BASE BODY FOR A COATING CELL OF A COATING SYSTEM, COATING CELL HAVING SUCH A BASE BODY AND COATING SYSTEM HAVING AT LEAST ONE COATING CELL

Abstract

A main part for a coating cell of a coating plant has a modular design and is an exchangeable element within the entire system of the coating plant. The main part is further designed to be connectible to at least one sidewall in the form of a module, to provide a particularly user-specifically configured coating cell.

Claims

1. A base body for a coating cell of a coating system, wherein the base body has a modular structure and is designed as an interchangeable element within the coating system, wherein the base body is configured to be connectable to at least one modularly designed side wall of the coating cell so as to provide a particularly application-specific configured coating cell.

2. The base body according to claim 1, wherein the base body is configured to be connected to a further base body of the same kind or type, so as to form at least one section of a coating line of the coating system.

3. The base body according to claim 1, wherein the base body forms a lower part and a cell floor of the coating cell and exhibits a polygonal surface area.

4. The base body according to claim 3, wherein the base body has at least one tub-shaped, trough-shaped or recessed interior area forming the cell floor of the coating cell which has at least one surface inclined or curved in a direction of a vent or in a direction of an extraction duct.

5. The base body according to claim 4, wherein the base body exhibits a frame-shaped exterior area which at least partially accommodates the at least one tub-shaped, trough-shaped or recessed interior area.

6. The base body according to claim 1, wherein the base body comprises an integrated extraction system for suctioning or drawing off overspray powder during a coating operation of the coating cell.

7. The base body according to claim 5, wherein the base body comprises an integrated extraction system for suctioning or drawing off overspray powder during a coating operation of the coating cell; and wherein the integrated extraction system comprises at least one first vent formed in the frame-shaped exterior area and arranged centrally in a side wall of the exterior area and fluidically connected to a vacuum source, wherein the at least one first vent is fluidically connected to at least one second vent which opens into the interior area and/or to at least one extraction duct formed at least in part in the interior area by a system of ducts formed between the exterior area and the interior area.

8. The base body according to claim 4, wherein the base body has two adjacently arranged tub-shaped, trough-shaped or recessed interior areas in mirrored configuration of each other which are accommodated in a common frame-shaped exterior area.

9. The base body according to claim 8, wherein the base body comprises an integrated extraction system for suctioning or drawing off overspray powder during a coating operation of the coating cell; and wherein the extraction system comprises at least one first vent formed in the frame-shaped exterior area and arranged centrally in a side wall of the exterior area and fluidically connectable to a vacuum source, wherein the at least one first vent is fluidically connected to a second vent which opens into a first of the two interior areas as well as to a third vent which opens into a second of the two interior areas by a system of ducts formed between the exterior area and the two interior areas.

10. The base body according to claim 7, wherein the at least one first vent formed in the frame-shaped exterior area is fluidically connectable to an extraction system of a further base body of the same kind or type.

11. The base body according to claim 4, wherein the base body comprises an integrated blow-off system for pulsed release of compressed air along the at least one inclined or curved surface and toward the vent or the extraction duct.

12. The base body according to claim 11, wherein the blow-off system comprises at least one blow-off rail, wherein the at least one blow-off rail has at least one blow-off vent which opens into the interior area within an edge area of the interior area.

13. A coating cell of a coating system, wherein the coating cell has a base body according to claim 1 and at least one side wall which is interchangeably connected to the base body and configured as a module, and also a roof section connected or connectable to the at least one side wall.

14. A coating system for coating and/or surface treatment of workpieces which comprises at least two coating cells according to claim 13 connected in series and to each other.

15. The base body according to claim 9, wherein the at least one first vent formed in the frame-shaped exterior area is fluidically connectable to an extraction system of a further base body of the same kind or type.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The following will reference the accompanying drawings in describing the disclosure in greater detail.

[0038] Shown are:

[0039] FIG. 1 a schematic and isometric view of part of a coating system with coating cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 2 a schematic and isometric view of a first exemplary embodiment of the base body of a coating cell;

[0041] FIG. 3 a schematic and isometric view of a second exemplary embodiment of the base body of a coating cell;

[0042] FIG. 4 a schematic and isometric view of a third exemplary embodiment of the base body of a coating cell; and

[0043] FIG. 5 a schematic and isometric view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the base body of a coating cell.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic and isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a powder coating system 1 according to the disclosed solution. The powder coating system 1 serves in the spray coating of objects with coating powder, which is then fused onto the objects in a heating furnace (not depicted in FIG. 1). One or more electronic control devices are provided for controlling the operation of the powder coating system 1.

[0045] Powder pumps are provided for the pneumatic conveyance of the coating powder. These may be injectors in which coating powder resources are sucked out of a powder container by compressed air serving as conveying air, after which the mixture of conveying air and coating powder then flows together into a container or to a spraying device. Suitable injectors are for example known from printed publication EP 0 412 289 B1.

