Coating method and coating device with compensation for asymmetries of the spray jet

Abstract

The invention relates to a coating method for coating a component surface (4) with a coating agent, in particular for painting a motor vehicle body component with a paint, having the following steps: ⋅ emitting a spray jet (1) of the coating agent onto the component surface (4) of the component to be coated by means of an atomizer (2), said spray jet (1) having a main axis (5) and having an asymmetry with respect to the main axis (5) such that the spray jet (1) generates a spray pattern with a corresponding asymmetry on the component surface (4), and ⋅ at least partially compensating for the asymmetry of the spray jet (1) such that the asymmetry of the resulting spray pattern on the component surface (4) is reduced. The invention further relates to a corresponding coating device.

Claims

1. A coating device for coating a component surface with a coating agent, comprising: an atomizer configured to dispense a spray jet of a coating agent onto the component surface, such that the spray jet, when dispensed, has a main axis and an asymmetry with respect to the main axis, whereby the spray jet on the component surface generates a spray pattern with a corresponding asymmetry; the atomizer being operated with different disturbance variables includes a movement speed and a variable guide air speed; and a compensation device that receives as input values the disturbance variable and configured to at least partially compensate for the asymmetry of the spray jet, whereby the asymmetry of the spray pattern is reduced.

2. The coating device of claim 1, further comprising: a manipulator to move the atomizer; and a control unit to control the manipulator; wherein the control unit is configured to control the manipulator such that the atomizer is angled with respect to the surface normal of the component surface, whereby the spray jet hits with its main axis slanted with respect to the component surface.

3. The coating device of claim 2, wherein: the control unit is configured to control the manipulator such that the atomizer is moved in a predetermined painting direction along the component surface to apply to the component surface an elongated painting path along the painting direction; and the control unit is configured to control the manipulator in a manner that the spray jet is angled with its main axis transverse to the painting direction, thereby at least partially compensating for the asymmetry of the spray jet.

4. The coating device of claim 2, wherein: the device is configured to dispense the spray jet such that the spray jet is deformed in a deformation direction transverse with respect to the main axis of the spray jet, such that the resulting spray pattern on the component surface is stretched in the deformation direction and compressed against the deformation direction; and the control unit is configured to control the manipulator such that the atomizer is angled against the deformation direction to at least partially compensate for the asymmetry of the spray jet.

5. The coating device of claim 2, wherein the manipulator is a multi-axis painting robot.

6. The coating device of claim 2, wherein the manipulator is a painting machine.

7. The coating device of claim 2 wherein the compensation device calculates an extent of the deformation of the spray jet.

8. The coating device of claim 7 wherein the spray jet compensation device calculates an angle which the atomizer must be angled with respect to the component surface in order to compensate for the asymmetries of the spray jet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantageous developments of the claimed invention are characterized in the subclaims or are explained in more detail below together with the description of the preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention on the basis of the figures. The figures show as follows:

(2) FIG. 1A: a schematic representation of a spray pattern of a rotary atomizer with an idealized, exactly rotationally symmetrical spray jet,

(3) FIG. 1B: the layer thickness distribution for an idealized, exactly rotationally symmetrical spray jet,

(4) FIG. 1C: a schematic representation of a rotary atomizer with an idealized, exactly rotationally symmetrical spray jet, which is oriented at right angle to a component surface,

(5) FIG. 2A: a schematic representation of a spray pattern of a rotary atomizer with a real, not exactly rotationally symmetrical spray jet,

(6) FIG. 2B: the layer thickness distribution for the real, not exactly rotationally symmetrical spray jet,

(7) FIG. 2C: the rotary atomizer with the not rotationally symmetrical spray jet, which is oriented at a right angle to the component surface,

(8) FIG. 3A: an idealized representation of a spray pattern that is created for a deformed, not rotationally symmetrical, spray jet when the asymmetry of the spray jet is compensated for,

(9) FIG. 3B: the layer thickness distribution, which results from compensation for the asymmetry of the spray jet,

(10) FIG. 3C: a rotary atomizer, which is angled with respect to the surface normal of the component surface to compensate for asymmetries of the spray jet,

(11) FIG. 4A: a layer thickness distribution for several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally without any compensation for the asymmetry of the spray jet,

(12) FIG. 4B: the layer thickness distribution of several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally when the atomizer is angled on each painting path to compensate for the asymmetries of the spray jet,

(13) FIG. 4C: the layer thickness distribution for several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally when either only the stretched or only the compressed side of the spray pattern is compensated for by an angulation of the atomizer,

(14) FIG. 5A: a meandrous movement path for application of several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally as well as the corresponding angulation of the atomizer on the different painting paths,

(15) FIG. 5B: the resulting layer thickness distribution on the individual painting paths,

