KR20120072374A - Electrostatic coating machine employing removable paint cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The paint passage of the sprayer body is cleaned, including the connecting portion of the sprayer body and the paint cartridge, ie the paint outlet of the paint cartridge. The paint cartridge 10 has a stepped sleeve 300 which projects downward from the lower end face and is displaceable up and down. At the lower end of the step sleeve 300, a valve seat 302 of the first check valve 30 is formed. The movable valve body 304 seated on the valve seat 302 is pressurized in the direction seated on the valve seat 302 by the inner circumferential spring 306. In the recessed part 40 of the sprayer main body 6, the 2nd recessed part 402 for accommodating the small diameter part 300a of the step | step sleeve 300 is formed. The paint supply passage 44 is opened at the center of the bottom of the second recess 8402.

Description

ELECTROSTATIC COATING MACHINE EMPLOYING REMOVABLE PAINT CARTRIDGE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to electrostatic spraying machines, and more particularly to electrostatic spraying machines equipped with a removable paint cartridge.

As an electrostatic paint machine suitable for electroconductive paints, such as an aqueous paint and a metallic paint, a paint cartridge type electrostatic paint machine is known. The paint cartridge type electrostatic spraying machine has a paint cartridge detachably mounted to the main body of the paint machine, and the coating of the automobile body or the like is performed using the conductive paint contained in the paint cartridge. The paint cartridge type electrostatic spraying device has an advantage of preventing the high voltage from leaking to the outside through the conductive paint.

Conventional electrostatic spraying machines which receive paint from an external paint source are largely divided into rotary atomizing sprayers equipped with rotary atomizing heads (so-called "bell cups") and spray spraying machines, but both of these types of coatings Of course, the cartridge is applied.

The paint cartridge is also called a paint cassette or a paint tank unit. However, the paint cartridge can be classified into first, a piston type (Patent Documents 1 to 3) which pushes the paint into the piston, and second, presses the paint bag by applying pressure to the paint bag. It can classify as a paint back type (patent documents 4-7) which pushes a paint out of a paint bag by crushing.

Specifically, the piston type paint cartridges of Patent Documents 1 to 3 have a paint housing chamber partitioned by a piston and a working liquid chamber on the side opposite to the paint storage chamber with a piston therebetween, and the working liquid (typically in the working liquid chamber). By supplying a non-conductive liquid such as thinner and pushing down the piston, the paint in the paint holding chamber is pushed out of the paint cartridge, and the paint is supplied to the bell cup through the feed tube. Moreover, since the paint cartridge of patent documents 1-3 is provided with the feed tube which can be inserted in a coating machine main body, it can also be called the paint cartridge with a feed tube.

As described above, Patent Document 4 discloses a paint cartridge provided with a paint bag for forming a paint storage chamber, but the paint cartridge of Patent Document 4 includes a feed tube that can be inserted into the main body of the coating machine. Therefore, the paint cartridge disclosed in this patent document 4 can also be called a paint cartridge provided with a feed tube. Patent document 4 discloses two methods as a method of pressing a paint bag and crushing it. One method is to supply a working liquid around the paint bag, apply pressure directly to the paint bag with the working liquid, and press the paint bag to crush it. The other is to prepare a fluid bag adjacent to the paint bag and also to form the fluid chamber, supplying the fluid to the fluid bag to expand the fluid bag, and expanding the fluid bag to the paint bag. It is a method of pressing and crushing the paint bag by applying pressure.

Patent document 5 proposes to prevent a relative displacement of a paint bag and a hydraulic fluid bag by connecting the contact surfaces of a paint bag and a hydraulic fluid bag to each other in the paint cartridge provided with a paint bag and a hydraulic fluid bag. In addition, Patent Document 5 proposes filling the gap between the paint bag and the working liquid bag with a third liquid.

Patent document 6 proposes a paint cartridge which can observe the inside by making the outer case of the paint cartridge provided with a paint bag from the nylon resin which is a transparent hard plastic. Moreover, this patent document 6 has shown that the coating material also comprises transparent resin.

Patent document 7 discloses a white paint cartridge without a feed tube. This white paint cartridge has a sleeve constituting the paint outlet port of the paint cartridge, and a one-way valve composed of a ball valve (moving valve) is attached to the sleeve. The coating machine main body on which this paint cartridge is mounted has a shutter which opens and closes the upstream end of the coating passage in this coating machine main body. In addition, the main body of the sprayer has a cleaning liquid supply passage through which the cleaning liquid is supplied from the outside, and when the shutter is closed, the cleaning liquid supply passage is connected through a connecting passage (called a "shutter passage") formed by the shutter. Communicate with the paint passage.

An open / close valve is interposed in the middle of the cleaning liquid supply passage. This on-off valve is mechanically associated with the shutter. The open / close valve is closed when the shutter is opened, and the open / close valve is opened when the shutter is closed. When the white paint cartridge is mounted on the sprayer body, the shutter is opened, and the paint outlet port of the cartridge communicates with the paint passage in the sprayer body. Thereby, paint can be supplied to a coating machine main body from a cartridge (paint bag). When the paint cartridge is empty and the paint cartridge is removed from the sprayer body, the shutter is closed, and the cleaning liquid open / close valve is opened in conjunction with the closing operation of the shutter. As described above, the shutter passage is formed by the shutter in the closed state, and the cleaning liquid supply passage and the paint passage communicate with each other through the shutter passage. When the cleaning liquid is supplied from the outside to the sprayer main body (cleaning liquid supply passage) in a state where the paint cartridge is removed, the paint passage in the sprayer main body can be cleaned by the cleaning liquid.

Moreover, the membrane pump described in patent document 8 is known as a method of pushing out a coating material using a working liquid. The membrane pump of this patent document 8 does not relate to a paint cartridge. However, the case of the membrane pump has a paint port open at one end face and a working fluid port open at the other end face, and the inside of the case is divided into a paint receiving chamber and a working liquid chamber by a flexible membrane. By supplying the working liquid to the working liquid chamber through the working liquid port, the paint filled in the paint receiving chamber flows out through the paint port, and the spilled paint is supplied to the electrostatic sprayer. Therefore, the principle of the membrane pump of patent document 8 is applicable to a paint cartridge.

The paint cartridge which can be detached to the main body of a coating machine has a finite quantity of paint which can accommodate this. For this reason, when painting of one automobile body is complete | finished, for example, replacement of a paint cartridge is performed for painting of the next automobile body.

Patent document 9 is performing the technical disclosure regarding the replacement of the paint cartridge of the coating robot provided with an electrostatic spraying machine. Specifically, when painting of one automobile body is finished, the used paint cartridge is removed from the paint body in the paint cartridge replacement station, and then a new paint cartridge is attached to the paint body. That is, replacement of the paint cartridge. Then, while the painting robot is painting the automobile body in the middle of the painting, the paint cartridge replacement station fills the used paint cartridge with the paint, and the paint cartridge filled with the paint is stocked for reuse.

The color replacement is actually carried out in a piston type paint cartridge about filling and reusing a filled paint cartridge. That is, the piston type paint cartridge is also filled with paint of the same color, but as described in detail in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the inside of the paint cartridge (paint storage chamber) is cleaned to paint of different colors. Charging is also done. It is the so-called color replacement. In the paint cartridge disclosed in Patent Literature 1, cleaning of the paint cartridge first pushes the piston slightly ahead of the deepest portion of the paint housing chamber to discharge the paint contained in the paint cartridge. Stopping the piston a little bit in front of the piston without pushing it down to the deepest part means that if the piston is pushed down to the deepest part of the paint chamber, that is, the bottom wall of the paint chamber, even if the cleaning liquid is put into the chamber, This is because the cleaning solution cannot flow in the step (paragraph [0153] in the specification of Patent Document 1).

