional guide rails for other robots are mounted below the raised guide rails next to the lower control area, where it is at the robots of the lower level to painting robot and the top robots are door or hood openers.

Varnishing booths for vehicle bodies with vertically mounted on the cabin walls robot guide rails and with several along the transport path of the conveyor successively arranged painting zones are from the EP 0 745 429 A1 known.

In the known painting zones with raised robot guide rails, the side walls of the paint booth extend from their upper ceiling wall vertically down to the floor level. Since the spray booth including the accessible control areas must not be too wide in terms of construction and investment costs, this results in principle disadvantages of the known painting zones. Firstly, the space available for the control areas is undesirably narrow. On the other hand, given the overall width and magnification of the control areas, the paths for the airflow flowing downwardly from the ceiling wall in the cabin would undesirably be narrowed.

Another problem is the required support of the elevated guide rails, which is naturally more difficult to achieve than with guide rails on the cabin floor. Sufficient stability of above the conveyor mounted on a cabin wall guide rails, especially without own cross member at the height of these guide rails was previously accessible only with undesirably high construction costs for correspondingly stable side walls.

The object of the invention is to provide a coating or other zone of a coating system or a system with several such zones, in which or the accessibility of the application object by the robot or the further improved. Preferably, the zones should be characterized by good space utilization with the best possible air flow and low construction costs.

This object is solved by the features of the claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, by tilting the guide rail, in particular of a painting robot and thus of the working area of the robot about the rail longitudinal direction, the accessibility of the application object, such as a vehicle body, is improved, especially in narrow paint booths.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the guide rail is arranged obliquely in the conveying direction, preferably with an adjustable angle of inclination, so that the robot depending on the setting and its respective position in the rail longitudinal direction can be located differently high next to or above the body or the other application object. This also improves the accessibility of the object.

These two options can each be advantageous for themselves, but also combined with each other.

According to another aspect of the invention, a coating zone on one or, preferably, both sides of the conveying path at the level of elevated robot guide rails has an upper walk-on control area separated from the interior of the coating zone by sloping side walls, thereby progressively narrowing the interior upwardly at that area becomes. This creates on the outside of the oblique side walls a correspondingly wider space of the walk-in control area, which can be used both for control devices of or on the raised guide rail robot as well as for the coating process observing staff and for maintenance. A significant advantage of the arrangement of the control devices in the vicinity of the robots controlled by them are the correspondingly short hose and line connections. At the same time increased by the oblique side walls available for the air flow flow cross section of the coating zone down, whereby the obstruction of the air flow can be compensated by the robot to a corresponding extent and the flow rates change less within the coating zone than from top to bottom vertical walls. Thus, for example, in a paint booth or painting zone for vehicle bodies, optimum air distribution is achieved even when the side walls are perpendicular to the body. Excessive air flow at the bodies or other application objects would reduce the application efficiency, for example by entrainment of the coating material to be applied.

The side walls preferably have an oblique course only at the upper accessible control area, whereas they may extend vertically upwards over the upper edge of the application objects, for example up to the upper one, at the bottom of the coating zone (typically grid-like) at the lower accessible control area control area. As a result, an undesirably large overall width of the coating zone in the bottom area is avoided.

If only one raised robot guide rail is preferably provided on both sides of the conveyor, the lower walk-on control area on at least one side of the conveyor can be used, for example, to observe the coating process without blindness by robots and for maintenance etc. However, it is also possible to mount further guide rails for additional robots on the side of the coating zone on one or preferably on both sides of the conveyor at the bottom of the coating zone or in the vicinity of the bottom plane. The guide rails can be arranged on each side of the coating zone at such a distance one above the other, that the respective robots can pass each other in the longitudinal direction parallel to the conveying path. It can also be provided on one or each side more than two guide rails, in particular at different heights, ie in three or more vertically spaced planes. For the distribution of a plurality of robots on the guide rails, for example, including painting and handling robots, in particular those in the DE 10 2004 030858 and DE 10 2004 056493 ( EP 1 609 532 A1 ), the entire contents of which are incorporated in the disclosure of the present application. Further, it is possible to mount on one or both sides of the coating zone and the conveyor one or more spaced-apart guide rail assemblies each containing more than one rail and constructed so as to engage on the various spaced-apart rails and the same guide rail arrangement movable robots can pass each other in the direction parallel to the transport path of the conveyor direction.

