JP2022127924A - Coating device and manufacturing method of coated material - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a coating device which can spray a coating liquid thoroughly on an upper surface of a workpiece while suppressing thermal deformation of the workpiece which occurs when the plate-like workpiece is heated from a lower surface, and provide a manufacturing method of a coated material.SOLUTION: A coating device 10 includes a heating table 14 which heats a workpiece W from a lower surface through a placing surface 26, a spray nozzle 16 which sprays a coating liquid L containing a volatile solvent and coats an upper surface of the workpiece W, a plurality of clamps 18 which presses the workpiece W from the upper surface of the workpiece W and fixes it on the placing surface 26, and changing means (for example, a clamp attaching/detaching mechanism 36) which changes the number or positions of the clamps 18 in the middle of coating on the workpiece W carried out under relative movement by a moving mechanism 20 while heating the workpiece W by the heating table 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a coating device and a method for manufacturing a coated product.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a coating device that sprays and coats a coating liquid onto the surface of a work. For example, various fixing mechanisms have been proposed for fixing a thin plate-like work so that it does not move due to wind pressure.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a method in which a slurry containing a polymer material is directly air-sprayed onto a solid polymer film and applied by screen printing or a blade method. Specifically, there is a description that a solid polymer membrane is held on a porous plate held at a constant temperature by vacuuming.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-100314

By the way, when a metal plate having a relatively high rigidity is used as the work, the work may be slightly bent or deformed in a convex downward shape by heating from the lower surface of the work. Then, in the fixing method by vacuuming disclosed in Patent Document 1, the adhesion between the lower surface of the work and the mounting surface is deteriorated, and the work cannot be sufficiently fixed.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and its object is to suppress thermal deformation of the work caused by heating the plate-shaped work from the lower surface, and to apply a coating liquid to the upper surface of the work. To provide a coating device capable of spraying all over and a method of manufacturing a coated product.

A coating apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has a mounting surface on which a plate-shaped work is mounted, a heating table for heating the work from below via the mounting surface, and a heating table above the heating table. a spray nozzle that is provided and that sprays and applies a coating liquid containing a volatile solvent to the upper surface of the workpiece placed on the mounting surface; and a moving mechanism that relatively moves the heating table and the spray nozzle; A plurality of clamps for pressing from the upper surface of the work to fix the work on the mounting surface, and while the work is heated by the heating table, the work is relatively moved by the moving mechanism. changing means for changing the number or position of the clamps during application to the work.

In the coating device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the changing means includes a clamp located within the coating target area to be coated when the spraying operation is restarted while the spraying operation by the spray nozzle is temporarily stopped. can be changed to any position within the coated area where coating has already been performed.

In the coating device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of clamps are arranged side by side along the coating direction with respect to the workpiece, and the changing means sequentially shifts the coating target area toward the coating direction. , the plurality of clamps are configured to be movable one by one in the direction opposite to the coating direction, sequentially from the upstream side in the coating direction.

In the coating device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the changing means is a clamp attachment/detachment mechanism capable of independently attaching and detaching the plurality of clamps, and the clamp attachment/detachment mechanism includes a support bar extending along the application direction. and an engaging portion provided at an end portion of the clamp for detachably engaging with the support bar at a plurality of points.

In the coating device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the changing means is a clamp moving mechanism capable of independently moving the plurality of clamps toward the upstream side or the downstream side of the coating direction.

A method for producing a coated material according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a heating step of heating a plate-shaped work placed on the placement surface from below using a heating table having the placement surface; A coating step of spraying a coating liquid containing a volatile solvent onto the upper surface of the work with a spray nozzle in a state where the work is fixed to the mounting surface by pressing from the upper surface of the work with a clamp; a changing step of changing the number or position of the clamps in the course of coating the work performed under relative movement between the heating table and the spray nozzle while heating the work with a table. .

According to the present invention, the coating liquid can be sprayed all over the upper surface of the work while suppressing thermal deformation of the work caused by heating the plate-like work from the lower surface.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a flow chart relating to a method for manufacturing a coated material, which is executed through the coating apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. It is a figure which shows the fixing state of a workpiece|work in a heating process (step SP12 of FIG. 2). FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a fixed state of the workpiece in the first changing step (step SP14 in FIG. 2); FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing a fixed state of the workpiece in the second change step (step SP14 in FIG. 2); FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a fixed state of the work in the fifth changing step (step SP14 in FIG. 2); It is a figure which shows arrangement|positioning of the clamp in a 1st modification. It is a figure which shows the structure of the change means in a 2nd modification.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible in each drawing, and redundant description may be omitted.