In this state, that is, the piston is positioned at a position slightly ahead of the deepest portion, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the paint storage chamber through the cleaning liquid supply port which is open to the bottom wall of the paint storage chamber. After flowing the inside of the paint accommodation chamber defined by the piston positioned at a position slightly ahead of the core, it is discharged to the outside through the feed tube.

Patent document 2 points out the problem of the paint cartridge of the said patent document 1 about washing of a piston type paint cartridge. As described above, Patent Document 1 proposes to position the piston at a position slightly ahead of the deepest part and to clean the interior of the paint holding chamber defined by the piston. The method of this patent document 1 points out that the flow of the washing | cleaning liquid supplied to the coating accommodation chamber through the washing | cleaning liquid supply port of the bottom part of a coating cartridge becomes turbulent, and the inside of a coating accommodation chamber cannot be wash | cleaned evenly. According to Patent Document 2, in particular, it is pointed out a problem that it is difficult to wash the paint drawn in the gap between the side surface of the piston and the side wall of the paint accommodation chamber, and it takes time to wash it off. And in order to solve the problem of patent document 1, patent document 2 proposes to form the groove | channel extended in the radial direction toward the center part of the said bottom wall in the bottom wall of a paint storage chamber.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-11396 Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-42036 Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 08-229446 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-87810 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-296750 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-347606 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-334549 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 04-87759 Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-317354

The paint cartridge type electrostatic spraying machine has been put into practical use for painting automotive bodies. And it is well-known that the coating robot which attached the electrostatic spraying machine to the arm is utilized for the painting of an automobile body. At the time of color replacement of the electrostatic spraying machine, washing of the coating machine main body is performed as disclosed in patent document 7.

Regarding the color replacement of the paint cartridge, the piston-type paint cartridge is actually performed as described above to fill the paint of a different color with the internal cleaning. However, in the white paint cartridge, only the paint of the same color is used and reused. If the paint of the paint cartridge removed from the main body of the paint is a paint of A color, the paint of A color is filled into the paint cartridge. .

It relates to cleaning of the electrostatic spraying machine main body, and is performed in the state which removed the paint cartridge from the spraying machine main body as mentioned above (patent document 7). A problem in the cleaning of the sprayer body is the cleaning of the connection portion between the sprayer body and the paint cartridge. In Patent Document 7, it is proposed to form an additional cleaning passage in the upper end surface of the sprayer body, that is, the connection portion with the paint cartridge, by providing a shutter at the upper end of the sprayer body and closing the shutter.

However, the proposal of Patent Document 7 requires a mechanical mechanism for linking the shutter to the detachment of the paint cartridge, and the structure of the main body of the coating machine becomes complicated, such as the need to secure the seal around the shutter. This causes the manufacturing cost of the sprayer body to increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic sprayer equipped with a paint cartridge which is simple in construction and can be connected to the sprayer body and the paint cartridge, i.e., the paint passage of the paint sprayer body, including the paint outlet of the paint cartridge. have.

According to the present invention, the above technical problem,

In the electrostatic spraying machine comprising a paint cartridge detachable to the sprayer body, wherein the sprayer body receives the paint supplied from the paint cartridge and paints the work.

The paint cartridge,

(i) a sleeve constituting an outlet of the paint of the paint cartridge and displaceable up and down;

(Ii) a first spring for urging the sleeve downward;

(Iii) a paint opening / closing valve installed in the sleeve and for opening and closing the outlet of the paint passage;

The sprayer body,

(i) a recess for receiving the sleeve,

(Ii) a paint passage having an opening open at a bottom of the recess, for receiving paint from the paint cartridge through the opening;

(Iii) a cleaning liquid supply passage for receiving the cleaning liquid from the outside and directing the cleaning liquid to the upper end of the paint passage;

(Iii) a sealing ring disposed at the bottom of the recess and provided at the outer peripheral portion of the upper end opening of the paint passage;

When the paint cartridge is mounted to the sprayer main body, the lower end surface of the sleeve is pressed against the seal ring by the spring force of the first spring.

According to the cartridge type electrostatic spraying machine of the present invention, during color replacement, washing of the paint passage in the spraying machine main body is performed with the coating cartridge attached to the sprayer main body. That is, in the electrostatic sprayer of the present invention, the paint of the paint cartridge is supplied to the sprayer body through the paint outlet constituted of the sleeve. The connecting portion between the outlet of the paint cartridge and the upper end opening of the paint passage of the sprayer body is sealed with the seal ring. Therefore, the paint from the paint cartridge can be prevented from contaminating the connection portion between the paint cartridge and the sprayer body. In addition, at the time of color replacement, after the paint opening / closing valve of the paint cartridge is closed, the cleaning liquid is introduced into the sprayer main body from the outside, so that the cleaning liquid drawn into the sprayer main body is discharged from the paint cartridge defined by the sealing. It is possible to clean the paint passage in the sprayer body, including the vicinity.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the paint opening / closing valve of the paint cartridge includes a fixed valve seat formed at a lower end of the sleeve, a movable valve body seated on the fixed valve seat, and the movable valve body using the fixed valve seat. And a second spring that presses against. This paint opening / closing valve can be forcibly opened by pushing up the said movable valve body by the push rod which advances from a sprayer main body side. On the contrary, the said paint opening / closing valve can be closed by retracting a push rod. As a modification, the actuator for opening and closing the paint opening / closing valve of the paint cartridge may be incorporated in the paint cartridge.

The paint cartridge of the present invention does not have a feed tube employed in a conventional paint cartridge. Therefore, it becomes easy to provide the trigger valve which consists of an opening / closing valve in the coating path of a sprayer main body. Opening and closing of this trigger valve is performed in synchronization with the start timing and end timing of painting. Therefore, the start and end of spraying of the paint of the electrostatic sprayer can be synchronized with the timing of the start and end of the coating process.

The electrostatic spraying machine of this invention can employ | adopt an arbitrary kind of paint cartridge. Specifically, the paint cartridge may be a piston cartridge which pushes the paint out by a piston, or may be a bag cartridge which pushes the paint out by crushing the paint bag. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the paint cartridge which provided the paint accommodation chamber with the film | membrane which can expand | stretch the paint storage chamber of a paint cartridge (membrane pump type cartridge).

