JP2008207080A - Electrostatic coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form an electrostatic coating apparatus into a small-sized one and more reduce an unused conductive paint quantity left in a paint feeding path. <P>SOLUTION: The electrostatic coating apparatus 10 includes a coating gun 23 in a movable coating robot 21 and an intermediate storage tank 22 that temporarily stores the conductive paint in the paint feeding path that feeds the conductive paint to the gun 23 from a plurality of paint feeding pipes 11a as a paint feeding section, wherein the tops of each pipe 11a are connected to a color shifting valve mechanism 12 disposed on a stationary side to a coating robot 23 to shift colors of the conductive paint to be fed to the gun 23, and the tank 22 is provided in the robot 23, and a joint section 16 that can separate a feeding path 63 and one paint path 156 extending from the section 16 to the tank 22 are provided in the path 63 as a paint feeding path from the mechanism 12 to the tank 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of an electrostatic coating apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional electrostatic coating apparatus, a device in which a color changing valve unit that switches a plurality of colors of paint supplied from a paint supply unit to a coating robot is mounted is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-285747

  In FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, a painting robot 1 includes a turning base 4, a first arm 5 standing on the turning base 4, a second arm 6 extending horizontally from the upper end of the first arm 5, It consists of a wrist part 7 provided at the tip of the second arm 6 and a paint gun 8 attached to the wrist part 7.

  In FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, a color change valve unit 11 is attached to the upper surface of the second arm 6, and a plurality of paint supplies for supplying paint of each color from a paint supply device (not shown) to the color change valve unit 11. Tubes 12a to 12e and paint reflux tubes 12f to 12j for refluxing the paint to the paint supply device are connected via a switching valve.

  The turning base 4 of the painting robot 1 of Patent Document 1 is fixed. For example, the base portion 401 is similar to the painting robot 400 shown in FIG. 11 in which a conventional electrostatic painting apparatus is shown. In the case where the painting work position can be changed by being movably attached to the rails 402 and 403, for example, for a pipe that supports a plurality of paint supply and paint recirculation tubes 404 movably through the inside. It will be necessary to carry with the support body 406. FIG.

  However, in this case, the total length of the tube 404 becomes very long, and the pressure loss increases. When the tube 404 is made thick so as to reduce the pressure loss, the tube support 406 through which the plurality of tubes 404 are passed becomes large. Further, if the total length of the tube 404 is large and the number of the tubes 404 is large, the amount of the paint settled in the tube 404 when the paint is not used increases, which is uneconomical.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the size of an electrostatic coating apparatus and to reduce the amount of unused conductive paint remaining in a paint supply path.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the movable painting robot is provided with a coating gun, and a reservoir for temporarily storing the conductive paint is provided in a paint supply path for supplying the conductive paint from the paint supply unit to the coating gun. In the electrostatic coating apparatus, the paint supply unit is composed of a paint supply pipe that supplies conductive paints of a plurality of colors, and the tip of these paint supply pipes is switched to the color of the conductive paint supplied to the paint gun. For this purpose, it is connected to a color change valve mechanism arranged on the fixed side with respect to the painting robot, and a reservoir is provided in the painting robot, and this paint supply path can be separated from the color change valve mechanism to the paint supply path And a single intermediate paint supply pipe extending from the joint part to the storage part.

As an operation, by disposing the color change valve mechanism on the fixed side with respect to the painting robot, it is not necessary to extend the paint supply pipes of the conductive paints of a plurality of colors to the painting robot.
In addition, the paint supply path from the color change valve mechanism to the storage section provided in the robot includes a joint section that can separate the paint supply path, and a single intermediate paint supply pipe that extends from the joint section to the storage section. After storing the conductive paint in the storage part, the paint supply path is separated at the joint part, and the painting robot is moved to perform the painting work.
Since the number of intermediate paint supply pipes is one, the amount of paint discarded at the time of cleaning is smaller than in the case where the paint supply pipe is conventionally extended to the painting robot.