[Overall Configuration of Coating Device 10]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a coating device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This coating device 10 is a device for manufacturing a coated product by spraying and coating a coating liquid L onto the surface of a plate-like work W. As shown in FIG. The type of coating and the material of the workpiece W are not limited to these. For example, when the coated material is a metal separator for a fuel cell, the workpiece W is a stainless steel plate (SUS: Stainless Used Steel).

Specifically, the coating device 10 includes a shielding cover 12, a heating table 14, a spray nozzle 16, a plurality of clamps 18, a moving mechanism 20, a ventilation mechanism 22, and a control device 24. consists of

The shielding cover 12 is provided to prevent the solvent contained in the coating liquid L (in particular, the organic solvent that may affect human health) from being released to the outside. The shielding cover 12 has an opening/closing door (not shown) for loading or unloading the work W. As shown in FIG.

The heating table 14 has a rectangular mounting surface 26 in a plan view, and heats the workpiece W mounted on the mounting surface 26 from below. By this heating, the solvent contained in the coating liquid L volatilizes. A sheet material having low hardness and heat resistance (for example, a silicon sheet) is attached to the mounting surface 26 so that the lower surface of the work W does not have a pressure mark.

The spray nozzle 16 is fixed above the heating table 14 and sprays downward the coating liquid L stored in the tank 28 . Thereby, the coating liquid L is applied to the upper surface of the workpiece W on the mounting surface 26 . In the example of this figure, only one spray nozzle 16 is provided, but the number of spray nozzles 16 may be two or more. For example, a plurality of spray nozzles 16 may be arranged in a line.

The clamp 18 is an elongated rod-like member for pressing from the upper surface of the work W to fix the work W to the mounting surface 26 . A low-hardness and heat-resistant sheet material (for example, a silicon sheet) is attached to the contact surface 30 of the clamp 18 so that the upper surface of the work W is not pressed.

Both ends of the clamp 18 are provided with engaging portions 34 that detachably engage with the two support bars 32, 32 at arbitrary locations. The two support bars 32 extend along the conveying direction of the workpiece W (here, the longitudinal direction of the heating table 14) and are arranged opposite to each other with the heating table 14 interposed therebetween. Thereby, the support bar 32 and the engaging portion 34 function as a clamp attachment/detachment mechanism 36 (change means) capable of independently attaching and detaching the plurality of clamps 18 .

The moving mechanism 20 is, for example, a ball screw mechanism, and is a drive mechanism that moves the heating table 14 and the support bar 32 in biaxial directions (XY directions). This allows the spray nozzle 16 to access any position within the rectangular area defined by the heating table 14 . The moving mechanism 20 may be automatically driven according to a control signal supplied from the control device 24, or may be manually driven through an operator's operation (for example, handle operation).

The ventilation mechanism 22 is configured to be able to circulate the air inside the shielding cover 12 while trapping the solvent contained in the exhaust gas. As a result, the solvent contained in the coating liquid L is recovered without leaking to the outside of the shielding cover 12 .

The control device 24 is a controller that includes, for example, a processor and a memory, and controls each part that constitutes the coating device 10 in an integrated manner. For example, the control device 24 performs [1] heating control for the heating table 14, [2] spraying control for the spray nozzle 16, or [3] drive control for the moving mechanism 20, or the like.

[Operation of coating device 10]
The coating device 10 in this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, a method of manufacturing a coated product that is executed through the operation of the coating apparatus 10 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG.

At step SP10 in FIG. 2, a "placing process" for placing the workpiece W is performed. Specifically, the worker holds the workpiece W as the object to be coated and places it on the placing surface 26 of the heating table 14 . Here, it is assumed that a rectangular workpiece W is arranged such that the short side direction is aligned with the "X direction" and the long side direction is aligned with the "Y direction". Thereafter, the coating apparatus 10 performs a coating operation on the workpiece W by transporting the heating table 14 in the Y direction (transport direction) while reciprocatingly scanning the heating table 14 in the X direction. In this case, it should be noted that the coating direction of the work W is opposite to the transport direction.