[0046] Powder pumps used as the powder pump can also be of such type which consecutively pump small portions of powder via compressed air, whereby each small portion of powder (powder quantity) is stored in a powder chamber and then expelled from the powder chamber by means of compressed air. The compressed air stays behind the portion of powder and pushes it forward. These types of pumps are sometimes referred to as “compressed air thrust pumps” or “plug conveyance pumps” because the compressed air thrusts the stored portion of powder forward ahead of itself through a pump discharge line like a plug. Various types of such powder pumps for conveying dense coating powder are known for example from the following printed publications: DE 103 53 968 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,610 B2, US 2006/0193704 A1, DE 101 45 448 A1 or WO 2005/051549 A1.

[0047] The invention is not limited to any one of the cited types of powder pumps.

[0048] In the coating system according to FIG. 1, each coating cell 2 also makes use of an applicator system 3 for spraying coating material as needed in the respective coating cell 2. The applicator system 3 comprises at least one corresponding gun system 4 for spraying coating material as required.

[0049] The coating system 1 in particular provides for the at least one gun system 4 to be assigned a robot system for positioning and/or aligning the gun system relative to the workpieces to be coated during a coating procedure.

[0050] The robot system together with the at least one gun system 4 constitutes a coating robot 3 which—in contrast to conventional axis or positioning systems—is not realized as a system which travels along through the coating cell 2 with the workpieces to be coated as the workpieces to be coated are being transported. Each coating robot 3 is movable in three dimensions relative to the base body 5 of the coating cell 2 and relative to a workpiece.

[0051] Preferential implementations of the coating system 1 in particular provide for the at least one gun system 4 to be assigned a robotic arm system able to be moved in all directions beneath or above a conveyor device for the workpieces to be coated with the aid of robotic guidance.

[0052] The gun system 4 preferentially comprises at least one coating gun. The coating gun is preferably an electrostatic coating gun designed to electrostatically charge the coating material to be sprayed with the coating gun.

[0053] Preferential implementations of the coating system 1 provide for the coating gun(s) to be assigned a control device for the controlling and/or regulating of the currents in the coating material charging process. The control device is in particular designed to regulate current values below 10 μA in at least 0.5 μA increments.

[0054] As particularly shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, advantageously provided with respect to the coating cell 2 is for at least sections of the booth floor to be of ramped design, whereby at least one air blowing device is provided for the preferably pulsed blowing of a flow of air along the ramped section of the booth floor off toward at least one extraction duct 6 provided in the booth floor.

[0055] Preferably, use is made of at least one further air blowing device on or in at least one side wall of the coating cell 2 adjoining the side walls with the workpiece passageways. The further air blowing device is in particular designed for the preferably pulsed blowing of a flow of air along the booth floor off toward the at least one extraction duct 6 provided in the booth floor.

[0056] The coating system 1 comprises a coating material supply (not shown in FIG. 1) for supplying coating material to the gun systems 4 of the coating robots 3. The coating material supply is thereby in particular designed to only supply fresh coating material or fresh coating material along with recovery material or only recovery material to the respective gun systems 4 as needed.

[0057] The term “recovery material” as used herein is to be understood as coating material which has already been sprayed at least once during a coating procedure and suitably recycled. Such recovery material is sometimes also referred to as “overspray material.”

[0058] Further developments of the coating system provide for the coating material supply to preferably have at least one coating material pump for each gun system 4, wherein the coating material pump is preferably based on the dense flow principle and designed for continuous coating material conveyance.

[0059] Coating powder which does not adhere to the object to be coated is suctioned into a cyclone separator 9 through an excess powder line 7 as overspray powder (excess powder) by a flow of suction air from a blower 8. The cyclone separator 9 separates as much excess powder from the suction air flow as possible. The separated portion of powder is then routed as reclaimed or respectively recovery powder through a reclaimed powder line from the cyclone separator 9 to an optionally provided sieving device where it passes through the sieving device either alone or mixed with fresh powder via powder feed lines back to the spray guns 4 of the robotic systems.

[0060] The exhaust air of the cyclone separator 9 reaches an after-filter device 11 via an exhaust air line 10 and passes through one or more filter elements therein to the blower 8 and thereafter into the outside atmosphere. The filter elements can be filter bags, filter cartridges, filter plates or similar filter elements. The powder separated from the airflow by the filter elements is normally waste powder and falls into a waste container via gravity or can be conveyed to a waste container at a waste station via one or more waste lines.

[0061] FIG. 1 shows in particular a section of a coating system 1 comprising two coating cells 2, each fitted with an exemplary embodiment of the base body 5 according to the present disclosure.

[0062] The coating system 1 shown schematically and in an isometric view in FIG. 1 specifically comprises a first coating cell 2 as well as a second coating cell 2 arranged directly adjacent thereto. Each of the two coating cells 2 is characterized by being designed for automatic powder coating using a coating robot 3.

