Patent Grant
10350623
The present application is a 371 of International application PCT/EP2014/002142, filed Aug. 5, 2014, which claims priority of DE 10 2013 013 549.4, filed Aug. 13, 2013, the priority of these applications is hereby claimed and these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a changing device for coating-media, in particular for lacquers, with
In addition, the invention relates to a coating system for coating objects, with:
A changing device of such a type and a coating system of such a type are known from EP 1 245 295 B1, for example.
For example, in the case of a lacquering shop a changing device for coating-media, i.e. a colour-changing device, is employed when in normal operation it happens relatively frequently that for the coating of an object a lacquer is to be used that is different from the lacquer with which a previous object was lacquered.
In the case of the changing device according to EP 1 245 295 B1, the coupling unit is moved in two directions in a plane that is perpendicular to the coupling-motion direction. In this case, the supply units have been arranged in a matrix in front of the coupling unit. With respect to the coupling-motion direction, this changing device requires space for the supply units and for the coupling unit.
It is an object of the present invention to create a changing device and a coating system of the aforementioned type, with which the changing device can be constructed in more space-saving manner.
This object is achieved with a changing device of the aforementioned type, in that
According to the invention, it was recognised that a changing device in which all the supply units and the coupling unit have been arranged in a common plane, and which complies with this alternative motion concept, can be operated in space-saving manner.
In this case it is favourable if the coupling unit can be moved in the positioning-motion direction on a linear path of motion.
Alternatively or additionally, however, it is also possible that the coupling unit can be moved in the positioning-motion direction on at least one portion of a circular path.
Preferentially, the positioning-motion direction has been set up in such a way that the positioning-motion direction is a first positioning-motion direction, and the coupling unit can, in addition, be moved by the positioning device in a second positioning-motion direction with a motion component that is perpendicular to the first positioning-motion direction, the two positioning-motion directions and of the coupling unit and the coupling-motion direction lying in the common plane. In this case, the coupling unit can be moved in the plane in two directions relative to the supply units. Details on this point will be elucidated further below.
The coupling unit may advantageously have been supported so as to be mobile in one or more guide rails and/or on a rotary element.
It is favourable if the supply units have been encompassed by a linear supply module in which the supply units have been arranged linearly and all the outlet ports point in the same direction.
The number of supply modules in the plane can be increased, by several linear supply modules having been arranged in a plane, the axes of the outlet ports of the supply units of all the supply modules lying in this plane.
Alternatively, the supply units may have been encompassed by a supply drum in which the supply units have been arranged in the form of a circle in a plane and all the outlet ports point in a radial direction with respect to the midpoint of the supply drum.
In this case, several supply drums with different diameters may advantageously also have been arranged coaxially with respect to one another and in a plane.
With regard to the coating system, the object specified above is achieved by virtue of the fact that
The advantages in this case correspond analogously to the advantages elucidated respectively in relation to the changing device.
Embodiments of the invention will be elucidated in more detail below on the basis of the drawings. Shown in these drawings are:
Reference will firstly be made to
Whenever a connection of ports, channels or lines is mentioned in the following, in each instance a fluidic connection of such components is primarily meant thereby, as a result of which corresponding flow paths are formed. Terms used in the following—such as inlet, outlet, input or output or corresponding ports—relate merely to a flow of medium in the direction of the application device. However, as will become clear further below, medium may also flow in the other direction and in this case may flow out through an inlet or input or may flow in through an outlet or output.
The application device 4 is fed via a line 6. The coating system 2 is operated, in a manner known as such, by using pig technology, for which reason a pig station 8 has been arranged in dose proximity to the application device 4 in the line 6. At the end remote from the application device 4, the line 6 has been connected to a changing device 10 for coating-media, which in the case of a coating with lacquer is consequently a colour-changing device.