  In the invention according to claim 1, the paint supply unit is configured by a paint supply pipe that supplies conductive paints of a plurality of colors, and the tip of these paint supply pipes is provided with the color of the conductive paint supplied to the paint gun. In order to switch, it is connected to the color change valve mechanism arranged on the fixed side with respect to the painting robot, and the paint supply path is separated from the color change valve mechanism and the paint supply path from the color change valve mechanism to the storage part. Since it has a possible joint part and a single intermediate paint supply pipe extending from the joint part to the storage part, the conductive paint is stored in the storage part provided in the painting robot, and then provided in the paint supply path. By separating the paint supply path at the joint, it is not necessary to extend the paint supply pipe for supplying conductive paints of multiple colors to the painting robot, and only one intermediate paint supply pipe is required. Support Compared to use, it can be an electrostatic coating apparatus compact. Further, it is possible to reduce the amount of unused conductive paint remaining in the paint supply path at the time of color change, and to reduce the amount of paint discarded by washing, thereby improving the economy.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an electrostatic coating apparatus according to the present invention. The electrostatic coating apparatus 10 is connected to a pipe assembly 11 including paint supply pipes 11a provided for each color of a plurality of colors of conductive paint. The color change valve mechanism 12 that switches the color conductive paint used for electrostatic coating, the booster 13 that is connected to the color change valve mechanism 12 and pushes the conductive paint downstream, and the booster 13 A first cleaning valve 14 provided on the downstream side for controlling the flow of the paint and for controlling the flow of the cleaning liquid for cleaning the paint supply path, and a paint supply path (a supply to be described later) from the first cleaning valve 14 to the coating gun side. And a rail member 18 provided along a wall portion 17 to which the color change valve mechanism 12 is attached, and the rail. Move to member 18 A painting robot 21 mounted freely, and the intermediate storage tank 22 to store the temporarily conductive paint is provided on the painting robot 21, made of spray gun 23 which is disposed at the distal end portion of the painting robot 21.

Each paint supply pipe 11 a of the paint supply pipe 11 is connected to a thin tube, and these tubes gather to form a tube assembly 25, which is connected to the color change valve mechanism 12.
The painting robot 21 includes a base portion 31 movably attached to the rail member 18, an arm portion 33 attached to the base portion 31 via a support shaft 32 so as to be swingable up and down, and a support shaft attached to the arm portion 33. The head part 36 includes a middle storage tank 22 and supports the coating gun 23 at the tip part.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrostatic coating apparatus according to the present invention, in which the coating robot 21 is colored at a reference position indicated by a solid line in the drawing in a state where two paint supply paths are connected at the joint portion 16. The conductive paint supplied from the change valve mechanism 12 side is filled in the intermediate storage tank 22, and then the paint shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure is in a state where the two paint supply paths are separated by the joint portion 16. Move to work position and apply electrostatic coating.
After the painting robot 21 finishes the electrostatic painting, the painting operation is repeated such that the painting operation position returns to the reference position and the intermediate storage tank 22 is filled with the conductive paint again.

  Thus, in the electrostatic coating apparatus 10 of the present invention, there is no need for a pipe support that supports a large number of conventional paint supply pipes, and there is a rail member 18 that simply supports the coating robot 21 in a movable manner. Therefore, the electrostatic coating apparatus 10 can be reduced in size.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electrostatic coating apparatus according to the present invention.
The first cleaning valve 14 controls the supply of conductive paint and the supply of drying air A, water W and cleaning liquid S for cleaning the downstream side.
A joint portion 16 is provided in the supply path 63 between the first cleaning valve 14 and the intermediate storage tank 22.

  The intermediate storage tank 22 includes a cylinder 65, a piston 66 movably inserted into the cylinder 65, a rod 67 attached to the piston 66, a cylinder chamber 68 formed by the cylinder 65 and the piston 66, The injection port 71 and the discharge port 72 are provided at the end of the cylinder 65 and communicate with the cylinder chamber 68.

  The rod 67 is connected to the servo motor 74 via the ball screw means 75, and the servo motor 74 is driven so that the rod 67 and the piston 66 are moved in the cylinder axial direction (A direction in the figure) via the ball screw means 75. Move forward and backward.

