EP3199246B1 - Installation, treatment module and method for the treatment of objects - Google Patents

Description

1. Field of the invention

The invention relates to a system for treating objects such as vehicle bodies and/or vehicle components with a plurality of treatment modules.

The invention also relates to a method for treating objects such as vehicle bodies and/or vehicle attachments.

2. Description of the prior art

Systems for the treatment of objects are used, for example, as painting systems or as drying systems in vehicle construction, for example for vehicle bodies or vehicle attachments. Vehicle attachments can be, for example, bumpers, exterior mirror covers, wheels, etc.

Such systems are usually divided into individual areas according to the treatment steps required for painting or drying, which the object to be treated passes through in sequence. In such a "road" or "line", the components to be treated are usually transported along a continuous transport route through the treatment system and the individual treatment stations.

Especially in the coating and painting area, the objects to be treated are usually conveyed in continuous operation. The objects to be treated are continuously transported on a conveyor unit within the processing line along a defined travel path through the individual processing areas. Alternatively, such a coating or painting system can also work in cycles. This is also known as stop-and-go. In such a case, the objects to be treated are also in/on the conveyor unit throughout the entire treatment, but essentially stand at the respective station during the treatment silent and are moved from one station to the next between the individual treatment steps.

In both cases, it is common practice for the objects to be treated to be placed on a workpiece carrier such as a so-called skid at the beginning of a treatment, which transports the object or objects to be treated to the individual treatment stations. As a rule, the objects to be treated do not leave the workpiece carrier for treatment or are placed back on the workpiece carrier after the treatment step. A conveyor system connecting the individual treatment stations ensures that, by means of such a workpiece carrier, the objects to be treated reach each treatment station in a consistent, predetermined sequence.

A continuous conveyor system is usually provided for this. In principle, a single workpiece carrier can run through the treatment system from start to finish and thus also through each individual treatment station.

The disadvantage of the treatment systems mentioned is that subsequent capacity expansions are only possible with fundamental modifications to the entire treatment system. This is particularly difficult for smaller systems, for which only a small amount of floor space is planned from the outset. There is therefore an increasing desire on the part of system operators to achieve a compact system structure, especially in smaller treatment systems, for example for vehicle attachments with little available floor space, which enables expansion of the capacity of the system without a fundamental conversion of the system even after initial construction.

In this context, modular systems are known in the prior art, which promise a certain flexibility in the construction of painting systems. An example in this context is the international patent application with the publication number WO 2009/018841 A1 referred. A painting system made up of module groups is described there, in which workpieces pass through individual processing stations one after the other. The disadvantage of this approach is that for an increase The capacity of the system increases the total length and therefore the entire floor plan of the system has to be redesigned.

The document DE 10 2013 003 057 A1 describes a system for the surface treatment of objects such as vehicle wheels and includes at least two treatment stations and a conveyor system by means of which the objects can be conveyed through a respective treatment station.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system, a treatment module and a method for treating objects which enables the overall capacity of the system to be easily changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The task is achieved by a system for treating objects such as vehicle bodies and/or vehicle attachments according to independent claim 1.

The system according to the invention has a plurality of treatment modules. Each treatment module has a treatment zone, a conveyor system for conveying a workpiece carrier along a route within the treatment module and, for the conveyor system, at least one receiving point for receiving a workpiece carrier and at least one delivery point for delivering a workpiece carrier. The conveyor system is designed to pick up a workpiece carrier at the receiving point, convey it into the treatment zone and convey it to the delivery point.

The delivery point of a first treatment module and a receiving point of a second treatment module are designed so that the delivery point of the first treatment module can interact as intended with the receiving point of the second treatment module in such a way that a workpiece carrier can be transferred from the first treatment module to the second treatment module.

So each treatment module has its own conveyor system. By dividing the conveyor technology of the system into separate conveyor systems corresponding to the treatment modules and assigned to the respective treatment module, the previous concept becomes given up. There is no consistent conveyor system that could transport a workpiece carrier through all treatment modules. Rather, a workpiece carrier with an object to be treated is transferred from treatment module to treatment module. Within the treatment module, the workpiece carrier can be conveyed from the receiving point to the treatment zone and from the treatment zone to the delivery point. The resulting transfer points are also interfaces within the system and thus enable a modular structure of the system overall. This means a significant improvement in terms of flexibility when designing the system and makes subsequent changes to the system easier, such as increasing the system capacity.