The rails mentioned in connection with the present application can advantageously also be used for robots for auxiliary devices which can be moved on them and can be present in addition to application robots with atomizers (applicators) and / or handling robots (handlers). Examples of additional devices are any treatment devices, including mobile dryers, which can irradiate the application objects for drying with IR or UV radiation in a conventional manner, as well as cleaning devices and in particular also probes and measuring devices, as they are per se for measuring coating results and layer quality features Layer thickness, "wave scan", hue, gloss, brightness etc. and for detecting coating defects are known and common. The measurements can be made online, also for online quality measurement with possibly automatic error correction for subsequent application objects, for example according to EP 0 874 213 B1 or EP 1 176 388 A2 , The accessories may be located in a coating booth or in a separate repair or control zone, where they then od without application robot or door opener. Like. May be arranged on the mentioned guide rails. The accessories may be conveniently mounted on their own robots or with the help of interchangeable heads on universally serving as a carrier for different devices such as atomizers, dryers, measuring systems, etc. robots. If the additional devices are located in a coating zone, they may be movable on the rails of the application and / or handling robots provided there, or instead on their own rails, which may be offset in height against the rails of the application or handling rotors.

The term "robot" as used herein is to be understood generally in terms of a freely programmable multi-axis automatic machine, preferably in articulated arm construction with at least six rotary axes (three main axes and three hand axes), wherein the main body of the successive axes of movement as a carriage on one of the rails considered here movable It is also possible, on a common, as a carriage on one and the same rail movable base body at least two robot designs with, for example, two or three main axes to mount, depending according to application, similar to robots that can be moved separately on the same or separate rails same or different functions (coating, handling, measuring, etc.) may have.

As already mentioned, are for mounting above the conveyor and, if appropriate, above the upper edges of the bodies or other application objects arranged guide rails for possibly more each side by side working robots special support structures required previously either by in the Coating or treatment zone Asked frame constructions or by suitable design of the side walls themselves have been realized. According to a further aspect of the invention, on the other hand support structures are provided which are arranged on at least one and preferably both side walls of the coating zone or control or repair zone and which are preferably fixedly connected to them and which are provided with support elements extending for example transversely to the transport path of the conveyor. may be supported on or under the floor of the zone or on the ceiling wall, so that the side walls themselves do not have to perform a supporting function and can be designed according to simple and, for example, for monitoring the coating process to a large extent in the lower area transparent. Thus, these support elements need not be part of the actual sidewall, but may be away from the sidewall and / or extend away from the sidewall transversely of the transport path (preferably in a direction parallel to the plane of the ground).

On the other hand, the support structures preferably have (in contrast to the transverse struts of the portal construction according to the above-mentioned WO 2004/037430 ) no support elements extending over the top of the application objects such as vehicle bodies, but below the ceiling wall through the interior of the coating zone and the vertical air flow disturb the cabin and / or could contaminate the application objects by adhering to them and redissolving color or other particles.

It may be particularly expedient if these supporting structures are structurally combined with the supporting or stiffening elements of the dividing walls ("silhouettes") required at the inlet and / or outlet ends of the individual coating zones and which are customary per se. The purpose of these partitions arranged transversely to the conveying path may be e.g. consist of isolating a plurality of coating zones, each with a different air balance, arranged one behind the other in a paint booth, such as a zone for electrostatic application with rotary atomizers from a zone for air atomizers, in which different Lufttsinkgeschwindigkeiten are required, with air mixture and cross-currents between the zones must be avoided , In addition, the transverse walls have safety features for personal protection.