  The coating gun 23 is connected to a discharge port 72 of the intermediate storage tank 22 via a delivery path 77, and includes a second dump valve 81 and a trigger valve 82 connected to the delivery path 77, and a high voltage application (not shown) is applied. Connected to the means. Note that reference numeral 23 a denotes a jet port of the coating gun 23, which is a part constituting the end portion of the delivery path 77.

The second dump valve 81 is connected to a discharge path 84 for discharging waste liquid containing conductive paint and cleaning liquid generated during cleaning to the outside of the delivery path 77.
The discharge path 84 is connected via a one-way valve 87 to a second cleaning valve 86 that controls the supply of air A, water W and cleaning liquid S.

The trigger valve 82 controls ejection of the conductive paint from the coating gun 23.
The above-described supply paths 51, 53, 63, the intermediate storage tank 22, and the delivery path 77 constitute a paint supply path 88 that extends from a plurality of paint supply pipes 11 a (see FIG. 1) as a paint supply unit to the paint gun 23. It is.

Next, the operation of the electrostatic coating apparatus 10 described above will be described.
To perform electrostatic coating, first, the paint valve of the color changing mechanism 12 is opened, the paint valve of the first cleaning valve 14 is opened, the booster 13 is operated, and the servo motor 74 of the intermediate storage tank 22 is driven. Then, the piston 66 is moved in the A1 direction.

  As a result, the conductive paint of a predetermined color is sucked into the cylinder chamber 68 of the intermediate storage tank 22 through the joint portion 16 and filled. At this time, the second dump valve 81 and the trigger valve 82 are closed.

  Next, the switching valve 54 is closed, the trigger valve 82 is opened, and the servo motor 74 is driven to move the piston 76 in the A2 direction, whereby the conductive paint is pumped from the cylinder chamber 68 to the delivery path 77, and the trigger valve The conductive paint is ejected from the coating gun 23 through 82 and a high voltage is applied to the conductive paint, whereby electrostatic painting is performed on an object to be coated (not shown).

  When the electrostatic coating is performed after the above-described electrostatic coating using a conductive paint of a different color, the first cleaning valve 14 is opened and the cleaning liquid S is supplied to the supply path 63 including the junction 16 and the intermediate storage tank. 22, the paint supply path is cleaned by flowing through the delivery path 77 and the discharge path 84 and ejecting from the paint gun 23.

  Since the delivery path 77 is composed of a single line, the amount of paint remaining in the delivery path 77 can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where a plurality of paint supply paths are washed, and is discarded when the delivery path 77 is washed. The amount of conductive paint to be applied can be reduced, and the economy can be improved.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the joint portion according to the present invention. The joint portion 16 is connected to the base portion 111, the first valve device 101 attached to the base portion 111, and the first valve device 101. Alternatively, the second valve device 102 separated from the first valve device 101, and the first cylinder device 131 attached to the support plate 129 of the base portion 111 to connect the second valve device 102 to the first valve device 101; When the second valve device 102 is connected to the first valve device 101, the second valve device 102 is slightly retracted to form a gap between the first valve device 101 and the second valve device 102. And a second cylinder device 132 attached to the support plate 129 of the portion 11.

  One end of the first valve device 101 is connected to a body portion 101A attached to the base portion 111, a first paint passage valve 153 provided in the body portion 101A, and a paint passage 154 extending from the first cleaning valve 14. And a paint passage 152 having the other end connected to the connecting portion 164 between the first valve device 101 and the second valve device 102. Here, although the first paint passage valve 153 is shown in white, its structure will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The second valve device 102 has a main body portion 102A, a second paint passage valve 155 provided in the main body portion 102A, and a connection portion 164 between the first valve device 101 and the second valve device 102 as one end. A cleaning fluid supply for supplying a cleaning fluid to a paint passage 157 having the other end connected to the paint passage 156 extending from the intermediate storage tank 22 and a connection portion 64 between the first paint passage valve 153 and the second paint passage valve 155. A passage 165 and a cleaning fluid discharge passage 167 for discharging the cleaning fluid from the connecting portion 64 are provided, and a connecting portion 168 for connecting to the first cylinder device 131 is additionally provided.
The paint passage 152 and the paint passage 157 constitute the supply path 63.

