JP4701574B2 - Multicolor small quantity coating system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a multicolor low-volume coating system, particularly a coating system for supplying paints for each type to a coating device by a cartridge, and a multicolor low-volume coating system capable of preventing a reduction in work efficiency even when coating a small amount and a wide variety of products. Regarding improvements.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when coating industrial products such as automobiles, spray coating in which the paint is sprayed in the form of a mist has been performed. In particular, for large workpieces such as automobile bodies, unmanned automatic painting is often performed by a plurality of painting devices (painting robots) arranged in a painting booth. By the way, in the painting line of the body of an automobile, for example, painting according to the order of the automobile is performed individually, so it is necessary to prepare various paint colors for a workpiece having the same shape. Normally, the painting robot is used in common in each color in the painting line. Therefore, every time the paint color of the workpiece is changed, the coating gun of the painting robot and the pre-switching paint that remains on the route up to that point are discarded. It was necessary to perform cleaning and the like. In other words, the production efficiency was very poor because it was necessary to stop the coating line every time the paint color was switched and to dispose of the paint and to perform the cleaning work.
[0003]
Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-176333 discloses an apparatus for preparing a plurality of types of cartridges filled with paint for each paint color and replacing the cartridge supplied to the coating robot for each designated color of the workpiece. Yes. In this case, by using a cartridge that reaches the vicinity of the nozzle of the coating gun of the painting robot, it is possible to eliminate the above-mentioned disposal of residual paint and cleaning of the route, or to complete it in a very short and simple operation. Thus, even when multicolor coating production is performed, the production efficiency is not reduced.
[0004]
In addition, in the case of automobile painting, electrodeposition coating is carried out to improve the coating efficiency by charging the paint, but when charging the liquid paint before atomization, the paint may be applied to other systems. However, a cartridge system that can be easily insulated is effective.
[0005]
In painting using such a cartridge, when painting a large workpiece such as the body of an automobile, painting is performed simultaneously from multiple directions by a plurality of painting robots. In consideration of ease of replacement and stabilization of the quality of the paint, the cartridge is filled so that one work piece can be used up once. Therefore, the cartridge is replaced at the end of the painting of one unit. However, if the work to be painted of the same color does not continuously flow through the painting line, only the replacement operation of the previously filled cartridge is performed. Therefore, it is possible to paint continuous workpieces without stopping the workpiece transfer on the painting line.
[0006]
However, in automobiles and the like, popular colors are often concentrated, and there are many cases in which two or more pieces of workpieces that require painting of the same color are conveyed in succession. In this case, if at least two cartridges of that color are prepared, the other can be filled during use, so that it is possible to perform continuous coating without stopping the conveyance of the workpiece.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Normally, a used cartridge is filled in the painting booth by supplying paint through a pipe extending from a paint tank provided outside the painting booth. However, cartridges that can be placed in the painting booth are limited due to space limitations. There is also a limit to the number of paint tank piping that can be drawn into the painting booth. Therefore, cartridges that can be automatically filled in the painting booth must be prepared only for paints that are frequently used. In other words, for paints (colors and components) that are used only occasionally, as a special operation, the operator brings a cartridge filled outside the painting booth into the painting booth and supplies the cartridge to the painting robot by hand. There must be. At this time, in order to ensure safety, it is necessary to stop the operation of all facilities including the painting robot and the workpiece transfer device. In order to enter the paint booth where the mist paint floats, sufficient equipment and preparation are required. Therefore, it is necessary to stop the coating line for a long time, and there is a problem that productivity is lowered even though the cartridge is used.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and even when a paint that is used infrequently is used, it is easy to perform a painting operation in the same way as handling a commonly used paint without causing a temporary suspension of the system. In addition, an object is to provide a multicolor low-volume coating system having a simple configuration.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a painting booth, a painting apparatus that is disposed in the painting booth and performs painting on a workpiece that moves within the painting booth, and is supplied to the painting apparatus. A stocker for storing a cartridge filled with a paint for each type, and a cartridge stocker for storing a regular filling cartridge that can be filled in the painting booth and an emergency filling cartridge that can be filled outside the painting booth; A cartridge exchange device for exchanging and providing a predetermined cartridge to the coating device, wherein the cartridge stocker includes a cartridge carrier on which the emergency filling cartridge is mounted and which can freely move in and out of the painting booth. The carrier should be replaced with an emergency filling cartridge while the regular filling cartridge is in use. Characterized by the ability.
