JPH06126223A - Washer for coating material piping - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively wash coating material piping by using the downtime of a coating line. CONSTITUTION:A manifold 1 having color change valves 21-26 connected to plural coating material cans 5A, 5B and a thinner can 9 is connected to coating material feed piping L4 having a trigger 12 and a spray gun 13 at the end. Discharge piping L5 for introducing the thinner fed Irons the thinner can 9 to a discharge tank 15 diverges from the end of coating material feed piping L4 so as to wash the coating material remaining in the coating material feed piping L4 on color change. Further return piping L6 connected to the thinner can 9 diverges from the discharge piping L5 through a switching valve 16. The thinner in the thinner can 9 is circulated through the manifold 1, the coating material feed piping L5, the discharge piping L5, the switching valve 16 and the return piping L6 in the downtime of a coating line, causing the coating material remaining in the coating material feed piping L4 to be effectively washed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paint pipe cleaning apparatus for cleaning a paint pipe connecting a manifold having a plurality of color change valves and a coating gun with a thinner supplied from a thinner supply source to the manifold.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the overcoating process of an automobile body, the same painting gun is used to coat the vehicles of different painting colors flowing on the line. Therefore, the paint pipes connected to the painting gun are washed every time the painting color changes. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the deterioration of the coating quality due to the mixture of other color paints.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional paint pipe cleaning apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (for example, six) color change valves 2 provided on a manifold 1 are provided.
₂₁ to the _six, the first color change valve 2 ₁ paint supply pipe L in which a paint pump 3 and the paint supply valve 4
_It is connected via 1 to the paint can 5A containing the paint of the first color. In addition, the first color change valve 2 ₁ and the paint can 5
A is a paint circulation pipe L ₂ provided with a back dam pump 6
Connected via. Although not shown, the remaining _second to fifth color change valves 2 ₂ to ₂₅ have the same structure as that of the above-mentioned first color change valve 2 ₁ and are of the second to fifth colors. The paint supply systems are connected to each other. The final sixth color change valve ₂₆ is connected to the thinner can 9 via the thinner pump 7 and the thinner supply pipe L ₃ provided with the thinner supply valve 8.

The outlet of the manifold 1 is the regulator 1
0, a filter 11 and a trigger 12, and is connected to a coating gun 13 via a coating supply pipe L ₄ . A discharge pipe L ₅ having a dump valve 14 branches from between the filter 11 and the trigger 12 of the paint supply pipe L ₄ , and the tip of the discharge pipe L ₅ is connected to the discharge tank 15.

Next, the case of applying the first color paint will be described.

The first color paint stored in the paint can 5A is
In order to prevent the hardening, it is constituted by a paint supply pipe L ₁ provided with a paint pump 3 and a paint supply valve 4, a first color change valve 2 ₁ , and a paint circulation pipe L ₂ provided with a back dam pump 6. Circulating in a closed circuit. When first opening the color change valve 2 ₁ so as to start painting, the first color coating material which has flowed from the paint supply pipe L ₁ to the manifold 1, the regulator 10, paint supply pipe L provided with a filter 11 and a trigger 12 It is sprayed from the coating gun 13 through ₄ . At this time, the dump valve 14 provided in the discharge pipe L ₅ is in the closed state, and the paint supply pipe L ₄
The communication between the exhaust tank 15 and the discharge tank 15 is cut off.

When the coating of the first color paint is completed, the paint can 5A is replaced with the thinner can 5B, and the paint supply pipe L ₁ and the first color change valve 2 _{1 in} which the first color paint was circulated until then. Also, a thinner is circulated in the paint circulation pipe L ₂ for cleaning.

While the upstream portion of the manifold 1 is cleaned as described above, the downstream portion of the manifold 1 is
That is, the space between the manifold 1 and the coating gun 13 is cleaned as follows.

First, the thinner pump 7 is driven in a state where the trigger 12 is closed and the dump valve 14 is opened, and the thinner pump 7 and the thinner supply valve 8 are provided in the thinner supply pipe L ₃ and the sixth color change valve 2. ₆ , the thinner contained in the thinner can 9 is supplied to the discharge tank 15 via the paint supply pipe L ₄ provided with the manifold 1, the regulator 10 and the filter 11 and the discharge pipe L ₅ provided with the dump valve 14. The space between the thinner can 9 and the discharge tank 15 is cleaned by. Followed by closing the dump valve 14 is opened to trigger 12, the remaining unwashed portions, i.e. the end portion of the paint supply pipe L ₄ Trigger 12
And the coating gun 13 is washed.