[0063] In contrast to coating cells 2 as used to date for automatic powder coating, the coating cells 2 used in the coating system 1 depicted schematically in FIG. 1 are designed in particular with a view to powder coating by means of a coating robot 3. To that end, each coating cell 2 only has one (single) side wall 12 with a roof section 13 which preferably only partially covers the top of the coating cell 2 so as to be able to make optimal use of the maneuverability of the coating robot 3.

[0064] The side of the coating cell 2 opposite from the single side wall 12 is designed as an “open” side wall so that the coating robot 3 can coat the full entirety of a workpiece to be coated (not shown in FIG. 1) as needed.

[0065] The respective base bodies 5 of the coating cells 2 used in the coating system 1 each have a modular structure and are in particular preferably of identical configuration to one another. Each base body 5 can be designed as an interchangeable element within the overall system of the coating system 1. The respective side walls 12 connected to the base bodies 5 are preferably likewise of similar design and connectable to the base bodies 5 of the coating cells 2 as a module.

[0066] The two base bodies 5 of the coating cells 2 are connected together and respectively form the bottom section and the cell floor of the corresponding coating cell 2. A polygonal and in particular rectangular cell floor surface area is thereby particularly preferential.

[0067] Each base body 5 of the coating cells 2 is assigned an integrated extraction system for suctioning and drawing off any overspray powder that may accumulate during the coating operation of the coating cell 2.

[0068] FIGS. 2 to 5 show different configurations of the base body 5, each in an isometric and schematic view. Each embodiment of the base body 5 exhibits a modular structure and is designed to be connectable to at least one side wall 12 preferably likewise designed as a module so as to provide an in particular application-specific configured coating cell 2.

[0069] As depicted in FIGS. 2 to 5, the base bodies 5 form the bottom section and cell floor of the coating cell 2 and each exhibit a polygonal and in particular rectangular surface area.

[0070] Each base body 5 comprises at least one tub-shaped, trough-shaped or recessed interior area 14 forming the cell floor of the coating cell 2 which has at least one surface 16 inclined or curved in the direction of a vent 15, 19 or in the direction of an extraction duct 6.

[0071] It is thereby provided for the base body 5 to exhibit a frame-shaped exterior area 17 which at least partially accommodates the at least one tub-shaped, trough-shaped or recessed interior area 14.

[0072] As already stated in connection with the exemplary embodiment of the coating system 1 as shown schematically in FIG. 1, each base body 5 comprises an integrated extraction system in order to in particular suction or respectively draw off overspray powder during the powder coating operation of the coating cell 2 as needed. In particular provided in this context is for the extraction system to comprise at least one vent 19 formed in the frame-shaped exterior area 17 and preferably arranged centrally in a side wall 18 of the exterior area 17 and fluidically connected to a vacuum source.

[0073] This at least one vent 19 is fluidically connected to at least one vent 19 which opens into the interior area 14 and/or to at least one extraction duct 6 formed at least in part in the interior area 14 by means of a system of ducts formed between the exterior area 17 and the interior area 14.

[0074] As can particularly be seen from the schematic representation in FIG. 5, embodiments of the present disclosure can provide for the base body 5 to comprise two (or more) tub-shaped, trough-shaped or recessed interior areas 14 which are adjacently arranged and in particular mirror images of each other, these being accommodated in a common frame-shaped exterior area 17.

[0075] In the embodiment of the base body 5 depicted schematically in FIG. 5, the extraction system comprises at least one vent 19 formed in the frame-shaped exterior area 17 and preferably arranged centrally in a side wall of the exterior area 17 and fluidically connected to a vacuum source, whereby this vent 19 is fluidically connected to a vent 19 which opens into a first interior area 14 of the two interior areas 14 as well as to a vent 19 which opens into a second interior area 14 of the two interior areas 14 by means of a system of ducts formed between the exterior area 17 and the two interior areas.

[0076] In principle, it is advantageous for the at least one vent 19 formed in the frame-shaped exterior area 17 to be fluidically connectable to an extraction system of a further base body 5 of preferably the same kind or type. In other words, a series connection of the base bodies 5 is possible in terms of the as-needed suctioning of overspray powder.

[0077] The exemplary embodiments of the base body 5 preferably further comprise an integrated blow-off system in order to be able to release in particular need-based and preferably pulsed compressed air, and to do so particularly along the at least one inclined or curved surface 16 and toward the vent 19 or extraction duct of the base body 5.

[0078] Advantageous in this context is for the blow-off system to comprise at least one blow-off rail and preferably a plurality of blow-off rails, wherein the at least one blow-off rail has at least one blow-off vent which opens into the interior area 14 within an edge area of said interior area. FIG. 2 indicates in this regard how the blow-out, preferably the pulsed blowing out of compressed air, can occur in the cleaning operation.

[0079] The invention is not limited to the embodiments depicted in the drawings but rather yields from an integrated overall consideration of all the features as disclosed herein.