 The first connecting portion 168 includes a connecting portion main body 171 and a nut member 172 that fastens the connecting portion main body 171 to the second valve device 102, and the connecting portion main body 171 and the nut member 172 are screwed together.

  The first cylinder device 131 includes a first cylinder portion 131a attached to the support plate 129, a piston (not shown) movably inserted into the first cylinder portion 131a, and a first cylinder attached to the piston. The rod 131c moves forward and backward with respect to the cylinder portion 131a, and the tip of the rod 131c is connected to the first connecting portion 168.

  The second cylinder device 132 includes a second cylinder part 132a attached to the support plate 129, a piston (not shown) movably inserted into the second cylinder part 132a, and a second cylinder part attached to the piston. The rod 132c advances and retreats with respect to the cylinder part 132a, and the tip of the rod 132c hits the stopper 177 when the rod 132c advances from the second cylinder part 132a.

  The connecting portion cleaning unit 134 includes a cleaning fluid supply unit 178, a cleaning fluid supply passage 181 extending from the cleaning fluid supply unit 178 to the cleaning fluid supply passage 165, a cleaning fluid supply passage 165, and a cleaning fluid. A discharge passage 167, a cleaning fluid discharge passage 182 having one end connected to the cleaning fluid discharge passage 167, and the other end of the cleaning fluid discharge passage 182 for storing the cleaning fluid discharged from the connection portion 164 And a connected cleaning fluid tank 183.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a separation device that separates the first valve device and the second valve device according to the present invention by a predetermined distance, and the connection portion main body 171 of the first connection portion 168 is the same as the first cylinder device 131. A member connected to a rod 131c through an intermediate plate 201. A pair of rods 202, 202 are connected to the intermediate plate 201, and an end plate 203 is attached to the ends of these rods 202, 202. The stopper 177 is attached to the end plate 203 so as to face the tip of the rod 132c of the second cylinder device 132. Reference numerals 205 and 205 denote guide members which are attached to the support plate 129 and guide the rods 202 and 202 slidably.

  The first connecting member 168, the intermediate plate 201, the rods 202 and 202, the end plate 203, the guide members 205 and 205, and the stopper 177 are components constituting the connecting mechanism 206, and the second cylinder device 132 and the connecting mechanism 206 are included. Constitutes the separation device 207.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the detailed structure of the connecting portion between the first valve device and the second valve device according to the present invention, and makes it easy to understand the boundary with the first valve device 101 (the second valve device 102 side). Therefore, the male coupling member 211 constituting the front end center portion of the boundary side is indicated by a valve seat 221 constituting the first paint passage valve 153 and an outer periphery of the valve seat 221. And a seal assembly 214 mounted on the surface.

  The first paint passage valve 153 is a two-way valve, and is freely movable to a stepped cylinder member 224 that is screw-coupled to the first vertical hole 223 opened in the main body 101 </ b> A, and an inner peripheral surface of the stepped cylinder member 224. , A first needle valve 227 attached to the piston 226, springs 228 and 228 for biasing the piston 226 to press the first needle valve 227 against the valve seat 221, and a step A partition member 232 disposed to form the air chamber 231 together with the piston 226 in the cylindrical member 224, and a fixing member 233 screwed to the end of the stepped cylindrical member 224 to fix the partition member 232, The valve seat 221 screwed to the end of the fixing member 233 and the seal assembly 214 are included. In addition, 241 is a nut member for attaching the piston 226 to the end of the first needle valve 227, 242 is a seal member attached to the outer periphery of the piston 226, and 244 to 248 are O-rings.

The fixing member 233 is a member in which the paint passage 152 is formed.
The valve seat 221 and the fixing member 233 are formed with an in-valve paint passage 252 (which constitutes the paint passage 152) in which the inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the first needle valve 227 and the first needle valve 227 is inserted. Yes.

