For high-quality spray painting results, the spray booths of spray-painting systems usually are air-conditioned. Air-conditioning requires that the air be cooled down for eliminating humidity in the air and be then heated up again to operating temperature. Due to the high air flow rates required this results in considerable air consumption.
In view of this it is a first object of the present invention to disclose a painting installation which ensures an energy efficient consumption.
It is a second object of the invention to disclose a painting installation which reduces environmental pollution.
It is a third object of the invention to disclose a method of painting parts in a painting installation that allows for an energy efficient process with low environmental pollution.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by a painting installation comprising a spray booth having an application zone in which parts are to be painted, at least one auxiliary zone separate from the application zone, an air supply and an air exhaust system, wherein a first air supply is provided for the application zone and is directed via an air-conditioning device and wherein a second air supply, separate from the air-conditioning device, is provided for the auxiliary zone.
The object of the invention is thus perfectly achieved.
According to the invention only the application zone of the spray booth, where the spray-painting operation as such is carried out, is supplied with conditioned supply air whereas the other auxiliary zones of the spray booth, where additional appliances, such as painting robots, lifting appliances or the like are accommodated, are supplied with unconditioned supply air. In this way, the volume of conditioned air can be considerably reduced compared with the fully air-conditioned systems usual in the art, which leads to corresponding energy savings.
The term “air-conditioning” as used in the context of the present invention relates to an air-conditioning process which in any case includes a cooling step and an accompanying dehumidification process. The term does not cover simple “air-conditioning”, for example heating-up or mixing the air with other air.
Air-conditioning is regarded as being necessary if really good painting results are to be achieved.
According to another embodiment of the invention, at least one baffle element is provided between the application zone and the at least one auxiliary zone for optimizing the air flow conditions in the transition area between application zone and auxiliary zone.
It is possible in this way to reduce turbulences which necessarily occur due to differences in air density, humidity content or temperature of the adjoining air flows being brought together.
According to another embodiment of the invention, exhaust air from the spray booth is re-circulated, at least in part, via at least one separator, and at least part of the re-circulated air is directed to an exhaust air cleaning device, for example in the form of a thermal after-burner, preferably a regenerative after-burner or a solvent reclaiming device.
In cases where solvent-based lacquers are used, upgrading of the solvents to a range of approximately 10 g/m3 (typically approximately 3 g/m3) and suitable exhaust air cleaning by thermal after-burning are facilitated in this way.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the second air supply system draws in recycled air from the spray booth, at least in part.
This allows the advantages connected with the upgrading process to be utilized for the application zone.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second air supply can also be effected using environmental air or fresh air, at least in part.
The energy savings realized by the invention are achieved in this case as well.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a partition wall, provided with an application opening for the spraying application, is disposed between the application zone and the auxiliary zone.
That feature provides the advantage that an operator can be positioned in the auxiliary zone and can be supplied with separate supply air, preferably with fresh air. The spraying application can be suitably carried out through the application opening.
In that case, a pressure drop preferably occurs between the auxiliary zone and the application zone, which gives rise to an air flow from the auxiliary zone to the application zone.
The operator in the auxiliary zone is protected in this way from a higher concentration of noxious matter in the flow of re-circulated air in the application zone.
According to a further alternative embodiment of the invention, the spray booth comprises a separate, preferably movable operator booth which is connected with the application zone via an application opening.
That embodiment is of special advantage in painting large parts. The movement of the operator booth may be effected, for example, in vertical direction and/or in horizontal direction or as a turning movement.
The partition wall between the application zone and the auxiliary zone is movable according to another embodiment of the invention.
Also, the application opening may be variable or movable.
One thereby achieves improved flexibility.
As has been mentioned before, the second air supply system for the auxiliary zone may be supplied with fresh air, at least in part.
This is of advantage especially when the auxiliary zone is intended to be accessed by an operator.
According to an additional further development of the invention, filters of different grades may be provided for the air-conditioning device and for the air supply for the auxiliary zone, i.e. preferably filters of finer grades for the air-conditioning device and filters of coarser grades for the second air supply system for the auxiliary zone.
For example, grades F5 and F9 (according to DIN EN 1822) may be used for the air-conditioning device whereas grade F5 may be used for the auxiliary zone.
This reduces the pressure loss caused by the filters in the auxiliary zone and thus saves energy and filter costs.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a monitoring device is provided for monitoring the solvent concentration.
This helps reduce the air volume required for the exhaust air cleaning device still further to the degree necessary to guarantee compliance with a specified maximum solvent concentration.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a control device is provided for controlling the proportion of air that is directed to the exhaust air cleaning device.
In that case, the proportion of air directed to the exhaust air cleaning device is preferably controlled as a function of the solvent concentration in the area of the second air supply.
One reduces in this way the amount of exhaust air supplied to the exhaust air cleaning device (for example a regenerative after-burning device) to the amount necessary. This leads to additional energy and cost savings.