At step SP12, a "heating step" is performed to preliminarily heat the workpiece W placed at step SP10. Specifically, the operator attaches a plurality of clamps 18 via the clamp attachment/detachment mechanism 36 to fix the work W, and then turns the heating operation of the heating table 14 to "ON". By heating the workpiece W in advance, the drying of the coating liquid L is accelerated. On the other hand, if the work W is a metal plate, it should be noted that this heating may cause the work W to be slightly curved and deformed in a convex downward shape.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a fixed state of the work W in the heating process (step SP12 in FIG. 2). In the example of this figure, five clamps 18 extending in the X direction are arranged along the Y direction at approximately equal intervals. Hereinafter, in order to distinguish the individual clamps 18, the reference numerals are respectively written as 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d and 18e from the left side to the right side of the drawing. When the coating liquid L is applied to the entire area 50 of the work W, an area to which the coating has not yet been applied (hereinafter referred to as an “uncoated area 52”) coincides with the entire area 50 in the initial state.

At step SP14 in FIG. 2, a "change step" is performed to change the number or position of the clamps 18 used at step SP12. Specifically, in the first "change process", the operator removes only one clamp 18a on the most downstream side in the Y direction via the clamp attaching/detaching mechanism 36. FIG.

In step SP16, after changing the number or position of the clamps 18 in step SP14, the "coating step" of spraying the coating liquid L onto the workpiece W is performed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the fixed state of the workpiece W in the first changing step (step SP14 in FIG. 2). Here, a circle indicated by a dashed line indicates the projected position of the spray nozzle 16 with respect to the upper surface of the work W. As shown in FIG. The spraying operation is started when the spray nozzle 16 is at position P1, and the spraying operation is temporarily stopped when the spray nozzle 16 is at position P2. Here, since one clamp 18a has already been removed, there is no longer a portion shielded by the clamp 18a when the coating liquid L is sprayed. As a result, at the start of the spraying operation by the spray nozzle 16, the area to be coated (hereinafter referred to as "coating target area 54") is coated continuously and without omission.

At step SP18 in FIG. 2, a "determining step" is performed to determine whether or not the entire area 50 has been coated at step SP16. In the situation shown in FIG. 4, the unapplied area 52 remains and the application is not finished (step SP18: NO), so the process returns to step SP14.

In the second change step (step SP14), the operator moves one clamp 18b on the most downstream side in the Y direction to the position where the clamp 18a was before, via the clamp attaching/detaching mechanism 36. I do. Then, a new application target area 54 is formed between the two adjacent clamps 18b and 18c.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the fixed state of the workpiece W in the second change step (step SP14 in FIG. 2). As can be seen from this figure, the clamp 18b is placed in a region that has already been coated (hereinafter referred to as "coated region 56"). Here, it should be noted that the coating liquid L hardly transfers to the contact surface 30 of the clamp 18b because the solvent is volatilized by the heating from the heating table 14. FIG.

The spraying operation is resumed while the spray nozzle 16 is at position P2, and the spraying operation is temporarily stopped while the spray nozzle 16 is at position P3. Here, since one clamp 18b has already moved, there is no longer a portion shielded by the clamp 18b when the coating liquid L is sprayed. As a result, when the spraying operation by the spray nozzle 16 is restarted, the coating is performed continuously and without omission in the area to be coated (that is, the coating target area 54).

Thereafter, the plurality of clamps 18 are sequentially moved one by one from the upstream side in the coating direction in the direction opposite to the coating direction so that the coating target area 54 is sequentially shifted in the coating direction. By sequentially repeating the movement of the clamp 18 and the spraying operation of the coating liquid L, coating is sequentially performed from the upstream side to the downstream side of the entire area 50 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the fixed state of the work W in the fifth change step (step SP14 in FIG. 2). The spraying operation is resumed when the spray nozzle 16 is at position P4, and the spraying operation is finished when the spray nozzle 16 is at position P5. Then, the applied area 56 coincides with the entire area 50 when the application liquid L in the application target area 54 is dried.

