A material applicator for controlling application of at least one material on a substrate includes a housing and an array plate with an applicator array positioned within the housing. The applicator array has a plurality of micro-applicators and each of the plurality of micro-applicators has an ultrasonic transducer, a material inlet, a reservoir, and a micro-applicator plate with a plurality of apertures. The applicator plate is in mechanical communication with the ultrasonic transducer such that at least one material is ejected through the plurality of apertures as atomized droplets when the ultrasonic transducer vibrates the micro-applicator plate.

The disclosure concerns an applicator, in particular a printhead, for applying a coating agent, in particular a paint, to a component, in particular to a motor vehicle body component or an attachment for a motor vehicle body component, having a plurality of nozzles for applying the coating agent in the form of a coating agent jet, and a plurality of coating agent valves for controlling the release of the coating agent through the individual nozzles, and having a plurality of electrically controllable actuators for controlling the coating agent valves. The disclosure provides that a control circuit for electrically controlling the actuators is integrated in the applicator.

A method of applying a coating product on a surface of a part, this method being carried out using an applicator including at least one row of nozzles, among which at least the first nozzle in the row includes a valve, the method including moving the applicator in a first direction to apply a first layer of coating product, and moving the applicator in a second direction substantially parallel to the first direction to apply a second layer of coating product adjacent to the first layer, comprising measuring at least one application distance of the first nozzle from a point in front of the first nozzle on a path of the applicator, and based on the measured application distance, opening or closing the valve.

A next generation painting robot with advanced fluid delivery system, enhanced kinematics and a service airlock compartment. The painting robot includes a fluid delivery system which places color changing valves and pumping hardware on the back side of the robot's mounting pedestal, where it can be serviced without a technician having to enter the spray booth. The fluid delivery system also allows smaller and lighter robot arms, and is designed to minimize paint waste and wait time during color changes. The robot also features kinematics providing redundant inner arm rotation. The arm kinematics, along with the smaller arms, a paint supply line routed through the center of first and third arm joints, and optimized motor conductor routing, dramatically improve near reach flexibility. The improved near reach flexibility in turn allows a smaller spray booth than possible with previous robot architectures.

A coating system including a coating robot and a movable opener robot. The coating robot has a fixed base fixedly mounted to a coating booth, and a first arm rotatably coupled to the fixed base about a first axis substantially parallel to a conveyance direction of a workpiece that includes a body and a first movable member. The body has a body inner surface and the first movable member has a first movable member inner surface. The movable opener robot has a movable base mounted such that the movable opener robot is movable in the coating booth in the conveyance direction. The movable base is mounted below the fixed base. The movable opener robot can open the first movable member of the workpiece. The coating robot can coat the body inner surface and the first movable member inner surface when the first movable member has been opened.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid from multiple nozzle holes to apply the liquid to an object and circuitry that causes the liquid discharge head to discharge the liquid from a first number of the multiple nozzle holes to a first area at a start of an application of the liquid to the object as a first discharge, discharge a first total amount of the liquid to a receptacle different from the object before the first discharge as a first dummy discharge, discharge the liquid from a second number of the multiple nozzle holes to a second area at the start of the application as a second discharge, discharge a second total amount of the liquid larger than the first total amount to the receptacle before the second discharge as a second dummy discharge. The second number is larger than the first number.

A method for coating objects starts with dispensing, by means of a first painting system, a first coating layer on a first object. A property of the first coating layer is measured to thereby obtain a first property value, and a coating variable of a second painting system is adjusted based on the first property value. A second coating layer is dispensed on the first coating layer by means of the second painting system which is different from the first painting system. By providing a measurement between the two painting systems, and by adjusting the coating parameters of the downstream painting system based on the measurement results, the overall coating can be corrected by compensating by means of the downstream painting system for a defective coating dispensed by the upstream painting system.

The disclosure concerns a coating method and a corresponding coating device for coating components with a nozzle applicator with several nozzles, in particular for painting motor vehicle body components. The disclosure provides that the nozzle applicator is flexibly controlled during the coating method.

A robot controller is adapted to execute a program an indication of a setpoint speed of a robot arm, an indication of a contemporaneous setpoint fluid flow per unit time of a spray gun supported by the robot arm, and an indication of a contemporaneous further setpoint quantity of the spray gun. The robot controller is configured to obtain an estimate of actual speed of the robot arm; determine whether the estimate deviates from the setpoint speed; and, in case of a deviation, adjust the setpoint fluid flow per unit time in accordance with a first compensation function. In an embodiment, the robot controller is further configured to concurrently adjust, in case of a deviation, the further setpoint quantity in accordance with a second compensation function, which is different from the first compensation function.

A painting robot capable of reducing the influence of pressure fluctuations when paint is discharged or stopped. The painting robot includes a robot arm having a painting head unit attached to its tip, a paint supply mechanism provided between robot arm and painting head unit; and a control unit. The paint supply mechanism includes a paint circulation channel; paint transfer means and regulating valves provided in the middle of the paint circulation channel. The control unit is configured with a feedback control unit that calculates a pressure calculation value for executing feedback control .