ES2799873T3 - Protector for painting or other surface treatments and a method of masking a surface using said protector - Google Patents

Abstract

Protector (1) to mask floors, walls or other surfaces comprising a protective element (2) and a fixing element (4) to fix the protector (1) to a surface (3) to be masked. The protective element (2) comprises a set of sheets (7) connected to the fixing element (4). The sheets (7) are arranged in parallel and are individually separable from the fixing element (4) so that they can be used individually and consecutively. The invention provides a simple and reusable protector, for application in paint booths present in automotive workshops and for other uses.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Protector for painting or other surface treatments and a method of masking a surface using said protector

Technical sector

The invention relates to a protector for covering and protecting walls, floors or other surfaces during painting work or other surface treatments and to a method for masking a surface using said protector.

State of the art

It is known that, prior to carrying out certain painting tasks and other surface treatments, it is convenient to cover, protect or mask the floor, walls or other surfaces adjacent to a surface to be treated with some type of protector. made of plastic, paper or other materials. The purpose of this task prior to the application of the treatment is to prevent a possible deterioration or a possible unwanted deposit, of paint or other products or materials used in the treatment, on said adjacent surfaces.

Particularly, in the automotive sector, paint booths consisting of a closed space are known in which a complete vehicle or one or more parts of a vehicle are inserted for subsequent painting or repainting. The paint booth reproduces the ideal environment for a quality painting job and its use provides additional advantages from various points of view. On the one hand, the paint booth contributes to the completion of the painting work under adequate safety and environmental conditions; In this sense, the booth is usually equipped with various systems that allow retaining a large part of the remains or particles of paint in suspension as well as various polluting volatile organic compounds that are usually generated in the painting process. Another feature of the paint booth is to facilitate the drying of the paint after its application. For this, the paint booth works as a drying oven so that the temperature inside the paint booth rises considerably with respect to ambient temperature. In body shop paint booths, also commonly known as body shops and paint shops, temperatures on the order of 80 ° C can be reached.

As with other surface treatment works, prior to applying the paint inside the cabin, protection of the surfaces of the part or vehicle to be treated that should not be painted is necessary, as well as necessary to protect the surfaces of the paint booth itself.

The protector consisting of a plastic that incorporates a painter's or body builder's adhesive tape is known to facilitate its placement on the surface to be protected. This type of protector is widely used to protect surfaces in decorative painting jobs, whether professional or domestic. Likewise, the plastic protector with masking tape is also often used in the automotive industry to protect parts of a part or vehicle before they are introduced into a paint booth; In this case, the useful life of the protector is limited to the time during which the part or vehicle remains inside the cabin; After passing through the paint booth, the protector tends to suffer certain deterioration or lose its adhesive properties. For this reason, commercial protectors consisting of a plastic with incorporated masking tape are insufficient to protect interior surfaces of the paint booth and are not usually used for this purpose. If used, due to the environmental conditions inside the paint booth and the insufficient quality of this type of protector, it is normally necessary to remove and replace the protector before treating each vehicle that is introduced into inside the paint booth. This involves unwanted time losses that negatively affect production performance. Therefore, to protect the interior surfaces of a paint booth, it is necessary to use protectors with higher performance, in terms of the resistance of the protector and time of use of the same, compared to protectors used for other less demanding applications in this sense. . Furthermore, in any case, it is advisable to periodically replace the protector used once it has lost its performance in terms of resistance to high temperatures and the rest of the environmental conditions present inside the paint booth.

Among the protectors currently used to protect interior surfaces of painting booths, chemical products are known that are applied to the surface to be protected. These chemical products usually generate a protective film that must later be removed with a second chemical product. Some known chemicals or gels are soluble in water so that they can be removed by dilution with the help of a sponge or pressure jet. There are also tear-off paints that are used as temporary protection in paint booths and that require subsequent removal. In general, these chemical products present limitations due to their excessive cost or due to a difficulty or slowness in their application or withdrawal, with the consequent losses of time that they suppose for production.