One possibility is, for example, to attach these arranged transverse to the conveyor partitions directly to the support structures of the raised robot guide rails, thereby eliminating the burden of their own brackets of the partitions. In particular, however, a stiffening structure of the partition walls can also serve as a support or support structure for the robot guide rails. The support or support structures of the rails may thus be an integral part of a stiffening of the partitions, or conversely, the stiffeners of the partitions may be an integral part of the support or support structures of the guide rails.

The application objects can be conveyed through the considered zones in continuous continuous operation with robots usually traveling along the conveyor track or instead in the cyclic operation in which the object stands still during the treatment.

Fig. 1

eine Beschichtungszone gemäß einem ersten Ausfüh- rungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 2

ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung;

Fig. 3

eine Beschichtungszone gemäß einem dritten Ausfüh- rungsbeispiel;

Fig. 4

eine Abwandlung des Ausführungsbeispiels nach Fig. 3; und

Fig. 5

die Anordnung eines Lackierroboters auf einer um ih- re Längsrichtung gekippten Führungsschiene.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments, which are shown largely schematically and simplified in the drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

a coating zone according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2

a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3

a coating zone according to a third embodiment;

Fig. 4

a modification of the embodiment according to Fig. 3 ; and

Fig. 5

the arrangement of a painting robot on a tilted about its longitudinal direction guide rail.

For identical or corresponding elements, the same reference numbers will be used below for the different embodiments.

In the Fig. 1 illustrated coating zone 1 for vehicle bodies 2 may form part of a spray booth. However, the painting zones described and illustrated here and below may possibly also be arranged within a wider cabin. The bodies can be mounted on a conventional floor conveyor 3 (cf. Fig. 3 , in Fig. 1 not shown) along an example by rails 4 ( Fig. 3 ) defined transport path are passed through the coating zone 1. The coating zone is top of a horizontal ceiling wall 5, on both sides of parallel to the transport path arranged side walls 6 and 6 ', the bottom of the horizontal bottom 7 and at the inlet and / or outlet ends by transverse to the transport path arranged perpendicular partitions 8 and 8' limited. For example, in the same painting booth, further similar or different coating zones may follow on the outer sides of the partitions 8 and / or 8 'along the transport path. In a conventional manner, a substantially vertically downwardly directed air flow is passed through the coating zone 1 during operation, which are introduced, for example, by the ceiling wall provided for this purpose with passages or with a separate ventilation device and can escape through the floor 7, which is designed, for example, as a grid construction. The partitions 8 and 8 'are tightly inserted between the wall elements surrounding them, ie in particular the side walls 6 and 6' and, if possible, also tight between the top wall 5 and the bottom 7, air mixing or cross flows in particular between adjacent zones with different air balance to prevent the two sides of the respective partition 8 and 8 '. Also openings 9 in the partitions 8 and 8 'for the bodies 2 on the conveyor 3 can be closed during this coating during the coating. Furthermore, closable doors (not shown) for the operating personnel can be located in the side walls 6, 6 'and / or partitions 8, 8', for example in a preferably metallic frame construction on one or both sides of the dividing wall 8, as described below described embodiment of Fig. 4 at 43 is shown. This results in advantages also in terms of safety as walk-in protection while creating escape routes.

As shown, for example, about halfway up the side walls 6, 6 'and preferably above the tops the bodies 2 are arranged on the side walls in the interior of the coating zone 1 respectively guide rail assemblies 10 and 10 'for robot 11. The robots 11 may be equipped with conventional atomizers or other applicators for coating material. As support structure for the guide rails serve in the illustrated example vertical support 12 which are anchored hanging horizontally transverse to the transport support elements 13 in or on the top wall 5 and with lower, also horizontal transverse support members 14 in turn the guide rail assemblies 10 and 10 respectively ' wear. The carriers 12 are located on the side facing away from the interior of the coating zone 1 side of the guide rail assemblies 10 and 10 'and the respective side wall 6 and 6'. The ceiling wall 5 may in this example be part of the existing example of concrete ceiling construction of a larger room in which the coating zone 1 is installed.

The partitions 8 and 8 'are fixedly connected at least to the side walls 6 and 6' and can also be fastened with their frame 19 directly to the support structures of the guide rail arrangements 10 and 10 '.