The changing device 10 comprises several supply units 12, merely three supply units 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3 being shown in
A supply unit 12 includes a housing 14 which, for example, may take the form of a housing block. The housing 14 has an inlet port 16 for coating-medium, a flushing-agent port 18 for flushing agent, and an outlet port 20. The inlet port 16 and the flushing-agent port 18 open into a flow channel 22 which leads to the outlet port 20 and of which only a short end portion can be discerned in
The inlet port 16 and the flushing-agent port 18 of a supply unit 12 can each be closed or opened separately by a corresponding colour valve 24 and flushing valve 26, respectively. For this purpose, needle valves known as such may, for example, have been provided, which respectively cooperate with corresponding valve seats of the inlet port 16 and of the flushing-agent port 18.
The inlet ports 16 of the individual supply units 12 have each been connected to their own colour reservoir 28, this being illustrated only in
The flushing-agent ports 18 of the individual supply units 12 have been respectively connected to a collecting tank 30. In this case, several supply units 12 may also have been connected to one and the same collecting tank 30. A flushing-agent reservoir 32 has been connected to the pig station 8 on the application device 4.
Understood by ‘reservoir’ in the present case will be any technical solution for providing or receiving differing media. Ring-line systems such as are known in themselves consequently also count as reservoirs, for example.
The individual supply units 12 have been combined in a linear arrangement and attached to one another to form a supply module 34 via which the application device 4 can be supplied with a corresponding number of different colours.
In order to conduct a colour from one of the supply units 12 to the application device 4, a coupling unit 36 has been linked to the end of the line 6 remote from the pig station 8, by means of which the supply units 12 can be coupled with the application device 4.
The coupling unit 36 includes a pig station 38 with an output port 40 which has been linked to the line 6. In addition, the coupling unit 36 includes a locking head 42 which carries an input port 44 which has been designed to be complementary to the outlet ports 20 of the supply units 12 and fluidically connected, via a channel 46 to be discerned in
The outlet port 20 of the supply units 12 will firstly be described on the basis of
The connecting plate 48 exhibits three elongated, regularly arranged locking ducts 62 extending on an imaginary circle, which in the in top view of the connecting surface 50 have, in the clockwise direction, an insertion portion 62a and, compared thereto, a narrower locking portion 62b. On the locking side 52 the connecting plate 48 exhibits a locking ramp 64 along each locking duct 62. Said locking ramp has been formed by virtue of the fact that the thickness of the connecting plate 48 increases from the start of the insertion portion 62a up to the end of the locking portion 62b of the locking ducts 62.
The input port 44 of the locking head 42 has been formed by a cylindrical connecting element in the form of a connecting plunger 66 which is shown in
Between the connecting side 70 and the flange surface 72 of the connecting flange 68 there extend three regularly distributed elongated holes 76, the contour and dimensions of which are complementary to the locking ducts 62 in the connecting plate 48 of the supply units 12. In particular, the elongated holes 76 are as wide as the insertion portions 62a of the locking ducts 62.
The connecting flange 68 is borne by a guide cylinder 78 which on its free end face 78a remote from the connecting flange 68 has been designed in such a way that the through-channel 46 can be fluidically linked to pig station 38. Situated opposite the free end face 78a, the guide cylinder 78 also defines the connecting side 70 of the connecting plunger 66.
Three guide grooves 80 which have been arranged at regular intervals from one another have been worked into the external circumferential surface 80 of the guide cylinder 78. Said guide grooves have a linear portion 82a, axially parallel to the guide cylinder 76 and emanating from the free end face 78a thereof, then follow, in an arcuate portion 82b, a 90° bend which finally merges with a locking portion 82c which extends perpendicularly in relation to the linear portion 82a. In top view of the free end face 78a of the guide cylinder 78, the arcuate portion 82b and the locking portion 82c follow the clockwise direction.
The locking head 42 includes, in addition, a locking ring 84 shown in
Three diagonal grooves 94, again arranged at regular intervals, have been recessed into the external circumferential surface 92 of the locking ring 84, said diagonal grooves extending from top left to bottom right when the locking ring 84 has been oriented horizontally.