In the example of FIG. 6, the positions of the four clamps 18 are sequentially changed in the second and subsequent changing steps, but instead of this, the number of clamps 18 may be increased or decreased. For example, the clamp 18c may be removed in the third change process, and the clamp 18d may be removed in the fourth change process.

Returning to step SP18 in FIG. 2, when the unapplied area 52 does not remain as shown in FIG. 6 and the application in the entire area 50 is completed (step SP18: YES), the process proceeds to step SP20.

At step SP20, a "removing step" is performed to remove the workpiece W that has been coated at step SP18. Specifically, the operator removes all the clamps 18 via the clamp attaching/detaching mechanism 36 to release the work W, and then takes out the coated work W from the shielding cover 12 . In this way, a series of coating operations for the workpiece W (flow chart in FIG. 2) are completed.

[Action and effect of coating device 10]
As described above, the coating apparatus 10 has the mounting surface 26 on which the plate-shaped work W is mounted, and the heating table 14 heats the work W from below via the mounting surface 26. and a moving mechanism 20 for relatively moving the heating table 14 and the spray nozzle 16. , a plurality of clamps 18 that press from the upper surface of the work W to fix the work W to the mounting surface 26, and the work W is heated by the heating table 14, while the work W is relatively moved by the moving mechanism 20. A changing means (for example, a clamp attachment/detachment mechanism 36) for changing the number or position of the clamps 18 during application to W is provided.

By pressing the work W from the upper surface using a plurality of clamps 18 in this way, it is possible to suppress thermal deformation in which the work W is bent downwardly. Then, the adhesion between the lower surface of the work W and the mounting surface 26 can be maintained, and a high fixing force to the work W can be easily maintained.

On the other hand, the use of a plurality of clamps 18 creates shielded portions where the coating liquid L cannot be applied when the coating liquid L is sprayed from above. Therefore, by providing changing means for changing the number or position of the clamps 18 during the coating of the work W, the coating liquid L can be sprayed all over the upper surface of the work W while eliminating the shielded portions.

In other words, by configuring as described above, the coating liquid L can be sprayed all over the upper surface of the work W while suppressing thermal deformation of the work W caused by heating the plate-like work W from the lower surface. can be done.

Further, while the spraying operation by the spray nozzle 16 is temporarily stopped, the changing means changes the position of the clamp 18 within the coating target area 54 to be coated when the spraying operation is resumed. It may be configured to be reversible to any location within the coated area 56 that has been drawn. Since the volatilization of the solvent is promoted through heating by the heating table 14, the coating liquid L applied to the upper surface of the work W is transferred to the clamp 18 even when the clamp 18 is placed in the coated region 56. becomes difficult.

In addition, when a plurality of clamps 18 are arranged side by side along the coating direction with respect to the workpiece W, the changing means moves the plurality of clamps 18 such that the coating target region 54 is sequentially shifted in the coating direction. It may be configured to be movable one by one in the direction opposite to the coating direction, starting from the upstream side in the coating direction. As a result, the application liquid L can be sprayed all over the upper surface of the workpiece W while minimizing the number of times or amount of movement of the clamp 18 .

Further, when the changing means is a clamp attaching/detaching mechanism 36 capable of independently attaching/detaching a plurality of clamps 18, this clamp attaching/detaching mechanism 36 includes a support bar 32 extending along the application direction (Y direction), and a clamp 18 An engaging portion 34 provided at the end of the support bar 32 and detachably engaging with the support bar 32 at a plurality of points may be provided. This improves workability when manually changing the number or positions of the clamps 18 .

[Modification]
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be freely modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. Alternatively, each configuration may be arbitrarily combined as long as there is no technical contradiction.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the moving mechanism 20 in FIG. 1 moves only the heating table 14 has been described as an example, but the object to be moved by the moving mechanism 20 is not limited to this. Specifically, the moving mechanism 20 may [1] move only the spray nozzle 16 in two axial directions while the heating table 14 is fixed, or [2] move both the heating table 14 and the spray nozzle 16. You may let In the latter example, the spray nozzle 16 is moved in the X direction, and the heating table 14 is moved in the Y direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the clamps 18 of FIG. 1 are fixed at both ends has been described as an example, but the method of fixing the clamps 18 is not limited to this. For example, a rotation mechanism may be provided at one end of the engaging portion 34 so that the clamp 18 with the other end released rotates around the support bar 32 . Thereby, the clamp 18 can be retracted while maintaining the engagement state with the support bar 32 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the clamps 58 in the first modified example. As in the case of FIG. 3, a plurality of clamps 18 (here, two clamps) extending in the X direction are arranged side by side along the Y direction. However, in the first modified example, a plurality of clamps 58 (here, two clamps) extending in the Y direction are arranged side by side along the X direction. Each clamp 18, 58 is provided so that the number or position thereof can be changed by changing means (not shown).