The individual treatment modules are designed with regard to their reception point and their delivery point in such a way that the reception point and delivery point are compatible with one another. A receiving point of a first treatment module can therefore interact as intended with a delivery point of a second treatment module.

Overall, this results in a completely modular structure of the entire system. The interfaces of the conveyor system enable a treatment module to be easily replaced. This can be used, for example, to replace the treatment module with one with a larger capacity if there is a desire to increase the capacity. Thanks to the conveyor technology integrated within the treatment module, a treatment module with a larger capacity does not have to be longer in length. Rather, the larger capacity can also be reflected in a treatment zone that is widened perpendicular to the general conveying direction. At the same time, the overall system can be easily expanded due to the modularity by simply attaching another treatment module to an already existing interface, such as a reception point or a delivery point.

The separate conveyor system of a treatment module also allows an individual treatment module to easily expand its capacity. Due to the possibility that a workpiece carrier can be conveyed from the receiving point to the treatment zone, the capacity of the treatment zone and thus the Capacity of the treatment module can be expanded without having to replace the module or larger parts of the system.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that each treatment module has its own conveyor drive. The conveyor drive can be individually controlled. In this way, the overall control of the system can be adapted on a modular basis.

Advantageously, it can be provided that each receiving point is compatible with each delivery point, so that each treatment module can be combined with another treatment module. This makes it particularly easy to combine the treatment modules with one another.

The system according to the invention provides that the treatment zone of a treatment module comprises a plurality of treatment units. The division of the treatment zone into treatment units facilitates the aforementioned adjustment of the capacity of the treatment zone of a treatment module. To increase the capacity, the number of treatment units per treatment module can be increased and correspondingly reduced to reduce the capacity. Due to the separate conveyor system, this does not require any adjustment of the conveyor systems in other treatment modules or an overall conveyor system - which does not exist anyway.

In a specific design of the system, it can be provided that the treatment units are of the same type and/or are arranged next to one another and/or one above the other. The treatment units can, for example, be similar in terms of their function and/or their dimensions and/or their structure. Similar treatment units within the treatment zone of a treatment module reduce the manufacturing costs of the individual treatment units and make it easier to increase or decrease the number of treatment units per treatment module or to replace individual treatment units. If there is an increased capacity requirement, further similar treatment units can be easily added; if there is a permanently lower capacity requirement, the similar treatment units can simply be dismantled and, if necessary, used for other purposes.

Arranging the treatment units next to each other within the treatment zone of a treatment module, for example directly adjacent to one another, represents an embodiment that is easy to implement in terms of conveying technology. Arranging treatment units one above the other saves installation space for the treatment module and thus also for the entire system. This is particularly interesting when subsequently expanding the capacity of a treatment module or when the installation space for the entire system is particularly limited.

One embodiment of the system provides that the treatment units perform the function of an evaporation zone, a dryer, a cooling zone or a general residence time. Functions that require a certain dwell time within a system can therefore be implemented using a corresponding number of treatment units within the respective treatment module. In particular, a number of treatment units corresponding to the respective residence time can be kept for each treatment module or treatment zone.

In this context, it can be advantageous if the treatment units can be loaded using the conveyor system. For this purpose, the conveyor system can, for example, have a turntable, a lifting table, a combined rotary-lifting table or a similar device in order to achieve the alignment of the workpiece carrier required for loading a treatment unit. The treatment units can be designed for loading or loading, for example, in such a way that the workpiece carrier can slide into the treatment unit without a drive by tilting or lowering a level present in the treatment unit. The inclination can be done pneumatically or electrically, for example. For unloading, the procedure can be reversed by moving or raising the level in the other direction. Alternatively, the workpiece carrier can be transferred to the treatment unit in push/pull operation. The treatment unit itself can be designed, for example, as a shelf with compartments or with drawers.

In one embodiment of the system, it can be provided that the conveyor system has a conveyor unit for receiving and moving a workpiece carrier. this makes possible a particularly easy transfer of a workpiece carrier. A telescopic conveyor can be used, particularly when transferring a workpiece carrier to a treatment unit.