The locking ring 84 has, in addition, three axially parallel ducts 96 with two portions that have differing cross section, namely a plug-in portion 98 with square cross section and a countersunk portion 100 with round cross section which, in addition, has a larger diameter than the plug-in portion, so that an abutment step 102 has been formed at the transition of portions 98, 100.
In the plug-in portions 98 there is, in each instance, a locking element, shown in
At its end region remote from the plug-in head 106 the locking bolt 104 exhibits an obliquely formed waist 114, so that it terminates in a mushroom-shaped locking end 116 with inclined conducting surfaces 118 which flank the waist 114. The inclination of the conducting surfaces 118 is complementary to the inclination of the locking ramps 64 of the connecting plates 48 of the supply units 12. The locking end 116 will be designated in the following as the mushroom head 116.
Finally, the locking head 42 also includes an actuator sleeve 120 which can be pushed onto the locking ring 84. The wall of the actuator sleeve 120 exhibits three through-tapped bores 122 into which guide pins 124 projecting radially inwards can be screwed. In the operating condition, these guide pins 124 engage in a respective one of the diagonal grooves 94 of the locking ring 84, so that the latter can be moved relative to the actuator sleeve 120 with a superposition of a rotary motion and an axial motion.
On its external circumferential surface the actuator sleeve 120 bears an attachment eye 126 on which an actuator device 128 can be applied. As shown in
Expressed generally, the actuator device 128 together with the locking ring 84, the locking bolts 104 and the actuator sleeve 120 forms a locking device 134. With this locking device 134 the input port 44, i.e. in the present embodiment the connecting plunger 66, of the coupling unit 36 can be locked to one of the outlet ports 20 of the supply units 12. For this purpose, the locking device 134 cooperates with respective locking means 136 of one of the supply units 12, i.e. in the present embodiment with the connecting plate 48 of a supply unit 12 and with the locking ducts 62 thereof and with the respectively associated locking ramp 64.
For a change of colour, the supply units 12 and the coupling unit 36 can be moved relative to one another. For this purpose, the changing device 10 includes a positioning device 138 shown schematically in
The coupling unit 36 may, for example, have been displaceably supported in a guide rail which extends parallel to the supply module 34, and may be traversed therein with the aid of drive means known as such.
The mode of operation of the coating system 2 with the changing device 10 will now be elucidated, in particular, on the basis of
In the release configuration, the locking ring 84 of the locking head 42 together with the locking bolts 104 has been positioned on the guide cylinder 78 of the connecting plunger 66 in such a way that the locking bolts 104 project through the elongated holes 76 of the connecting plunger 66 in the connecting flange 68 thereof and have been arranged above the insertion portions 62a of the locking ducts 62. In this way, the locking ring 84 has been spaced so far from the connecting flange 68 of the connecting plunger 66 that the locking mushrooms 116 on the connecting side 70 of the connecting plunger 68 terminate flush with the insertion ring 74 of the connecting plunger 66. In this case, the guide lugs 90 of the locking ring 84 are located in the linear portions 82a of the guide grooves 80 of the connecting plunger 66.
Now in order to couple the locking head 42 with the connecting plate 48 of supply unit 12.2, the actuator cylinder 130 is activated in such a way that the cylinder rod 132 extends and in the process rotates the actuator sleeve 120 appropriately. The actuator sleeve 120 has been coupled via its guide pins 124 with the locking ring 84, so that the guide pins 124 exert a force on the corresponding side face of the diagonal grooves 94 of the locking ring 84 in the course of the rotary motion. Since a rotary motion of the locking ring 84 is prevented by the guide lugs 90 in the linear portion 82 of the guide grooves 82, this force brings about an axial motion of the locking ring 84 onto the connecting flange 68 of the connecting plunger 66. In this process, the locking ring 84 itself does not rotate.
During this axial motion, the locking mushrooms 116 of the locking bolts 104 pass through the insertion portion 62a of the locking ducts 62 in the connecting plate 48 of supply unit 12.2 until the locking mushrooms 116 have each been positioned below the respective locking ramp 64.
