A paint-spray line comprising a number of sprayers which are provided to discharge paint onto an item to be coated and are connected to a paint supply unit via a common main supply line is also suitable, to a particular extent and at an expense kept particularly low, for a need-based provision of individual quantities of paint which are kept at a particular minimum. For this purpose, the conveying device, provided for feeding paint into the main supply line is configured according to the invention as a single-piston pump.

A method and apparatus is disclosed for additive manufacturing and three-dimensional printing, and specifically for extruding tubular objects. A print head extrudes a curable material into a tubular object, while simultaneously curing the tubular object and utilizing the interior of the cured portion of the tubular object for stabilizing and propelling the print head.

A changer device for coating media having a housing, which has a delivery port which can be connected to an application device. At least one change unit is provided which includes at least a first and second inlet port, at least one outlet port and a valve device which may connect the first inlet port or the second inlet port to the outlet port, or which may block the flow channel to the outlet port. The valve device may be a rotating element and/or sliding element that is arranged in a valve chamber and includes a plurality of passage ducts which are able to connect fluidically the outlet port with one or both of the at least two inlet ports of the changer unit. The at least one such change unit may be provided in a coating system for coating objects with an application device and a plurality of reservoirs.

A color changer system for a painting robot comprises a color changer. A plurality of color feed lines are included on an inlet side of the color changer. A common color line is included on an outlet side of the color changer, and is configured to forward paint selected by the color changer to an atomizer. A color bar comprises a plurality of docking points supplied by the color feed lines. A color extractor is configured to selectively dock onto one of the docking points of the color bar and, while docked to the color bar, extract paint from an associated color feed line and supply the extracted paint to the common color line.

A system for painting objects having a plurality of ring lines extending along a painting booth, each ring line conducting an operating medium required for operating an application device provided in the painting booth. The ring lines are divided into at least two regions. A connection device connects at least some of the ring lines to the application device and has a terminal module. The terminal module includes at least as many ring line sections as there are ring lines. The ring line sections have terminals at the ends to connect to the ring line regions. A branch line branches off from each of the ring line sections, the branch line leading to a terminal device. The terminal device has an inner flow path via which at least some of the branch lines can be connected to an outlet terminal. At least one tube or a line connects the outlet terminal to the application device.

A coating system for coating objects with a coating material includes at least one material source for a coating material which can be fluidically connected to an application device. A feed system can be used for feeding coating material back to its material source in a feeding-back direction over a feed path. It can be determined by means of a detection device whether coating material or some other material is present in a control portion of the feed path, the detection device generating a corresponding output signal. Also specified is a method for coating objects in which it is determined during the feeding back of coating material to its material source whether regions made up of material other than the coating material are being carried along by the coating material to be fed back.

A diverter valve can include an inlet; a main line outlet; a flow control outlet; and a bypass member, wherein the bypass member comprises a passage extending through an axis of the bypass member and a plurality of notches. In some embodiments, the diverter valve can provide that the bypass member is configured to be switchable between an open position that allows a flow from the inlet to the main line outlet and a flow control position that allows flow from the inlet to the flow control outlet.

The disclosure relates to a paint supply system for a coating installation (e.g. painting installation) comprising a ring line for circulation of a coating agent, a ring line tapping point in the ring line for extraction of the coating agent from the ring line, a consumer and a tap line leading from the ring line tapping point to the consumer. The disclosure provides a device for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line to avoid settling of the coating agent in the tap line.