With regard to the reception point and the delivery point of a treatment module, it can be provided that the reception point and delivery point are identical. This can mean that there is only a single transfer point on the treatment module, which functions as both a reception point and a delivery point. The receiving point and the delivery point can alternatively be arranged, for example, on opposite sides of a treatment module and thus enable a straight-line flow operation through the treatment module. Alternatively, the receiving point and delivery point can be arranged on adjacent sides of a treatment module. With a rectangular basic structure of a treatment module, this enables the workpiece carrier path to be redirected by 90° relative to the entire system. Furthermore, as an alternative, the receiving point and the delivery point can be arranged on the same side of a treatment module. With a rectangular basic structure of a treatment module, this enables the workpiece carrier path to be redirected by 180° relative to the entire system.

Further refinements of the system are specified in the remaining subclaims.

The object is also achieved by a method for treating objects such as vehicle bodies and / or vehicle attachments according to claim 10. The method has the steps: receiving a first workpiece carrier with a first object to be treated at a receiving point of a treatment module of a system for treating objects; Moving the first workpiece carrier along a route within the treatment module to a first treatment unit of the treatment module; treating the first item in the first treatment unit; Picking up a second workpiece carrier with a second object to be treated at a receiving point of a treatment module of a system for treating objects; Moving the second workpiece carrier along a route within the treatment module to a second treatment unit of the treatment module; treating the second object in the second treatment unit; Removing the first workpiece carrier from the first treatment unit; Moving the first workpiece carrier to a delivery point of the treatment module; delivering the first workpiece carrier to a further treatment module; Removing the second workpiece carrier from the second treatment unit; Moving the second workpiece carrier to a delivery point of the treatment module; Delivery of the second workpiece carrier to another treatment module. According to the invention, this method is carried out on a system with some or all of the features explained above.

With the method according to the invention, it is possible to treat several objects on corresponding workpiece carriers in a corresponding number of treatment units within a treatment module with separate conveyor technology. The simultaneity of the treatment enables a particularly advantageous control of the treatment process and, as already explained, allows a particularly simple expansion or reduction of the capacity of a treatment module and thus also of the entire system.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method, it can be provided that the delivery of the workpiece carriers from a first treatment module to a second treatment module can be carried out in series. This can mean, for example, that after a treated object has been removed from a treatment unit and transferred to the second area, the now vacated treatment unit is occupied again.

Alternatively, the items treated can be handed over in parallel. This can mean, for example, that all treated objects are first removed from the treatment units and transferred to the second treatment module and then the vacant treatment units are occupied again.

Furthermore, the transfer of a workpiece carrier across two treatment modules can take place simultaneously or one after the other. For example, a workpiece carrier can be changed from a first treatment module to a second treatment module take place simultaneously with a change of a workpiece carrier from the second treatment module to a third treatment module. But it can also be done alternatively Only the change of a workpiece carrier from the second treatment module to a third treatment module takes place, which then frees up a space in the second treatment module, which in turn can be occupied by a workpiece carrier from the first treatment module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figur 1

eine schematische Darstellung einer ersten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Behandlungsanlage mit erfindungsgemäßen Behandlungsmodulen und

Figur 2

eine schematische Darstellung einer zweiten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Behandlungsanlage.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Show in these:

Figure 1

a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a treatment system according to the invention with treatment modules according to the invention and

Figure 2

a schematic representation of a second embodiment of a treatment system according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a painting system 10. The painting system has a series of treatment modules 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, which are explained in more detail below. The painting system 10 serves only as an exemplary embodiment. However, the treatment system could also be another form of treatment such as a pure drying system, a pure assembly system, a pure control/audit system or a combination of the types of systems mentioned.

The painting system 10 is designed for the coating of vehicle attachments 12 such as bumpers 121. Of course, other vehicle attachments such as wheels etc. can also be coated in such a painting system 10. In the painting system 10, the objects 12 to be coated are conveyed on workpiece carriers 14 such as a conveyor carriage 141, also called a skid. The workpiece carriers 14 are in principle driven via a known drive technology 16! such as belt, roller or chain conveyors. In order to align the workpiece carrier 14 relative to the In order to be able to change the painting system 10, turntables such as a turntable 161 are provided at appropriate locations in the painting system 10.

The start of the painting system 10 is the feed point 18, at which a workpiece carrier 14 aligned by the turntable 161 can be introduced into the painting system. The task of a workpiece carrier 14 onto the turntable 161 can be done manually or automatically.