Another known alternative for protecting the interior surfaces of paint booths is the use of self-adhesive plastics. These self-adhesive plastics are usually large in size and are cumbersome and cumbersome since some type of roller holder or auxiliary tool is usually required to place them on the interior surfaces of the paint booth. Another disadvantage of this alternative is that, after its removal, the adhesive of this type of protector usually leaves residues on the surface to be protected.

The prior art document US20100236475A1 discloses a masking article with multiple sheets arranged in a stacked manner. Each sheet comprises an adhesive to fix each sheet to a surface to be masked. The sheet is attached to the surface by pressure, after the sheet has been separated from the stack. Other examples of known masking articles are those described in US2002 / 122936A1, US2004 / 001932A1, US2011 / 094443A1 and US5935669A. These items do not provide optimal surface protection within a spray booth, with adequate performance in terms of ease of use and savings in operating time.

In short, the systems commonly used today to protect interior surfaces of paint booths are inadequate because they are expensive or slow or complex to use.

An object of the invention is an alternative surface protector to those currently used during painting tasks and other surface treatments and that is easy to use. It is also an object of the invention to provide a protector whose replacement is simple and fast. Additionally, at least one embodiment of the invention should be suitable for protecting interior surfaces of a paint booth of the type commonly used in auto body shops.

Brief description of the invention

The object of the invention is a protector for masking floors, walls or other surfaces during painting or other surface treatments. The protector comprises a protective element designed to mask a surface to be protected and at least one fixing element that allows the protector to be fixed to the surface and which extends in a first direction. The protector according to the invention has the characteristics listed in claim 1.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a method of masking surfaces using such a protector.

Still other advantages are derived from the dependent claims.

Thus the invention provides a protector provided with multiple protective sheets and reusable in the sense of allowing each of the sheets to be used individually and consecutively. Each sheet can be removed, once it has deteriorated or has lost its protective qualities, without having to remove the entire protector and place a new one. To do this, you just have to remove, tear off or separate each sheet from the rest of the protector after use. The separation can be done easily and quickly, manually or with the help of a cutter or auxiliary tool. In this way, the characteristic of having multiple sheets extends the useful life of the protector compared to other known protectors consisting of a plastic with incorporated masking tape. On the other hand, the reuse of the protector, as defined, also implies a saving in product costs compared to the use of various plastics with masking tape.

According to the invention, a single sheet is devoid of a pre-cut area, this sheet being arranged between the surface and the rest of the sheets when the fixing element fixes this surface, the rest of the sheets having a pre-cut area that is located in an area adjacent to the first peripheral side and extending along the first direction.

This pre-cut area facilitates the separation of each sheet after use, minimizing the time required to prepare the protector for a new use.

Additionally, the protector according to the invention is very advantageous when used to mask interior surfaces of a paint booth. On the one hand, the presence of multiple sheets makes it possible for the protector to remain placed inside the paint booth, during consecutive treatments on several vehicles, without the need to proceed to a complete replacement of the protector each time a new one enters and leaves. vehicle to be treated inside the paint booth. On the other hand, the time required to replace each sheet is minimized thanks to the presence of the pre-cut area. Thus, the protector according to the invention constitutes a simple and inexpensive alternative to other known and commonly used products for protective purposes in this type of paint booth.

In other embodiments of the protector, the fixation element includes an adhesive part to facilitate the fixation of the protector element to the surface to be masked and the sheets are presented individually folded while wound into a coil. With these characteristics and presentation, the installation of the protector on the surface is done in a simple way. To install it, simply stick the adhesive part of the fixing element as the protector is unrolled on the surface. Subsequently, a portion or strip of the protector is cut to the desired measure according to the width of the surface to be masked. Once the protector is placed on the surface and cut to the desired size, the first accessible sheet of the protector element is deployed to cover the surface in the longitudinal direction.

Due to all the advantages mentioned, the protector according to the invention minimizes the time necessary for its placement and replacement compared to other conventional protectors commonly used in paint booths. For this reason, the use of the protector of the invention inside paint booths helps to minimize installation and maintenance times, saving costs and improving production performance.

