Method and device for narrow surface coating

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for edge coating on work pieces, comprising the following steps: inducing a relative movement between a work piece (W) and an application unit (10), which application unit (10) is provided for applying a mass; setting an application region for applying the mass, in particular in accordance with the width of the edge of a work piece to be provided with the mass; applying the mass to an edge of the work piece (W) to form a three-dimensional body. Said work pieces can be, in particular elements or parts from the furniture or components industry.

Claims

1. A device for narrow side coating work pieces, having: an application unit having at least a nozzle arrangement for applying a mass, wherein the application unit is configured to apply the mass to a narrow side of a work piece, and an application region of the application unit is adjustable according to the width of the narrow side of the work piece; a feeder comprising a line for feeding the mass to the application unit; a conveyor device for inducing a relative movement between the work piece and the application unit; and a pressure device for pressing the mass onto the narrow side of the work piece, wherein the application unit comprises an upper adjusting section and a lower adjusting section, and wherein the upper adjusting section and the lower adjusting section of the application unit are configured to change in order to adjust the application region of the application unit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle arrangement at least impinges the narrow side in sections with the mass.

3. The device according to claim 1, also having a storage unit for accommodating the mass, which is connected with the feeder, wherein the storage unit has a heating unit.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the application unit is interchangeable with a tool holder.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein a machining tool and the application unit are attached to a common carriage, which is moveable along a guide.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure device is a pressing roller.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the application unit further comprises a base section, wherein each of the upper adjusting section and the lower adjusting section is moveable relative to the base section, in order to adjust the application region of the application unit.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the upper adjusting section has an inclined surface or curved surface facing a base surface of the base section, and the lower adjusting section has an inclined surface or curved surface facing a base surface of the base section.

9. The device according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle arrangement is horizontally aligned.

10. The device according to claim 5, wherein the machining tool is a milling tool or a scraper.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein the inclined surfaces or curved surfaces are pivotable relative to the base section.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS

(1) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 constitutes a further variant of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 illustrates another variant of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(5) Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in the following on the basis of the enclosed illustrations. Modifications of individual features can be individually combined with each other to form new embodiments.

(6) A panel-like work piece W (for example a kitchen countertop, a furniture front or the like) is moved in the illustrated embodiment by means of a conveyor, in particular a transport belt or a transport chain. The direction of movement in FIG. 1 is flagged by the reference sign D. Initially located in the throughput direction D is a pre-treatment module 30, with which a subsequent processing of a narrow side of the work piece W is prepared. According to one embodiment, the pre-treatment module 30 is used to direct a jet of compressed air onto the narrow side of the work piece W, in order to remove chips or similar impurities from the narrow side of the panel-like work piece.

(7) Furthermore, the device comprises an application unit 10. Said application unit 10 is connected with a feeder 60, by means of which feeder 60 a flowable mass M is transported from a storage unit 70 to the application unit 10. The feeder 60 comprises at least one line 61, which is designed as a flexible hose in the present invention, as well as a possible pump device 62. Alternatively, a pump device may also be provided in the area of the storage unit 70 or of the application unit 10.

(8) The application region of the application unit may be adjusted or varied, in that an element of the application unit or the application unit itself is exchanged, or a certain number of nozzles of the application unit are triggered or the size of the nozzle orifice is varied.

(9) A pressure device 20 in the form of a pressure roller is also provided subordinately in the throughput direction D of a work piece W. The axis of rotation of the pressure roller is concealed in the vertical direction. The axis of rotation of the pressure roller 20 is preferably in the direction of the work piece W and may be moved away from the latter, thus allowing a pressing force to be varied on the one hand and the possible varying thickness of the applied mass to be taken into account on the other hand.

(10) According to the present invention, the pressure roller 20 is designed as a cylindrical body with constant diameter. However, according to an alternative embodiment, the pressure roller may also have a varying diameter.

(11) For example, the pressure roller 20 allows radii to be introduced into the area of the corners of the panel-like work pieces by deforming the mass, which is already located on the narrow side and may already be partially hardened.

(12) It is also possible to use a pressure roller in the form of an embossing roller, with which a profile is pressed into the mass applied to the narrow side. Profiling enables the narrow side of the work piece W, which is provided with the mass, to be additionally provided with a property haptically coordinated with the decor. For example, a profile that haptically and/or optically imitates a wooden surface may be introduced into the mass.

(13) According to the present embodiment, a refining module 40 is located subordinately in the throughput direction D of the pressure roller 20. Such a refining module may be designed in various ways, for instance as a heating unit, UV lamp or a cooling unit.

(14) A refining module designed as a heating unit allows the mass applied to the narrow side to be re-heated, in order to improve the surface properties thereof or to keep or put said mass in a paste-like or at least partially deformable state for further processing.

(15) A UV lamp is in turn used to enable a mass M provided with UV-crosslinked particles to be hardened more quickly.

(16) In addition, the refining module 40 allows other subordinate processing steps to be prepared, for example by cleaning, degreasing, improving the adhesive and wetting properties and/or reducing the electrostatic charge.

(17) According to the present embodiment, the device illustrated in FIG. 1 also comprises an inkjet printing device 50. Said inkjet printing device 50 is used to apply a decorative surface to the mass applied to a narrow side of the work piece W. The decorative surface may, for example, be coordinated with the structure introduced into the mass by means of the pressure roller 20. In a concrete example, a surface structure characteristic of a wooden surface is embossed by means of the pressure roller 20, and the appropriately prepared surface structure is provided with a decor imitating a wooden surface from an optical point of view.

(18) FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment according to the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1, due, inter alia, to the design of the application unit 10a.

