WO2015008269A1

WO2015008269A1 - Powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint

Info

Publication number: WO2015008269A1
Application number: PCT/IB2014/063275
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luca TOMASSONI
Original assignee: Siver S.R.L.
Priority date: 2013-07-19
Filing date: 2014-07-21
Publication date: 2015-01-22
Also published as: ITMO20130210A1

Abstract

A powder feeding equipment (1) for the preparation of paint, comprising a work booth (2) inside which is arranged a preparation device (3) for preparing the paint and feeding means (4) able to pick up the fresh powder from a collection container (C) and to send it to the preparation device (3), the latter being connectable to dispensing means of the prepared paint, the feeding equipment (1) further comprising movement means (6) of the container (C) through the booth (2) along a direction of forward movement (7).

Description

POWDER FEEDING EQUIPMENT FOR THE PREPARATION OF PAINT

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint.

Background Art

The equipment of known type for the preparation of paint using fresh powders generally comprises a work booth inside which is arranged a collection container for the fresh powder to be used, a device for the preparation of paint and feeding means of the fresh powder from the container to the device.

More in particular, the fresh powder is picked up from the collection container and pneumatically sent to the device for the preparation of paint, where the fresh powder is fluidized so as to form the paint to be dispensed.

The device for the preparation of paint is also connectable to dispensing means of the fluid paint thus prepared and to a return pipe of the powder coming from a cyclone separator able to recover the powder that has not reached the object to be painted.

This device also has discharge means for discharging the powder which has not been used.

These known types of equipment do have some drawbacks.

These in fact necessarily require the manual intervention of an operator during the various working stages, since the container must be prepared every time with the powder to be used and arranged in the position corresponding to the relative working stage. Furthermore, at the end of the painting stage the container needs to be removed, again manually, from the booth, for instance to allow the color change.

Still another drawback of the known equipment consists in the fact that it does not allow to have an immediate feedback of the amount of powder used for painting.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to devise a powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint which allows to significantly reduce the need for the manual intervention by an operator during the different operation stages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an almost immediate feedback on the amount of powder used for painting.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint which can overcome the above mentioned drawbacks of the prior art in the ambit of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use as well as low cost solution.

The above mentioned objects are achieved by the present powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint according to claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better evident from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint, illustrated by way of an indicative, but not limitative example in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an equipment according to the invention, in a first embodiment;

Figure 2 is a front view of the equipment according to Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of an equipment according to the invention, in a second embodiment.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to these figures, globally indicated by reference number 1 is a powder feeding equipment for the preparation of paint.

The equipment 1 comprises a work booth 2, inside which can be arranged a container C for the fresh powder, a preparation device 3 for preparing the paint and feeding means 4 for feeding the fresh powder from the container C to the preparation device 3. The preparation device 3 and the feeding means 4 are arranged inside the booth 2.

More particularly, the booth 2 has a substantially parallelepiped shape and has at least an open front wall to allow access by an operator.

The preparation device 3 of the paint is associated with the rear wall 2a of the booth 2 as opposed to the open front wall and is also connectable to spraying dispensing means of the paint thus prepared, not shown in the illustrations, and to a cyclone separator able to recover the powder that is not applied on the object to be painted and to send it back again inside the preparation device 3. The preparation device 3 is e.g. of the fluidized bed type, known to the technician of the field, and comprises valve means, schematically identified in the illustrations with the reference number 5, controllable at opening to allow the outflow of the residual powder remained in the device itself at the end of the painting stage.

The container C is e.g. constituted by a box-shaped body containing the powder to be used.

According to the invention, the equipment 1 comprises movement means 6 of the container C through the booth 2 along a direction of forward movement identified in the illustrations with reference number 7.

Advantageously, the movement means 6 comprise a conveyor belt 6a operated in translation along the direction of forward movement 7 by relative motor means (not shown in the illustrations).

Alternative embodiments of known type to the technician of the field cannot however be ruled out.

The movement means 6 are operatively connected to a command and control unit 8 able to command the starting and stopping thereof.

More particularly, such command and control unit 8 is equipped with a central processing unit and interface means selectable by an operator.

Preferably, the booth 2 has at least one of an entry opening 9a and an exit opening 9b for the passage of the container C along the direction of forward movement 7.

Suitably, the entry opening 9a and the exit opening 9b are defined on respective lateral walls 2b and 2c of the booth 2.