The coating zone 1 has on the side facing away from the interior of the side walls 6 and 6 'on the floor continuing there until 7 each a first walk-control area 15 or 15' for the operator 16. Further, preferably on both sides of the coating zone 1 above the First control area 16 and 16 'on the top of the guide rail assemblies 10 and 10' containing building structures also on the outside of the side walls 6 and 6 'respectively a second walk-control area 17 and 17' for the operating personnel 16 is provided. At least in the upper control areas 17 and 17 'can (not shown) control cabinets and other control and supply facilities for the robot 11 are located.

In the illustrated example, the coating zone 1 includes only the high-level robot guide rail assemblies 10 and 10 ', but it is possible at the bottom 7 between the bodies 2 and the side walls 6 and 6' on one or both sides parallel to the guide rails of the assemblies 10 and 10 'one more guide rail for additional robots to assemble.

The side walls 6 and 6 'extend as shown in the lower control area 15 or 15' from the bottom 7 from vertically upwards to the guide rail assemblies 10 and 10 'containing structures and thus in the illustrated example up to a height above the bodies 2. The part 18 of the side walls 6 and 6 'extending upwards from the robot guide rails at the upper accessible control region 17, on the other hand, is inclined obliquely inwards, as shown, so that the interior of the coating zone 1 becomes steadily narrower at these control regions. The oblique course of the side walls 6 and 6 'can pass, as shown, before reaching the ceiling wall 5 in a vertical part, which is shorter in the vertical direction than the inclined portion 18. The air inlet openings of the coating zone are in the between the upper end of the side walls. 6 and 6 'lying area of the ceiling wall. 5

The vertical lower parts of the side walls 6 and / or 6 ', for example, be so high (about 2 m) that there just doors for the operator 16 can be installed.

The side walls 6 and 6 'themselves must have no support function for other components of the coating zone and can at least substantially consist of transparent material such as glass, to allow the staff 16, the view into the interior. The partitions 8 and 8 'may be transparent.

The base 7, shown only schematically, may be a substructure or supporting structure mounted in turn on separate supports (not shown), in or below the electrical, pneumatic and supply line arrangements for the zone considered, for example including the paint supply loop lines in the case of FIG Paint booth can run. For access to this coverage area, e.g. Flaps be provided in the bottom 7.

Particularly useful may be a modular design of the zones described here, which can also be completely or at least partially pre-assembled at the plant manufacturer and transported in this state to the plant operator, so that the inter alia in EP 0 349 177 A explained advantages. When retrofitting existing older systems such, preferably pre-assembled modules can be made with the help of the above-mentioned base or support structure as a floor on existing foundations.

The coating zone 21 after Fig. 2 largely corresponds to the exemplary embodiment Fig. 1 so that, for example, with respect to the guide rail assemblies 10 with the robots 11, the side walls 6 with the inclined parts 18, the control areas 15 and 17 and with respect to the partitions 8 a re-description is unnecessary. The guide rails are not suspended on a stable ceiling wall here, as in Fig. 1 but mounted on vertical support posts 22. The Support posts can in turn be supported with only schematically indicated at 24 horizontal transverse support elements on the here assumed to be stable bottom 7. Suitable transverse support elements may also be located below the floor 7. The air-permeable ceiling wall 25 of the coating zone 21 may be formed as in conventional paint booths.

In the Fig. 3 illustrated coating zone 31 may correspond to the above-described embodiments with regard to the accessible control areas and the partially oblique side walls, although this is not shown here. The construction according to Fig. 3 But it is also suitable for a coating zone without these features. Accordance with Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in any case with respect to above the conveyor 3 and possibly above the bodies 2 arranged guide rail assemblies 10 for robot 11. The in Fig. 3 illustrated conveyor 3 with the rails 4 for the bodies 2 can also according to the embodiments Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 be used.