A first treatment module 20 adjoins the delivery point 18. The treatment module 20 has a substantially cuboid basic structure and includes side walls 201-204, the structure of which is basically known and which depends on the type of treatment that is to take place in the treatment module and therefore will not be explained in more detail here. Not shown is an upper boundary of the treatment module 20, which, together with the bottom of the treatment module 20, which is only shown schematically, encloses a treatment room.

Two opposite side walls 203, 204 of the first treatment module 20 are provided with receiving points and delivery points: a first side wall 203, which faces the turntable 161 and the feed point 18, has a first receiving point 205 and a first delivery point 206, a second side wall 204, which lies opposite the first side wall, has a second delivery point 207 and a second receiving point 208. In the treatment module 20 there is a conveyor system 216 with a first conveyor section 2161 and a second conveyor section 2162. The first conveyor section 2161 connects the first receiving point 205 and the second delivery point 207, the second conveying section 2162 connects the second receiving point 208 and the first delivery point 206.

The receiving and delivery points 205-208 form openings in the side walls 203, 204 through which the workpiece carrier 14 can be moved via the conveyor technology 16. The openings can be opened and closed, for example, by high-speed doors or other suitable sealing means.

The two conveyor sections 2161, 2162 of the conveyor system 216 pass through a two-part treatment zone 209 in the treatment module 20, which is in Figure 1 is shown in dashed lines. An application robot 210 is arranged within the treatment zone 209 and is designed, for example, to apply a primer, also called a primer, and a clear coat. For this purpose, the application robot 210 can, for example, carry two application heads. Alternatively, two separate application robots can also be provided. Depending on the preparation of the application robot 210, in a first section 211 of the treatment zone 209, which is in Figure 1 is on top, a primer can be applied or a clear coat can be applied to an object to be treated in a second section 212 of the treatment zone 209.

After a workpiece carrier 14 has been placed at the loading point 18, the workpiece carrier 14 is generally conveyed into the treatment module 20 together with the workpiece 12 via the conveyor technology 16. Specifically, the conveying section 2161 takes over a workpiece carrier 14 that partially protrudes through the first receiving point 205 into the interior of the treatment module 20 and conveys it into the first section 211 of the treatment zone 209. After the primer has been applied by the application robot 210, the workpiece carrier 14 can pass through the conveying section 2161 the second delivery point 207 can be conveyed out of the first treatment module 20.

After the primer has been applied in the first treatment module 20, a first evaporation treatment module 30 follows, which includes an evaporation zone 307 marked with a dashed line. The evaporation treatment module 30 has - comparable to the first treatment module 20 - side walls 301-304, as well as the ceiling and floor (without reference numbers). The evaporation treatment module 30 has a conveyor system 316 with a turntable 3161 that can be moved along a conveyor section 3162. The evaporation zone 307 has several treatment units: Four evaporation units 308 are arranged adjacent to one another and parallel to one another within the evaporation zone 307. In the in Figure 1 In the operating state shown, two evaporation units 308 are already occupied with a workpiece carrier 14, which carries an object 12 to be treated.

To load the evaporation zone 307, the turntable 3161 takes over a workpiece carrier 14 from the first treatment module 20. For this purpose, the turntable 3161 moves along the conveyor section 3162 of the conveyor system 316 to a first side wall 302, which is adjacent to the first treatment module 20. In this first side wall 302, a receiving point 305 is arranged so that it is complementary to the delivery point 207 of the first treatment module 20. The receiving point 307 enables a workpiece carrier 14 to be transferred from the first treatment module 20 into the evaporation treatment module 30.

The turntable 3161 takes over the workpiece carrier 14, moves away with the workpiece carrier 14 from the first side wall 302 by moving along the conveying section 3162 in the direction of the second side wall 302, rotates the workpiece carrier 14 by 90 ° and conveys it into a free evaporation unit 308 Evaporation zone 307. Depending on the design of the evaporation zone 307 within the evaporation treatment module 30, the process of the method after the workpiece carrier 14 has been taken over can also be omitted. For example, if there is enough free space between the outer boundary of the evaporation zone 307 and the side walls 302, 303, an evaporation unit 308 can already be loaded after the 90 ° rotation.