More in detail, in the preferred embodiments shown in the illustrations, the booth 2 has both the entry opening 9a and the exit opening 9b, which are respectively defined on the lateral walls 2b and 2c opposite to one another. The container C is therefore able to move, proceeding along the direction of forward movement 7, from the outside of the booth 2 to the inside of the same and vice versa. The equipment 1 then has at least one of a loading station 10, in correspondence to which the container C can be positioned on the movement means 6, and a removal station 11, in correspondence to which the container C is removable from the movement means 6. Both the loading station 10 and the removal station 11 are positioned outside the booth 2.

In the embodiment shown in the illustrations, the equipment 1 has both the loading station 10 and the removal station 11.

Preferably, the equipment 1 also comprises at least one pick-up station 12 of the fresh powder contained in the container C.

Such pick-up station 12 is arranged inside the booth 2.

Advantageously, the feeding means 4 are mobile between a work position, in which they are operatively connected to the container C to allow picking up the fresh powder contained in the same, and an idle position, in which they are operatively disconnected from the container C.

The equipment 1 also comprises a discharge station 13 of the residual powder contained in the preparation device 3 at the end of the painting stage. The discharge station 13 is also arranged inside the booth 2.

The equipment 1 also has first weighing means able to detect the weight of the container C before picking up the fresh powder by the feeding means 4.

More particularly, the first weighing means are arranged in correspondence to the pick-up station 12 or upstream of the same with respect to the direction of forward movement 7.

Preferably, the equipment 1 also comprises second weighing means of the container C able to detect the weight of the same after the preparation device 3 has discharged in the container itself the residual powder remained inside.

The second weighing means are then arranged in correspondence to the discharge station 13 or downstream of the same with respect to the direction of forward movement 7.

The first and second weighing means are e.g. constituted by respective load cells (not visible in the figures).

The first and second weighing means are operatively connected to the command and control unit 8, which has calculation means able to calculate the difference between the weight of the container C detected by the first weighing means and that detected by the second weighing means, so as to provide the weight of the powder used during painting.

Advantageously, the equipment 1 also comprises sensor means (not shown in the figures) able to detect the position of the container C along the direction of forward movement 7. More particularly, the sensor means are able to detect the reaching of one or more of the above-mentioned stations 10, 11, 12 and 13 by the container C.

The sensor means are e.g. constituted by relative photocells operatively connected to the command and control unit 8.

More in detail, such command and control unit 8 is able to activate the movement means 6 when the sensor means detect the presence of the container C in the loading station 10.

Similarly, the command and control unit 8 is able to deactivate the movement means 6 when the sensor means detect the reaching of the removal station 11 by the container C.

The command and control unit 8 is also able to move the feeding means 4 from the idle position to the work position when the sensor means detect that the container C has reached the pick-up station 12. The feeding means 4 are then brought again to the idle position once the painting operation is finished or after a preset time interval.

Similarly, the command and control unit 8 is able to command the opening of the valve means 5, in order to cause the outflow of the residual powder contained inside the preparation device 3, when the sensor means detect that the container C has reached the discharge station 13.

Advantageously, identification means are also provided for identifying the color of the powder contained in the container C. These identification means are operatively connected to the command and control unit 8.

More particularly, the identification means can be of the automatic type, such as a bar code reader, or of the manual type, in which case it is the operator who indicates the type of powder contained in the container C by means of the interface means. In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the equipment 1 also comprises a storage device 15 arranged outside the booth 2 and comprising a plurality of containers C. The storage device 15 is operatively connected to the command and control unit 8 by means of which the container C to use can be selected.

Preferably, the storage device 15 is able to cooperate with the movement means 6 so as to release the selected container C in correspondence to the loading station 10.

The storage device 15 is e.g. of the type of a vertical magazine.

The operation of the present invention is as follows.

The container C is initially positioned in the loading station 10 and made available for use.

In the embodiment represented in Figure 3, the operator selects the container C to be used through the command and control unit 8 and the storage device 15 releases the selected container C in correspondence to the movement means 6. More particularly, the operator selects the type of color to be used by means of the interface means and the command and control unit 8, by detecting the color present in each container C, identifies the container corresponding to the required needs, which is then brought in correspondence to the loading station 10.

The position of the container C is detected by the sensor means which send a corresponding signal to the command and control unit 8, which starts accordingly the movement means 6.

More particularly, the belt 6a starts to move along the direction of forward movement 7 thus shifting the container C positioned above it.

During the movement along the direction of forward movement 7 the container C, initially arranged outside the booth 2, passes through the entry opening 9a thus entering inside the booth itself.

Once the sensor means detect the reaching of the pick-up station 12 by the container C, the command and control unit 8 starts the feeding means 4 by bringing them to the work position.