In addition, this provides the possibility to control the solvent concentration in the air supplied to the exhaust air cleaning device to ensure that the solvent concentration is maintained between 2 and 20 g/m3, preferably between 2 and 10 g/m3, more preferably between 2 and 5 g/m3.
In this way, exhaust air cleaning can be effected by regenerative after-burning, in autothermic operation, which means that the solvents contained in the exhaust air will alone suffice to keep the burning process going. With the result that an especially energy-saving process is rendered possible.
In case of a sufficiently high solvent concentration of, for example, 10 g/m3, the exhaust air, instead of being after-burnt, may also be directed through a “cold trap” where the solvent portion can be separated by condensation.
This is an especially low-cost solution and provides the advantage that the condensate is available for being reused.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the monitoring device is designed for measuring the solvent concentration and the control device comprises a valve that is controlled in response to the solvent concentration. The valve may consist, for example, of a controllable flap or a controllable fan.
This allows the exhaust air being supplied to the exhaust air cleaning device to be controlled in a simple and precise way.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the monitoring device is designed for monitoring the quantity of solvent introduced, and the control device is designed for controlling the proportion of exhaust air, that is supplied to the exhaust air cleaning device, in response to the quantity of solvent introduced.
Monitoring the solvent quantity may be based, for example, on the volume of liquid sprayed in the spraying booth.
It is then possible to do without a solvent sensor, which leads to an especially simple and low-cost construction.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the spray booth is closed off from the outside by doors and inlet and outlet locks.
That feature helps reduce the quantity of exhaust air still further. For long parts, there is the possibility to install double doors upstream and downstream of the spray booth.
In that case, the double doors preferably are coupled with a lock in such a way that only an outer door or an inner door can be opened at any time.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the painting installation according to the invention comprises a spray booth having an application zone where parts are to be painted, an air supply and an air exhaust system, a conveyor intended to transport parts through the spray booth, and an inlet lock and an outlet lock, wherein the locks are configured as channels connected with the interior of the spray booth and extend obliquely in upward direction to the outside.
Such an embodiment of the invention leads to energy savings even in case the spray booth is not provided with separate air circuits for an application zone and an auxiliary zone.
Conventional continuously operating spray booths usually use horizontal conveyors. No special measures are taken, neither at the inlet nor at the outlet ends, to ensure separation between the air-conditioned atmosphere in the booth and the unconditioned environmental air. This leads to considerable energy losses at the inlet and at the outlet. In addition, there are the risks of solvent losses and of contaminations being introduced.
According to the invention, the special design of the locks at the inlet and at the outlet considerably reduces the air volumes introduced through the locks so that the total air exchange is reduced, with the corresponding savings in energy and costs.
One utilizes in this case the fact that the conditioned air in the spray booth is normally cooler and, accordingly, heavier than the environmental air. As a result, the volume of air that is taken in and discharged through the locks is clearly reduced.
It is also possible to arrange a plurality of spray booths in series, which then are coupled by a channel with a conveyor extending through that channel. In that case, an inlet lock is provided at the inlet end of the first spray booth and an outlet lock is provided at the outlet end of the last spray booth.
According to another embodiment of the invention, each lock is closed off to the outside by a lower edge, that lower edge extending at a level at least as high as the level of the conveyor, at which the conveyor moves through the spray booth.
One thereby obtains an especially efficient reduction of the air exchange volumes occurring at the locks.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the air conditioning devices or ventilation devices are provided with filters that can be passed by the air in vertical direction.
Compared with the horizontal installation of filters usual in the art, this allows considerable costs to be saved because in that case the filters can be installed from the top without any need for special reinforcements of the kind required for horizontally installed filters.
It is understood that the features of the invention mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respective combination indicated, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without leaving the scope of the invention.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description that allows of certain preferred embodiments, with reference to the drawing. In the drawing
A first embodiment of the painting installation according to the invention is indicated generally by reference numeral 10 in
The painting installation comprises a spray booth 12, divided into three zones, namely a central application zone 14, where parts 30 are spray-coated, and two lateral auxiliary zones 16, 18 where auxiliary painting equipment, for example robots, painting appliances or the like, are arranged.
Details of the transition between the application zone 14 and the auxiliary zones 16, 18, respectively, can be seen in
That separate supply of air to the application zone 14 and to the auxiliary zones 16, 18 allows the energy-intensive air-conditioning process in the application zone 14 to be limited to the air volume actually required, while the remaining zones of the spray booth, designated as auxiliary zones 16, 18, are supplied with separate air which is conditioned either not at all or only in part. A corresponding recirculation device 38 is shown by way of example in
The recirculation device 38, through which air is supplied to the air supply 22, 24 of the auxiliary zones 16, 18, comprises as a rule a blower, a filter and, if necessary, an accessory heating system.