  221a in the figure is a female taper to which the tip of the first needle valve 227 is applied. As shown in the figure, the paint passage 152 is closed when the first needle valve 227 hits the female taper 221a. Reference numeral 221b denotes an opening of the valve seat 221 and a paint discharge port of the first paint passage valve 153.

  Reference numeral 221c denotes an end face of the curved valve seat 221. By curving the end face 221c, the first paint passage valve 153 is prevented from coming into close contact with the second valve device 102 side, and the first valve device 101 side and the The two-valve device 102 side can be easily separated and the cleaning performance is improved.

  The seal assembly 214 includes an annular member 255 fitted to the valve seat 221, and O-rings 256 and 256 attached to both the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat 221 and the outer peripheral surface of the annular member 255 on both sides of the annular member 255. And a secondary annular member 257 that is fitted to the valve seat 221 and sandwiched between the annular member 255 and the main body 101A.

  The air chamber 231 is a space to which compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supply unit 261 via the air passage 262. By supplying the compressed air to the air chamber 231, the pressure in the air chamber 231 increases, and the piston Since 226 moves upward in the figure against the elastic force of the spring 228, the first needle valve 227 moves upward in the figure integrally with the piston 226, and the tip of the first needle valve 227 moves from the female taper 221a. The paint passage 152 is opened and separated.

  The female coupling member 212 that constitutes the distal end portion of the second valve device 102 includes a valve seat 271 that constitutes the second paint passage valve 155 and a screw on the main body portion 102A to fix the valve seat 271 to the main body portion 102A. The nut member 272 is coupled.

  The second paint passage valve 155 is a two-way valve, and an end member 276 inserted into a second vertical hole 275 opened in the main body 102A, and a stepped cylinder member screwed to the end member 276. 277, a partition member 278 fixed to the inside of the stepped cylinder member 277, a piston 291 movably inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the stepped cylinder member 277, and the partition member 278 attached to the piston 291. A second needle valve 292 that passes through the end member 276 and has a tip applied to the female taper 271a of the valve seat 271; and a spring that urges the piston 291 to press the second needle valve 292 against the valve seat 271. 293, the nut member 294 that fixes the stepped cylinder member 277 to the second vertical hole 275, and the tip of the second needle valve 292 are pressed against each other. It was made from the foregoing valve seat 271 Prefecture. In addition, 301 is a nut member for attaching the piston 291 to the end of the second needle valve 292, 302 is a seal member attached to the outer periphery of the piston 291, and 303 to 310 are O-rings.

The end member 276 is a member in which the in-valve paint passage 311 constituting the paint passage 157 is formed.
In the valve seat 271, together with the main body 102 </ b> A and the end member 276, the inner diameter of the valve needle 292 is larger than the outer diameter of the second needle valve 292 and the second needle valve 292 is inserted. It is a passage that constitutes.).

  The female taper 271a is a portion to which the tip of the second needle valve 292 is applied. As shown in the figure, the paint passage 157 is closed when the second needle valve 292 is in contact with the female taper 271a. 271b is an opening of the valve seat 271 and is a paint supply port through which paint is supplied to the second paint passage valve 155.

  Reference numerals 271 c and 271 d denote cleaning fluid passages formed in the valve seat 271. The cleaning fluid passage 271 c forms a part of the cleaning fluid supply passage 165, and the cleaning fluid passage 271 d corresponds to the cleaning fluid discharge passage 167. Forming part.

  The air chamber 315 formed by the partition member 278 and the piston 291 is a space to which compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supply unit 316 via the air passage 317, and the compressed air is supplied to the air chamber 315. Since the pressure in the air chamber 315 increases and the piston 291 moves downward in the figure against the elastic force of the spring 293, the second needle valve 292 moves downward integrally with the piston 291, and the second The tip of the needle valve 292 is separated from the female taper 271a, and the paint passage 157 is opened.

FIG. 7 is an operation diagram showing the operation of supplying paint in the paint supply apparatus according to the present invention.
When the first paint passage valve 153 and the second paint passage valve 155 are opened while the first valve device 101 side and the second valve device 102 side are connected, and the conductive paint is sucked on the intermediate storage tank 22 side, As shown by the arrows, the property paint reaches the intermediate storage tank 22 from the first cleaning valve 14 through the first paint passage valve 153 and the second paint passage valve 155. The conductive coating material stored in the intermediate storage tank 22 reaches the coating gun 23 by extrusion in the intermediate storage tank 22 and is ejected from the coating gun 23 to the outside.

FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b) are operational views showing the procedure for cleaning the connecting portion between the first valve device and the second valve device according to the present invention.
In (a), as a preparation before separating the first valve device and the second valve device, first, the second cylinder device 132 is operated, and the second rod 132c is advanced as shown by the white arrow, The tip of the rod 132c is brought into contact with the stopper 177 and further advanced.

As a result, as shown by the white arrow, the connecting portion main body 171 of the first connecting portion 168 moves downward in the drawing.
ST in the figure is the total stroke amount of the second rod 132c. The total stroke amount ST is the clearance C between the tip of the second rod 132c and the stopper 177 before the second rod 132c advances, and the second rod 132c. Is the sum of the stroke amount α after the tip of the contact with the stopper.

  In (b), with the movement of the connecting portion main body 171, the second valve device 102 moves downward in the figure as indicated by the white arrow. As a result, a space 215 is formed between the connection portion 152A on the first paint passage valve 153 side and the connection portion 157A on the second paint passage valve 155 side. CL in the drawing is a clearance CL (that is, a clearance between the valve seats 221 and 271) between the connecting portion 152A and the connecting portion 157A, and is equal to the stroke amount α described above.

  Next, the cleaning fluid is allowed to flow from the cleaning fluid supply unit 178 into the space 215 through the cleaning fluid supply passage 165 as indicated by an arrow, and the space 215 is cleaned with the cleaning fluid and used for cleaning. The cleaning fluid flows and accumulates in the cleaning fluid tank 183 via the cleaning fluid discharge passage 167 as indicated by an arrow.

  Thus, by separating the first valve device 101 and the second valve device 102 by the clearance CL, the conductive paint adhering to or accumulated in the connection portion 157A and the connection portion 152A can be washed away with the cleaning fluid. It is possible to prevent the paint from being solidified and remaining in the connection portion 157A and the connection portion 152A.

  Further, since the female coupling member 112 and the male coupling member 111 can be cleaned in a state where they are separated by a predetermined clearance CL, it is not necessary to provide a special cleaning station, and the apparatus can be downsized.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram showing the cleaning procedure of the paint supply passage according to the present invention.
With the space 215 (see FIG. 8B) formed between the first paint passage valve 153 and the second paint supply valve 155, the second paint passage valve 155 is opened, and the cleaning fluid is used for cleaning. The fluid supply unit 178 flows to the intermediate storage tank 22 through the cleaning fluid supply path 181, the cleaning fluid supply path 165, the space 215, the second paint path valve 155, the paint path 156, and the paint path 157, and further to the intermediate storage tank 23 to the coating gun 23 to wash each part.

  Thus, in the present invention, the amount of conductive paint remaining in the paint passage 156 is reduced as compared with the conventional art by providing the single paint passage 156 from the second paint passage valve 155 to the intermediate storage tank 22. It is possible to reduce the amount of the conductive paint in the paint passage 156 that is discarded at the time of cleaning, thereby improving the economy.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first valve device and the second valve device according to the present invention are separated.
By operating the first cylinder device 131 (see FIG. 8A) and moving the second valve device 102 downward, the first valve device 101 to the second valve device 102 are moved as indicated by the white arrows. And the fitting of the male coupling member 211 and the female coupling member 212 is released, and the second valve device 102 side, that is, the painting robot can be moved to the painting work position.

  Further, as described above, by separating the second valve device 102 from the first valve device 101, the pipe assembly 11 (see FIG. 1) and the color change valve mechanism 12 (see FIG. 3) side and the coating gun 23 ( 2) and the joint portion 16 (see FIG. 4) can also serve as an insulating structure, and there is no need to provide an insulating structure.