Other objects and effects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram of the electrostatic spraying machine provided with the white paint cartridge of the Example attached to the painting robot, and is a figure which shows the coating process of an electrostatic spraying machine.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the paint bag accommodated in the paint cartridge of FIG. 1.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the bag body along the III-III line of FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the upper end inlet along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2.
Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the one-way valve provided at the lower end of the paint passage leading to the lower end inlet of the paint bag of the paint cartridge, showing a state where the paint cartridge is fixed to the sprayer body.
It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 5, Comprising: It is the figure which shows the state which forcibly opened the one-way valve provided in the lower end part of the paint path of the paint cartridge by the actuator provided with the push rod on the sprayer main body side.
FIG. 7 is a detailed view of an actuator provided with a push rod for forcibly opening a one-way valve installed at a lower end portion of a working liquid supply passage leading to a sealed space of a paint cartridge.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part extracted from the main part of FIG. 7, and is a view for explaining that the one-way valve of the working liquid supply passage of the paint cartridge can be forcibly opened by the push rod. FIG.
Fig. 9 is a view for explaining a step of washing the paint supply passage of the sprayer main body after the paint cartridge is used up, and the paint cartridge is mounted.
10 is a view for explaining a process of cleaning the interior of the paint bag by fixing the empty paint cartridge removed from the sprayer body to a predetermined position of the paint bag cleaning station after cleaning of the sprayer body is completed.
It is a figure for demonstrating the process of filling a paint bag with a paint bag after washing a paint cartridge.
It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the cleaning method of a paint cartridge, and is a figure for demonstrating the modification of a paint bag.
It is a figure for demonstrating the washing | cleaning method of the paint cartridge provided with the working liquid bag to which this invention is applicable.
It is a figure for demonstrating the other cleaning method of the paint cartridge provided with the working fluid bag to which this invention is applicable.
It is a figure for demonstrating that this invention is applicable also to the washing | cleaning of a piston type paint cartridge.

<Examples>

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the preferred embodiment of this invention is described based on an accompanying drawing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the electrostatic spraying machine attached to the painting robot. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an arm of the painting robot, and an electrostatic spraying machine 2 is attached to the tip end portion of the robot arm 1. Although the electrostatic spraying machine 2 exemplarily shows the rotary atomizing spraying machine provided with the bell cup 4 as a paint atomization means, the present invention can also be suitably applied to a spray type.

The electrostatic sprayer 2 is a paint cartridge type coater. Specifically, the electrostatic sprayer 2 has a sprayer main body 6 fixed to the tip of the robot arm 1 and an upper end surface of the sprayer main body 6, that is, a surface opposite to the bell cup 4. It has a paint cartridge 10 mounted in it. The paint cartridge 10 is detachable from the sprayer main body 6.

The paint cartridge 10 has a paint bag 12 constituting a paint storage chamber for filling paint. The paint of the paint bag 12 is forcibly reduced by applying pressure to the paint bag 12 from the outside and pressing the paint bag 12 to crush it, thereby forcibly reducing the volume of the paint storage chamber formed of the paint bag 12. The sprayer main body 6 can be supplied.

The paint cartridge 10 has the sealed space 14 which accommodated the paint bag 12, This sealed space 14 is formed by the outer case 16. As shown in FIG. The outer case 16 is preferably made of a transparent or translucent rigid material, and is typically made of a transparent or translucent plastic material.

The paint cartridge 10 is a cartridge of a system in which pressure is applied directly to the paint bag 12 by a working liquid. From this point, the circumference of the paint bag 12 is satisfied with the working liquid. The working liquid is suitably employed as an insulating liquid, and typically an insulating thinner is used as the working liquid. Since air is not preferably mixed in the working liquid in the sealed space 14 constituting the working liquid chamber, in order to trap the air in the sealed space 14, the sealed space 14 has a convex shape of air storage at its top. It is preferable to provide the part 14a.

2 is a front view of the paint bag 12. The paint bag 12 is a cylindrical flexible plastic molded article that is opened up and down. Specifically, with reference to FIG. 2, the paint bag 12 has the cylindrical bag main body 12a extended up and down, and the upper end inlet part 12b extended upward from the upper end part of this bag main body 12a. And a lower end inlet 12c extending downward from the lower end of the bag main body 12a. That is, the paint bag 12 is opened up and down via the inlets 12b and 12c of the upper end part and the lower end part. As for this paint bag 12, the upper part inlet part 12b and the lower part inlet part 12c are being fixed to the paint cartridge 10, and the bag main body 12a is transversed by the hydraulic fluid supplied to the sealed space 14. As shown in FIG. Press in the direction to crush. The bag main body 12a of the coating bag 12 is comprised in the shape in which the corner part between the upper end inlet part 12b and the lower end part inlet part 12c was smoothly curved.

By the way, the coating bag currently implemented is manufactured by heat-sealing two thin flexible sheets, and it is easy to adhere a coating material to the inner surface of a coating bag, and to reduce the amount of the paint which remain | survives in a coating bag as little as possible. There was no consideration. As can be seen from this point, in the conventional white paint cartridge, the idea of filling and reusing the paint of the same color is limited, and there is no idea of washing and reusing the inside of the paint bag.

The coating bag 12 of the Example is a molded article which consists of flexible synthetic resin materials manufactured using the shaping | molding die, and the inner surface of the coating bag 12 is comprised from the seamless and smooth surface. Although the low molecular weight polyethylene is employ | adopted as the material in the coating bag 12 of this Example, this is based on the reason that the low molecular weight polyethylene was the material suitable for making a thin and flexible bag by blow molding. The low molecular polyethylene is a resin material with durability required when washing the interior of the paint bag 12 and reusing the paint bag 12 several times.

Of course, the material and the shaping | molding method of the coating bag 12 are not limited to the low molecular polyethylene and blow molding mentioned above. In order to reduce the amount of paint discarded at the time of internal cleaning and the cleaning of the paint bag 12 to an extreme, as a characteristic of the paint bag 12, (1) moderate flexibility of at least the bag body 12a, and (2) water repellency (3) It is good to have a seamless and smooth inner surface. Therefore, as long as this condition is satisfied, the molding method and the resin material of the coating bag 12 can be arbitrarily selected. In addition, by treating the inner surface of the paint bag 12, the inner surface of the paint bag 12 may be imparted with smoothness without water repellency or seam. For example, the nylon resin or the fluorine resin-based FEP is a resin material excellent in chemical resistance and self-lubrication property. However, the coating bag 12 may be produced using these resins. Further, for example, the inner surface of the paint bag 12 may be coated with a FEP material. As a method of the inner surface treatment of the coating bag 12, a coating method, a lining method, and a resin vapor deposition method are mentioned to an example. Moreover, a coating layer can also be formed in the inner surface of the coating bag 12 by immersing the coating bag 12 in the liquid of suitable resin material.

As described above, the paint bag 12 in FIG. 2 is designed to push the paint out of the lower end inlet 12c by the bag main body 12a being crushed in the lateral direction. If necessary to improve the crushing characteristics of the bag main body 12a, as shown by an imaginary line in FIGS. 2 and 4, a single or a plurality of longitudinally long pieces extending in the longitudinal direction to the bag main body 12a are provided. The furrows 12d may be molded integrally.

As for the paint bag 12 which comprises a paint storage chamber, it is good that at least the bag main body 12a is transparent or translucent. If the bag body 12a is transparent or translucent, there is an advantage that the color of the paint in the bag body 12a and the filling amount of the paint can be visually confirmed from the outside. In addition, it becomes easy to find that the paint bag 12 is damaged and a paint leaks. This advantage is based on the premise that the outer case 16 forming the working liquid chamber (sealed space 14) is transparent or translucent.

3 shows the cross-sectional shape of the main body 12a, and FIG. 4 shows the cross-sectional shape of the upper end inlet 12b. The upper end inlet 12b is circular in cross section, and although not shown, the lower end inlet 12c also has a circular cross section. These upper end inlets 12b and lower end inlets 12c are fixed to the paint cartridge 10.

