JP3230722B2 - Spray gun tip cleaning method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a paint attached to the tip of a paint gun (spray gun) with a thinner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, as shown in FIG. 3, a spray gun 100 has a paint nozzle 104 at the center of a spray gun cap 102 (a thinner is flowed instead of paint at the time of color change). Has a plurality of air nozzles 106 and 108, and applies the air jetted from the air nozzles 108 to the paint jetted from the paint nozzle 104 to atomize the paint (mist) to perform coating. A part of the misted paint scatters into the surrounding air, and is drawn into the air ejected from the air nozzles 106 and 108 together with the surrounding air.
It attaches to the tip of the gun around 8 and grows gradually. When the attached paint becomes large, the ejection of air from the air nozzles 106 and 108 is hindered, and the ejected air from the air nozzle cannot sufficiently mist the paint from the paint nozzle,
The paint drops and drops, causing poor painting. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to interrupt the coating operation, wash the spray gun tip with a thinner, and wash and remove the paint adhering around each air nozzle. Conventional spray gun tip cleaning is usually performed by spraying a thinner pressurized by a dedicated cleaning pump to clean the spray gun to be cleaned, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-56266. Perform by hitting the tip of the gun. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
The cleaning is carried out manually by using a cleaning spray gun 12, or by using another spray gun as a cleaning fixed gun 114 as shown in FIG.

[0003]

However, cleaning using a dedicated cleaning pump involves a problem that a dedicated pump and a thinner circuit are required and the apparatus becomes large-scale. Cleaning using another spray gun as a cleaning gun requires another spray gun and its thinner circuit for cleaning in addition to the spray gun to be cleaned, and is based on the case where a dedicated cleaning pump is used. There's a problem. In addition, the thinner spouted from the cleaning gun scatters around the surface in a conical pattern and descends on the surface to be coated, so it can be used to clean the spray gun of the current painting line, which has been automated without disturbing the coating cycle. It is difficult to apply. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for performing spray gun gun cleaning using a thinner discharged from a spray gun itself to be cleaned without using a dedicated cleaning pump or another spray gun.

[0004]

The method and apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object are as follows. (1) discharging a thinner from a spray gun, guiding a flow of the thinner discharged from the spray gun, and changing a flow direction of the thinner from a direction away from the spray gun to a direction approaching the spray gun;
A method of cleaning the tip of a spray gun, comprising: applying the thinner flowing in a direction approaching the spray gun to the tip of the spray gun itself that has discharged the thinner in air to clean the tip of the spray gun. (2) Spray gun A cleaning container having an opening that is closed when the gun tip is applied, and at least a portion provided to face the opening and discharged from the spray gun.
Before changing the direction of the thinner <br/> guide the flow of over the thinner flows when thinner has been the opening side or al stream from a direction away from the opening in a direction approaching to the opening
Put the thinner in the air at the tip of the spray gun.
A guide means for applying a drain means connected to said cleaning vessel, cancer destination cleaning device of the spray gun made of.

[0005]

In the above method (1), the flow direction of the thinner discharged from the spray gun is changed to the direction toward the spray gun, and the thinner discharged from the spray gun itself to be cleaned is used. To clean your gun tip. Since a dedicated cleaning pump and its attached thinner circuit are not required, the equipment does not become large. In the device of the above (2), since only the cleaning container, the guide means and the drain means are provided, and the exclusive cleaning pump and the thinner circuit thereof are not provided, the equipment does not become large. In addition, since the thinner is only discharged into the cleaning container and exits through the drain means, the thinner mist does not scatter into the atmosphere and does not stain the surface to be coated. It can also be applied to gun tip cleaning.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The gun tip cleaning device 10 for a spray gun according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a cleaning container 12 having an opening 14 that is closed when the gun tip 102 of the spray gun 100 is applied.
When the thinner 16 flows from the opening 14 side (spray gun 100) at least partially facing the opening 14, the thinner 16 guides the flow of the thinner 16 to change the flow direction of the thinner to the opening 14 (spray gun 100). The cleaning means 12 includes a guide means 18 for changing the direction from the direction away from the cleaning container 100) to the direction toward the opening 14 (spray gun 100), and a drain means 20 connected to the cleaning container 12. Gun tip cleaning device 10
Further, when the spray gun 100 supported by the robot 100 is pressed against the opening 14 of the cleaning container 12, the cleaning container 12 can be displaced so that the cleaning container 12 can follow the spray gun 100. A spring 22 for urging and holding the spray gun toward the spray gun 100;
A frame 24 for detachably supporting the washing container 12 and an air blow outlet 26 for blowing out the thinner attached to the tip of the spray gun after cleaning the tip of the spray gun.

