WO1997040946A1

WO1997040946A1 - Plant for coating objects with frequently changing colours

Info

Publication number: WO1997040946A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/002102
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alfons Dintner
Original assignee: Audi Ag
Priority date: 1996-04-26
Filing date: 1997-04-24
Publication date: 1997-11-06
Also published as: DE19616668A1; EP0895485B1; ES2195140T3; DE59710228D1; EP0895485A1

Abstract

A plant is disclosed for coating objects (6), in particular car bodies, with frequently changing colours (19). A cartridge sorting and storing rack (5) is disclosed in which a plurality of colour cartridges (12, 13, 18) with similar and different colours are stored at certain locations in the rack. These colour cartridges (12, 13) are fetched by means of a controller out of the cartridge sorting and storage rack, depending on the colour nuance desired for the object being painted, and supplied to conveyor means. The conveyor means preferably consists of a ring-shaped, tubular system in which full cartridges (13) are conveyed to a docking station (8) and applicator and back, as in a pneumatic tube conveyor. Unlike conventional ring-shaped conveyor systems with colour exchange valves, this system allows almost any number of colour nuances to be made available with a relatively low constructive outlay of the applicator (9). The costly cleaning of the cartridge transport paths when changing colours may be dispensed with.

Description

description

Coating system for coating objects with frequently changing color material

The invention relates to a coating system for coating objects, in particular vehicle bodies, with frequently changing color material according to the preamble of claim 1.

Known generic coating systems each contain a storage device in which color materials with different color tones are provided. Furthermore, there is a transport device for the different color materials to at least one coating station, where objects passing through in cycles are at least partially coated. This coating station contains application devices, in particular spraying elements for applying the coating to the object currently present.

In addition, such coating systems each include a control device for a color change, which cooperates with the storage device, the transport device and the application device and with control elements in such a way that when a certain object is present in the coating station, the desired and assigned one ¬ nete color material is available on the application device. In known coating systems (DE 39 27 880 AI and DE 41 33 840 AI), the storage device consists of large paint containers. The transport device comprises a plurality of ring lines and stub lines, in which the color material is transported and pumped fluently.

The paint is applied by means of a spray organ, which can be connected via a paint-carrying line and a number of controllable valves either to one of several different paint lines to the individual paint containers or to a detergent line. In the course of the color change, the paint-carrying line and the spray organ are freed from residues of the paint previously used. Large amounts of a detergent / paint mixture are generated and must be disposed of. In addition to the considerable loss of color material associated with this, a considerable environmental impact must also be accepted.

The large quantities of cleaning agent required result in high occupational safety and fire protection requirements.

In order to minimize color losses, DE 39 27 880 AI also suggests a costly possibility of recovering paint residues from stub lines and hoses by emptying them into those containers from which the paint had previously been removed. In DE 41 33 840 AI a return of color residues during the color change is possible by providing a number of collecting vessels corresponding to the number of different color materials to be processed. These receptacles are each connected to the return line by the control device in the event of a color change, so that only a mixture of a specific color with the detergent is collected in each receptacle. This mixture can be the original color be added again. The environmental impact and loss of color can thus be reduced, but complex rinsing and cleaning of considerable line lengths is nevertheless necessary in the case of a color change and is associated with a high expenditure of time, a quality risk and the risk of material being discarded.

With the paint supply systems with paint lines of such known coating systems, only a narrowly limited number of colors can be applied in series operation. Color change systems quickly reach their capacity limits due to limited ring line capacities on the one hand and possible packing densities of color change valve units on the other.

Future customer requirements according to individual color requirements, particularly in the coating of automobile bodies, however, require a large number of color tones that cannot be realized in series operation with the previous coating systems. Additional line systems and color change valve units for a limited enlargement of the color possibilities are also not possible or can only be retrofitted to existing systems at great expense.

Proceeding from this, the object of the invention is to further develop a coating system of the generic type in such a way that coatings with a large number of color materials of different colors are possible with a low environmental impact.

This object is achieved with the characterizing features of claim 1. According to claim 1, the storage device consists of a cartridge sorting and shelf storage in which a large number of color cartridges are stored both with the same and with different color material.