The guide lugs 90 of the locking ring 84 are located in the bottom portion 82b at the level of the locking portion 82c of the guide grooves 82 if the locking ring 84 has moved so far towards the connecting flange 68 of the connecting plunger 66 until the locking ring 84 abuts the flange surface 72 of the connecting flange 68 of the connecting plunger 66. In
In the described position, a rotation of the locking ring 84 is now no longer blocked by the guide grooves 82, so that the locking ring 84 now rotates together with the actuator sleeve 120 if the cylinder rod 132 of the actuator cylinder 130 extends further. In the process, the guide lugs 90 retract into the respective locking portion 82c of the guide grooves 82 of the connecting plunger 66, as a result of which an axial motion of the locking ring 84 relative to the connecting plunger 66 has been blocked.
In the process, the locking ring 84 also moves the locking bolts 104, the locking mushrooms 116 of which are now guided along the locking ramp 64; in the process, the waists 114 of the locking bolts 104 move into the locking portions 62b of the locking ducts 62 of the connecting plate 48. By reason of the locking ramps 64, the locking ring 84 is pulled together with the connecting plunger 66 in the direction of the connecting plate 48 of supply unit 12.2 in the course of locking, whereby the insertion ring 74 of the connecting plunger 66 is inserted into the step 56 of the connecting plates 48, and the impervious fluid connection between the flow channel 22 of supply unit 12.2 and the channel 46 of the locking head is formed. Expressed generally, the locking device 134 of the coupling unit 36 and the locking means 136 of the supply units 12 have been set up in such a manner that, in the course of locking, the input port 44 of the coupling unit 36 and the outlet port 20 of the supply unit 12 move relatively towards one another in guided manner.
In a locking configuration shown in
Lacquer can now be conveyed out of colour reservoir 28.2 to the application device 4 and hence can be applied onto an object. The operation of the coating system 2 in itself, i.e. the flushing processes in the case of a change of colour, the drive of the colour valves 24 and of the flushing valves 26 of the supply module 34 and also the use of pigs between the pig station 8 on the application device 4 and the pig station 38 of the coupling unit 36, correspond to the state of the art.
For the purpose of propelling media or the pig in the line system formed by the channels and lines that have been elucidated, use may be made of medium pressure of lacquer, flushing agent, air, CO2, nitrogen and the like, which are provided in a manner known as such. Components required for this purpose—such as media sources, lines, valves and ports—have not been shown expressly in the Figures, for the sake of clarity.
After completion of the application with the lacquer from lacquer reservoir 28.2, optionally a change of colour may be effected to a second lacquer having a different colour, for example a lacquer from colour reservoir 28.1 of supply unit 12.1
Now if such a change of colour is to be carried out, firstly the first lacquer—which is located in the line 6, in the coupling unit 36 and in the flow channel 22 of supply unit 12.2—is pressed back into colour reservoir 28.2 of supply unit 12.2. For this purpose, the pig is pressed out of pig station 8 into the pig station 38 of the coupling unit 36 by flushing agent from the flushing-agent reservoir 32 on the application device 4 with the aid of a pressure medium such as compressed air, which acts on the flushing agent, via the line 6. The colour valve 24 of supply unit 12.2 is open in this case, as a result of which the lacquer is pressed back into colour reservoir 28.2. This is not shown in the Figures.
Optionally, flushing agent can be dispensed with. In this case, the pig will have compressed air applied to it directly and in this way will be guided through the line 6.
If the pig is located in pig station 38, the colour valve 24 of supply unit 12.2 is closed and the flushing valve 26 thereof is opened. The presence or absence of the pig in pig station 38 or in pig station 8 can be ascertained with the aid of established detection methods. Suitable for this purpose are, for example and in known manner, initiators, magnetic-vortex probes, light barriers and also light-conducting and ultrasonic techniques or even a determination of the pig positions by pressure measurements or quantity measurements with respect to the coating-medium conveyed.