[0010]
Here, each type of paint refers to a type classified by, for example, the product number of the paint, and is classified by color, component, or the like. The regular filling cartridge is a cartridge that is filled with paint that is normally used frequently. The emergency filling cartridge is a cartridge that is not frequently used but is filled with the paint necessary for the operation of the painting system. means.
[0011]
According to this configuration, the replacement of the emergency filling cartridge is performed by pulling out the cartridge carrier from the coating booth while the normal filling cartridge is in use, that is, at a timing when the cartridge changing device is not accessed by the cartridge stocker. Therefore, the emergency filling cartridge can be replaced without stopping the operation of the painting robot. As a result, the emergency filling cartridge can be handled and continuously coated by the cartridge exchange device in the same manner as the regular filling cartridge. The replacement of the emergency filling cartridge may be performed manually, semi-automatically, or automatically.
[0012]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the above configuration, the cartridge carrier is movable forward and backward through an opening formed in the coating booth, and at least one of the cartridge carrier and the opening is provided. Is characterized in that a sealing member for preventing the circulation of the atmosphere is arranged inside and outside the painting booth.
[0013]
Here, the sealing member can be composed of a deformable resin material such as rubber or a brush formed of a fiber member, for example. In addition, it is only necessary to be able to prevent the amount of circulation so that the circulation of the atmosphere inside and outside the painting booth is within a predetermined allowable range, and the inside of the painting booth does not necessarily need to be completely airtight.
[0014]
According to this configuration, even if the emergency filling cartridge is replaced, the circulation of the atmosphere can be suppressed to a predetermined value or less, so that the maintenance of the painting quality and the painting environment (prevention of paint mist and solvent leakage exceeding the allowable value) are maintained. ) Becomes possible.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual perspective view of the cartridge replacement unit 12 of the multicolor and small quantity coating system 10 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the painting booth 14 has a tunnel shape, for example, and is not shown in the figure. It is installed. For example, a multi-joint painting robot (not shown) is arranged as a coating device for coating a workpiece conveyed to one or both sides of the conveying device. This coating robot is, for example, a type that discharges paint in the form of a mist from an application gun, and applies a predetermined paint to a predetermined position of a work according to a program. Since the paint booth 14 has mist-like paint floating therein, it is necessary to separate it from the outside in order to maintain the external environment of the paint booth 14. In addition, it is necessary to form a stable air flow in the painting booth 14 in order to stably apply the mist-like paint to the work and to collect or discard the paint that has not been applied to the work. An air supply / exhaust system and the like are provided. Accordingly, the interior of the painting booth 14 becomes a substantially sealed space due to the side wall 14a, the ceiling wall 14b, etc., and the atmosphere inside the painting booth 14 goes out of the booth beyond the predetermined allowable range. The surrounding atmosphere and dust are prevented from entering the painting booth 14.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, the cartridge replacement unit 12 is arranged in a form attached to a part of the painting booth 14. FIG. 2 shows a conceptual configuration diagram of the cartridge exchange unit 12 as viewed from above. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cartridge replacement unit 12 has a box shape, one side opens toward the inside of the painting booth 14, and the other three sides are provided with doors 12 a that can be opened and closed, The inside of the cartridge exchange unit 12 can be easily accessed during maintenance. Further, on the front side, a control panel 12b for controlling the multicolor small quantity coating system 10 including the cartridge replacement unit 12 is disposed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge exchange unit 12 has a cartridge stocker 18 for storing a plurality of cartridges 16 filled with a predetermined amount of paint for each type, and a paint filled in the cartridge stocker 18. A cartridge exchanging device (for example, an arm robot) 22 for transferring the cartridge 16 to the cartridge loading unit 20 of the painting robot and returning the used cartridge 16 from the cartridge loading unit 20 to the cartridge stocker 18 is disposed.