[0011] As described above, the first color paint to residual Once cleaned all painted by the second color paint is started by opening e.g. a second color change valve 2 _2.

[0012]

By the way, in order to efficiently carry out the painting work, it is necessary to complete the washing of the above-mentioned manifold 1 and the paint supply pipe L ₄ downstream thereof in a short time of about 10 seconds. . However, it is difficult to completely clean the remaining paint in a short time, which may cause the paint to settle in the paint supply pipe L ₄ and cause troubles such as narrowing of the pipe and clogging of the coating gun 13. there were.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paint pipe cleaning apparatus capable of reliably cleaning the remaining paint without affecting the painting work.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paint pipe for connecting a manifold having a plurality of color change valves and a paint gun to a thinner supplied from a thinner supply source to the manifold. In the paint pipe cleaning device to be cleaned with, the branch of the return pipe that can be opened and closed by the dump valve from the upstream position of the trigger provided near the coating gun is branched and connected to the thinner supply source, and the dump valve is opened. It is characterized in that the thinner after cleaning the pipe is returned to the thinner supply source through the return pipe.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a paint pipe cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those of the conventional paint pipe cleaning apparatus (see FIG. 2) described above are designated by the same reference numerals. is there.

In the paint pipe cleaning apparatus of this embodiment, the switching valve 16 is provided at a position downstream of the dump valve 14 in the discharge pipe line L _5.
Is provided, and is characterized in that the return pipe L ₆ branched from the switching valve 16 is connected to the thinner can 9.
The other structure is the same as that of FIG.

In the normal state, the switching valve 16 is in the right position, and the dump valve 14 communicates with the discharge tank 15. Then, at the time of color change, similarly to the above, first, with the trigger 12 closed and the dump valve 14 opened, the thinner from the thinner can 9 is passed through the manifold 1, the paint supply pipe L ₄ and the discharge pipe L _5. Supply to the discharge tank 15 and the thinner can 9 and the discharge tank 15
Wash between Next, the trigger 12 is opened and the dump valve 14 is closed, and the trigger 12 and the coating gun 13, which are unwashed portions at the end of the paint supply pipe L ₄ , are washed with thinner.

When the coating line is at rest, such as during lunch break, the switching valve 16 is switched to the left position shown in FIG. 1, and the discharge pipe L ₅ is separated from the discharge tank 15 and connected to the return pipe L ₆ . This allows thinner can 9
The thinner is from the thinner supply pipe L ₃ , the sixth color change valve 2 ₆ , the manifold 1, the paint supply pipe L ₄ , the discharge pipe L ₅ , the switching valve 16 and the return pipe L _6.
The paint is supplied to the thinner can 9 through the closed circuit to circulate, and the paint supply pipe L ₄ to which paint is apt to adhere is sufficiently washed during that time. At this time, the thinner circulates in the closed circuit, so that the amount used can be extremely small. When the coating line is restarted, the switching valve 16 is switched to the right position to
Painting operation is resumed by opening any of the ~ fifth color change valve 2 ₁ to 2 _5.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes can be made.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the upstream position of the trigger provided near the paint gun at the end of the paint supply pipe and the thinner supply source are connected by the return pipe opened and closed by the dump valve, The thinner supplied from the thinner supply source and used to wash the paint pipe is returned to the thinner supply source via the return pipe. By circulating the paint, the paint remaining in the paint supply pipe can be effectively washed. Moreover, since the thinner only circulates in the closed circuit, it can be used in an extremely small amount and is economical.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a paint pipe cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Overall configuration diagram of a conventional paint pipe cleaning device

[Explanation of symbols]

1 manifold 2 ₁ to 2 ₆ color change valve 9 thinner cans (thinner supply source) 12 Trigger 13 the painting gun 14 dump valve L ₄ paint supply pipe (paint pipe) L ₆ feedback pipe

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of color change valves (2 ₁ to 2)
_The paint supply pipe (L ₄ ) connecting the manifold (1) having the above ( ₆ ) and the coating gun (13) to the thinner supply source (9).
In a paint pipe cleaning apparatus for cleaning with a thinner supplied from a manifold (1) to a manifold (1), a return pipe (L) that can be opened and closed by a dump valve (14) from a position upstream of a trigger (12) provided near a coating gun (13). ₆ ) is branched and connected to the thinner supply source (9), and the dump valve (14) is opened to clean the thinner of the paint pipe (L ₄ ) to the return pipe (L ₆ ).
A paint pipe cleaning device, characterized in that the paint is recycled to the thinner supply source (9) via the.