US3530823A - Apparatus for coating test panels - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1902 .lagenberg et [72] Inventor Joseph Giordano 133 West 110th St., Chicago, Illinois 60628 783,857

Appl, No. [221 Filed Dec. 16, 1968 [45] Patented Sept. 29, 1970 Attorney- Olson. Trexler. Wolters and Bushnell [54] APPARATUS FOR COATING TEST PANELS 13 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

118/12, ABSTRACT: A machine for applying a uniform coating of 101/232, 118/231, 118/247, 118/249 paint to a test panel of flexible aluminum siding. The machine [51] lnt. B05c 1/02 includes a stationary cylindrical frame, paint applying means,

[50] Field ofSearch......................,.......,............. 118/231, and means for moving a test panel about the periphery of said 249, 247, 319, 262, 6, 12; 101/232 frame and into engagement with said paint applying means.

Patented Sept. 29, 1970 3,530,823

Sheet 1 of 2 Jsgpfz/ GZordarzo APPARATUS FOR COATING TEST PANELS BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention pertains to a machine for applying a coat of paint to a test sample of flexible sheet material. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for applying an accurately calibrated coating of paint of controlled and measured thickness to one side of a test panel of flexible strip aluminum or the like material.

The paint industry does a great deal of testing relating to the durability of various types of coatings on aluminum or other similar type siding. Generally, the practice is to coat a number of test panels with a controlled predetermined thickness of paint. These test strips are normally 6 to 9 inches in width and approximately 3 to 8 feet in length. Once coated, these samples are then exposed to the weather, as well as to simulated production conditions, in order that the durability and properties of the various coatings can be observed and recorded.

With the growth of the aluminum siding industry, paint manufacturers have been required to do a great deal of the aforementioned type testing in order to keep their products competitive. Accordingly, out of this testing there has arisen a need for a laboratory coater that will quickly and accurately coat a large number of sample panels of the type discussed above.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a machine that can accommodate test panels of varying size, and can quickly and accurately coat a large number of these panels in a short period of time. Said machine includes a stationary frame of generally cylindrical configuration, ring means rotatably carried by said frame, a driven, flying arm member that overlies the outer periphery of said frame and moves in an arcuate path concentric therewith, first clamping means carried by said arm and adapted to receive one end of said test panel, second clamping means carried by said ring means for receiving the other end of said test panel, and means for applying a coat of paint to a surface of said panel, whereby upon rotation of said arm, the panel and the said pair of rings will also rotate, with said panel engaging said paint applying means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a schematic elevational view of a machine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.'1, in the direction indicated.

FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view of the cylindrical frame arrangement of. the present invention with the paint applying means in the retracted or loading position. if

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the frame and illustrating the dispostion of thc flying arm and a test strip with respect to said frame.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a top and a plan view, respectively, of one form of clamp that may be employed in mounting the test strip in position about the frame.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the control apparatus employed for simultaneously moving the backup roller and actuating the clutch for the flying arm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I of the drawings there is illustrated a machine embodying the present invention, which is designated generally 10. It should be understood that for purposes of clarity and to facilitate description and illustration of the invention, FIG. 1 and certain other figures are of a somewhat schematic nature.

Basically. the machine 10 includes a stationary frame or drum arrangement 12 of cylindrical configuration, means for applying a coat of paint, designated generally 14, and apparatus for moving the test strip about the periphery of the drum while in engagement with the paint applying means. The

stationary cylindrical frame or drum 12, as well as the other elements of the machine 10 are mounted or carried by a supporting structure which is comprised of various standards and cross braces.

The stationary frame 12 includes a pair of end plates 18 and a plurality of eircumferentially disposed idler rollers 19 which maintain the end plates in spaced relationship and define the outer periphery of frame 12. The frame or drum 12 remains stationary throughout the operation of the machine, with the idler rollers 19 facilitating movement of the test strip 20 thereover.

The paint applying means 14 shown in FIG. 1 is merely illustrative of but one type that may be employed, and it is to be understood that other arrangements may be used to coat test strip 20. Specifically, with regard to FIG. 1, there is provided a reservoir 21 for the paint 22, and a pair of applicator rollers 24 and 26. Both rollers 24 and 26 are driven off of motor 28 by way of a variable speed transmission 29 and belts 30 and 31. Roller 24-is immersed in the paint 22 and during operation will transfer paint to the roller 26 which due to its engagement with strip 20 will apply a uniform coating thereto as the strip is moved about the periphery of the frame 12.