[0018]
Here, the cartridge 16 is a cartridge filled with a predetermined amount of paint determined for each workpiece. For example, when painting the body of one automobile with four painting robots, one is painted. It is a cylindrical container filled with about 1/4 of the paint required for the above. Basically, the cartridge replacement unit 12 is arranged for each painting robot. Therefore, when a workpiece that continuously paints the same paint (for example, the same color) is not conveyed, the cartridge 16 prepared in the cartridge stocker 18 is classified by paint type. One (color, component, etc.) may be prepared, but in the case of automobiles, there are popular colors and the like, and workpieces using the same paint may be continuously conveyed depending on the order state. In this case, it is sufficient to prepare at least two cartridges 16 of the same paint in the cartridge stocker 18. That is, while the coating robot is using one cartridge 16, the other cartridge 16 remaining in the cartridge stocker 18 may be filled with paint for the next workpiece.
[0019]
Normally, filling of the cartridge 16 with the paint is performed on the cartridge stocker 18. That is, piping from a plurality of paint tanks (not shown) installed outside the painting booth 14 is connected to the cartridge stocker 18 and the cartridge 16 is stored in the cartridge stocker 18 for each paint type. The predetermined cartridge 16 is filled with a predetermined amount of paint. However, as described above, since the number of pipes connected to the cartridge stocker 18 is limited by the scale of the cartridge replacement unit 12 and the paint tank, the cartridge 16 that can be filled with paint on the cartridge stocker 18 is Priority is given to paints of frequently used colors and components. In the present embodiment, the cartridge 16 that is frequently used paint (ordinary paint) and can be filled on the cartridge stocker 18 is referred to as a regular filling cartridge 16a. On the other hand, in this embodiment, although not frequently used, the cartridge 16 filled with a paint necessary for the operation of the coating system is referred to as an emergency filling cartridge 16b. The emergency filling cartridge 16 b is filled at a position other than the cartridge stocker 18, that is, outside the coating booth 14 without using the piping, and is supplied onto the cartridge stocker 18.
[0020]
The characteristic feature of this embodiment is that the used emergency filling cartridge 16b and the discharge and supply of the filled emergency filling cartridge 16b to the painting booth 14, more specifically, the discharging and supply to the cartridge stocker 18 are applied to the entire painting system. It is possible to easily carry out the process without lowering the coating processing efficiency.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, the emergency filling cartridge 16b is discharged / supplied by the cartridge carrier 24 which can be moved back and forth inside and outside the coating booth 14. Details of the cartridge carrier 24 are shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4A, a part of the cartridge stocker 18, in the case of FIG. 4A, six at the right corner protrude in the pull-out form to the outside of the cartridge replacement unit 12, that is, outside the coating booth 14. It is supposed to be. Accordingly, on the cartridge stocker 18, 27 regular filling cartridges 16a and six emergency filling cartridges 16b can be mounted.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 4B, the cartridge carrier 24 is guided by, for example, a guide rail 26 disposed on the bottom surface side, and can move smoothly inside and outside the cartridge replacement unit 12. The advance / retreat operation of the cartridge carrier 24 may be performed manually or automatically using a motor, a fluid pressure cylinder, or the like.
[0023]
It should be noted that detectors, such as limit switches 28a and 28b, for detecting the advance / retreat position of the cartridge carrier 24 are disposed at the rear end and the front end of the guide rail 26. The limit switch 28a arranged at the rear end detects that the cartridge carrier 24 is housed in a predetermined position in the cartridge exchange unit 12, and permits the cartridge 16 to be exchanged by the cartridge exchange device 22 described above. A signal (detection signal A) is output. Further, the limit switch 28b disposed at the front end detects that the cartridge carrier 24 has protruded to a predetermined position outside the cartridge exchange unit 12, prohibits the operation of the cartridge exchange device 22, and prevents the emergency filling cartridge 16b. A signal (detection signal B) for permitting access from the outside of the cartridge exchange unit 12, that is, taking out the used emergency filling cartridge 16b and loading the filled emergency filling cartridge 16b is output.
[0024]
It is preferable to provide a lock mechanism for locking the position of the cartridge carrier 24 at each of the storage position of the cartridge carrier 24 where the limit switch 28a is turned on and the protruding position of the cartridge carrier 24 where the limit switch 28b is turned on. This lock mechanism may be, for example, a lock pin mechanism using a solenoid or an adsorption mechanism using a magnet. The control unit of the cartridge exchange unit 12 controls the lock mechanism based on the outputs of the limit switches 28a and 28b to prevent the cartridge carrier 24 from advancing and retracting carelessly.