(16) FIG. 6A: a meandrous movement path of the atomizer for application of several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally and the corresponding angulation of the atomizer on the individual painting paths,

(17) FIG. 6B: the resulting layer thickness distribution from FIG. 6A on the individual painting paths,

(18) FIG. 7A: a meandrous movement path of the atomizer for application of several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally as well as the corresponding angulation of the atomizer on the different painting paths,

(19) FIG. 7B: the resulting layer thickness distribution on the individual painting paths according to FIG. 7A,

(20) FIG. 8: a meandrous movement path of an atomizer for application of a first painting path onto the component surface,

(21) FIG. 9A: a meandrous movement path of the atomizer for application of a second painting path, wherein both painting paths are superimposed and are traversed in the same painting direction,

(22) FIG. 9B: the resulting layer thickness distribution of the superimposed painting paths along the line s in FIG. 9A,

(23) FIG. 10A: a mirrored movement path as an alternative to the movement path according to FIG. 9A, wherein the superimposed painting paths are traversed in opposite painting directions,

(24) FIG. 10B: the resulting layer thickness distribution from the painting path according to FIG. 10A along the line s in FIG. 10A,

(25) FIG. 11: a simplified schematic representation of a coating device that compensates for asymmetries of the spray jet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(26) Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C, FIG. 3C shows the rotary atomizer 2 with the spray jet 1 deformed leftwards with respect to the main axis 5, as was already represented in FIG. 2C. For clarity, note that in FIGS. 3A-3C, a deformation to the left means that the spray jet 1 is deflected to the right with respect to the painting path on the component surface.

(27) Accordingly, the rotary atomizer 2 is angled with the main axis 5 opposite to the deformation direction of the spray jet 1 with respect to the surface normal 6 of the component surface 4 so that a symmetrical layer thickness distribution 7 according to FIG. 3B, and the likewise symmetrical spray pattern 8 according to FIG. 3A, may result. The rotary atomizer 2 is thus angled rightwards in the drawing in order to compensate for the deformation of the spray jet 1 oriented leftwards in the drawing and caused by the disturbing forces (e.g. gravitational force, flow forces, etc.).

(28) The rotary atomizer 2 is in this example guided by a multi-axis painting robot, which is not shown, and which accordingly angles the rotary atomizer 2. It should be emphasized that, in practice, neither the exactly rotationally symmetrical spray pattern 8 according to FIG. 3A nor the exactly rotationally symmetrical layer thickness distribution 7 according to FIG. 3B can be realized. The angulation in this example leads, however, to a clear reduction in the asymmetry of the spray pattern 8 and the layer thickness distribution 7.

(29) Further, the angle between the main axis 5 of the rotary atomizer 2 and the surface normal 6 of the component surface 4 can be adapted continuously during operation of the atomizer 2 to achieve that the spray pattern 8 and the layer thickness distribution 7 are as symmetrical as possible. In the course of actual operation, the disturbance variables that deform the spray jet 1, and therefore contribute to the disturbing asymmetry of the spray jet 1, are thus measured. These fluctuating disturbance variables include, for example, the pulling speed of the rotary atomizer 2 relative to the component surface 4, the air sinking speed in the paint cabin, the electric voltage of the electrostatic coating agent charging as well as the guide air stream. These disturbance variables can then be used in conjunction with further known data (e.g. location and position of the painting robot, properties of the coating agent used, rotational speed of the rotary atomizer, etc.) to calculate the extent and the direction of the deformation of the spray jet 1. The direction and the angle of the angulation of the rotary atomizer 2 relative to the surface normal 6 of the component surface 4 are then calculated.

(30) This adaptation of the direction and the angle of angulation of the rotary atomizer 2 with respect to the surface normal 6 of the component surface 4 can be controlled with an open-loop (i.e. without any feedback) or controlled with a closed-loop (i.e. with a feedback).

(31) With reference to the examples provided in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the rotary atomizer 2 applies several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally onto the component surface 4, as is known. The individual painting paths have, respectively, an accordingly asymmetrical layer thickness distribution 10, due to the disturbing deformation of the spray jet 1 described above, as is apparent in the FIGS. 4B and 4C. The superimposition of the layer thickness distribution 10 of the individual painting paths then leads to the resulting layer thickness distribution 9.

(32) For the example of FIG. 4B, the rotary atomizer 2 is angled on each of the painting paths to compensate for the asymmetry of the spray jet 1, i.e., in both directions of movement.

(33) For the example of FIG. 4C, the rotary atomizer 2 is angled on only one of the painting paths in order to compensate for the asymmetry of the spray jet 1.

(34) In both cases, the comparison of the resulting layer thickness distribution 9 with the prior art according to 4A shows that the resulting layer thickness distribution 9 is considerably more uniform than without any compensation for the asymmetry of the spray jet 1.