If flushing agent now continues to be pressed out of the flushing-agent reservoir 32, the lacquer still present in supply unit 12.2 and in the coupling unit 36 is carried away through the flushing-agent port 18 into the collecting tank 30 until only flushing agent is located in the channels. Said flushing agent then continues to be expressed from the flushing-agent port 18 by air until only air is located in the lines and channels.
The flushing valve 26 is then dosed, and with the aid of the actuator cylinder 130 the coupling unit 36 is separated from supply unit 12.2, by the cylinder rod 132 of said actuator cylinder being retracted. In this case, the processes elucidated above take place in the reverse order until the coupling unit 36 has been detached from supply unit 12.2.
The coupling unit 36 is then moved by the positioning device 138 in a positioning-motion direction 140, illustrated by arrows, to supply unit 12.1 and is coupled with the latter. In the course of this, the processes described above in respect of supply unit 12.1 are carried out, via which lacquer from reservoir 28.1 can then be applied. In the present embodiment, the motion of the coupling unit 36 in the positioning-motion direction 140 occurs on a linear path of motion.
In the course of the coupling of the coupling unit 36 with one of the supply units 12, the coupling unit 36 is moved towards the supply unit in a coupling-motion direction 142.
In the present embodiment, this coupling motion 142 is linear, points towards one of the supply units 12 or away from the latter, and is illustrated in
Both the positioning-motion direction 140 and the coupling-motion direction 142 lie in a common plane E which in
The positioning-motion device 138 has been set up in such a way that the coupling unit 36 can be moved only in this plane E in which the coupling-motion direction 142 also lies. The coupling unit 36 cannot be moved in a direction that is perpendicular to this plane E.
In the present embodiment, the changing unit is a so-called linear colour-changer, in which the supply units 12 and the coupling units 36 can be moved relative to one another only in a common plane, which here again corresponds to the plane E. In this case, the relative positioning motion between the supply units 12 and the coupling unit 36 occurs in a linear motion in the single positioning-motion direction 140 there.
In this embodiment, two or even more linear supply modules 34 with supply units 12 may be present, two supply modules 34.1 and 34.2 being shown in
Between two adjacent supply modules 34 a sufficient spacing remains in this case, so that the coupling unit 36 fits between two supply modules 34 and can be moved there in the positioning-motion direction 140, as illustrated in
In practice, the individual supply modules 34 have been arranged above one another in the vertical direction, but a horizontal arrangement of the supply modules 34 alongside one another is also practicable, in which case the outlet ports 20 of the supply units 12 then point to the side.
The coupling unit 36 can, for example, be moved at one of the ends of the supply modules 34 in the plane E from one supply module 34 to the next. A part of the possible path of motion of the coupling unit 36 is indicated in
For this purpose, the coupling unit 36 may, for example, have been displaceably supported in a rail system in which guide rails have been linked to one another, parallel to the supply module 34, by cross-rails, so that a transition between the guide rails is possible.
In this embodiment, the positioning-motion direction 140 is a first positioning-motion direction of the coupling unit 36 which, in addition, can be moved by the positioning device 138 in a second positioning-motion direction 144 with a motion component that is perpendicular to the first positioning-motion direction 140. As a rule, the first positioning-motion direction 140 and the second positioning-motion direction 144 are perpendicular to one another. The two positioning-motion directions 140, 144 of the coupling unit 36 then lie in the common plane E in which the coupling-motion direction 142 also lies. In both positioning-motion directions 140, 144 the motion of the coupling unit 36 occurs on a linear path of motion.