Returning to FIG. 1, the paint cartridge 10 has four internal passages 20, 22, 24, and 26. The first internal passage 20 is a paint passage communicating with the lower end inlet portion 12c of the paint bag 12. The second internal passage 22 is a working liquid supply passage communicating with a lower end portion of the sealed space 14 constituting the working liquid chamber. The third internal passage 24 is a cleaning liquid supply passage communicating with the upper end inlet 12b of the paint bag 12. The fourth internal passage 26 is a working liquid discharge passage communicating with the upper end portion (air storage portion 14a) of the sealed space 14.

The first to fourth internal passages 20 to 26 are open to the lower surface of the paint cartridge 10. The lower surface of the paint cartridge 10 constitutes a contact surface with the sprayer main body 6 when the paint cartridge 10 is mounted on the sprayer main body 6.

Check valves 30, 32, 34, 36 functioning as on / off valves are assembled in the first to fourth internal passages 20 to 26, respectively. In FIG. 1, although the 1st-4th check valves 30-36 are shown in the position spaced apart from the lower surface of the paint cartridge 10, this is for the drawing manufacture reason, and the 1st-4th check valve ( 30, 32, 34, 36 are actually arranged adjacent to the lower surface of the paint cartridge 10. As shown in FIG. The 1st thru | or 4th check valves 30-36 which function as an on-off valve are comprised from the fixed valve seat and the spring pressurized movable valve body. Since such a check valve is conventionally well-known, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted, but the special check valve is employ | adopted as the 1st check valve 30 of the 1st internal passage (painting passage) 20. As shown in FIG. The first check valve 30 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

Subsequently, the sprayer main body 6 and the robot arm 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the coating machine main body 6, the recessed part 40 is formed in the upper end surface, ie, the surface opposite to the bell cup 4, and the paint cartridge 10 is accommodated by this recessed part 40. FIG. When the paint cartridge 10 is accommodated in the recess 40, the paint cartridge 10 is fixed to the sprayer main body 6 by a lock mechanism 42 operated by air.

The sprayer main body 6 has a paint supply passage 44 for supplying the paint received from the paint cartridge 10 to the bell cup 4, and a trigger valve 46 is interposed therein. It is installed. This trigger valve 46 is comprised by the opening-closing valve which opens and closes by pilot air. In the figure, reference numeral 48 denotes an air motor, and the bell cup is driven to rotate by the air motor 48.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 11-262699 discloses a piston type paint cartridge similar to Patent Documents 1 to 3, and also discloses a paint cartridge provided with a feed tube. FIG. 5 of this Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 11-262699 shows the details of a valve mechanism for opening and closing a tip (lower end) opening of a feed tube. The valve mechanism of the front end (lower end) of the feed tube corresponds to the trigger valve 46 described above, but the valve mechanism of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-262699 discloses a piston rod of an air cylinder built into a sprayer body. Is inserted from an upstream end of the feed tube, and the piston rod extends over the entire length of the feed tube. And the needle valve mechanism is comprised by the front end part (lower end part) of a piston rod, and the front end part (lower end part) of a feed tube. This needle valve mechanism corresponds to the trigger valve 46 described above included in the embodiment of the present invention.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the paint cartridge 10 without the feed tube is adopted, the paint supply passage of the sprayer main body 6 is used as a paint opening / closing valve inside the sprayer main body 6. The simple structure only by attaching the air-driven trigger valve 46 to 44 can be employ | adopted.

The sprayer main body 6 has a hydraulic fluid supply passage 50 for supplying the hydraulic fluid to the paint cartridge 10, and the hydraulic fluid supply passage 50 in the sprayer main body is an arm of the robot arm 1. It communicates with the internal working fluid supply passage 52.

Referring to the hydraulic fluid supply passage 52 of the robot arm 1, the hydraulic fluid supply passage 52 in the arm supplies the hydraulic fluid supplied from the hydraulic fluid source 54 to the paint cartridge 10 under pressure. The pump 56 is mounted on the robot arm 1. The pump 56 is preferably a gear pump, for example, capable of precise flow rate control. The working liquid supplied from the pump 56 under pressure is supplied to the paint cartridge 10 by operating the passage switching valve 58 provided in the robot arm 1 or the sprayer main body 6, or the reflux passage. Through 60 is returned to the working fluid source 54. The working liquid of the working liquid source 54 is an insulating liquid (typically an insulating thinner). As a variant, the pump 56 is not installed in the robot arm 1, but is provided outside the painting robot, so that the supply control of the working liquid to the paint cartridge 10 is controlled by the robot arm 1 or the sprayer main body. You may carry out by the channel | path switching valve 58 built in (6).

In addition to the pump 56 (gear pump) described above, the robot arm 1 incorporates a high voltage k °° generator 62. The high voltage generated by the high voltage generator 62 is applied to the bell cup 4. Of course, the high voltage generator 62 may be incorporated in the sprayer main body 6.

In Fig. 1, reference numeral 64 denotes an air discharge passage for discharging air mixed in the working liquid (insulating thinner), and the air discharge passage 64 passes through an open / close valve 66 driven by air. It is connected to the working liquid supply passage 50 in a sprayer main body. The on-off valve 66 is sometimes valve-opened to operate the fluid in the sprayer body by returning the hydraulic fluid in the fluid supply passage 50 in the sprayer body or the fluid supply passage 52 in the arm to the fluid supply source 54. Air mixed in the liquid supply passage 50 or the working liquid supply passage 52 in the arm can be discharged.

It should be noted that the sprayer body 6 has a cleaning liquid supply passage 70. One end of the cleaning liquid supply passage 70 is connected to the paint supply passage 44 at an upstream end of the above-described paint supply passage 44 in the sprayer body, that is, the portion adjacent to the cartridge accommodating recess 40. have. The other end (upstream end) of the washing | cleaning liquid supply passage 70 in this sprayer main body is open to the side surface of the upper end part of the sprayer main body 6, and the 5th check valve 72 is arrange | positioned at this opening part. . The fifth check valve 72 is conventionally composed of a fixed valve seat and a spring-loaded movable valve body.

As a second point to be noted, the sprayer body 6 has actuators 74 and 76 provided with two push rods adjacent to the cartridge receiving recess 40, and the first and second actuators ( 74 and 76 are driven by air. The push rod 74a (FIG. 6) of the first actuator 74 acts on the first check valve 30 (paint passage) of the paint cartridge 10 to forcibly open the first check valve 30. . The push rod 76a of the second actuator 76 acts on the second check valve 32 (working fluid supply passage) of the paint cartridge 10 to forcibly open the second check valve 32 ( 8).

5 and 6 show the first check valve 30 of the paint cartridge 10. As described above, the first check valve 30 is interposed in the first inner passage 20 through which the paint from the paint bag 12 passes. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the paint cartridge 10 has a stepped sleeve 300 protruding downward from its lower end face and displaceable up and down, and at the lower end of the movable sleeve 300, the first The valve seat 302 of the check valve 30 is formed. The movable valve body 304 seated on the valve seat 302 is pressurized in the direction (downward direction) to seat the valve seat 302 by the inner circumferential spring 306. On the other hand, the step sleeve 300 is pressed downward by the outer circumferential spring 308. The lower end surface of the movable valve body 304 is provided with a housing member 310 that projects downward, and the housing member 310 protrudes downward from the stepped sleeve 300. The push rod 74a of the first actuator 74 described above can contact and push up the receiving member 310, thereby forcibly opening the first check valve 30 employed as an on / off valve (FIG. 6). ).