The number of evaporation units 308 in the evaporation zone 307 correlates with the cycle time for taking over a workpiece carrier 14 from the first treatment module 20 and the desired evaporation duration per evaporation process. After an evaporation process has ended, the turntable 3161 again removes the workpiece carrier 14 from the treatment unit 308, moves it, if necessary, along the conveying section 3162, rotates the workpiece carrier 14 by 90 ° and conveys it in the direction of the second side wall 307, in which a delivery point 306 is arranged.

The evaporation treatment module 30 is followed by another treatment module, the basecoat treatment module 40.

The basecoat treatment module 40 has a ceiling and floor (without reference numbers), side walls 401-404, and the basecoat treatment module 40 is divided into two subareas 410, 411 dividing partition 409, a conveyor system 416 and a painting robot 412, 413 arranged in the partial areas 410, 411. In the subareas 410, 411, the conveyor system 416 has a first conveyor section 4161 and a second conveyor section 4162.

In a first side wall 402, which is adjacent to the evaporation treatment module 30, there is a first receiving point 405 in the first partial area 410, a second delivery point 406 in the second partial area 411, and a second side wall 403 opposite the first side wall 402 is in the first Partial area 410 has a first delivery point 407 and in the second partial area 411 a second receiving point 408 is arranged.

The painting robots 412, 413 each define a treatment zone 414, 415, which is each shown by a dashed line.

The basecoat treatment module 40 is passed through twice by a workpiece carrier 14. First, the conveyor technology 416 in the conveyor section 4161 takes over a workpiece carrier 14 via the receiving point 405, which is conveyed by the vaporization treatment module 30 via the delivery point 306 and transports the workpiece carrier 14 into the first treatment zone 414, which is located in the first subarea 410. There, the object 12 to be treated located on the workpiece carrier 14 is coated with a first layer of base coat by the painting robot 412. After the coating process, the workpiece carrier 14 is further transported along the conveyor section 4161 to the delivery point 407 in the second side wall 403.

A conversion module 50 adjoins the basecoat treatment module 40. The transfer module 50 has a first side wall 501 with a receiving point 502 and a delivery point 503 as well as further side walls, ceiling and floor, which do not have their own reference numbers.

Within the transfer module 50 there is a conveyor system 516, which has a first turntable 5161 and a second turntable 5162 as essential components.

After taking over a workpiece carrier 14 from the delivery point 407 of the basecoat treatment module 40 via the receiving point 502 through the first turntable 5161 rotates This rotates the workpiece carrier 14 by 90° and transfers the workpiece carrier 14 to the second turntable 5162. This in turn rotates by 90° in the same direction of rotation and transfers the workpiece carrier 14 via the delivery point 503 to the basecoat treatment module 40, in particular to the second partial area 411.

In the second sub-area 411, analogous to the first sub-area 410, a base coat coating again takes place by a painting robot 413. After applying the second layer of base coat by the painting robot 413, the workpiece carrier 14 is conveyed along the second conveyor section 4162 by the conveyor system 416 to the second delivery point 406.

There, the conveyor technology 416 transfers the workpiece carrier 14 to a second flash-off treatment module 60. The second flash-off treatment module 60 is constructed largely identically to the first flash-off treatment module 30. A detailed description of the individual features is therefore omitted. The same or identical features begin with the number 6 instead of - as in the first treatment module 30 - with the number 3.

After requesting the workpiece carrier 14 from the second portion 411 of the basecoat treatment module 40 via the delivery point 406, the turntable 6161 of the conveyor technology 616 of the second evaporation treatment module 60 takes over the workpiece carrier 14 at the receiving point 606 in the second side wall 603 and rotates it by 90 ° and feeds one of the free evaporation treatment units 608. If the treatment process - i.e. evaporation - is completed in one of the evaporation treatment units 608, the turntable 6161 removes the workpiece carrier 14 located therein, if necessary moves along the conveyor section 6162, rotates the workpiece carrier 14 and conveys it this along the conveyor section 6162 to the delivery point 605.

There, a transfer takes place from the second evaporation treatment module 60 to the first treatment module 20. The conveyor technology 216 of the first treatment module 20 takes over the workpiece carrier 14 along the conveyor section 2162 at the second receiving point 208 and conveys it into the second section 212 of the treatment zone 209.

