APPARATUS FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF A WORKPIECE IN A PRODUCTION LINE

Abstract

An apparatus for surface treatment of a workpiece in a production line comprises a positioning frame (1) for the workpiece to be treated. The positioning frame has a coupling (3) for a positioning drive (4). In order to achieve an increase in the production cadence irrespective of the type of surface treatment without having to accept losses with regard to the surface quality of the coating, a hermetically sealable capsule (2) is supported against the positioning frame (1), which capsule (2) has connection lines (5) for the exchange of operating media with different operating medium supply units (6) arranged along the production line.

Claims

1. An apparatus for surface treatment of a workpiece in a production line, said apparatus comprising: a positioning frame that has a coupling connected with a positioning drive positioning the workpiece to be treated;and a hermetically sealable capsule supported against the positioning frame wherein the hermetically sealed capsule has connection lines exchanging operating media with different operating medium supply units arranged along the production line.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning frame forms a flow connection with the connection lines with the capsule.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection lines extend through the coupling.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the connection lines extend through the positioning drive (4).

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has another coupling, and the couplings oppose each other, and the positioning frame has a coupling axis that connects the two opposing couplings and forms two separate connection line sections for different operating media for the two couplings.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has another coupling, and the couplings oppose each other with a coupling axis connecting the two opposing couplings that forms an axis of rotation for the positioning frame that provides uniform distribution of the operating media in the capsule.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning frame has a chassis independent of the positioning drive.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule has a capsule upper part and a capsule lower part each having a respective height, wherein the height of the capsule upper part exceeds the height of the capsule lower part, which is supported on the positioning frame.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the capsule upper part is configured to be connected to the capsule lower part via a flange having electrical contacts extending around the capsule (2).

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the capsule upper part has inlet valves receiving the operating media connected to the connection lines and the capsule lower part has outlet valves releasing the operating media connected to the connection lines.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the positioning frame extends into the lower capsule part.

12. A method for surface treatment of a workpiece supported for movement on a positioning frame by positioning drives in a production line, said method comprising: arranging the workpiece is arranged in a hermetically sealable capsule ; and then conveying the sealed capsule stepwise, with said sealed capsule supported on the positioning frame,using said positioning drives (4) to various operating medium supply units of the production line; and for each supply unit performing the steps of coupling the capsule to the respective operating medium supply unit; supplying the capsule with operating medium from the respective operating medium supply unit; and uncoupling the capsule from the respective operating medium supply unit .

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method further comprises rotating the capsule when supplied with operating media about a horizontal axis of rotation.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the operating medium of at least one of the operating medium supply units comprises dielectrically or inductively excitable particles, and the capsule is electromagnetically permeable, said method comprising guiding the capsule through an electromagnetic field so as to heat the particles.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the operating medium of at least one of the operating medium supply units comprises dielectrically or inductively excitable particles, and the capsule is electromagnetically permeable, said method comprising guiding the capsule through an electromagnetic field so as to heat the particles.

16. An apparatus providing surface treatment of a workpiece in a production line, said apparatus comprising: a hermetically sealable capsule receiving the workpiece therein; a positioning frame supporting the capsule thereon; the positioning frame having a coupling connected therewith and a positioning drive positioning the positioning frame and the capsule; a plurality of operating medium supply units arranged along the production line each having a respective operating medium therein; the capsule has connection lines exchanging operating media with each of the operating medium supply units as the positioning frame is positioned so as to connect with the respective operating medium supply unit.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the operating medium of a connected one of the operating medium supply units flows through a part of the positioning means to the capsule.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the connection lines extend through the coupling and through the positioning drive.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the coupling has a coupling axis and the positioning frame is supported for rotation with the capsule about the coupling axis so as to uniformly distribute the operating medium in the capsule.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the apparatus has another coupling, and the couplings form a pair of opposed couplings with a coupling axis, wherein one of the couplings supplies the operating medium of one of the operating medium supply units to the capsule, and the other of the couplings withdraws the operating medium from the capsule.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] In the drawing, the subject matter of the invention is shown by way of example, wherein:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a top view of a production line having several apparatuses for surface treatment and operating medium supply units according to the invention,