In FIG. 8B, since the connecting portion 157A and the connecting portion 152A are cleaned, the male coupling member 211 and the female coupling member 212 are replaced by the seal assembly 114 and the inner peripheral surface of the female coupling member 112. When the female coupling member 112 and the male coupling member 111 are separated to a position where they are not fitted to each other, the conductive paint can be prevented from dripping to the outside.
Further, since only the connecting portion 157A and the connecting portion 152A can be cleaned, the amount of cleaning fluid used is small, and cleaning can be performed efficiently.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the present invention, the movable painting robot 21 is provided with the painting gun 23, and a conductive paint is applied to the painting gun 23 from a plurality of paint supply pipes 11 a as a paint supply unit. In the electrostatic coating apparatus 10 in which the intermediate reservoir 22 serving as a storage unit for temporarily storing the conductive paint is provided in the paint supply path 88 for supplying the paint, the paint supply unit 88 supplies conductive paints of a plurality of colors. The color change valve mechanism 12 is composed of paint supply pipes, and the tips of these paint supply pipes are arranged on the fixed side with respect to the painting robot 23 in order to switch the color of the conductive paint supplied to the painting gun 23. The joint portion 16 is provided to connect the intermediate storage tank 22 to the coating robot 23 and to the supply path 63 as a paint supply path from the color change valve mechanism 12 side to the intermediate storage tank 22. , Characterized in that it comprises a paint passage 156 as the intermediate paint supply pipe one extending from the joint portion 16 to an intermediate storage tank 22.

  Thus, after the conductive paint is stored in the intermediate storage tank 22 provided in the painting robot 23, the supply path 63 is separated by the joint portion 16 provided in the supply path 63, so that the conductive paints of a plurality of colors can be obtained. Since the paint supply pipe to be supplied does not need to be extended to the painting robot, only one paint passage 156 is required, so that the electrostatic coating apparatus 10 can be reduced in size as compared with the conventional pipe support. .

  In addition, since the color change valve mechanism 12 side and the coating gun 23 side can be electrically completely insulated by the joint portion 16 and there is no need to provide a special insulation mechanism, the number of parts can be reduced. Cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the amount of unused conductive paint remaining in the paint passage 156 at the time of color change, and to reduce the amount of paint discarded by washing, thereby improving the economy.

  The electrostatic coating apparatus of the present invention is suitable for electrostatic coating of automobiles.

It is explanatory drawing of the electrostatic coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of the electrostatic coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram of the electrostatic coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of the joint part which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the isolation | separation apparatus which isolate | separates the 1st valve apparatus and 2nd valve apparatus which concern on this invention only the predetermined distance. It is sectional drawing which shows the detailed structure of the connection part of the 1st valve apparatus and 2nd valve apparatus which concern on this invention. It is an action figure which shows the effect | action of the coating material supply of the coating material supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is an effect | action figure which shows the point of the washing | cleaning of the connection part of the 1st valve apparatus and 2nd valve apparatus which concern on this invention. It is an effect | action figure which shows the washing | cleaning point of the coating material supply path which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which isolate | separated the 1st valve apparatus and 2nd valve apparatus which concern on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional electrostatic coating apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electrostatic coating apparatus, 11a ... Paint supply part, Paint supply pipe (paint supply pipe), 12 ... Color change valve mechanism, 16 ... Joint part, 21 ... Paint robot, 22 ... Storage part (intermediate storage tank), 23 ... Paint gun, 88 ... Paint supply path, 156 ... Intermediate paint supply pipe (paint path).

Claims (1)

In an electrostatic coating apparatus in which a movable painting robot is provided with a coating gun, and a reservoir for temporarily storing the conductive paint is provided in a paint supply path for supplying the conductive paint from the paint supply unit to the coating gun. ,
The paint supply unit includes a paint supply pipe that supplies conductive paints of a plurality of colors, and the tip of these paint supply pipes is used to switch the color of the conductive paint supplied to the paint gun. Connected to a color change valve mechanism arranged on the fixed side, the storage unit is provided in the painting robot, and the paint supply path can be separated into the paint supply path from the color change valve mechanism to the storage unit An electrostatic coating apparatus comprising: a simple joint part; and a single intermediate paint supply pipe extending from the joint part to the storage part.

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