There, the application robot 210 can apply a clear coat to the object 12 to be treated on the workpiece carrier 14. After the coating process has ended, the workpiece carrier 14 is conveyed along the conveyor path 2162 to the first delivery point 206. There the workpiece carrier 14 can be transferred to the next module in the production system 10.

After the clear coat has been coated, the workpiece carrier 14 is conveyed into the last flash-off treatment module 70. Here too, the structure is comparable to the first treatment module 30. In contrast to the first treatment module 30, six evaporation units 708 are provided in the last evaporation treatment module 70.

After the workpiece carrier 14 has been handed over, the turntable 7161 of the conveyor technology 716 of the treatment module 70 takes over the further transport of the workpiece carrier 14 at the receiving point 706 of the first side wall 703. A free evaporation unit 708 is occupied by the workpiece carrier 14 that has been taken over. A workpiece carrier 14, an evaporation unit 708 whose evaporation time has already expired, can then be removed from the evaporation unit 708 by means of the turntable 7161 and conveyed to the delivery point 705 of the second side wall 702.

Following the last evaporation treatment module 70, a combination of two dryer treatment modules 80, 90 and a distribution unit 100 is provided in the system 10. The dryer treatment modules 80, 90 are constructed essentially identically. Therefore, only the first dryer treatment module 80 will be discussed in detail.

The first dryer treatment module 80 is constructed comparable to the first evaporation treatment module 30. A series of drying units 808 are arranged adjacent to and parallel to each other within a treatment zone 807. A conveyor system 816 with a travel table 8161, which can be moved along a conveyor path 8162, is arranged within the drying treatment module 80.

Alternatively or additionally, the drying units 808 could also be arranged one above the other. In this case, the 8161 travel table would also be equipped with a lifting device.

A conveyor technology 816 as mentioned with a displacement table 8161 for linear conveyance along a conveyor path 8162 enables loading and unloading of the drying units 808. The transfer of a workpiece carrier 14 into the drying unit 808 can be done, for example, via a push/pull technology or via a driveless transfer This means that the drying unit 808 can be lowered/inclined for loading and raised/inclined for unloading.

A workpiece carrier 14 is transferred to the displacement table 8161 via a receiving and delivery point 802 in a first side wall 801, which faces the distribution unit 100.

The second dryer treatment module 90 accordingly also has a receiving and dispensing point 902 in a side wall 901 which faces the distribution unit 100.

The distribution unit 100 has a conveyor system 116 with a turntable 1161 and a conveyor line 1162. The turntable 1161 can be moved along the conveyor path 1162 and is designed to receive a product carrier 14 conveyed via the delivery point 705 of the last evaporation treatment module 70, rotate it through 90 ° and align it with one of the receiving and delivery points 802, 902 and place it in one of the to hand over two dryer treatment modules 80, 90. Accordingly, the distribution unit 100 is designed to take over an object 12 located on a goods carrier 14 via the receiving and delivery points 802, 902 after completion of a drying process and to convey it to a removal point 110. Optionally, if necessary, cooling of the treated object 12 on the workpiece carrier 14 can take place in the removal point. The workpiece carrier 14 can be transferred to the removal point 110 via a delivery point 117.

In the Figure 2 The illustrated embodiment of a treatment system 10 'is compared to that in Figure 1 The treatment system 10 shown has the same treatment modules 20-70 regarding the coating and evaporation processes. These treatment modules therefore have the same reference numbers 20-70 and will not be explained again.

The drying treatment module 80 ', on the other hand, is rotated by 90 ° compared to the drying area treatment module 80 of the treatment system 10 and connects directly to the evaporation treatment module 70 without a distribution unit. It has seven drying units 808' in its treatment zone, which are arranged adjacent and parallel to one another. On a side wall 801' facing the evaporation treatment module 70, the drying treatment module 80' has a receiving point 802' and a delivery point 803'.

Within the drying treatment module 80' there is a conveyor system 816' with a linearly movable displacement table 8161', which can be moved back and forth along a conveyor path 8162' and can load and unload the drying units 808'.

A workpiece carrier 14 conveyed from the evaporation treatment module 70 can be transferred to the displacement table 8161' via the receiving point 802' and conveyed into a free drying unit 808'. After a drying process has ended, a workpiece carrier 14 can be removed from a drying unit 808' using the displacement table 8161' and conveyed out of the drying treatment module 80' via the delivery point 803'.