In the case of the supply module 34 according to this embodiment, the supply units 12 have been arranged in the form of a circle in the plane E, so that a supply drum 146 has been formed. In this case, the outlet ports 20—i.e. in the present case, the connecting plates 48 of the individual supply units 12—have been directed radially inwards, the axis of the respective through-channels 54 of the connecting plates 48 intersecting the midpoint of the circle spanned by the supply units 12. In
The coupling unit 36 has been arranged offset radially inwards with respect to the supply units 12, its input port 44 pointing radially outwards. With the aid of the positioning device 138 the coupling unit 36 can be traversed in the positioning-motion direction 140 on a circular path, the midpoint of which is identical with the midpoint of the circle that is described by the supply units 12. In this embodiment, the actuator device 128 which is not shown in
The coupling unit 36 may, for example, have been arranged on a rotary element, such as a rotary table, which has been supported coaxially with and alongside the supply drum 146 and can be rotated with the aid of drive means known as such.
As an alternative to the arrangement shown, the supply units 12 can also be moved in relation to the coupling unit 36. In a further modification, which is not shown expressly, the coupling unit 36 may also have been arranged radially outside the supply drum 134, and its input port 44 may point radially inwards. In this case, the supply units 12 have been oriented in such a way that the outlet port 20 thereof point radially outwards.
In the course of coupling the coupling unit 36 with one of the supply units 12, the coupling unit 36 is again moved in a coupling-motion direction 142. Also in the present embodiment, this coupling motion is linear, points in the direction of one of the supply units 12, and is illustrated in
But also in this embodiment both the positioning-motion direction 140 and the coupling-motion direction 142 lie in the common plane E which in
In a modification which is not shown expressly, also two or more supply drums 146 with several supply units 12 and with equal diameters may have been arranged coaxially in succession. In this case, the positioning device 138 for the coupling unit 36 has been set up in such a way that the coupling unit 36 can also be traversed in directions axially parallel to the supply drums 146, so that it can be moved from one supply drum 146 to another and back again.
Corresponding to the changing device 10 according to
For this purpose, the coupling unit 36, for example on the aforementioned rotary element, may additionally be traversable in a radially extending guide rail, so that the coupling unit 36 can be positioned both on the circular path and in the radial direction.
The positioning-motion direction 140 along the circular path is then again a first positioning-motion direction of the coupling unit 36 which, in addition, can be moved by the positioning device 138 in a second positioning-motion direction with a motion component that is perpendicular to the first positioning-motion direction 140. In the case of the circular path of the coupling unit 36, ‘perpendicular’ means that the second positioning-motion direction extends radially in relation to this circular path. As a rule, the first positioning-motion direction 140 and the second positioning-motion direction are perpendicular to one another. The two positioning-motion directions of the coupling unit 36—expressed generally, at least one positioning-motion direction—and the coupling-motion direction 142 of the coupling unit 36 then lie in the common plane E.
Common to all the embodiments of the changing unit 10 that have been elucidated is the concept that the coupling unit 36 can be moved only in a plane E in which the coupling-motion direction 142 also lies.
Two changing devices 10 described above can also be operated in parallel in a coating system 2. In comparison with a coating system 2 having only one changing device 10, a change of colour can then be effected more quickly. While lacquer from reservoir 28.2 is being applied, for example via a first changing device 10, a second changing device 10 and the line 6 thereof can already be flushed as far as pig station 8. After this flushing process, the next lacquer, for example from reservoir 28.1, can then already be submitted as far as pig station 8. In the event of a change of colour, the portion of the line 6 between pig station 8 and the application device 4 can be flushed with flushing agent from the flushing-agent reservoir 32 via pig station 8.
Such a parallel or alternating operation of two changing devices is known in itself and therefore does not need to be elucidated further.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2013 013 549 | Aug 2013 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/002142 | 8/5/2014 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2015/022061 | 2/19/2015 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5078302 | Hellenberg | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5950874 | Sindoni | Sep 1999 | A |
| 8176950 | Luchinger | May 2012 | B2 |
| 8567341 | Thies | Oct 2013 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 531900 | Dec 1972 | CH |
| 1992220 | Jul 2001 | DE |
| 10115471 | Oct 2002 | DE |
| 1245295 | May 2004 | EP |
| 2554275 | Feb 2013 | EP |
| 2004050259 | Jun 2004 | WO |
| 2014177261 | Nov 2014 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160199867 A1 | Jul 2016 | US |