Brief description of the figures

The details of the invention can be seen in the accompanying figures, these are not intended to be limiting of the scope of the invention:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective of an embodiment of the protector according to the invention with the sheets of the protector element folded and wound forming a coil. - Figure 2 shows a perspective of the protector of Figure 1 partially unrolled. - Figure 3 shows a perspective of a strip of the protector of Figure 1, when it has been cut from the coil to be placed on the surface to be protected and with its outermost sheet unfolded.

- Figure 4 shows an enlarged detail of the protector of Figure 1 ..

Detailed description of the invention

The invention relates to a protector for masking floors, walls or other surfaces during painting or other surface treatments. Figure 1 shows a perspective of one embodiment of the protector, conveniently presented in the form of a roll or coil for handling and marketing. Figure 2 shows a perspective of the protector of Figure 1 partially unrolled. As can be seen in the figures, the protector (1) comprises a protective element (2) intended to mask a surface (3) to be protected and at least one fixing element (4) that allows the protector (1) to be fixed to said surface ( 3). The fixing element (4) is connected to the protective element (2) and, as can be seen in Figure 2, extends along the entire length of the protector (1) in a first direction A. Figure 3 shows a perspective of a portion or strip (5) of the protector (1) of Figure 1, when this strip (5) has been cut from a coil (6) to be arranged on the surface (3) to be masked. As can be seen in Figure 3, and in greater detail in Figure 4, the protective element (2) comprises a set of at least two or more sheets (7). Said blades (7) are connected to the fixing element (4) by a first peripheral side (8) of said blades (7) and have an opposite second peripheral side (9) that remains free. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the protective element (2) specifically comprises four sheets (7) that are connected to the fixing element (4) only by its first peripheral side (8). As can also be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the sheets (7) are arranged in parallel so that when the fixing element (4) is fixed to the surface (3) the sheets (7) are arranged one above the other in a second direction T, this direction being transverse to the sheets (7), as follows: a first sheet (7) is arranged between the surface (3) and the rest of the sheets (7), when the fixing element (4 ) is fixed to the surface (3), and the rest of the sheets (7) are superimposed in parallel according to the transverse direction T. Furthermore, sheets (7) are individually separable from the fixing element (4) so that they have the advantage , as already explained previously in this document, if it can be used individually for consecutive uses of the protector (1).

All sheets (7), except the one that is arranged between the surface (3) and the rest of the sheets (7), have a pre-cut area (10) that is located in an area adjacent to the first peripheral side (8) and that it extends along direction A. The precut area (10) serves as a guide and facilitates the removal or separation of the sheet (7) after use. In the embodiment shown in the figures but not claimed, the four sheets (7) are provided with a pre-cut zone (10).

According to the invention, the protective element (2) has a single sheet (7) devoid of a pre-cut area (10). Said sheet (7) without pre-cut area (10) is preferably the innermost sheet (7), that is, the sheet (7) that is arranged between the surface (3) and the rest of the sheets (7) when the element fixative (4) is fixed to the surface (3); or what is the same, the sheet (7) that will be removed last. The fundamental advantage of eliminating the pre-cut area is that it makes the manufacture of the sheets cheaper. Other embodiments of the protector, disclosed but not claimed, other than that represented in the figures, have sheets without a pre-cut area, for example, to make it difficult to unintentionally remove the sheet due to a pull or any other unforeseen or unwanted circumstance. The sheets without a pre-cut zone can simply be separated from the protective element manually or by means of an auxiliary tool such as a cutter.