In the recess 40 of the sprayer main body 6, a second recess 402 for accommodating the lower end portion of the stepped sleeve 300, that is, the small diameter portion 300a, is formed. In the center part of the part 402, the paint supply passage 44 on the coating machine side is opened. In other words, the paint supply passage 44 is opened at the center of the bottom of the second recess 402. Moreover, the sealing ring 404 is arrange | positioned at the outer periphery of the opening of the paint supply passage 44 in the bottom face of this 2nd recessed part 402. As shown in FIG.

5 and 6 position the paint cartridge 10 in the recess 40 of the sprayer main body 6, and lock the paint cartridge 10 by the locking means 42 (FIG. 1). The state fixed to (6) is shown. Note that the seal ring 404 is interposed between the lower end face of the stepped sleeve 300 and the bottom face of the second recess 402. Since the step sleeve 300 of the paint cartridge 10 is pressed downward by the outer circumferential spring 308, the lower end of the step sleeve 300 is fixed by fixing the paint cartridge 10 to the sprayer main body 6. The surface is pressed into the seal ring 404. Since the connection part of the 1st inner passage (paint passage) 20 of the paint cartridge 10 and the paint supply passage 44 of the sprayer main body 6 is sealed by the sealing ring 404, a paint cartridge ( The paint from 10 can be prevented from returning to the cartridge housing recess 40 or the second recess 402 of the sprayer main body 6 to contaminate these recesses 40 and 402. .

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the first check valve 30 of the paint cartridge 10 exerts the function of a stopper valve. In this state of FIG. 5, the first check valve 30 is the original check valve. It functions to prevent the paint from flowing out of the paint cartridge 10 (the paint passage 20 in the cartridge is blocked).

6 shows the state which forcibly pushed the movable valve body 304 of the 1st check valve 30 by the push rod 74a, and forcibly opened the 1st check valve 30. As shown in FIG. As described above, the push rod 74a is operated by the first actuator 74 provided in the sprayer main body 6 in association with the first check valve 30. The first actuator 74 is driven by air. In the forced open state shown in FIG. 6, since the movable valve body 304 of the first check valve 30 employed as the on / off valve is spaced apart from the valve seat 302, the paint of the paint bag 12 is It is possible to flow out of the paint cartridge 10 through the paint passage 20 in the cartridge from the lower end opening 12c (opening of the paint passage 20 in the cartridge).

As mentioned above, the paint cartridge 10 has the sleeve 300 which can be displaced up and down. The sleeve 300 constitutes an outlet portion through which the paint of the paint bag 12 constituting the paint containing chamber flows out, and is protruded downward from the lower surface of the paint cartridge 10. The first check valve 30 is provided at the lower end of the sleeve 300. In addition, the movable sleeve 300 is pressed downward by the outer circumferential spring 308. On the other hand, the sprayer main body 6 has a 2nd recessed part 402 which accommodates the small diameter part 300a of the sleeve 300, and is a sprayer in the center part of the bottom face of this 2nd recessed part 402. An upper end of the paint supply passage 44 of the main body 6 is opened, and a seal ring 404 is disposed around the opening.

When the paint cartridge 10 is assembled to the sprayer main body 6, the lower end surface of the spring-pressed movable sleeve 300 (small diameter part 300a) press-contacts the sealing ring 404, and thereby a paint cartridge ( The paint transition passage between the sleeve 300 constituting the paint outlet of 10 and the paint supply passage 44 of the sprayer main body 6 is in a sealed state by the seal ring 404. Thereby, the paint which came out from the paint cartridge 10 can be prevented from contaminating the wall surface etc. of the 2nd recessed part 402. FIG.

By the above structure, the paint supply passage 44 of the sprayer main body 6 can be cleaned as it is with the paint cartridge 10 mounted. This advantage is not limited to the white paint cartridge 10 of the embodiment, but also applies to the piston paint cartridge and the paint cartridge employing the membrane pump disclosed in Patent Document 7, which are known in the related art. In the pump type paint cartridge, the advantage of employing the above structure is particularly great as long as the paint cartridge has a configuration in which the feed tube is omitted.

7 and 8 show a second installed in the sprayer main body 6 for forcibly opening the second check valve 32 of the second internal passage (working fluid supply passage) 22 of the paint cartridge 10. A detailed view of the actuator 76. The second actuator 76 advances and retracts the push rod 76a by moving in and out of the air, and pushes the push rod 76a forward to forcibly push the movable valve body 320 of the second check valve 32 into the valve seat ( 322) (FIG. 8). This point is similar to the first actuator 74 and the first check valve 30 described above, but the second actuator 76 with the push rod 76a adopts a characteristic structure in the following points. It is.

That is, the push rod 76a of the second actuator 76 of the sprayer main body 6 forcibly moves the movable valve body 320 of the second check valve 32 from the valve seat 322 at the upper end surface thereof. In addition to having a function of spaced apart (FIG. 8), the push rod 76a constitutes a part of the opening / closing valve mechanism for opening and closing the hydraulic fluid supply passage 50 of the sprayer main body 6.

Referring to FIG. 7, the push rod 76a constitutes a sleeve 500 that constitutes an outlet portion of the hydraulic fluid supply passage 50 in the sprayer body (the hydraulic fluid outlet portion facing the cartridge receiving recess 40). ), A valve seat 502 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the sleeve 500. On the other hand, in the push rod 76a, the valve body 504 which expanded in the radial direction is formed in the upper end part. These valve seats 502 and the valve body 504 constitute an opening / closing valve mechanism 506 for opening and closing the outlet portion of the hydraulic fluid supply passage 50 of the sprayer body 6.

In the opening / closing valve mechanism 506 in FIG. 7, when the push rod 76a is displaced upward, the valve body 504 integrated with the push rod 76a is separated from the valve seat 502 to open the valve. do. As described above, when the push rod 76a is displaced upward, the second check valve 32 of the paint cartridge 10 is forcibly opened (arrow in FIG. 8).

When the push rod 76a is displaced downward, the valve body 504 seats on the valve seat 502 and the open / close valve mechanism 506 is in a closed state. Of course, since the second check valve 32 of the paint cartridge 10 exhibits the function as the original check valve by the retraction operation of the push rod 76a, the second check valve 32 As a result, leakage of the working liquid from the paint cartridge 10 can be prevented.

The push rod 76a has a flange 78 fixed to its proximal end (lower end in FIG. 7), and the flange 78 is pressed downward by a spring 80. Therefore, the push rod 76a is always pressurized downward and as a result, the open / close valve mechanism 506 is pressurized by the spring 80 in the valve closing direction.

By the above structure, even if the paint cartridge 10 is attached to the sprayer main body 6 and the paint cartridge 10 is fixed to the sprayer main body 6, the 2nd actuator 76 is operated. As long as it is not made, the working liquid (insulating thinner) does not leak from the sprayer main body 6. Of course, in the paint cartridge 10 as well, leakage of the working liquid (insulating thinner) from the sealed space 14 (the working liquid chamber) is prevented by the second check valve 32.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the operation of the electrostatic spraying machine 2 in the painting step will be described with reference to FIG. In the painting step, the first and second actuators 74 and 76 operate to move the push rods 74a and 76a, and the first and second check valves 30 move forward by the push rods 74a and 76a. And 32 remain forced open (both the paint passage 20 in the cartridge and the working fluid supply passage 22 in the cartridge are opened).

(1) the first check valve 30 (paint passage in the cartridge) is forced open;

(2) The second check valve 32 (the working fluid supply passage in the cartridge) is forcibly opened.