In contrast to the exemplary embodiments described above, in particular the support structures for the raised guide rail arrangements 10 are formed here. These support structures essentially consist of frame structures 33, for example of the illustrated rectangular shape, with two vertical support posts 32 connected by upper and lower horizontal cross support elements 34. The frame constructions 33 in this example each lie in a plane perpendicular to the conveyor rails 4 on the conveyor 3 Depicted side of the guide rail assemblies 10 of the robot 11 and thus on the outside of the side walls 36 on a bottom portion 37. As can be seen below each of the ends of the guide rail assemblies 10 adjacent to the outside of the vertical side wall 36th such a frame may be arranged, which is supported on the bottom part 37 with the lower transverse support element 34 and carries the guide rail arrangement 10 on its upper transverse support element. There may also be other such frames or other supports (not shown). The two frame structures 33 serving as support structures for the robot guide rails at the entry and exit ends of the coating zone 31 may preferably be connected in the vicinity of the ground plane and expediently under the conveyor 3 by a transverse strut 35. Such cross braces for the frame structures 33 can also be arranged at the height of the guide rail assemblies 10.

The partition walls 8 of the coating zone 31 provided at the input and / or output ends can be useful between the frame structures 33 adjacent to them, which, in addition to their function as support structure for the robot guide rails, can simultaneously serve as stiffening or frame construction of the partition wall, and the cross struts 35 of the frame structures 33 are inserted.

In the Fig. 4 illustrated coating zone 41 is a modification of the embodiment according to Fig. 3 of which it essentially differs only in that the frames 43 serving as support structure for the guide rail arrangements 10 of the robots, which in principle correspond to the frame construction 33, do not extend on the side of the robot guide rails and the side walls facing away from the conveyor 3, but as shown are arranged on the conveyor side facing the conveyor. The guide rails 10 are here as shown on a horizontally outward extension of the upper transverse support members 44 of the frame 43. Again, the partition 48 is sealingly between serving as a stiffening of the partition wall Frame 43, so the support structures of the robot guide rails inserted. Also, the frame structures 43 (or 33 in Fig. 3 ) may contain transparent or other wall elements.

The described embodiments can be modified in various ways, in particular also with regard to the rail arrangements. For example, it may be expedient to arrange transverse rails in front of and / or behind the treatment area inside or outside the coating zone (or a control or repair zone in the case of the mentioned additional devices), for example perpendicular to the conveying direction (Y direction). Direction) of the application objects running rails in the plane or the planes of the X-rails. These cross rails can also be arranged above the application objects and are preferably connected to the one or more associated X-rails in the same plane, that the respective robot from the X-rail on the cross rail and vice versa and / or between the X-rails on opposite Change sides of the conveying path, for example, in a known manner from the conveyor technology.

Another variant is to install instead of the described linear rail arrangements guide rails with particular horizontal circular or teilkreisförmigem or, for example, oval curved, preferably with respect to the conveying path or with respect to a vertical axis symmetrical and preferably closed course. Again, a rail arrangement above the application objects such as vehicle bodies may be particularly advantageous.

Such modified rail arrangements may also be useful in installations in which essential features of the invention described here, in particular with respect to the oblique course of the side walls or the special support structure and its support elements are not realized, although on the other hand combined with each of the other features of the described invention can be. In particular, the XY rail arrangements with the ability to change over the robots and the rail arrangements with a curved or circular course are also suitable for suspended installation in a coating, control or repair zone. The hanging mounting, for example, on a cabin ceiling or on an oblique side wall of a cabin, in particular in the in the application EP 06 111 359.3 be realized, the entire contents of which are incorporated in the disclosure of the present application.

Also, the mentioned arrangement of additional devices on guide rails can be combined with any of the other features described in the present application, also without being limited to the said essential features of the invention, since they have independent advantages such as e.g. good space utilization and reduction of the construction effort in a coating plant and when using common robots for different devices also has a reduction of the machine and tax expenditure.

In general, the combination of each of the features described in this application with one or more other features described without limitation to other features is possible and advantageous depending on the implementation.

The zones described can be arranged one behind the other in a conventional line coating system. she However, they can also be arranged parallel to one another if the transport path of the application objects branches into a plurality of parallel branches, in each of which at least one of the treatment zones is arranged, as described in the patent application DE 10 2006 022 335 is described, the entire contents of which are incorporated in the disclosure of the present application.

