Application method and application system

Abstract

Applying a coating medium may include: emission of a coating medium jet from an application device and positioning the application device relative to the component with a particular application distance between the application device and the component, so that the coating medium jet impacts on the component and coats the component. The application distance (d) can be smaller than the disintegration distance of the coating medium jet, so that the coating medium jet impacts with its continuous region on the component.

Claims

1. A system for application of a coating medium onto a component, comprising: an application device arranged to emit a coating medium jet in response to a switch, wherein, after emerging from the application device, the coating medium jet has a continuous region in the jet direction until said jet reaches a disintegration distance, whereupon, after the disintegration distance, the coating medium jet then disintegrates into droplets that are separate from one another in the jet direction; a positioning device to position the application device at an application distance away from the component, the application distance being no greater than 200 mm while the application device is emitting a coating; and means for sensing that senses the application distance of the application device, the means for sensing coupled to the switch wherein the switch emits the coating medium jet in response to the means for sensing only when the sensing means detects the application distance to be less than the disintegration distance of the coating medium jet.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a nozzle plate, included in the application device, in which a plurality of application nozzles are arranged, each of which emits a coating medium jet, wherein the coating medium jets together generate a stripe on the component.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the stripe has a width of at least one-hundred micrometers, and the stripe has a width of a maximum of one meter.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the application device emits a plurality of coating medium jets which are oriented substantially parallel to one another; distances between directly adjacent coating medium jets is large enough such that the adjacent coating medium jets do not merge between the application device and the component; for emission of the coating medium jets, the application device has a plurality of application nozzles with a specified nozzle internal diameter and a specified nozzle spacing, wherein the nozzle spacing is at least equal to three times the nozzle internal diameter.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantageous developments of the present disclosure are disclosed in the subclaims or are described below in greater detail together with the description of the preferred exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, making reference to the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a conventional application system;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of an application system;

(4) FIGS. 3A-3C and 4A-4C show different representations of sharp-edged and not sharp-edged strips of a coating medium;

(5) FIG. 5 shows a representation of a coating medium strip to illustrate edge-sharpness;

(6) FIGS. 6A-6D show schematic representations of the switching on or switching off of the coating medium jet during component painting; and

(7) FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram corresponding to FIGS. 6A-6D.

DESCRIPTION

(8) FIG. 1 shows a conventional application system as known, for example, from DE 10 2010 019 612 A1. Herein, an application technology 1 supplies an application device 2 with the required media, for example, the coating medium to be applied, which can be, for example, a paint.

(9) The application device 2 has a perforated plate 3 in which numerous application nozzles 4 are formed. Each of the application nozzles 4 of the perforated plate 3 emits a coating medium jet 5 wherein, directly after emission from the application nozzles 4, the coating medium jets 5 initially cohere over a disintegration distance L.sub.DECAY in the jet direction and then disintegrate into droplets, wherein the droplet disintegration is specifically forced in this conventional application system in that vibrations are coupled in.

(10) The application device 2 is positioned relative to a component 6 to be coated at an application distance d, wherein the positioning takes place such that the application distance d is greater than the disintegration distance L.sub.DECAY. This means that the coating medium jets 5 do not impact on the component 6 with their continuous region, but as a succession of droplets.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a variation of the conventional application system according to FIG. 1 in the direction of the present disclosure. The application system according to the present disclosure as per FIG. 2 partially matches the above-described conventional application system so that for the avoidance of repetition, reference is made to the above description wherein the same reference signs are used for corresponding details.

(12) A peculiarity of the application system according to the present disclosure lies in that the application device 2 is positioned relative to the component 6 such that the application distance d is smaller than the disintegration distance L.sub.DECAY. This means that the coating medium jets 5 impact on the surface of the component 6 with their continuous region in the jet direction, which leads to a better painting result.

(13) Furthermore, the droplet disintegration of the coating medium jets 5 is herein not specifically forced by means of the coupling-in of vibrations, since it is specifically the droplet disintegration that is to be prevented within the scope of the present disclosure.

(14) The application system according to the present disclosure enables the application of sharp-edged patterns, as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C and 4A-4C and will be described now.

(15) Thus, FIG. 3A shows a sharp-edged stripe, as can be applied onto the component 6 with the application system according to FIG. 2.

(16) FIGS. 3B and 3C, however, show exemplary embodiments of conventional stripes with more or less ragged edges of the stripe.

(17) FIGS. 4A-4C also do not show sharp-edged stripes, but rather unsuitable stripes with coating medium splashes laterally next to the actual stripe.

(18) FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of a stripe 7 to illustrate the edge sharpness of the strip 7. The stripe 7 has a maximum deviation a, relative to a pre-determined edge shape, wherein the deviation a within the scope of the present disclosure may be smaller than 3 mm, 1 mm or 0.5 mm. In this way, for example, a decorative stripe with a high quality appearance can be produced on a motor vehicle bodywork.

(19) FIGS. 6A-6D show, in schematic form, the application of a paint stripe onto a component 9 wherein the component 9 is laterally delimited by two edges 10, 11.

(20) The coating medium stripes are herein applied by means of an application device 12 wherein the application device 12 can emit coating medium jets 13 as described above.

(21) The application device 12 is initially moved toward the component 9, as shown in FIG. 6A, wherein the coating medium jet 13 is initially still switched off, since the coating medium jet 13 would not impact on the component 9 if the application device 12 is still located laterally adjoining the edge 10 of the component 9.

(22) On passing the edge 10 of the component 9, the coating medium jet 13 is then switched on, as shown in FIG. 6B.

(23) Subsequently, the application device 12 is guided, with the coating medium jet 13 switched on, over the surface of the component 9, as shown in FIG. 6C.

(24) On passing the opposite edge 11 of the component 9, the coating medium jet 13 is then switched off again, as shown in FIG. 6D, since on subsequent further movement of the application device 12 beyond the edge 11 of the component 9, the coating medium jet 13 would no longer impact on the surface of the component 9.

(25) With this switching on and off of the coating medium jet 13, an exceptionally high application efficiency level can be achieved almost without overspray.

(26) The precise switching on and off of the coating medium jet 13 is enabled in that the positions of the application device 12 and of the component 9 are detected by a camera sensor 14.

(27) As previously mentioned, in place of a camera sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an inductive or capacitive sensor or a laser sensor, which can be both firmly arranged in the environment of the application device and of the component, but can also be moved with the application device, can also be used.

(28) FIG. 7 shows the operating method of the application system according to the present disclosure according to the different stages in FIGS. 6A-6D in a corresponding flow diagram.

(29) The present disclosure is not restricted to the above-described preferred exemplary embodiments. Rather a plurality of variants and derivations is possible which also make use of the inventive concept and therefore fall within the scope of protection. In particular, the present disclosure also claims protection for the subject matter and the features of the subclaims separately from the claims to which they each refer.