The storage locations of the individual color cartridges can be determined by the control unit in connection with the color tone of the color material contained in each case and / or a color quantity of the color material contained in each case.

A corresponding color cartridge can be output at an output of the cartridge sorting and racking store via a control signal, which contains coded information about the color material and / or quantity of paint required in each case on the application device for a coating.

The transport device is a cartridge transport device with which ink cartridges output at the outlet of the cartridge sorting shelf store can be transported to a docking station in a feed branch in the closed state. This docking station is connected upstream of an application device, with docked color cartridges being opened for dispensing the color material.

In this way, an ink material transport system with closed cartridges is advantageously proposed until the ink is applied to the application devices, ink contamination being practically excluded.

Color materials with an almost arbitrary number of colors in the cartridge clock frequency can be made available on the application devices. Rinsing the cartridge transport paths is obviously not necessary. Rinsing and cleaning devices, such as were previously required for at least some of the color material lines, are now only limited to the application device. Loss of time and media losses are reduced and an enormous reduction in solvents is possible with a positive impact on environmental protection, occupational safety and fire protection. The flushing medium consumption at the application device can be minimized.

Complex color change units with color change valves in connection with the application devices can be omitted.

The cartridge system can also be combined with conventional ink material supply systems. However, the ink cartridges with ink material in processing viscosity are advantageously supplied by the paint supplier, a circulation system with a cartridge or residual ink material disposal and refilling being able to be implemented by the paint supplier. It is also possible to calculate the exact material consumption based on the amount of ink actually used, based on each color.

The cartridge distribution into and out of the cartridge sorting and storage system can be controlled in a simple manner using known measures in connection with electronic data processing such that each color cartridge arrives at an assigned object, in particular a vehicle body, at the right time. In this case, known bar code controls can be used with regard to relevant data, in particular also expiration dates of the color material. The docking of the color cartridges in the docking station to the application device can be automated with common measures, as can a metered amount of ink.

Overall, the coating system can be fully automated, so that only a small amount of personnel is required.

In a preferred development according to claim 2, empty ink cartridges are correspondingly returned to the same (or possibly a different) cartridge sorting and racking storage via a return branch, thereby forming a ring line system for the ink cartridges. With such a ring power system, the coating system can be easily loaded with color-filled color cartridges and empty color cartridges can be removed centrally.

According to claim 3, the transport of the ink cartridges is air-assisted in a piping system in the manner of a pneumatic tube proposed. As a result, rapid transport is achieved, and pneumatic control devices known and proven per se can be used. In the case of an inexpensive pipeline system with circular line cross sections according to claim 4, the color cartridges are correspondingly cylindrical, with outer sliding and guide rings. Such pipelines can easily be bent over long distances.

According to claim 5, a cylinder-piston arrangement is contained in the color cartridges. When the color cartridge is full, the plunger is in one end position and the other side of the cartridge is closed. In this state, a color cartridge is delivered, stored and transported to the docking device. When it arrives there and is docked, the cartridge docking side is opened and moved by moving the piston bens the ink cartridge forcibly emptied. This emptying can advantageously be time-controlled and / or pressure-controlled for a defined emptying and application of the color material.

The front of the cartridge can have a tear-open or pierceable cover as a closure. Claim 7 alternatively proposes a closure in the manner of a spring-loaded valve. In the docking station, a valve tappet then only needs to be inserted somewhat into the color cartridge for the opening.

Claim 8 also claims a transverse sliding device for a color cartridge in the docking station, as a result of which the piston rear side of a color cartridge is accessible for attachment to a push rod for cartridge emptying. According to claim 9, a next color cartridge can already be kept in a waiting position in the docking station.

The loading and emptying (empty color cartridges) of the cartridge sorting and shelf storage can take place automatically at time intervals via storage inputs and storage outputs and / or according to claim 11 via exchangeable magazines which contain a plurality of color cartridges.

For control, billing, disposal purposes, etc., a code, in particular a barcode with all relevant filler data, should be attached to each color cartridge according to claim 12.

According to claim 13, at least one shaking device for mixing the color material in a cartridge is also provided in the course of the cartridge provision and / or the cartridge transport. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to a drawing.

Show it:

1 shows a block diagram of a coating system with its external control and loading devices,

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a coating device, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a color cartridge.