Optionally, the fixing element (4) of the protector comprises an adhesive part (11) to facilitate the fixing of the protector element (2) to the surface (3) in a comfortable and fast way. In the protector of the figures, the adhesive part (11) is included in an outer face (12) of the fixing element (4) and extends in the direction A. In this way, as the protector (1) of the Figure 1, which is wound or rewound with the adhesive part (11) facing out, is unrolled, as reflected in Figure 2, the adhesive part (11) of the fixing element (4) is attached to the surface (3). The protector optionally has a spindle or handle (13), which protrudes from the lower part of the coil (6), to unroll the protector (1) with ease and comfort. Once the protector (1) has been unrolled, the strip (5) is cut according to the necessary width according to the surface (3) to be masked. The adhesive part (11) is oriented in the transverse direction T so that the protector (1) is properly fixed to the surface (3).

Also optionally, the sheets (7) are presented individually folded in a longitudinal direction L by their second peripheral side (9) and, simultaneously, the sheets (7) are initially wound around the vertical axis of the coil (6) according to said longitudinal direction L. Thus, as seen in Figure 3, once unrolled, fixed to the surface (3) and cut the protector (1), the outermost sheet (7) is unfolded to cover the surface (3) in the longitudinal direction L. In this way, the protector (1) makes it possible to mask a surface with a width equal to the width of the cut strip (5) and a height equal to the length of the sheets (7) a once deployed. The protector (1) according to the invention is designed to allow, among other applications, the masking of a vertical surface, such as the walls of a paint booth, by means of the multiple separable and disposable sheets (7) for individual and consecutive use. .

Other embodiments are also contemplated in which the number of sheets (7) of the protective element (2), the length of the sheets (7) unfolded, the number of folds or folding layers of the sheets (7) or the total length of the coil (6) of protector (1).

To adapt to the high temperatures and other conditions present inside the paint booths used in the automotive sector, optionally the fixing element (4) is a rice paper adhesive tape. The choice of this type of fixing element (4) responds to its good qualities in terms of resistance to high temperatures, ease of use and adaptation to curves. Additionally, the rice paper adhesive tape leaves hardly any residue on the masked surfaces and exhibits good adhesion.

Other embodiments are also contemplated in which another type of adhesive is used, for example silicone, heat-sealed, as well as embodiments in which the arrangement of the adhesive part is different, as long as it allows adequate adhesion of the fixing element (4) on the surface (3) to be masked.

Optionally, and with the same objective of being suitable for use inside a paint booth, the sheets (7) are made of a special plastic, preferably HDPE or high-density polyethylene, suitable for use in the interior of paint booths. High-density polyethylene or HDPE is also known as HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). The choice of this material responds to its properties in terms of excellent thermal and chemical resistance, good resistance to impacts, flexibility, lightness and good processability by forming methods. commonly used in the thermoplastics industry. Thus, the sheets (7) of the protector (1) of the embodiment of the figures, present a thermal resistance capable of withstanding temperatures of at least 150 ° C, each sheet (7) being able to remain unfolded inside the paint booth during about 1 week.

Additionally, and also optionally, the sheets (7) of the protector (1) are subjected to a corona treatment. Plastic sheets, films, and other objects are known to have chemically inert and impervious (non-porous) surfaces whose electrical stress level is usually low. For this reason, the adhesion capacity of these plastics is usually also low. Corona treatment is a known process based on the electrical phenomenon of the same name. It is commonly used in various sectors of industry, for example, to increase the energy of plastic sheets, paper, metallized or other materials in order to increase the permeability and adhesion of said sheets. In this way, the corona treatment provides the sheets (7) of the protector (1) with an electrostatic charge that keeps them folded, without the need for additional fixing elements, and that also facilitates their adhesion on the surface (3) to mask a once deployed.

Optionally, the sheets (7) are made with at least two materials of different nature in terms of density, composition and / or surface treatment. This feature has the advantage of allowing a single protector to be used to mask a surface that must be subjected to different treatments, each of which requires a conventional protector with different characteristics.

Embodiments with sheets (7) of different densities, micron ratings, materials other than plastic, with other treatments and / or qualities, etc. are contemplated.