By controlling ON / OFF of the gear pump 56 or controlling the passage switching valve 58, the amount of the working liquid (insulating thinner) supplied to the paint cartridge 10 can be controlled. Then, by applying pressure to the paint bag 12 with the working liquid supplied to the paint cartridge 10, the paint can be flowed out from the paint bag 12 in a controlled state. The ON / OFF of the gear pump 56 and the passage switching operation of the passage switching valve 58 are performed in synchronization with opening and closing of the trigger valve 46 of the sprayer main body 6. Thereby, the precision of the control of supply start and supply stop of the paint to the bell cup 4 can be improved.

At the time when the predetermined painting is completed, the paint bag 12 constituting the paint storage chamber is completely pressed and crushed, and at this time, the internal volume of the paint bag 12 (paint storage chamber) is minimal, and therefore The amount of paint remaining in the paint bag 12 is very small compared with the conventional piston-type paint cartridge.

When changing the color of the electrostatic sprayer 2, the paint cartridge 10 is mounted before removing the paint cartridge 10 from the sprayer main body 6 and replacing it with the paint cartridge 10 of a paint of a different color. In this state, the paint supply passage 44 and the bell cup 4 in the sprayer main body 6 are cleaned.

9 shows the cleaning process of the paint supply passage 44 and the bell cup 4 of the sprayer main body 6. In this washing | cleaning process, washing | cleaning is performed in the state which attached the used paint cartridge 10 to the sprayer main body 6. As shown in FIG. In the washing step, the operations of the first and second actuators 74 and 76 are released and the push rods 74a and 76a retreat, whereby the first and second check valves 30 and 32 are inherently check valves. By exerting a function, the paint passage 20 and the working liquid supply passage 22 in the cartridge are closed.

The cleaning nozzle 84 is inserted into the cleaning liquid supply passage 70 that is open to the side of the sprayer main body 6. When the cleaning nozzle 84 is inserted into the inlet of the cleaning liquid supply passage 70, the fifth check valve 72 disposed at the inlet of the cleaning liquid supply passage 70 is forcibly opened by the cleaning nozzle 84. . By operating the outer passage switching valve 86, the cleaning liquid or air is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 84 to the cleaning liquid supply passage 70 under pressure. Prior to the supply of the cleaning liquid or air, the trigger valve 46 interposed in the paint supply passage 44 in the sprayer body is opened. In addition, the bell cup 4 is driven to rotate with the start of supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle 84.

The state of each valve in the washing | cleaning process of the paint supply passage 44 in a coating machine main body is as follows.

(1) Forced opening of the first check valve 30 (paint) is released (function of a normal check valve),

(2) the forced opening of the second check valve 32 (working fluid supply) is released (function of the normal check valve),

(3) The fifth check valve 72 (the cleaning liquid in the coating body) is forcibly opened by the cleaning nozzle 84,

(4) the trigger valve 46 opens the valve,

(5) The bell cup 4 rotates.

When the cleaning liquid or air is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 84 under pressure, the cleaning liquid or air passes through the cleaning liquid supply passage 70 of the sprayer main body 6 and flows into the paint supply passage 44 in the sprayer main body. Then, it passes through the paint supply passage 44 and is discharged from the bell cup 4. The flow of the cleaning liquid or air purifies the paint supply passage 44 and the bell cup 4 in the sprayer body. Typically, the cleaning liquid and air are alternately supplied to the sprayer main body 6 from the cleaning nozzle 84.

Since the downstream end is connected to the upstream end (upper end) of the paint supply passage 44 in the sprayer main body as mentioned above, the washing | cleaning liquid supply passage 70 or the washing | cleaning liquid which flowed into the paint supply passage 44 or The air reaches the tip of the first check valve 30 protruding from the lower end of the paint cartridge 10 to purify the tip of the first check valve 30. Since the first check valve 30 functions as an original check valve to close the paint passage 20 in the cartridge (FIG. 5), the paint passage 20 in the cartridge and the paint supply passage in the sprayer main body (FIG. 5). 44 is in a state separated by the first check valve 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from infiltrating into the paint bag 12 by the first check valve 30. The washing liquid is typically thinner, but may be washing water in which a surfactant is added to water.

In addition, between the sleeve 300 incorporating the first check valve 30 and the second recess 402 housing the lower end portion 300a of the lower portion of the sleeve 300, Since the sealing ring 404 at which the front end face is press-fitted is interposed (FIG. 5), the portion of the paint transition passage defined by the sealing ring 404 is also cleaned by the cleaning liquid or air. Contamination of the entire wall of the second concave portion 402 by the cleaning liquid can be prevented. Therefore, not only the paint supply passage 44 of the sprayer main body 6 but also the connection part with the paint cartridge 10 can be cleaned by said washing liquid. In addition, the tip portion of the sleeve 300 constituting the paint outlet of the paint cartridge 10 can also be cleaned. This is a noteworthy advantage not seen in the prior art. Of course, the structure which exhibits this advantage is not limited to a white paint cartridge as a general theory, but is applicable also to a piston paint cartridge and a membrane pump cartridge. In addition, regarding the washing | cleaning of the bell cup 4, you may make it spread | spread the bellows 4 from the exterior, if needed. When cleaning of the sprayer main body 6 is completed, air is finally supplied from the cleaning nozzle 84 to the sprayer main body 6, whereby the paint supply passage 44 and the bell cup 4 in the sprayer main body. The cleaning liquid attached to the is removed.

After the washing | cleaning of the sprayer main body 6 is completed, the paint cartridge 10 mounted in the sprayer main body 6 is replaced next. Since the cleaning of the sprayer main body 6 and the cleaning of the seal ring 404 have been completed, the painting can be resumed only by attaching the paint cartridge 10 filled with the paint of a different color to the sprayer main body 6. Can be.

The paint cartridge 10 removed from the sprayer main body 6 is cleaned of the paint bag 12. It is a figure for demonstrating a paint bag washing process. The used paint cartridge 10 is positioned at a predetermined position of the bag cleaning station 88. This positioning is the same as the positioning with respect to the sprayer main body 6, and when the paint cartridge 10 is positioned in a predetermined position, the paint cartridge 10 is fixed by the lock mechanism 90. FIG.

The bag cleaning station 88 has an actuator 880, 882, 884 with first to fourth push rods corresponding to the first to fourth check valves 30, 32, 34, 36 of the paint cartridge 10. 886). The actuators 880 to 886 with the first to fourth push rods have substantially the same functions as the actuators 74 and 76 with the first and second push rods of the sprayer body 6 described above. Since it is an exercise | movement, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

The paint bag 12 of the original paint cartridge 10 installed in the bag cleaning station 88 is in a crushed state. The cleaning of the paint bag 12 constituting the paint housing chamber is performed by (i) pressing the paint bag 12 to expand the volume of the paint bag 12 and expanding the volume of the paint storage chamber. A cleaning liquid and air are put into the coating bag 12 with the operation of reducing the volume of the liquid, and the cleaning liquid and air are discharged. "Expansion and crushing" of the coating bag 12 may be made into one set, and this may be completed once and may be repeated in multiple times. Of course, if necessary, prior to washing the paint bag 12, the paint bag 12 may be pressed and crushed to the maximum to recover the paint remaining in the paint bag 12 to the maximum.

The states of each open / close valve, i.e., check valves 30, 32, 34, 36 in the expansion step of the paint bag are as follows.