[0025]
Further, since the cartridge carrier 24 advances and retreats through the opening 30 in which the inside and the outside of the painting booth 14 communicate spatially, the atmosphere inside and outside the painting booth 14 circulates through the opening 30, and the painting booth 14. There is a risk that the mist-like paint or solvent component floating inside will leak to the outside, and conversely dust or the like may enter the coating booth 14 from the outside. Therefore, in this embodiment, a seal member 32 for preventing the circulation of the atmosphere inside and outside the coating booth 14 is provided around at least one of the periphery of the cartridge carrier 24 or the periphery of the opening 30. The seal member 32 may be, for example, a brush-shaped member made of a deformable resin material such as rubber or a fiber material. The seal member 32 only needs to be able to prevent the flow amount so that the flow of the atmosphere inside and outside the coating booth 14 is within a predetermined allowable range, and the coating booth 14 does not necessarily need to be completely airtight.
[0026]
The operation of the multicolor small quantity coating system 10 including the cartridge replacement unit 12 configured as described above will be described.
[0027]
As described above, the filling of the regular filling cartridge 16a for storing the frequently used paint is directly performed on the cartridge stocker 18 through the pipe extending from the paint tank outside the painting booth 14. That is, when the used regular filling cartridge 16a is returned from the painting robot to the cartridge stocker 18 by the cartridge exchange device 22, the coating material corresponding to the regular filling cartridge 16a is filled. Meanwhile, the cartridge exchange device 22 selects the regular filling cartridge 16a corresponding to the workpiece to be coated next, and supplies it to the painting robot. As described above, basically, since the work using the same paint is not continuously conveyed, the cartridge exchange device 22 immediately sends the regular filling cartridge 16a filled with a different type of paint to the painting robot. Since it can be supplied, the work conveyed in the painting booth 14 can receive a continuous painting operation without stopping due to waiting for the supply of the paint. In addition, even when workpieces using the same paint are continuously conveyed, the above-described continuous painting operation can be performed if two regular filling cartridges 16a filled with the same paint are prepared and the regular filling cartridge 16a is replaced. Can do.
[0028]
In this manner, the regular filling cartridge 16a prepared in the cartridge stocker 18 is selected by the cartridge exchange device 22 and is transported to the cartridge loading unit 20 of the painting robot, and the painting of the workpiece by the painting robot is started. The After the completion of the predetermined painting operation, the used regular filling cartridge 16a is returned to the cartridge stocker 18 by the cartridge exchange device 22. Further, the cartridge exchanging device 22 executes continuous coating by selecting another filled normal filling cartridge 16a and transporting it to the cartridge loading section 20.
[0029]
Each cartridge storage hole of each regular filling cartridge 16a and cartridge stocker 18 is provided with an individual identifier (for example, an identification pin, a bar code, etc.), and the cartridge changer 22 uses which regular cartridge to which cartridge storage hole. It is always recognized whether the filling cartridge 16a is stored.
[0030]
On the other hand, when it is necessary to paint a work using a paint that is not frequently used, it is necessary to supply the emergency filling cartridge 16b to the cartridge stocker 18 before the work reaches the painting position. Usually, the work is painted in accordance with a production plan that is planned in advance. Therefore, the timing when the emergency filling cartridge 16b is actually required can be recognized before that, for example, one hour before. Therefore, based on the production plan or the like, the control panel 12b outputs a signal requesting the supply operation of the emergency filling cartridge 16b and a display. The output of this signal or display is performed while the regular filling cartridge 16a is being used, that is, when the emergency filling cartridge 16b is not being used. When a signal or display requesting a supply operation is output, the cartridge carrier 24 is pulled out from the cartridge replacement unit 12 and an emergency filling cartridge 16b filled with paint based on the production plan is provided at a predetermined position of the cartridge carrier 24. . Thereafter, the cartridge carrier 24 is pushed back into the original cartridge exchange unit 12 and arranged on the cartridge stocker 18. It should be noted that the emergency filling cartridge 16b is also provided with an identifier, and it is desirable to monitor whether or not the predetermined emergency filling cartridge 16b has been provided at a predetermined position of the cartridge carrier 24, and the result is indicated by the control panel 12b or the like. It is desirable.