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a schematic section along line II-II in enlarged scale,

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a top view of a production line having two apparatuses for surface treatment according to the invention and an emitter for generating an electromagnetic alternating field, and

[0026] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a production line having several apparatuses for surface treatment and operating medium supply units according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] An apparatus according to the invention for surface treatment of a workpiece has, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, a capsule 2 supported on a positioning frame 1. To enable the capsule 2 to be conveyed along a production line shown in FIG. 1, the positioning frame 1 is connected to a positioning drive 4 via a coupling 3. As can be further seen from FIG. 2, two positioning drives 4 can also be provided, each of which is connected to the positioning frame 1 via a coupling 3. The capsule 2 can be hermetically sealed, creating a reaction chamber that is sealed off from the environment. By keeping the reaction chamber as small as possible, a particularly resource-saving surface treatment can be made possible, since the process conditions can already be influenced and optimized by small flows of operating media. The manipulation of the atmosphere or the control of the process conditions in the reaction chamber and the application of operating media for surface treatment to the reaction chamber is carried out via connection lines 5, which connect the capsule 2 fluidically to operating medium supply units 6 arranged along the production line. The operating medium supply units can supply the capsule 2 with different operating media depending on the type of surface treatment, which means that the production line can be used for different surface treatment processes without the need for complex design measures.

[0028] As disclosed in particular in FIG. 2, the positioning frame 1 itself may be part of the connection lines 5, thereby achieving a simple flow connection between the capsule 2 and the operating medium supply units 6. As a result of these measures, there are no exposed connection lines 5 that could interfere with independent positioning, conveying, or an accessibility of or to the capsule 2.

[0029] In order to enable the capsule 2 to be coupled quickly to the operating medium supply units 6 and still move freely, the connection lines 5 are routed through the coupling 3 and the positioning drive 4. The positioning drives 4, which among other things have the task of moving the apparatus stepwise through the production line, can be mounted on rails 7.

[0030] If the capsule 2 is to be supplied with several operating media at the same time or if the process conditions, for example pressure, temperature and/or humidity, are to be influenced simultaneously during the supply with an operating medium without impairing the free mobility of the capsule 2, the positioning frame 1 can have a coupling axis 8 mechanically connecting the two couplings 3. The coupling axis 8 thereby forms two connection line sections separated from each other by a stop valve 9.

[0031] The coupling axis 8 acts as a horizontal axis of rotation, whereby the capsule 2 can be rotated by a rotary drive 10 of the positioning drive 4. This allows any operating media in the interior of the capsule, i.e. in the reaction chamber, to be evenly distributed and homogeneously applied to the workpiece, which is not shown.

[0032] For assisted displacement of the apparatus according to the invention along the production line, the positioning frame 1 may have a chassis 11 comprising rollers.

[0033] The capsule 2 can be loaded with a workpiece in a particularly simple manner if the height H of the capsule upper part 12 exceeds the height h of the capsule lower part 13.

[0034] In order that a safe electrical contact can be achieved despite the detachable connection between capsule upper part 12 and capsule lower part 13, without any wiring hindering the free positioning of the capsule 2, the capsule upper part 12 and the capsule lower part 13 are connected to each other via a flange 14. The flange 14 has electrical contacts for this purpose which are not shown.

[0035] To ensure the reliable supply and discharge of operating media to and from the capsule 2, the capsule upper part 12 has inlet valves 15 connected to the connection lines 5 and the capsule lower part 13 has outlet valves 16. In this embodiment, the stop valve 9 thus also performs the function of an outlet valve 16. The positioning frame 1 together with the outlet valves 16 can pass through the capsule lower part 13.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows an emitter 17 for generating an electromagnetic alternating field by which dielectrically or inductively excitable particles contained in an operating medium, for example metallic pigments of a powder or liquid coating, or any nanoparticles, are excited and subsequently heated. The heat generated can be used to crosslink the operating media applied to the workpieces.

[0037] In FIG. 4, the possibility of rotating the capsule 2 about a horizontal axis of rotation is shown by way of example. The dashed lines 18 indicate different filling levels of the operating media during filling or pumping down by the operating medium supply units 6.