In contrast to the treatment plant 10 Figure 1 the treatment system 10 'has Figure 2 a closed goods carrier cycle. A workpiece carrier 14 conveyed out of the drying treatment module 80' reaches a combined delivery/delivery point 18'. At this point, the workpiece carrier 14 can be unloaded from the object to be treated and loaded with a new object to be treated. The workpiece carrier can be removed directly after removal or, as shown in Figure 3 shown can only be assigned again after a free cycle. This creates a free buffer space.

Claims (10)

1. Installation (10) for treatment of objects such as vehicle bodies and/or vehicle attachment parts, having

   a. a plurality of treatment modules (20, 30), wherein each treatment module has

   b. a treatment zone (209, 307),

   c. a separate conveying system (216, 316) for conveying a workpiece carrier (14) along a path (2161, 3162) within the treatment module (20, 30), and,

   d. for each separate conveying system (216, 316), a receiving point (205, 305) for receiving of a workpiece carrier (14) and a delivery point (207, 306) for delivery of a workpiece carrier (14), so that there is no continuous conveying system which could convey a workpiece carrier through all the treatment modules (20, 30),

   e. wherein each separate conveying system (216, 316) is designed to receive a workpiece carrier (14) at the receiving point (205, 305), to convey it into the treatment zone (209, 307) and thus through the treatment module (20, 30) and to convey it to the delivery point (207, 306), which is separate from the receiving point (205, 305),

   f. wherein a delivery point (207) of a first treatment module (20) and a receiving point (305) of a second treatment module (30) are configured in such a way that the delivery point (207) of the first treatment module (20) can interact as intended with the receiving point (305) of the second treatment module (30) in such a way that a workpiece carrier (14) is transferable from the first treatment module (20) to the second treatment module (30),

   g. wherein the treatment zone (307) of a treatment module (30) comprises a plurality of treatment units (308).
2. Installation according to Claim 1, wherein each receiving point (205, 208, 305) is compatible with each delivery point (207, 306, 206), so that each treatment module (20, 30) is able to be combined with another treatment module (20, 30).
3. Installation according to Claim 2, wherein the treatment units (308) are similar and/or are arranged one next to the other and/or one above the other.
4. Installation according to either of Claims 2 and 3, wherein the treatment units perform the function of an evaporation zone (308), a dryer (808) or a cooling zone, or a general dwell time function.
5. Installation according to one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the treatment units (308) are able to be loaded by means of the conveying system.
6. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveying system has a conveying unit for receiving and for moving a workpiece.
7. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein receiving point (802) and delivery point (802) are identical or are arranged on opposite sides of a treatment module (305, 306) or are arranged on adjacent sides of a treatment module or are arranged on the same side of a treatment module.
8. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving point (305) and the delivery point (207) are arranged on the treatment modules (20, 30) so as to be compatible with one another.
9. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the delivery point (207) of a first treatment module (20) is oriented in relation to the receiving point (305) of a second treatment module (30) in such a way that a workpiece carrier (14) is transferable from the delivery point (207) of the first treatment module (20) to the receiving point (305) of the second treatment module (30).
10. Method for treatment of objects such as vehicle bodies and/or vehicle attachment parts, comprising the steps of:

    a. receiving a first workpiece carrier with a first object to be treated at a receiving point of a treatment module of an installation for treatment of objects;

    b. moving the first workpiece carrier along a path within the treatment module to a first treatment unit of the treatment module;

    c. treating the first object in the first treatment unit;

    d. receiving a second workpiece carrier with a second object to be treated at a receiving point of a treatment module of an installation for treatment of objects;

    e. moving the second workpiece carrier along a path within the treatment module to a second treatment unit of the treatment module;

    f. treating the second object in the second treatment unit;

    g. removing the first workpiece carrier from the first treatment unit;

    h. moving the first workpiece carrier to a delivery point of the treatment module;

    i. delivering the first workpiece carrier to a further treatment module;

    j. removing the second workpiece carrier from the second treatment unit;

    k. moving the second workpiece carrier to a delivery point of the treatment module;

    l. delivering the second workpiece carrier to a further treatment module;
    characterized in that

    m. the method is carried out at an installation according to one of Claims 1 to 9.

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