(19) Further assemblies, such as the pre-treatment module 30, the refining module 40, the inkjet printing device 50, the feeder 60, as well as the storage unit 70, may each individually also be used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The same applies to the further embodiments in FIGS. 3 and 4.

(20) The application unit 10a is funnel-shaped in design in the direction of a work piece W to be provided with the mass M. In particular, the application unit 10a comprises an essentially vertically aligned base surface 11 a, pointing in the direction of a narrow side of a work piece W, in the region of which at least one outlet opening for the mass M to be applied to the work piece W is formed. Furthermore, the application unit 10a comprises inclined surfaces 12a, 13a, which extend from the base surface 11a to form an angle of 45°, for example.

(21) According to the present embodiment, the application unit 10a comprises a base section 18a, which has the base surface 11a pointing towards the work piece, as well as an upper adjusting section 16a with the inclined surface 12a as well as a lower adjusting section 17a with an inclined surface 13a. The upper adjusting section 16a and the lower adjusting section 17a may each be telescoped relative to the base section 18a, thus changing the height of the base surface pointing towards the work piece.

(22) An alternative possibility is to replace an element of the application unit with certain inclined surfaces 12a, 13a by another element with different dimensions, thus allowing an application region to be adjusted or varied.

(23) According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, in one area of the inclined surfaces 12a a work piece W transported in the throughput direction approaches the inclined surfaces 12a, 13a of the application unit 10a or touches said inclined surfaces, and therefore an open volume range 15a is formed in front of and behind the application unit 10 in the throughput direction D between the narrow side of the work piece W, the base surface 11 a as well as partial areas of the inclined surfaces 12a, 13a of the application unit 10a.

(24) The application unit 10a presses the preferably paste-like mass to be applied to a narrow side of the work piece W into this volume range 15a, which is then transferred to the narrow side of the work piece W during the relative movement between work piece W and application unit 10a.

(25) In the embodiment of the application unit 10a shown in FIG. 2, fibers are introduced into the individual corner area of the narrow side of the work piece W, by means of the inclined surfaces 12a, 13a, when applying the mass M.

(26) Since the application unit 10a has the upper adjusting section 16a with the inclined surface 12a as well as the lower adjusting section 17a with an inclined surface 13a, which may be telescoped in relation to the base section 18a, this allows the application region of the application unit to be adjusted.

(27) Furthermore, the position of a work piece may be varied transversely to the throughput direction. For example, should a work piece of minimal thickness be guided into the area of the application unit 10a as a preceding work piece, the aforementioned work piece of minimal thickness is placed offset on the (unillustrated) conveyor, and therefore the corners of the narrow side of the work piece come into contact with the inclined surfaces 12a, 13a or approach said inclined surfaces, thus reducing the volume range 15a in the vertical direction. In order to maintain the thickness of the mass to be applied, the adjusting sections 16a, 17a may be moved.

(28) The pressure roller shown in FIG. 2 serves to improve the adhesion of the mass of a narrow side of the work piece by applying an additional pressing force and, if necessary, to further temper and smooth the surface.

(29) According to a further modification of the present invention (see FIG. 3), an application unit is provided, which has curved surfaces 12b, 13b, instead of the inclined surfaces 12a, 13a (and/or in addition to the latter), which approximately or completely come into contact with the corners of a work piece W in the area of the narrow side. A base surface 11b extends between the curved surfaces 12b, 13b. A radius may thus be formed in the individual corner areas of the narrow side by means of the curved surfaces 12b, 13b.

(30) Furthermore, according to the embodiment show in FIG. 2, the application unit 10b is designed as a multi-piece construction, and comprises a base section 18b, as well as an upper adjusting section 16b and a lower adjusting section 17b. The upper adjusting section 16b and the lower adjusting section 17b may each be telescoped relative to the base section 18b, thus changing the height of the base surface pointing towards the work piece.

(31) FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a further embodiment of the present invention. The application unit 10c in the variant illustrated in FIG. 4 comprises a base section 18c with a base surface 11c pointing towards the work piece, as well as an upper adjusting section 16c and a lower adjusting section 17c. The upper adjusting section 16c is provided with a first pivotable section 19c and the lower adjusting section 17c is provided with a second pivotable section 20c, wherein the pivotable sections 19c, 20c may be pivoted around a horizontal axis relative to the base body 18c of the application unit 10c. The first pivotable section 19c comprises an inclined surface 12c, which may be brought completely or approximately into contact with an upper corner of a work piece W. Furthermore, the second pivotable section 20c comprises an inclined surface 13c, which may be brought completely or approximately into contact with a lower corner of a work piece W. The base surface 11c, the inclined surfaces 12c, 13c and the narrow side of the work piece W thus form a volume range 15c.

(32) An individual pivoting movement of the first pivotable section 19c and of the second pivotable section 20c, as well as a vertical adjusting movement of the adjusting sections 16c, 17c, allows the volume range 15c to be changed. This adapts the application unit 10c to narrow sides of different thicknesses.

(33) According to another modification, the application unit comprises a structure-forming mattress in the subordinate area of the throughput direction, with which the mass introduced into the volume range through the outlet opening of the application unit is reformed in the not yet hardened state. This then allows an undulating structure to be introduced into the mass.

(34) Although the present embodiments have primarily been described in respect of a device and a method by means of which a work piece is moved, while the application unit and, if necessary, other devices are at least arranged in a stationary manner during the application of the mass, the present invention may also be used in the event of a device and a method by means of which the work piece is held, for example, by means of suction clamps or terminal clamps, while the application unit and, if necessary, other devices, which are preferably secured on a common carriage, are moved relative to the work piece.