Before the fresh powder is picked up, the command and control unit 8 detects the weight of the container C by means of the first weighing means. Subsequently, the feeding means 4 pick up the fresh powder from the container C and send it to the preparation device 3 inside which the powder is fluidized in accordance to the methodology known to the technician of the field.

At the end of the painting stage, the feeding means 4 interrupt the pick-up of the fresh powder from the container C and return to the idle position.

The command and control unit 8 reactivates accordingly the movement means 6 by moving forward the container C along the direction of forward movement 7. Once the discharge station 13 has been reached, the command and control unit 8 starts the valve means 5, so as to cause the opening thereof and to allow the outflow of the residual powder contained in the preparation device 3. The residual powder is then re-introduced into the container C.

As a result of the closure of the valve means 5, the movement means 6 resume their movement along the direction of forward movement 7 and the second weighing means detect the weight of the container C. The command and control unit 8 is then able to provide the weight of the powder used in the painting process by calculating the difference between the weight of the container C detected by the first weighing means before picking up the powder and the weight detected by the second weighing means following the restoration of the powder which has not been used.

Finally, as a result of the further forward moving of belt 6a, the container C reaches the removal station 11 passing through the exit opening 9b, where an operator removes it from the movement means 6.

It has in practice been found how the described invention achieves the proposed objects and in particular the fact is underlined that it allows, thanks to the automatic movement of the containers for collecting the fresh powder, to significantly simplify the management of the same with respect to known equipment.

In particular, the equipment forming the subject of the present invention allows to do without the intervention of an operator during the entire cycle of use of a collection container of the fresh powder.

Moreover, the equipment according to the invention allows to calculate in real time the amount of fresh powder actually used in the painting stage.

Claims

1) Powder feeding equipment (1) for the preparation of paint, comprising a work booth (2) inside which is arranged a preparation device (3) for preparing the paint and feeding means (4) able to pick up the fresh powder from a collection container (C) and to send it to said preparation device (3), the latter being connectable to dispensing means of the prepared paint, characterized by the fact that it comprises movement means (6) of said container (C) through said booth (2) along a direction of forward movement (7).

2) Equipment (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said booth has at least one of an entry opening (9a) and an exit opening (9b) for the passage of said container (C) in its movement along said direction of forward movement (7).

3) Equipment (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that said booth (2) has a substantially parallelepiped shape and has an open front face, said entry opening (9a) and/or said exit opening (9b) being defined on respective lateral walls (2b, 2c) of the booth itself.

4) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said movement means (6) comprise at least a conveyor belt (6a) which can be operated in translation along said direction of forward movement (7) and on which said container (C) is arranged.

5) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a command and control unit (8) operatively connected to said movement means (6) and able to start and stop its operation.

6) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least one of a loading station (10) and a removal station (11) of said container (C) arranged outside said booth (2). 7) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a pick-up station (12) of the fresh powder from said container (C) arranged inside said booth (2) and at least a discharge station (13) of the residual powder from said preparation device (3) to said container (C). 8) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises first weighing means of said container (C) arranged in correspondence to or upstream of said pick-up station (12) with respect to said direction of forward movement (7).

9) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises second weighing means of said container (C) arranged in correspondence to or downstream of said discharge station (13) with respect to said direction of forward movement (7).

10) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said first and second weighing means are operatively connected to said command and control unit (8), the latter having calculation means able to calculate the difference between the weight of said container (C) detected by said first and by said second weighing means.

11) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises sensor means able to detect the reaching of at least one of said stations (10, 11, 12, 13) by said container (C) in its shift along said direction of forward movement (7).

12) Equipment (1) according to claim 11, characterized by the fact that said sensor means are operatively connected to said command and control unit (8). 13) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said feeding means (4) are operatively connected to said command and control unit (8) and are mobile between a work position, in which they are able to cooperate with said container (C) to send the fresh powder to said preparation device (3), and an idle position, in which they are released from the container itself, said command and control unit (8) being programmed to bring said feeding means (4) from the idle position to the work position when said sensor means detect the reaching of said pick-up station (12) by said container (C).

14) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said preparation device (3) comprises valve means (5) operatively connected to said command and control unit (8) and which can be commanded at opening to allow the outflow to the outside of the residual powder contained inside, said command and control unit (8) being programmed to command the opening of said valve means (5) when said sensor means detect the reaching of said discharge station (13) by said container (C).

15) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises identification means for identifying the color of the powder contained in said container (C) which are operatively connected to said command and control unit (8).

16) Equipment (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a storage device (15) comprising a plurality of said containers (C), arranged outside said booth (2) and operatively connected to said command and control unit (8), the latter having selection means of the container (C) to use, said storage device (15) being able to release the selected container (C) in correspondence to said loading station (10).