In all embodiments of the invention with coating zones, the robot guide rails should preferably be designed and arranged such that the rails and robots do not or at least substantially do not influence the air flow in the cabin. This is achieved by a slim design and / or by the positioning of the rail outside, in particular above the painting area.

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of a painting robot 11 on its guide rail 10, which in itself may have a design and construction, as is currently common in practice for high-altitude painting robots (see, for example EP 1 609 532 or WO 2005/046880 ), with the illustrated in cross-section substantially rectangular profile, on whose side facing the inside of the cabin, the base body 51 of the robot 11 is slidably mounted. The position of the robot is definable in the usual way with respect to the axes X, Y and Z of the cabin space, wherein the X-axis corresponds to the conveying direction, the Z-axis extends vertically upwards and the Y-axis is horizontal across the cabin wall 52 extends. On the guided by the rail 10 main body 51, the arrangement formed by the robot arms 50 is rotatably mounted about a common first robot axis (A1), which usually runs vertically in conventional systems. As shown, however, the plane of the underside of the rail profile against the horizontal plane and against the Z-axis order the rail longitudinal direction tilted, ie about the (not shown, perpendicular to the plane extending) X-axis, for example, by about 10 °, so that the guide plane located between the rail profile and the base 51 and thus the first axis parallel to the guide plane (A1) of the robot is inclined at the same angle against the vertical plane parallel to the conveying direction, preferably as shown in the tilting direction, in which the robot parts located below the rail are closer to the cabin wall than the parts located above. In the illustrated position, the common plane of the two robot arms is parallel to the inclined guide plane.

The guide rail 10 is shown mounted on the top of a horizontally extending through the cabin wall 52 support 53 and with its horizontally facing away from the inner wall of the cabin end 54 to close to the cabin wall 52 to take advantage of the given cabin width as well.

The maximum angle of rotation of the main body 50 of the robot about the first robot axis (A1) should preferably be greater than 90 °, for example approximately 93 °, which can be achieved by appropriate modification of the associated energy chain system.

For a narrow, e.g. As shown 4600 mm wide cabin is the tilted arrangement a desired painting process with the necessary intervals (for example 370 mm or 338 mm) of the robot 11 and its atomizer 56 of a 1800 mm wide body allows.

The as shown in the spray booth tilted arrangement of guide rails and thus the entire robot can also be useful for robots without the aforementioned first axis (A1). The tilt angle can also be adjustable.

The above-mentioned second aspect of the invention will be described with reference to Fig. 3 explains where the robot guide rails 10 are shown extending horizontally, ie parallel to the cabin floor. However, according to the invention, the rails 10 may instead be around the Y-axis (FIG. Fig. 5 ), so are inclined in the conveying direction in a vertical plane parallel thereto, as indicated at 10 ', so that the height H of the rail above the cabin floor at one end is less than the height H' at the other end (or vice versa). Whether the rails are higher at the input end or at the outlet end of the painting zone depends on the respective process technology. The sloping rails can be fixed. Preferably, however, the inclination angle of the rails is adjustable, for example by hydraulic extension or shortening of their vertical supports 32, 33. The pivot axis can hereby lie at one end of the rail or instead also at a possibly variable middle position in the rail longitudinal direction. The adjustability of the angle of inclination should range from 0 (horizontal position) to an angle value which proves useful in practice.

The illustrated tilt and tilt arrangements are suitable, inter alia, for each of the various above with reference to Fig. 1-4 described paint zones.

