Rotational unit having a hollow-shaft motor

Abstract

In order to create a rotating unit for a coating lance device for thermally coating an interior, it is provided that the rotary drive is implemented as a hollow-shaft motor coaxial with the axis of rotation of the tool holder, and wherein the tool holder and the coating material feed, as well as the process media feed, are located centrally relative to the hollow-shaft motor. Furthermore, in order to create a coating lance device for thermally coating an interior, it is proposed to provide such a rotating unit; at least one linear actuator for axial and/or lateral positioning of the rotating unit relative to an interior to be coated; and stationary supply connections for supplying electricity to the coating lance, and for the coating material feed, and for the process media feed.

Claims

1. A rotating unit for a coating lance device for thermally coating an interior of a cylinder bore of an engine block, the rotating unit comprising: a tool holder for a coating lance with an axis of rotation; a rotary drive for rotating the tool holder about the axis of rotation; a coating material feed for supplying the coating lance with a coating material; a process media feed for providing process media for coating an interior via the coating lance mounted in the tool holder, wherein the rotary drive is a hollow-shaft motor arranged coaxial with the axis of rotation of the tool holder, and wherein the tool holder and the coating material feed, as well as the process media feed are located centrally relative to the hollow-shaft motor.

2. The rotating unit according to claim 1, wherein a slip ring assembly for transmitting electric power to the coating lance is located radially outside the hollow-shaft motor.

3. The rotating unit according to claim 2, wherein an exhaust system for removing slip ring dust from the slip ring assembly is provided, and wherein at least one air jet is also provided via which removal of the slip ring dust is assisted.

4. The rotating unit according to claim 1, wherein the tool holder is equipped to mount different coating lances and has a zero point marking for precisely repeatable alignment of a relevant coating lance, and has a reader for reading an identification information item of the applicable mounted coating lance.

5. The rotating unit according to claim 1, wherein the coating material is provided in powder form, and at least one gas-tight, encapsulated, and low-wear roller bearing is provided for coupling in the coating material, and wherein the roller bearing is at least partially made of ceramic.

6. A coating lance device for thermally coating an interior of a cylinder bore of an engine block, the coating lance device comprising: at least one rotating unit according to claim 1; at least one linear actuator for axial and/or lateral positioning of the rotating unit relative to an interior to be coated; and stationary supply connections for supplying electricity to the hollow-shaft motor and the coating lance and for the coating material feed and for the process media feed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a rotating unit with an engine block,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a rotating unit without coating lance,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective sectional view of a rotating unit with coating lance, and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a coating lance device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) A rotating unit 10 is shown schematically in FIG. 1, wherein the compactness of the construction of the rotating unit 10 with the rotary drive 13, implemented here as a hollow-shaft motor 13a, is easily discernible here. Provided on the extreme outside radially is a slip ring assembly 16, by means of which electric power can be transmitted to the coating lance 30. With regard to the common axis of rotation 15, the coating material feed 11, in which coating material for the coating lance 30 can be fed (from above according to this representation), is provided centrally in this design. Arranged to surround the coating material feed 11 and radially inside the hollow-shaft motor 13a is a process media feed 12, for example for process gas and/or cooling water. The tool holder 14 is provided coaxially under the slip ring assembly 16 and such that it can be rotated by the hollow-shaft motor 13a. Following this tool holder in this example is an (optional) reader 20, wherein the (optional) zero point marking 19 is also located on the reader 20 here. The inserted coating lance 30 has a corresponding zero point 32. The zero point 32 is aligned with the zero point marking 19. In addition, the coating lance 30 advantageously has an identification unit 31, for example an RFID chip, so that the inserted coating lance 30 can be automatically recognized by means of the reader 20. The coating lance 30 is shown here aligned with the cylinder axis 45, and has been withdrawn again from the interior 40 to be coated, here a cylinder bore 41 of an engine block 42, and has applied the desired coating 44 to the cylinder barrel 43 there.

(7) Shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is one possible embodiment of a rotating unit 10, wherein in FIG. 2 the rotating unit 10 is shown in a perspective view without coating lance 30, and in FIG. 3 the rotating unit 10 is shown in a perspective sectional view with coating lance 30. In this design, a housing 22 and stationary supply connections are shown, namely a first supply connection 24 for coating material, preferably in powder or wire form, a second supply connection 25 for, e.g., cooling water, a third supply connection 26 for, e.g., process gas, and a fourth supply connection 27 for, e.g., electric power for the slip ring assembly 16. The housing 22 in this case serves primarily to provide a required bearing spacing for supporting the high rotational speed of the coating lance 30. In addition, the entire rotating unit 10 is connected by this housing 22 to a gantry or a robot. Also provided on the housing is an exhaust system 17, of which the exhaust connection is labeled in FIG. 2, and wherein the exhaust system 17 is (optionally) assisted by an air jet 18 (see FIG. 3). It should be noted here that the component that includes the supply connections 24 to 26, as well as the housing 22, are stationary, and thus are not rotated about the axis of rotation 15. Only the centrally located components, including the tool holder 14 and the coating lance 30, are rotatable about the axis of rotation 15. For this purpose, the first supply connection 24 has, for example, a (known) sealed and encapsulated roller bearing 21, for example in accordance with the SPS series from the DSTI company. The housing 22 has a mounting connection 28 by means of which the rotating unit 10 is movable horizontally and vertically in a coating lance device 100 (see FIG. 4). Shown at the bottom of the coating lance 30 in the representation is the coating nozzle 33, which can be inserted into an interior 40 (see FIG. 1), and shown schematically is a coating stream 34. Shown at the upper end of the coating lance 30 at the tool holder 14 in the representation is a lance connection 35 in the immediate vicinity of the (optional) reader 20, for example an RFID reader.

(8) Shown in FIG. 4 is a simplified coating lance device 100, in which two rotating units 10, each with a coating lance 30, can be advanced in a gantry by means of a linear actuator 23 along a horizontal axis and along a vertical axis toward a workpiece table 46, for example for an engine block 42 (see FIG. 1). Here, only one rotating unit 10 is shown, along with the mating connection 47 for the mounting connection 28 (see FIG. 3) of the housing 22 for a second rotating unit, preferably of identical design.

(9) The rotating unit proposed here permits low-vibration or vibration-free operation at high speeds for a coating lance for thermal coating.

(10) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.