(1) Forced opening of the first check valve 30 (paint) is released (function of a normal check valve),

(2) the forced opening of the second check valve 32 (working fluid supply) is released (function of the normal check valve),

(3) the third check valve 34 (cleaning liquid supply) is forced open;

(4) The fourth check valve 36 (operating fluid discharge) is forced open.

As shown in Fig. 10, an air source and a cleaning liquid source (thinner or water) are provided in the bag cleaning station 88, and air or cleaning liquid is supplied from the air source and the cleaning liquid source. The air and the cleaning liquid are switched by the passage switching valve 888. Air and cleaning liquid are alternately supplied to the paint bag 12 via the third internal passage (cleaning liquid supply passage) 24 of the paint cartridge 10 through the passage switching valve 888. As mentioned above, the 1st check valve 30 of the exit (lower part inlet part 12c) of the paint bag 12 functions as a normal check valve, and is in the state which closed the paint passage 20. As shown in FIG. By supplying air or paint to the inside of the paint bag 12 from the third inner passage (washing liquid supply passage) 24 of the paint cartridge 10 through the upper end inlet portion 12b of the paint bag 12 ( 12) expand. In connection with this, the hydraulic fluid which satisfies the sealed space 14 which comprises the hydraulic fluid chamber of the paint cartridge 10 is the 4th internal passage 26 (working liquid discharge | emission path) opened to the air storage part 14a. Is forced out of the paint cartridge 10 by force and manually. The working liquid from the paint cartridge 10 is recovered to the working liquid source.

As a specific washing | cleaning method of the coating bag 12, the following example is mentioned.

First Step (Expansion Step of Paint Bag): Air is supplied to the paint bag 12 through a third internal passage (cleaning liquid supply passage) 24 to expand the paint bag 12, thereby to form the inside of the paint bag 12. Increase the volume to approximately the maximum. Thereby, the main body 12a of the coating bag 12 can be made into the state without wrinkles. The first check valve 30 (paint) is in a closed state.

2nd process (washing liquid supply process): A washing | cleaning liquid is supplied to the coating bag 12, a washing | cleaning liquid flows along the inner surface of the coating bag 12, and the coating bag 12 is wash | cleaned. The first check valve 30 (paint) is in a closed state.

3rd process (pressing-crushing process of a paint bag): Pressing and crushing the paint bag 12, the internal volume of the paint bag 12 is reduced, and the washing | cleaning liquid of the paint bag 12 is discharged | emitted.

If necessary, the second and third steps are repeated.

The state of each open / close valve (return valve 30, 32, 34, 36) in the said 3rd process (pressing crushing process) of the paint bag 12 is as follows.

(1) the first check valve 30 (paint) is forced open;

(2) the second check valve 32 (operating fluid supply) is forced open;

(3) the forced opening of the third check valve 34 (cleaning liquid supply) is released (function of a normal check valve),

(4) The forced opening of the fourth check valve 36 (operating fluid discharge) is released (function of a normal check valve).

The gear pump 890 is provided in the back washing station 88 as shown in FIG. In the third step (pressing step), the amount of the working liquid controlled by the gear pump 890 is supplied to the paint cartridge 10 under pressure. When the working liquid enters the sealed space 14 (working liquid chamber) of the paint cartridge 10, the working bag 12 is pressed and crushed by the working fluid, so that the air and the cleaning liquid in the coating bag 12 enter the lower end inlet. It is pushed out through 12c. Reference numeral 892 in FIG. 10 denotes a waste liquid tank, and the washing liquid from the paint bag 12 is accommodated in the waste liquid tank 892.

As described above, the expansion of the paint bag 12 (expansion of the internal volume of the paint bag 12) and the crushing (reduction of the internal volume of the paint bag 12) are performed as a single or multiple times. Repeatedly, the inside of the paint bag 12 is cleaned. Finally, air is put into the paint bag 12 to discharge the cleaning liquid attached to the inside of the paint bag 12, thereby completing the cleaning step of the paint bag 12. FIG. At the stage where the cleaning process of the paint bag 12 is completed, the paint bag 12 is in the state which was pressed and crushed (the state in which the internal volume of the paint bag 12 is minimum).

The paint cartridge 10 in which the cleaning of the paint bag 12 is completed is then filled with paint in the paint bag 12. It is a figure for demonstrating a paint filling process. The paint cartridge 10 after cleaning is positioned at a predetermined position of the paint filling station 92. This positioning is the same as that of the sprayer main body 6 and the bag washing station 88. When the paint cartridge 10 is positioned at a predetermined position, the paint cartridge 10 is fixed by the lock mechanism 94.

In the paint filling station 92, among the first to fourth check valves of the paint cartridge 10, the second check valve 32 for supplying the working liquid and the third check valve 34 for supplying the cleaning liquid are excluded. Actuators 920 and 922 are provided with first and fourth push rods corresponding to the first and fourth check valves 30 and 36. The actuators 920 and 922 with the first and fourth push rods have substantially the same functions as the actuators 74 and 76 with the first and second push rods of the sprayer body 6 described above. Since this is an exercise, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The states of each open / close valve, that is, check valves 30 and 36, in the paint filling process are as follows.

(1) the first check valve 30 (paint) is forced open;

(2) The fourth check valve 36 (operating fluid discharge) is forced open.

The paint filling station 92 is provided with a gear pump 96 for filling the paint bag 12 with pressure from the paint source, and by controlling the gear pump 96, a predetermined amount of paint is applied to the paint bag ( The paint bag 12 is filled through the lower end inlet 12c of the 12. Instead of the flow rate control of the gear pump 96, a flow meter for controlling the amount of paint supplied to the paint bag 12 under pressure from the pump, and when the amount of paint measured by the flow meter reaches a predetermined value, the paint You may employ | adopt the combination of the flow control valve which stops supply of the paint to the bag 12. The paint bag 12 expands due to the filling of the paint, but the working liquid that satisfies the sealed space 14 passes through the air storage 14a and the fourth internal passage (working liquid discharge passage) 26. It is discharged to the outside, and this discharged working liquid is recovered to the working liquid source.

Of course, since the cleaning of the paint cartridge 10 is completed before filling the paint, the color of the paint filling the paint cartridge 10 is arbitrary. The paint cartridge 10 in which the filling of the paint is completed is stocked for the next painting.

As mentioned above, although the Example at the time of employ | adopting insulating thinner as a working fluid was demonstrated, when employ | adopting electroconductive liquid, such as water, as a working fluid, a voltage block mechanism was installed in the robot arm 1, and the electrostatic spraying machine 2 When high voltage is applied (during painting work), it is better to insulate electrically by voltage block mechanism.

The following example is mentioned as a modification of the said Example.

(1) The first to fourth check valves 30 to 36 incorporated in the paint cartridge 10 may be constituted by an air-driven on / off valve.

(2) In the above embodiment, the paint bag 12 is provided with upper and lower inlets 12b and 12c. However, the paint bag 12 omits the upper end inlet 12b and is provided with only the lower end inlet 12c. Good (FIG. 12). Reference numeral 896 in FIG. 12 denotes a passage switching valve. In FIG. 12, the check valves 30 to 36 interposed in the paint cartridge passage leading to the paint bag 12 and the paint cartridge passage leading to the sealed space 14 (working liquid chamber) are not shown. .