The washing container 12 is a container for preventing the thinner from scattering into the atmosphere. When the opening 14 is closed by the spray gun 100, the internal space 30 is closed. In the illustrated example, the cleaning container 12 has a vertical position with the opening 14 facing upward, but the cleaning container 12 may have any position, and may have a horizontal position, or a vertical position with the opening 14 pointing down ( 1 and 2). The guide means 18 guides the flow of the thinner 16 and changes the flow direction from the direction away from the spray gun 100 to the spray gun 1.
The structure can be freely changed as long as it is changed in the direction approaching 00, but in the example shown in FIG.
The inflow passage 28 is provided to face the spray gun 100 and receives the thinner 16 flowing from the spray gun 100. The inflow passage 28 is connected to the inflow passage 28 and smoothly curved toward the spray gun 100 to open into the internal space 30 of the cleaning container 12. (For example, three circulation hoses 32).
Although the thinner 16 discharged from the spray gun 100 has kinetic energy, the guide means 18 has the above-mentioned structure and still has a speed toward the spray gun 100 even after the direction is changed by the guide means 18. If you have
You can hit the gun with your own power (ie without the help of another pump). When the washing container 12 is in the posture in which the opening 14 is downward, the guide means 18 is located above the opening 14 and is the inner surface of the container facing the opening 14 (therefore, the inflow passage 28 and the circulation hose 32 may be omitted). Then, the thinner 16 colliding therewith is caused to flow down toward the gun tip so as to hit the gun tip. Thus, the thinner 16 which is the tip of the gun for cleaning the tip of the gun is used.
May have a residual force of the discharge pressure of the spray gun 10 or may only flow down by its own weight.

When the guide means 18 has the circulation hose 32, the opening end of the circulation hose 32 to the cleaning container internal space 30 is twisted with respect to the internal space axis so as to be tangential to the internal space 30. When a fluid (thinner or air or a mixture of thinner and air) flows out of the circulation hose 32 into the internal space 30, the internal space 30
A swirling flow around the axis of the internal space. When the guide means 18 has the circulation hose 32, the extension of the opening end of the circulation hose 32 to the cleaning container internal space 30 is indicated by the extension of the gun tip 102 of the spray gun 100.
The fluid (thinner or air, or a mixture of thinner and air) immediately after exiting from the circulation hose 32 is directed to the spray tip of the spray gun 100.

The drain means 20 comprises, for example, a drain hose. One end of the drain means 20 is provided in the washing container inner space 3.
0, and the other end of the drain means 20 opens into a thinner recovery tank (not shown). Drain means 2
Numeral 0 drains the thinner 16 and air discharged from the spray gun 100 into the cleaning container 12 and guides the air into the thinner recovery tank. The opening end of the drain means 20 to the cleaning container internal space 30 varies depending on the posture of the cleaning container 12, but when the posture of the cleaning container 12 is determined, the opening is opened at the lowermost end of the internal space 30 or a part close to the lower end.

Next, a method for cleaning the tip of a spray gun according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The method for cleaning the tip of the spray gun according to the present invention includes the steps of discharging the thinner 16 from the spray gun 100 and guiding the flow of the thinner 16 discharged from the spray gun 100 to change the flow direction of the thinner 16. A step of changing from a direction away from 100 to a direction approaching the spray gun 100, and a step of washing the gun tip by applying thinner 16 flowing in a direction approaching the spray gun 100 to the gun tip 102 of the spray gun 100 in air. Consists of In the spray gun gun tip cleaning method, the spray gun 100 is further pressed against the edge of the opening 14 of the cleaning container 12 by the robot 110 (see FIG. Having a step of closing
The method further includes a step of draining the thinner 16 and the air discharged from the spray gun 100 into the cleaning container internal space 30 by the drain means 20 after or after the gun tip cleaning step by the thinner 16.

Prior to cleaning the gun tip 102 of the spray gun 100, the paint hose connected to the spray gun 100 is replaced with a thinner hose 116 (see FIG. 2). The thinner hose 116 sends the thinner 16 from the thinner hose 116 to the paint nozzle 104 (see FIG. 3) and discharges the thinner 16 from the paint nozzle 104 in the same manner as when the paint color is changed. is not)
Wash. Next, prior to the gun tip cleaning, the opening 14 of the cleaning container 12 is closed by the spray gun 100, so that the thinner 16 discharged from the spray gun 100 does not fly into the atmosphere outside the cleaning container 12. (FIG. 4,
In the conventional example shown in FIG. 5, the thinner mist scatters in the atmosphere. Therefore, the spray thinner mist is spray gun 1
The method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to spray gun gun cleaning of an automated coating line without dripping onto the object to be coated without adhering to the outer surface of the robot 00 or the robot 110. Since the thinner mist does not scatter to the atmosphere, the environment inside the coating booth is improved, and the thinner collection efficiency becomes almost 100%, so that the cost can be reduced.