1 shows a coating system 30 for use by a vehicle manufacturer.

According to block 1, a customer order is placed for a vehicle with a specific color scheme. Data for the color equipment are included in a program planning and vehicle control together with further manufacturing data according to block 2.

Data for the required color material, together with a time specification, is sent to the paint manufacturer, who in accordance with block 3 produces the color material with the required color in a timely manner, fills it into cartridges in accordance with block 4 and to the vehicle manufacturer to fill an automatic cartridge sorting and shelf storage facility deliver according to block 5.

A paint object according to block 6, here a vehicle body, is fed to a coating station in a controlled manner via the vehicle control. The cartridge sorting and shelf storage is activated to deliver a color cartridge with an assigned desired color and possibly an assigned amount of color. This color cartridge comes through a Pipe system according to block 7 as a feed branch into an automatic docking station according to block 8. There the paint cartridge is automatically opened and emptied in a controlled manner, an application device containing spray elements according to block 9 coating the object to be painted according to block 6.

The at least partially emptied ink cartridge is then returned to the cartridge sorting and shelf storage unit according to block 5 in a further pipe system after block 10 as a return branch.

From there, the empty ink cartridges according to block 4 are again made available to the paint manufacturer for cartridge cleaning and refilling.

By using cartridges with relatively small amounts of paint, an accurate, paint object-related and color-related paint consumption accounting is possible according to block 11.

A coating system 30 is shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with the block diagram according to FIG. 1, with a cartridge sorting and shelf storage 5, a feed branch 7 of a pipe system, a docking station 8 and a return branch 10 of the pipe system.

In the upper area of the cartridge sorting and shelf storage 5, a plurality of filled ink cartridges 12 are shown, of which one ink cartridge 13 is being dispensed and fed into the feed branch 7 of the pipe system at a storage outlet 14. The filled ink cartridges 12, 13 had been fed to the cartridge sorting and racking warehouse at a loading entrance 15.

The path of the ink cartridge 13 is shown and described in individual positions below: In position 13a, the transport in the feed branch 7 to the docking station 8 is shown. After arrival in the docking station 8 at position 13b, a transverse movement into a position 13c takes place in a transverse transport device 16 (not shown in more detail). The ink cartridge 13 is emptied there, as will be explained in more detail below.

A further transverse transport into position 13d then takes place with an input into the return branch 10 of the piping system. The controlled return transport in the return branch 10 is shown in the position 13e and a controlled storage in the cartridge sorting and shelf storage 5 in the position 13f.

At a removal outlet 17, empty cartridges 18 are controlled, in particular in batches, removed and returned to the paint manufacturer.

In the course of the stations 13, 13a, 13b, a shaking device (not shown) is also provided for mixing the ink material 19 in the filled ink cartridge 13.

In Fig. 3, the filled color cartridge 13 is shown enlarged. This has a cylindrical housing 20 with bevels 21 on the two end faces. On the outer surface of the cylinder there are two spaced sliding and guide rings 22 which bear tightly against the inside of the piping system during transport by means of a pneumatic control.

The cylinder housing 20 and a displaceable piston 23 form a cylinder piston arrangement. In the filled state shown, the piston 23 lies on the left rear side of the ink cartridge 13. The right front side as the docking side of the ink cartridge 13 is closed with a pierceable cover 24. The back of the piston 23 is covered by an end side opening 25 accessible from the outside, and this opening can be closed by a pierceable cover.

The ink cartridge 13 is emptied in accordance with position 13c in FIG. 2 such that the piston 23 is displaced in the direction of the docking opening via a push rod 26, the ink cartridge 13 being docked on a paint line of the application device 9 and with a spraying element 27 is connected.

The push rod 26 is part of a pressure control device, via which the ink cartridge 13 is emptied in a defined manner. After the emptying, the push rod 26 is fully retracted again, the piston 23 remaining in its right position when the ink cartridge is transported back, as shown, for example, in FIG. B. can be seen from the position 13d.

Thus, on the one hand, a ring line system in the form of a pneumatic tube for color cartridges with predetermined colors and colors in the area of the coating system 30 is created and, on the other hand, a circuit system for cleaning the cartridges, filling the cartridges and delivering them between the paint manufacturer and the operator of the coating system can be implemented.