(3) In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a method of directly pressurizing the paint bag 12 with the working fluid is employed, but as illustrated in FIG. 13, the working fluid bag 8 adjacent to the paint bag 12 is illustrated. A paint cartridge may be provided. This hydraulic fluid bag 8 constitutes a hydraulic fluid chamber, and supplies hydraulic fluid to this hydraulic fluid bag 8 to expand the hydraulic fluid bag 8, thereby pressing and crushing the paint bag 12.

(4) The hydraulic fluid bag 8 has two upper and lower inlets 8a and 8b to discharge the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic fluid bag from the upper end inlet 8a, while the hydraulic fluid is transferred to the lower end inlet ( The hydraulic fluid bag 8 may be supplied from 8b) to the hydraulic fluid bag 8 to expand the hydraulic fluid bag 8 (Fig. 13).

(5) The hydraulic fluid bag 8 has one inlet 8b to supply the hydraulic fluid to the operating bag 8 through this one inlet 8b, and also the hydraulic fluid bag 8 The working liquid may be discharged from () (FIG. 14). In Fig. 14, the check valve interposed in the paint cartridge passage through the paint bag 12 and the paint cartridge passage through the working liquid bag 8 is omitted.

(6) The excitation source 28 may be provided in the bag cleaning station 88, and the excitation source 28 may cause the paint cartridge 10 to be vibrated up and down and / or from side to side (Fig. 12).

(7) The rotary table 894 is prepared in the bag washing station 88 (FIGS. 12 and 14), and the paint cartridge 10 is fixed to the rotary table 894 to fix the paint cartridge 10 during cleaning. You may make it rotate. In the figure, reference numeral O denotes a rotation center axis. This rotation may be rotation in one direction, but preferably, rotation in the forward direction and rotation in the reverse direction are alternately repeated.

As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was demonstrated by illustrating the paint cartridge 10 provided with the paint bag 12, this invention is applicable also to a piston or membrane piston type paint cartridge. In addition, an example of the internal cleaning method of the piston type paint cartridge 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 15.

In FIG. 15, the paint cartridge 130 shown in FIG. 15 has a piston 132, and this piston 132 is interposed, the operating liquid chamber 134 is formed in the upper part, and paint is given under the piston 132. In FIG. The storage chamber 136 is formed. Fig. 15I schematically shows the original state in which the piston type paint cartridge 130 is positioned in the washing station. This washing station corresponds to the bag washing station 88 (FIG. 10) mentioned above.

First, the working liquid is supplied to the working liquid chamber 134 of the paint cartridge 130, and the piston 132 is pushed down to the deepest portion of the paint containing chamber 136 to recover the remaining paint in the painted container 136. [Step (II) in Fig. 15]. Subsequently, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the paint accommodation chamber 136 to push up the piston 132 (step (III) in FIG. 15). Subsequently, the working liquid is supplied to the working liquid chamber 134 to push down the piston 132 to discharge the cleaning liquid of the paint accommodation chamber 136 (step (IV) in FIG. 15). The degree to which the piston 132 is raised and lowered in the process (III) and the process (IV) of FIG. 15 is arbitrary, for example, the piston 132 may be pushed up to the top, and the piston 132 is pushed to the middle. The raising may be stopped and the process may be shifted to the next discharging step (step (IV) of FIG. 15). While the piston 132 is pushed up to clean the paint housing chamber 136, the cleaning liquid and air may be alternately supplied to the paint storage chamber 136. In addition, the piston 132 may be pushed up to a certain height by air, and then the cleaning liquid may be supplied to the paint accommodation chamber 136 after that. Thus, the combination of the supply form of air and a washing | cleaning liquid is arbitrary, and what is necessary is just to determine according to experiment.

Said process III and process IV may be set as 1 group, and you may repeat this once or multiple times. As described with reference to FIG. 12, the paint cartridge 130 may be subjected to vibration up and down or left and right or up and down and left and right during cleaning. As described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 14, the paint cartridge 130 may be rotated during cleaning. In Fig. 14, a check valve is interposed in the paint cartridge passage through the working liquid chamber 134 and the paint receiving chamber 136 of the paint cartridge 130 in the same way as the white paint cartridge 10 described above. However, the illustration is omitted in FIG. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the piston-type paint cartridge 130 also employs the hydraulic fluid discharge passage 26 described in FIG. 1 and the like, and the hydraulic fluid in the cartridge for supplying the hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic fluid chamber 134. A supply passage and a working liquid discharge passage in the cartridge for discharging the working liquid of the working liquid chamber 134 may be formed in the paint cartridge 130.

The present invention can also be suitably applied to a paint cartridge employing a membrane pump employed in Patent Document 8 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 04-87759).

The present invention is applied to electrostatic painting. In particular, it is suitably applied to a painting robot.

1: arm of the painting robot
2: electrostatic sprayer
4: bell cup
6: sprayer body
10: paint cartridge
12: Paint bag (paint storage room)
20: first internal passage (paint passage) of the paint cartridge
30: first check valve (paint passage in the cartridge)
44: paint passage in the sprayer body
46: trigger valve
70: cleaning liquid supply passage in the sprayer body
300: sleeve
302: fixed valve seat at the bottom of the sleeve
304: movable valve body
306: Inner circumferential spring (pressurized movable valve body: second spring)
308: outer circumferential spring (press the sleeve: first spring)
402: second recess for receiving the sleeve
404: sealing

Claims (8)

In the electrostatic spraying machine comprising a paint cartridge detachable to the sprayer body, wherein the sprayer body receives the paint supplied from the paint cartridge and paints the work.
The paint cartridge,
(i) a sleeve constituting an outlet of the paint of the paint cartridge and displaceable up and down;
(Ii) a first spring for urging the sleeve downward;
(Iii) a paint opening / closing valve installed in the sleeve and for opening and closing the outlet of the paint passage;
The sprayer body,
(i) a recess for receiving the sleeve,
(Ii) a paint passage having an opening opened at a bottom of the recess, for receiving paint from the paint cartridge through the opening;
(Iii) a cleaning liquid supply passage for receiving the cleaning liquid from the outside and directing the cleaning liquid to the upper end of the paint passage;
(Iii) a sealing ring disposed at the bottom of the recess and provided at the outer peripheral portion of the upper end opening of the paint passage;
The lower end surface of the sleeve is pressed against the sealing ring by the spring force of the first spring when the paint cartridge is attached to the sprayer main body. The said paint opening / closing valve of Claim 1,
A fixed valve seat formed at the lower end of the sleeve,
A movable valve body seated on the fixed valve seat;
The electrostatic spraying machine which has a 2nd spring which presses the said movable valve body toward the said fixed valve seat. The electrostatic spraying machine according to claim 2, wherein an actuator having a push rod for pushing up the movable valve element of the paint cartridge is built in the sprayer main body. The electrostatic spraying machine according to claim 1, wherein an actuator for opening and closing the paint opening / closing valve is built in the paint cartridge. The electrostatic sprayer of Claim 1 in which the trigger valve which consists of an opening-closing valve is provided in the coating path of the said sprayer main body. The electrostatic sprayer according to claim 1, wherein the paint cartridge is a piston cartridge that pushes the paint out by a piston. The electrostatic spraying machine according to claim 1, wherein the paint cartridge is a white cartridge which pushes the paint by pressing the paint bag and crushing the paint bag. The electrostatic spraying machine according to claim 1, wherein the paint cartridge is a film pump type cartridge in which a paint accommodation chamber is formed of a stretchable film.

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