As shown in FIG. I, mounted internally of the stationary cylindrical frame 12 is a backup roller 32, which is movable between a loading position and an operating position. When the backup roller is in the loading position, illustrated in FIG. 3, the test strip 20 may be easily assembled about the periphery of the frame 12. Upon the movement of the backup roller 32 to the operating position, illustrated in FIG. 1, strip 20 will be forced into engagement with roller 26 as it traverses the outer periphery of said frame. To move backup roller 32 between the loading and operating position any one of a number of arrangements may be employed, however, in the illustrated embodiment a lever 34 and linkages 36 and 38 are used. The operation of this lever in conjunction with the mechanism employed for traversing the strip 20 about the periphery of the drum will be discussed more fully hereinafter with regard to FIGS. 3 and 7.

Considering now the means for effecting movement of the test strip 20 about the periphery of the frame 12, there is provided a flying arm 40 which is of L-shaped configuration, as seen in FIG. 2. Arm 40 is affixed to an axle 42 which is mounted concentrically with the frame 12. The axle 42, and the associated flying arm 40 are driven through a clutch 44 by means of the sprocket gear 46, sprocket chain 48, transmission and the motor 28. The uppermost section 40' of arm 40 is disposed parallel to the axle 42, and accordingly, upon rotation of said axle said section 40 will traverse an arcuate or circular path about the outer periphery of frame 12. In addition arm section 40' is provided with clamping means 52, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, which interconnect the sample strip 20 to said arm 40, as seen in FIG. 4.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the means for effecting movement of test strip 20 includes, in addition to the flying arm 40, a pair of rings 54 which are rotatably mounted about the peripheral edges of frame 12, This mounting arrangement for rings 54 is provided by a plurality of rollers 56 which are affixed to the end plates 18 and upon which rings 54 are journaled. lnterconnecting the respective rings 54 is a ring bar 58, FIG. 2, which includes a clamping arrangement of a type similar to clamp 52-illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Accordingly, with reference to FIG. 1, to load the test panel 20, the rings 54 are rotated by hand until the ring clamp 60 is at the uppermost point of its arcuate path of travel. One end of the test panel 20 is then clamped to the ring bar 58 by means of the clamping arrangement 60 and the rings 54 are then rotated downward until the other end of the panel 20 is in position to be clamped in the arm clamp 52. Since the clutch 44 is disengaged at this time, flying arm 40 and its associated clamp 52 are free to move independent of frame 12 and rings 54, thus test panels of varying lengths may be accommodated. The test panel 20 is then stretched so that it will engage snugly against the idler rollers 19 which define the outer periphery of the frame 12. Next, the arm 40 and rings 54, now interlocked via test panel 20, are rotated clockwise until the leading edge of the panel is in starting position. With the panel in the starting position, lever 34 is thrown from the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to that illustrated in FIG. 1, causing the backup roller 32 to move to the operating position. In addition, lever 34 is connected with clutch 44 by a linkage arrangement 61 so that upon movement of the backup roller 32 to the operating position the clutch is automatically engaged and the arm 40 will commence to rotate causing the test panel 20 to traverse the outer periphery of the frame 12. Obviously, it can be seen that this movement will bring the entire outer surface of panel 20 into contact with the paint applicator roller 26 which will deposit a coating of predetermined thickness thereon.

To effect automatic disengagement of the clutch 44 and retraction of the backup roller 32 after coating has been completed, a lever 62 is provided which is interconnected to lever 34 for joint movement. Lever 62 is positioned such that as the trailing edge of the test panel 20 approaches the point of engagement with the paint applicator roller 26 an extension 58' of the ring bar 58 will engage said lever 62 and move same to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. This movement of the lever 62, due to its association with the lever 34, will disengage clutch 44 and retract the backup roller 32 thus readying the machine for the next panel to be coated.

It should be noted that proper engagement of test panel 20 with the outer periphery of frame 12 is required in order to assure application of a uniform coating. However, since flying arm 40 is free to move prior to engagement of clutch 44, once manual rotation ceases, arm 40 will tend to move counterclockwise due to gravity. If this occurs, the test panel 20 will be placed in a slack condition. If clutch 44 were engaged with the panel 20 in a slack condition, there would be a tendency for the panel to jerk, resulting in uneven initial movement of the panel past roller 26 and correspondingly an uneven coating applied thereto. Thus, it has been found desirable to interconnect the flying arm 40 and the rings 54 in an adjustable, resilient manner to assure proper positioning of the panel at all times.

One arrangement for effecting the aforementioned interconnection of arm 40 and rings 54 is illustrated in H0. 4. With this arrangement the upper arm section 40' is provided with a spring 64 that is connected to a clamp 66, slidably mounted on ring 54, by means of a cable 68 engaged over pulley 70 which is affixed to arm section 40. Thus, by means of the slidable mounting of clamp 66 the position of arm 40 with respect to rings 54 may be varied to accommodate test panels of different lengths. Also due to the resiliency in the interconnection of arm 40 and rings 54 afforded by spring 64, both the flexing of panel 20 upon engagement with said rollers, and the tendency of arm 40 to move counter-clockwise from the starting position may be accommodated without adversely affecting the applied coating. The net result of this is that smooth movement of panel 20 past applicator roller 26 is assured, which in turn assures an even, uniform coating.