[0031]
Thus, the emergency filling cartridge 16b is provided in advance to the cartridge stocker 18 via the cartridge carrier 24, so that the cartridge exchange device 22 can handle the emergency filling cartridge 16b in the same manner as the regular filling cartridge 16a. Thus, a desired paint can be supplied to the painting robot, and the special painting work conveyed in the painting booth 14 can receive a continuous painting operation without stopping. In other words, the emergency filling cartridge 16b is provided to the cartridge exchange unit 12 independently of the painting processing operation by the pull-out type cartridge carrier 24, so that the painting processing operation can be interrupted to replace the emergency filling cartridge 16b. The operator does not need to enter the painting booth 14, and even when using paint that is infrequently used, the painting operation is performed in the same manner as the usual handling of the paint without any temporary suspension of the system. be able to.
[0032]
The supply and discharge of the emergency filling cartridge 16b to and from the cartridge carrier 24, the filling operation of the paint to the emergency filling cartridge 16b, etc. can be performed either manually by a worker or semi-automatically using an auxiliary device. An automatic system that fully supplies, discharges, and fills the filling cartridge 16b may be used.
[0033]
Further, in the present embodiment, other configurations are optional as long as the cartridge carrier 24 is movable back and forth with respect to the painting booth 14 and the emergency filling cartridge 16b is discharged and supplied via the cartridge carrier 24. It can be changed as appropriate and the same effect can be obtained. For example, the form of the cartridge carrier 24, the number of accommodated emergency filling cartridges 16b, the drawing system, and the like can be arbitrarily changed. Further, in this embodiment, an example in which the cartridge exchange unit 12 is arranged for each painting robot has been shown. However, the cartridge exchange device 22 is configured to be arbitrarily movable in the painting booth 14 so that a plurality of cartridge exchange units 18 The cartridge 16 may be provided to the painting robot. Of course, the cartridge exchange device 22 may also be constituted by a device using an XY table, and the cartridge 16 received from the cartridge stocker 18 may be transported in the coating booth 14 and supplied to the coating robot.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the replacement of the emergency filling cartridge is performed by pulling out the cartridge carrier from the coating booth while the regular filling cartridge is in use, that is, at a timing when the cartridge stocker does not have access to the cartridge exchange device. As a result, the emergency filling cartridge can be replaced without stopping the painting operation of the painting apparatus or the like. And the emergency filling cartridge can be handled by the cartridge changer as in the case of the regular filling cartridge, and the continuous painting can be performed without any interruption in the painting process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual perspective view for explaining the external appearance of a cartridge replacement part of a multicolor small quantity coating system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of a cartridge replacement part of the multicolor small quantity coating system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a cartridge replacement part of the multicolor small quantity coating system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the cartridge carrier of the cartridge replacement part of the multicolor small quantity coating system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Multi-color small quantity coating system, 12 Cartridge replacement part, 14 Coating booth, 16 cartridge, 16a Regular filling cartridge, 16b Emergency filling cartridge, 18 Cartridge stocker, 20 Cartridge loading part, 22 Cartridge changer, 24 Cartridge carrier, 30 Opening Part, 32 seal member.

Claims (2)

Painting booth,
A painting device arranged in the painting booth and for painting a work moving in the painting booth;
A stocker for storing cartridges filled with paint for each type to be supplied to the coating apparatus, and storing a regular filling cartridge that can be filled in the painting booth and an emergency filling cartridge that can be filled outside the painting booth. A cartridge stocker
A cartridge exchange device for exchanging and providing a predetermined cartridge for the coating device;
Including
The cartridge stocker
It includes a cartridge carrier on which the emergency filling cartridge is mounted and which can freely move in and out of the painting booth. The cartridge carrier enables replacement of the emergency filling cartridge during use of the regular filling cartridge. Multicolor small volume painting system. The system of claim 1, wherein
The cartridge carrier is movable back and forth through an opening formed in the painting booth, and at least one of the cartridge carrier and the opening is provided with a seal member for preventing the atmosphere from flowing inside and outside the painting booth. A multicolor low-volume coating system characterized by

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