The invention also relates to a method for masking a surface (3) during painting or other surface treatments. The method uses a protector (1) comprising a protective element (2) and at least one fixing element (4) extending in the longitudinal direction L. The protective element (2) comprises a set of at least two sheets (7 ) that are connected to the fixing element (4) by a first peripheral side (8) and that have an opposite second peripheral side (9) that remains free. The sheets (7) are first folded individually and the protector (1) is wound on a spool (see Fig. 1). The method comprises the steps of: unwinding a portion of the protector (1); cutting a strip (5) of the protector (1) of a desired size, according to the width of the surface (3) to be masked (see Fig. 2); fix the fixing element (4) of the strip (5) to the surface (3), so that the entire strip (5) of the protector (1) is placed on the surface (3) and the sheets (7) are superimposed parallel to one another in the transverse direction T (see Fig. 3); unfolding an outermost sheet (7) to cover the surface (3) in the L direction; separating the outermost sheet (7) from the fixing element (4) after use, for example in a paint booth and using and separating consecutively and individually the rest of the sheets (7) after use. Preferably, the sheets (7) can be separated using a pre-cut area (10) of the sheet (7), the pre-cut area (10) being located in an area adjacent to the first peripheral side (8) and extending in the L direction.

In short, the invention provides an advantageous product for the protection and maintenance of paint booths or other enclosures, during the application of treatments consisting of applications of paints, varnishes, lacquers, resins or other industrial products, constituting a product of interest for the automobile industry, construction and other industries.

Claims (9)

1. Protector (1) to mask floors, walls or other surfaces during painting tasks or other surface treatments, comprising a protective element (2) intended to mask a surface (3) to be protected and at least one element fixator (4) that allows to fix the protector (1) to the surface (3) and that extends in a first direction, where: - the protective element (2) comprises a set of at least two or more sheets (7) that are connected to the fixing element (4) by a first peripheral side (8) of said sheets (7) and that have a second peripheral side (9) opposite that remains free, - the sheets (7) are arranged in parallel so that when the fixing element (4) is fixed to the surface (3) the sheets (7) are arranged one on top of the other in a second direction, and - the blades (7) are individually separable from the fixing element (4), characterized by: - Only one of the sheets (7) is devoid of a pre-cut area (10), this sheet (7) being arranged between the surface (3) and the rest of the sheets (7) when the fixing element (4) is fixed to the surface (3), and the rest of the sheets (7) comprising a precut area (10) that is located in an area adjacent to the first peripheral side (8) and that extends in said first direction. 2. Protector (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheets (7) comprise an electrostatic charge, provided by a corona treatment, which facilitates the adhesion of the sheets (7) to the surface (3). 3. Protector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing element (4) comprises an adhesive part (11) that extends in the first direction and is oriented in the second direction. 4. Protector (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing element (4) is a rice paper adhesive tape. 5. Protector (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheets (7) are individually folded in a longitudinal direction on their second peripheral side (9), and that the set of sheets (7) it is presented rolled in an unrollable manner around the vertical axis of the protector (1) in said longitudinal direction. 6. Protector (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheets (7) are made of high-density polyethylene and subjected to a corona treatment. 7. Protector (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheets (7) are made of at least two materials of different nature in terms of density, composition and / or surface treatment. 8. Method for masking a surface (3) during painting work or other surface treatments, where the method is characterized by comprising the steps of: - having a protector (1) according to claim 1, where the sheets (7) are individually folded and wound into a coil, - unwinding a portion of the protector (1); - cut a strip (5) from the protector (1) of a desired size, according to the width of the surface (3) to be masked - Fix the fixing element (4) of the strip (5) to the surface (3), so that the protector (1) is placed on the surface (3) and the sheets (7) are superimposed in parallel one on the another in a transverse direction T, - unfolding an outermost sheet (7) to cover the surface (3) in the L direction; - separating the outermost sheet (7) from the fixing element (4) after use, and - consecutively and individually separate the rest of the sheets (7) after use. 9. Method, according to claim 8, characterized in that it also comprises the step of separate the fixing element (4) together with the outermost sheet (7) without pre-cut area (10). Ċ