The supply air separately supplied to the spray booth 12, at 20, 22 and 24, enters the interior of the spray booth 12 from above, via intake surfaces indicated by 25 in
The intake surfaces 25 are followed, in the transition areas between the application zone 14 and the auxiliary zones 16, 18, by baffle surfaces 26, 28 illustrated as movable flaps in
The exhaust air from the spray booth 12 is recycled and passed for that purpose through a washer 32 (for example a venturi washer) and a rewasher 34. From the rewasher 34 the exhaust air enters the air-conditioning device 36 where it is conditioned to the desired temperature and relative humidity. Another part of the exhaust air is directed to the recirculation device 38 which directs the supply air 22, 24 to the auxiliary zones 16, 18. Following the recirculation device 38, part of the exhaust air is branched off and supplied to an exhaust air cleaning device, preferably in the form of a thermal after-burning system, for being then given off to the environment as exhaust air, preferably free from noxious matter.
The air-conditioning device 36 used is known in principle in the art. As a rule, it comprises a prefilter, a cooler for dehumidification, a heater and a blower. Further, a suitable control is provided to adjust the air supplied to the spray booth to a suitable temperature (for example 24° C.) and a suitable relative humidity (for example 65%).
Instead of the before-mentioned usual air-conditioning process using venturi separation, air-conditioning may also be effected by dry separation.
One embodiment of a painting installation according to the invention, which is slightly modified compared with the one illustrated in
The painting installation 10a comprises a spray booth 12a that differs from the spray booth 12 discussed with reference to
Further, the spray booth 12a is not supplied with exhaust air, as in the case of the embodiment described before, but with environmental air, via an air-conditioning device 36 and/or via a supply air device 42.
The spray booth 12b comprises an application zone 14 and an auxiliary zone 16, separated one from the other by a partition wall 44, with an application opening 46 provided in the partition wall 44. Parts 30 located in the application zone 14 can be spray-coated by an operator 51 positioned in the auxiliary zone 16 using a spray gun 49.
The air supply 24 for the application zone 14 is again ensured via an air-conditioning device 36. In contrast, the air supply 20 for the auxiliary zone 16 is ensured using fresh air, via a supply air device 42. Preferably, a pressure drop is adjusted between the auxiliary zone 16 and the application zone 14 so that the operator 51 is protected from air loaded with noxious matter, by an air flow entering the application zone 14 from the application zone 14. Downstream of the air-conditioning device 36, an additional thermal after-burning process 40 is preferably provided to permit the solvent-loaded re-circulated air to be cleaned and then discharged to the environment. The flow of supply air for the auxiliary zone 16, which is realized via the supply air device 42, may be selected to correspond to the flow of exhaust air discharged via the thermal after-burning installation. For example, the thermal after-burning installation 40 may be designed for 500 m3/hr. and the same air volume may be introduced into the auxiliary zone 16 via the supply air device 42. In the lower area of the auxiliary zone 16 a dry separation system 48 may be provided to allow the exhaust air to be discharged to the environment via a blower 50.
However, there is also the possibility to do without any exhaust air for the auxiliary zone 16, provided the complete supply air introduced is directed into the application zone 14 via the application opening 46.
The auxiliary zone 16 may also be configured as a ventilated hall, in which the operator is placed and which communicates with the application zone 14 via the application opening 46.
A robot 46 illustrated in the auxiliary zone 18 serves to paint parts 30 that are transported through the application zone 14 using a conveyor 68.
A variant of the painting installation discussed before with reference to
The only difference over the embodiment illustrated in
In
The painting installation 10e comprises a spray booth 12 with an application zone 14 and two auxiliary zones 16, 18, as illustrated in
The lower edge 94 of the inlet lock 92 (and, correspondingly, of the outlet lock as well) is positioned at the highest possible level, preferably at least at the level of the conveyer 90 inside the spray booth 12.
Due to that high arrangement of the inlet and outlet locks the air, being colder and heavier as a result of the air-conditioning process, accumulates inside the lock 92 or the spray booth 12 so that any entry of warmer air from the outside is clearly reduced. This considerably reduces the exchange of air at the openings of the locks 92, whereby the required air throughput is clearly reduced. This is of course true irrespective of whether the spray booth 12 comprises a separately supplied application zone 14 and auxiliary zones 16, 18, as described before, or whether the spray booth 12 is air-conditioned entirely.
Due to the vertical arrangement lesser reinforcement measures are required than for the horizontal arrangement usual in the prior art. In addition, lacquer residues can flow off or drip off to the bottom more easily.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
10 2007 011 602.2 | Mar 2007 | DE | national |
10 2007 015 150.2 | May 2007 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation of International Patent Application PCT/EP2008/001012, filed on Feb. 11, 2008 designating the U.S., which international patent application has been published in German language and claims priority from German patent application 10 2007 011 602.2, filed on Mar. 2, 2007 and from German patent application 10 2007 015 150.2, filed on Mar. 23, 2007, the entire content of which is fully incorporated by reference herewith.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2008/001012 | 2/11/2008 | WO | 00 | 12/28/2009 |