(35) The FIGS. 5A, 6A and 7A show a meandrous movement path 11 for the rotary atomizer 2, wherein the rotary atomizer 2 is guided along the meandrous movement path 11 over the component surface 4 in order to apply several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally. The FIGS. 5B, 6B and 7B show the respective resulting layer thickness distribution on the individual painting paths.

(36) For the variant according to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rotary atomizer 2 is angled on each one of the painting paths in order to compensate for the asymmetry of the spray jet 1.

(37) For the variant according to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the rotary atomizer 2 is, in contrast, angled only on the painting path, which runs from left to right in the drawing. For a painting direction from right to left, in contrast, there is in this variant no angulation of the rotary atomizer 2 to compensate for the asymmetry of the spray jet 1.

(38) For the variant according to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the rotary atomizer 2 is, in contrast, angled only for a painting direction from right to left in order to compensate for asymmetries of the spray jet 1.

(39) The FIGS. 8 to 10B illustrate a further example in which two superimposed painting paths are applied sequentially onto the component surface 4, thus resulting in a multi-ply coating.

(40) FIG. 8 shows a first application of a coating agent, wherein the rotary atomizer 2 is guided along a meandrous movement path 12 over the component surface 4 so that the spray jet 1 generates several painting paths lying side by side and overlapping laterally on the component surface 4.

(41) FIG. 9A shows a second application of a coating agent, which is performed wet-in-wet on the first layer of coating agent, wherein the rotary atomizer 2 is here likewise guided along the meandrous movement path 12 over the component surface 4. In this variant, the painting direction for the first coating agent according to FIG. 8 is the same as for the second coating agent according to FIG. 9A.

(42) Subsequently, there is a resulting layer thickness distribution 13, which is represented in FIG. 9B, wherein the drawing shows the layer thickness distribution 13 along the line s in FIG. 9A.

(43) FIGS. 10A and 10B show an alternative for the second coating agent application that was described above with reference to the FIGS. 9A and 9B. In this example, the rotary atomizer 2 is guided during the second coating agent application process along a meandrous movement path 14 over the component surface 4, which results in a layer thickness distribution 15 represented in FIG. 10B.

(44) The difference between the examples described above according to FIGS. 9A and 9B on the one hand, and FIGS. 10A and 10B on the other hand, consists in that the meandrous movement path 14 for the second coating agent application according to FIG. 10A is mirrored with respect to the meandrous movement path 12 for the first coating agent, namely about a mirror axis at right angle to the painting paths. On the other hand, the painting direction for the second coating agent application according to FIG. 10A is opposite to the painting direction for the first coating agent application according to FIG. 8.

(45) A comparison of the FIGS. 9B and 10B shows that the second coating agent application with the mirrored movement path 14 and the opposite painting direction leads to a more uniform layer thickness distribution 15.

(46) A similarly good layer thickness distribution can, however, also be obtained for a non-mirrored movement path for the second coating agent application, in as far as the painting direction for both coating agent applications is opposite.

(47) FIG. 11 shows simplified schematic of a coating device that can be used, for example, in a painting installation for painting motor vehicle body components.

(48) Thus, the coating device has in this example a rotary atomizer 16, which is guided by a multi-axis painting robot 17 with a serial kinematics, wherein both the rotary atomizer 16 and also the painting robot 17 can in principle be designed in conventional manner and must therefore not be described in greater detail.

(49) Furthermore, the coating device has a robot control apparatus 18, which has at first the conventional task of guiding the rotary atomizer 16 along a programmed movement path over the component surface.

(50) In addition, the coating device has a compensation device 19, which has the task of compensating for the disturbing asymmetries of the spray jet 1 of the rotary atomizer 16.

(51) For this purpose, the compensation device 19 receives as input values different disturbance variables, such as the movement speed V.sub.Pull of the rotary atomizer 16, a variable guide air speed V.sub.Guide air, a variable cabin air sinking speed V.sub.cabin air and a variable electrostatic charging voltage U.sub.ESTA. Furthermore, the compensation device 19 receives from the robot control apparatus 18 information about the location and position of the painting robot 17.

(52) The compensation device 19 calculates therefrom the direction and the extent of the deformation of the spray jet 1 delivered by the rotary atomizer 16. Beyond this, the compensation device 19 then calculates the direction in which and at which angle the rotary atomizer 16 must be angled with respect to the surface normal 6 of the component surface 4 in order to compensate for the asymmetries of the spray jet 1 resulting from the disturbance variables. These data are then transmitted from the compensation device 19 to the robot control apparatus 18, which then always accordingly angles the rotary atomizer 16 in the course of actual operation.

(53) The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. Instead, many variants and modifications are possible, which also make use of the concept of the invention and thus fall within the scope of protection. It should furthermore be mentioned that the invention also claims protection for the subject matter and the features of the subclaims independently of the features of the claims to which they refer.