In the spray gun gun pre-cleaning step, the thinner 16 and the air are discharged from the spray gun 100 separately and alternately, simultaneously, or simultaneously and separately. The discharge of the thinner 16 and the discharge of the air are performed in the same manner as the discharge of the paint and the discharge of the air of the spray gun 100 at the time of coating, and no special pump or compressor is used for cleaning. Therefore, the apparatus is not bulky as compared to conventional apparatuses that require a special pump and its circuit or another spray gun for cleaning.

When only the thinner 16 is discharged from the spray gun 100, the discharge thinner 16 flows in a substantially columnar (solid) shape and reaches the opposing wall. When only air is ejected from the spray gun 100, the air flows while expanding toward the opposing wall. Spray gun 10
When the thinner 16 and the air are discharged simultaneously from 0,
The thinner 16 is mist-formed by air and flows while spreading toward the opposing wall. When the guide means 18 includes the inflow passage 28 and the circulation hose 32 as shown in FIGS.
Part of the thinner 16, air, or thinner mist flowing from the spray gun 100 enters the inflow passage 28, and the rest hits the opposite wall surface. What has entered the inflow passage 28 is guided by the circulation hose 32, changes the flow direction to the direction toward the spray gun 100, exits from the circulation hose 32 tangentially to the cleaning container internal space 30, and flows into the internal space 30. And a part proceeds as it is to the tip of the gun. When the thinner 16 or the thinner mist hits the tip of the gun, the thinner 16 functions to dissolve the paint adhered around the air nozzle and to wash it. When the air or the thinner mist hits the tip of the gun, the air or the thinner mist has an action of blowing off the melted paint from the tip of the gun. When a swirling flow is generated in the internal space 30, the swirling flow acts to blow off the melted paint from the gun tip. The gun tip is cleaned by these combined actions.

The thinner 16, the thinner mist, and the air are drained out of the cleaning container 12 by the drain means 20, and the thinner 16 is collected in the thinner drain tank without scattering to the atmosphere. After the cleaning of the gun tip, the spray gun 100 is separated from the cleaning container 12 by the robot 110, and air is blown out from the air blow discharge port 26 as necessary to remove the thinner 16 that may be attached to the robot 110 and the spray gun 100. Blow off. Then, spray gun 1
Replace the thinner hose 116 connected to 00 with a paint hose and resume spray painting.

Since the method of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an automated coating line, by adding a moving program for moving the spray gun 100 to the gun tip cleaning container 12 to the robot 110, The spray gun 100 can be automatically cleaned during the work transfer. Alternatively, the push button may be activated periodically (for example, every two hours). In any case, since the tip of the gun is cleaned using the functions of the robot 110 and the spray gun 100, a large remodeling of the line is not required.

[0016]

According to the method of the first aspect, the thinner discharged from the spray gun is guided and directed to its own gun tip, and the gun tip is cleaned using the thinner discharged by itself. The apparatus can be simple and compact without the need for a cleaning pump or its route, or other cleaning spray guns. According to the apparatus of claim 2, a washing container,
Since it is composed of the thinner from the spray gun, the guide means for guiding air to the spray gun, and the drain means, a separate dedicated cleaning pump and its path are not required, and the apparatus does not become large. Further, since the cleaning is performed in the closed cleaning container, the thinner mist does not scatter in the atmosphere, and online cleaning can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a spray cleaning apparatus for a spray gun according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a spray gun is pressed against the cleaning device of FIG. 1 by a robot to perform gun cleaning.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tip of a conventional spray gun.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which gun tip cleaning is performed manually using another conventional spray gun.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which gun tip cleaning is performed using another conventional cleaning fixed spray gun.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Gun tip cleaning device 12 Cleaning container 14 Opening 16 Thinner 18 Guide means 20 Drain means 22 Spring 24 Frame 26 Air blow discharge port 28 Inflow passage 30 Inner space of cleaning container 32 Circulation hose 100 Spray gun 110 Robot

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (56) References Jikken Sho 61-35257 (JP, Y2) Jikken Sho 51-27259 (JP, Y2) Jigyo Sho 41-12231 (JP, Y1) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B05B 15/02 B05D 1/02

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Spraying a thinner from a spray gun, guiding a flow of the thinner discharged from the spray gun and changing a flow direction of the thinner from a direction away from the spray gun to a direction approaching the spray gun. Changing the thinner flowing in a direction approaching the spray gun to the gun tip of the spray gun itself that has discharged the thinner in air to clean the gun tip. 2. A cleaning vessel having an opening which is closed when the spray pounding destination is devoted, provided opposite to at least part of said opening said spray
Direction of approaching from the direction thinner discharged from Reagan leaves direction of the guide the flow of thinner of the thinner <br/> over flows when has been the opening side or et flow from said opening to said opening The thinner in air
A gun tip cleaning device for a spray gun, comprising: a guide means for contacting the gun tip of a Reagan; and a drain means connected to the washing container.