The particular clamping means employed for panel 20 forms no part of the present invention, however, for purposes of description a preferred type is illustrated in F165. 5 and 6. Basically, clamp 52 includes an upper element 71 and a lower element 72 which are interconnected by means of screws 73, spacer 74 maintaining said elements in spaced relationship to define in effect a bifurcated arrangement. A ball detent member 75 is carried by the upper element 71 while the lower element 72 has a hardened steel riser 76 movably mounted thereon. Pivotally mounted between the upper and lower sections 71 and 72 is a lift cam handle 78 which is provided with an arcuate camming section 80 on the end thereof. The camming section 80 has a tapered leading edge 80' which will engage the underside of the hardened steel riser 76 upon movement thereof causing said riser 76 to move toward the ball dctent 75 to clamp 21 test panel therebetween.

ln HO. 7 there is illustrated the manner in which the lever 34 is associated with both roller 32 and clutch 44. As can be seen, backup roller 32 is mounted for both rotative and transverse movement by means of its axle 81 being slidably supported by journal block 82 which is carried on frame section 84. Affixed to axle 81 is a slide plate 86, which in turn is joined to lever 34 by linkages 36 and 38, In addition, lever 34 is joined also to clutch 44, this being accomplished by linkage arrangement 6l. Accordingly, movement of said lever 34 in the clockwise direction will cause roller 32 to move forward, while simultaneously engaging clutch 44.

In addition, lever 62 is carried by shaft 88, which also carries lever 34, such that both said levers are joined for joint movement. Accordingly, as was discussed previously, when lever 62 is engaged by extension 58' approximate completion of the coating operation, both levers 62 and 34 will be moved counterclockwise thus retracting the backup roller 32 and disengaging clutch 44.

It should be understood that the preceding description of the invention was in conjunction with drawings of a schematic nature, and that various changes in structure, substitution of elements and other obvious modifications will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is envisioned and intended that these modifications form a part of the present invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying a coat of paint to a sample strip of flexible sheet material, said apparatus comprising, a stationary frame of generally cylindrical configuration, ring means rotatably carried by said frame, a driven, flying arm member that overlies the outer periphery of said frame and moves in an arcuate path concentric therewith, first clamping means carried by said arm and adapted to receive one end of said test strip, second clamping means carried by said ring means for receiving the other end of said test strip, means for applying a coat of paint to a surface of said strip, whereby upon rotation of said arm the strip material and the said ring means will also rotate, with said strip material moving about the outer periphery of said frame and engaging said paint applying means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said paint applying means includes a pair of rollers, one of said rollers being positioned externally of said frame and the other being a backup roller mounted internally of said frame, and at least one of said rollers being movable from a loading position to an operating position.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said backup roller comprises said movable roller.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further including tension compensating means joining said arm to said ring means, said tension compensating means maintaining the test strip in proper position upon advancement of the arm to the starting position and the subsequent engagement of said strip by said roller.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said tension compensating means include, a spring carried by said arm, an adjustable clamp carried by said ring means, and a cable joining said spring and said clamp.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for driving the flying arm includes a clutch, said apparatus further including control apparatus for automatically engaging said clutch upon movement of said movable roller into operative position, and automatically to disengage said clutch and retracting said roller once coating of the test strip has been completed.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said stationary frame includes a plurality of rollers mounted about the periphery thereof, said rollers facilitating said movement of the test strip about the outer periphery of the frame.

8, Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said ring means include, a pair of ring members journaled about the peripheral edges of said frame, and a bar joining said ring members for joint movement and carrying said second clamping means.

9. Apparatus for applying a coat of paint to a sample strip of flexible sheet material, said apparatus comprising, a stationary frame of generally cylindrical configuration, first means rotatable about said frame and carrying a first clamping arrangement for receiving an end of said test strip, second means independent of said first means and rotatable about said frame, said second means including a second clamping arrangment for receiving the other end of said test strip, and means for applying a coat of paint to a surface of said strip, one of said means rotatable about said frame being driven such that in operation said first and second means are associated for joint movement about the frame by means of the test strip, which strip also moves about said frame into engagement with said paint applying means.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, said second means include, a pair of rings journaled to said frame for movement about the peripheral edge thereof, and a bar joining said rings together and carrying said second clamping means.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said first means is the means driven, and said first means include a flying arm having an extension which overlies the outer periphery of said frame and moves in an arcuate path concentric therewith, said extension carrying said first clamping arrangement.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said first means is the means driven, said first means including an L shaped arm, one section being joined to an axle concentric with said frame and the other overlying the outer periphery of said frame and carrying the first clamping means thereon.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, further including means to adjust the angular disposition about said frame of said first and second clamping means, whereby sample strips of varying length may be accommodated.

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