Thus, the plurality of clamps 18, 58 may be arranged along a plurality of arrangement directions and selectively used as required. With this configuration, the conveying direction of the work W can be changed. For example, a plurality of clamps 18 may be used to transport the work W in the Y direction, and a plurality of clamps 58 may be used to fix the work W in the X direction.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the changing means in the second modified example. The coating device 10 further includes a clamp movement mechanism 60 (change means) and a control device 62 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. The clamp moving mechanism 60 is configured to move each clamp 18 in the Y direction. The controller 62 performs [1] heating control for the heating table 14, [2] spraying control for the spray nozzle 16, and [3] driving control for the moving mechanism 20, and [4] driving control for the clamp moving mechanism 60. .

By configuring as described above, step SP14 (change step) in FIG. 2 can be automated. For example, the clamp moving mechanism 60 may move one or more unused clamps 18 to the outside of the entire area 50 according to a control signal from the control device 62 . This provides the same effect as when the clamp 18 is removed.

In this way, the change means for changing the number or position of the clamps 18 is a clamp movement device capable of independently moving a plurality of clamps 18 toward the upstream side or downstream side in the Y direction (application direction to the workpiece W). It may be mechanism 60 . Thereby, the number or position of the clamps 18 can be changed automatically.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Coating apparatus, 14... Heating table, 16... Spray nozzle, 18, 18a-18e, 58... Clamp, 20... Moving mechanism, 26... Mounting surface, 36... Clamp attachment/detachment mechanism (change means), 60... Clamp movement Mechanism (change means), L... Coating liquid, W... Work

Claims (6)

a heating table having a mounting surface on which a plate-like work is mounted, and heating the work from below via the mounting surface;
a spray nozzle provided above the heating table for spraying and applying a coating liquid containing a volatile solvent onto the upper surface of the workpiece placed on the placement surface;
a moving mechanism for relatively moving the heating table and the spray nozzle;
a plurality of clamps for pressing from the upper surface of the work to fix the work to the mounting surface;
changing means for changing the number or position of the clamps in the course of coating the work performed under relative movement by the moving mechanism while heating the work by the heating table;
A coating device comprising a While the spraying operation by the spray nozzle is temporarily stopped, the changing means changes the position of the clamp in the coating target area to be coated when the spraying operation is resumed to the position of the clamp that has already been coated. configured to be modifiable to any position within the bound area,
The coating device according to claim 1. The plurality of clamps are arranged side by side along the coating direction with respect to the work,
The changing means is capable of moving the plurality of clamps one by one from the upstream side in the coating direction in a direction opposite to the coating direction so that the coating target area is sequentially shifted in the coating direction. consists of
The coating device according to claim 2. The changing means is a clamp attachment/detachment mechanism capable of independently attaching and detaching the plurality of clamps,
The clamp attachment/detachment mechanism is
a support bar extending along the application direction;
An engaging portion provided at the end of the clamp and detachably engaging with the support bar at a plurality of locations,
The coating device according to claim 2 or 3. The changing means is a clamp moving mechanism capable of independently moving the plurality of clamps upstream or downstream in the application direction.
The coating device according to claim 2 or 3. a heating step of heating a plate-shaped workpiece placed on the placement surface from below using a heating table having the placement surface;
A coating step of applying a coating liquid containing a volatile solvent to the upper surface of the work by spraying a coating liquid containing a volatile solvent from a spray nozzle in a state where the work is fixed to the mounting surface by pressing from the upper surface of the work with a plurality of clamps;
a changing step of changing the number or position of the clamps during application to the work performed under relative movement between the heating table and the spray nozzle while heating the work by the heating table;
A method for producing a coated product.

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