Claims

Expectations

1. coating system for coating objects, in particular vehicle bodies with frequently changing color material,

with a storage device in which color materials with different color tones are provided,

with a transport device for the different color materials from the storage device to at least one application device (9), in particular a spraying device (27), in at least one coating station in which the object (6) is at least partially coated, and

with a control device (2), in particular for a color change, which is connected to the storage device, the transport device and the application device (9) and to control elements and is connected in such a way that

in the presence of a specific object (6) in the coating station, the desired and assigned color material is available on the application device (9),

characterized,

that the storage device is a cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) in which a plurality of color cartridges (12, 13) with the same and store different farm supplies, whereby

the storage locations of the individual color cartridges (12, 13) can be determined by the control unit (2) in connection with information about the color of the color material (19) and / or a color quantity of the color material (19) contained therein, and wherein

A corresponding color cartridge (13) at an output (14) via a control signal, which contains coded information about the color material (19) to be delivered to the application device (9) for a coating. the cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) can be issued,

that the transport device is a cartridge transport device with which the color cartridges (13) issued at the outlet (14) of the cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) are closed in a feed branch (7) to a docking station (8) upstream of the application device (9) can be transported, the color cartridges (13) arriving at the docking station (8) being opened and the color material (19) being discharged.

2. Coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that the cartridge transport device contains a return branch (10), with the completely or partially empty ink cartridges (13d, 18) from the docking station (8) in the cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) predetermined storage locations in the manner of a ring line system can be traced back by the control device (2).

3. Coating system according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized ge indicates that the cartridge transport device, in particular the feed branch (7) and the return branch (10) comprises pipes, in which the color cartridges (12, 13, 18) can be transported pneumatically controlled in the manner of a "pneumatic tube".

4. Coating system according to claim 3, characterized in that the pipes (7, 10) have a circular cross-section and the ink cartridges (12, 13, 18) are cylindrical in shape with at least two spaced sliding and guide rings (22) on the cylinder peripheral surface .

5. Coating plant according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized ge indicates

that the color cartridges (12, 13, 18) contain a cylinder-piston arrangement, the respective piston (23) being in a filled position on the back and the opposite front side of the cartridge being closed as a docking side (24) when filled,

that the front side of the cartridge or its closure (24) is evident in the docking device (8) and that the ink cartridge (13c) can be forcibly emptied by moving the piston (23) from the outside of the cartridge.

6. Coating plant according to claim 5, characterized in that the displacement of the piston (23) for a defined emptying of the ink cartridge (13c) is time-controlled and / or pressure-controlled.

7. Coating system according to claim 5 or claim 6, characterized in that the front of the cartridge is closed as a docking side by a spring-loaded valve.

8. Coating plant according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized ge indicates

that the feed branch (7) and / or return branch (10), in particular the feed pipeline and the return pipeline, connect to the docking station (8) in their longitudinal transport direction,

that for at least one ink cartridge located in the docking station (8) there is a transverse shifting device (16) for shifting transversely to the longitudinal transport direction, in such a way that in the laterally shifted position of the ink cartridge (13c) the back of the piston (23 ) for a push rod (26) for emptying the cartridge, the color cartridge (13c) with its open docking side being connected to a spray element (27).

9. Coating system according to claim 8, characterized in that with a color cartridge (13c) in the cross-shifted emptying position, a next color cartridge (13b) for a next coating process can be transported into a waiting position in the cross-shifting device.

10. Coating system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized ge indicates that the loading and emptying of the cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) by an appropriate input (15) and output (17) is carried out automatically at time intervals.

11. Coating system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized ge indicates that the cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) contains interchangeable magazines for a plurality of color cartridges (12, 13, 18).

12. Coating system according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that each color cartridge (12, 13, 18) has on its outside at least one code, in particular a bar code corresponding to its respective filling, which is provided by sensors of the control device (2) is detectable.

13. Coating system according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized ge indicates that in the cartridge sorting and shelf storage (5) and / or in the transport route and / or in the docking station (8) at least one shaking device for at least one to be processed Color cartridge (13) for mixing the contained color material (19) is provided.