Claims (13)

1. A coating zone, in particular in a coating booth for vehicle bodies, comprising

   - a conveyor (3) for transporting an application object (2) through the coating zone,

   - one or two guide rails (10) extending through the coating zone next to the conveyor (3), on mutually opposing sides in the case of two guide rails, and arranged above the conveyor (3) and preferably approx. at the level of the top of the object (2) or thereabove, for movable guidance of at least one robot (11) along the conveyor (3), and

   - load-bearing structures (12, 22) on one or both sides of the conveyor (3) for supporting the at least one guide rail (10), with load-bearing pillars (22, 33) extending vertically downwards from the level of the guide rail (10),

   - wherein the robot (11) has a first axis (A1) for joint rotation of the moving members (50) of the robot in relation to the main body (51) guided by the guide rail (10),

   - and wherein the guide rail (10) and the guided main body (51) of the robot (11) are arranged in such a way that the first axis (A1) of the robot is inclined relative to a vertical plane parallel to the conveying direction (3).
2. The coating zone according to claim 1, characterised in that the angle of inclination of the first axis (A1) relative to the vertical plane amounts to roughly 10°.
3. The coating zone according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the guide rail (10) is mounted on the top of a support (53) extending horizontally through a side wall (52) of the coating zone and is set back with its end (54) remote from the interior of the zone as far as the vicinity of the side wall (52).
4. The coating zone according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the maximum angle of rotation of the main body (50) about the first axis (A1) is greater than 90°.
5. The coating zone preferably according to claim 1 comprising

   - a conveyor (3) for transporting an application object (2) through the coating zone,

   - one or two guide rails (10) extending through the coating zone, next to the conveyor (3), on mutually opposing sides in the case of two guide rails, and arranged above the conveyor (3) and preferably approx. at the level of the top of the object (2) or thereabove, for movable guidance of at least one robot (11) along the conveyor (3), and

   - load-bearing structures (12, 22) on one or both sides of the conveyor (3) to support the at least one guide rail (10),

   - characterised in that the guide rail (10) is arranged to be inclined or tiltable in a vertical plane parallel to the conveying direction relative to the horizontal plane.
6. The coating zone according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the angle of inclination of the guide rail (10) and thus of the robot (11) is adjustable in relation to the horizontal plane and may be set to desired values.
7. The coating zone according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising

   - an upper ceiling (5), through which feed air enters the coating zone,

   - two side walls (6) arranged on opposing sides of the conveyor (3), which extend from the ceiling (5) downwards as far as a floor level (7),

   - a first walk-in control region (15), which is located at floor level (7) on the outside remote from the conveyor (3) of at least one of the two side walls (6),

   - and comprising a second walk-in control region (17), which is located on the outside of at least one of the two side walls (6) in the vicinity of the guide rail (10) above the first walk-in control region (15) and above the conveyor (3),
   wherein the side wall (6) extends obliquely upwards at the upper walk-in control region (17) with a progressive reduction in the width of the interior of the coating zone.
8. The coating zone according to claim 7, characterised in that the at least one guide rail (10) is arranged above or in the vicinity of the upper end of the lower control region (15) and/or vertically between the two control regions (15, 17).
9. The coating zone according to any one of the preceding claims comprising

   - one or more mutually separate load-bearing structures (12, 22, 33, 43) on one or both sides of the conveyor (3) for lateral support of the at least one guide rail (10),

   - an upper ceiling (5),

   - and comprising two side walls (6) arranged on opposing sides of the conveyor (3), which extend from the ceiling (5) downwards as far as a floor level (7),

   - wherein the load-bearing structure (12, 22, 33, 43) arranged laterally on the side wall(s) (6) next to the transport path (4) of the conveyor (3), leaving the transport path open, is supported on or under the floor level (7) or on the ceiling (5) with supporting elements (14, 24, 34) extending transversely of the transport path (4).
10. The coating zone according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that in each case two guide rails for robots are arranged one above the other on one or both sides of the conveyor (3).
11. The coating zone according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising

    - at least one coating robot on at least one of the guide rails,

    - wherein at least one add-on unit needed in addition to the atomisers or other application devices of the coating installation, such as for example mobile dryers, probes and/or measuring instruments, is displaceable on at least one of the guide rails.
12. The coating zone according to claim 11, characterised in that an add-on unit and an application device of the coating installation are displaceable in the zone on a common guide rail or in each case on their own guide rails.
13. A coating installation having a plurality of coating zones (1, 21, 31, 41) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the individual coating zones are arranged one after the other or parallel to one another along the transport path (4).

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