DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TREATING A RUNNING-SURFACE COATING OF A PIECE OF WINTER SPORTS EQUIPMENT

Abstract

A device for treating a running-surface coating of a piece of winter sports equipment, preferably of a ski or snowboard, includes a movement device for generating a relative movement between the device and the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment, an application device for applying a ski wax to the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment, a heating device for heating the ski wax applied to the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment to above the melting temperature of the ski wax, and a cooling device for actively cooling the ski wax melted by the heating device to below the solidification temperature of the ski wax.

Claims

1. A device for treating a running-surface coating of a piece of winter sports equipment, preferably of a ski or snowboard, comprising: at least one movement device for generating a relative movement between the device and the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment, at least one application device for applying a ski wax to the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment, at least one heating device for heating the ski wax applied to the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment to above the melting temperature of the ski wax, and at least one cooling device for actively cooling the ski wax melted by the heating device to below the solidification temperature of the ski wax.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling device has at least one cool air blower, wherein a gaseous fluid, preferably air, can be blown to cool the ski wax melted by the heating device.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the cool air blower has a cooling apparatus which lowers the temperature of the conveyed fluid.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling device has a cooled section, which can be brought into contact with the piece of winter sports equipment, preferably with the upper side opposite the running-surface coating.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one stripping device, preferably a brush and/or a polishing station, is provided, wherein excess solidified ski wax can be removed from the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment by the at least one stripping device.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heating device has at least two heating stations.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heating device has at least one hot air blower, IR heater and/or ironing device.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a blower is provided, which is formed to operate selectively as at least one heating device and at least one cooling device, by the temperature of the released gaseous fluid, preferably air, being adjustable.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the ski wax can be applied by the at least one application device in a powder or liquid state.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the ski wax comprises a hydrocarbon wax and/or a fluoro wax.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one movement device has a controlled or regulated infeed device.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one movement device is formed to move the device for treating a running-surface coating past the piece of winter sports equipment along a longitudinal axis of the piece of winter sports equipment in the course of a first treatment movement and to move the device past the piece of winter sports equipment contrary to the first treatment movement along the longitudinal axis of the piece of winter sports equipment in the course of a subsequent second treatment movement.

13. A method for treating a running-surface coating of a piece of winter sports equipment, preferably with the device according to claim 1, the method comprising: executing a relative movement between the winter sports article and the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment, applying a ski wax to the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment, heating the ski wax applied to the running-surface coating of the piece of winter sports equipment to above the melting temperature of the ski wax and actively cooling the heated ski wax to below the solidification temperature of the ski wax.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least 50 pieces of winter sports equipment, preferably 100 pieces of winter sports equipment, are treated per hour.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Further details and advantages of the present invention are explained in more detail in the following with the aid of the description of the figures with reference to the embodiments represented in the figures, in which:

[0056] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a device for treating a running-surface coating,

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a device for treating a running-surface coating, and

[0058] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a feeder device of a device for treating a running-surface coating.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a device 1 for treating a running-surface coating 3 of a piece of winter sports equipment 2.

[0060] In this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the piece of winter sports equipment 2 is represented as a ski, which is arranged on a holding device 17 of the device 1.

[0061] Here, the piece of winter sports equipment 2 is arranged with the running-surface coating 3 upwards, wherein the upper side 9 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 facing away from the running-surface coating 3 is supported on the holding devices 17.

[0062] In this embodiment the piece of winter sports equipment 2 is held stationary via the holding devices 17 and the device 1more precisely: the receiving plate 16 of the device 1is moved relative to the piece of winter sports equipment 2 via the movement device.

[0063] The movement device is not represented more precisely in this embodiment, wherein a relative movement between the receiving plate 16 of the device 1 and the piece of winter sports equipment 2 can be performed via the movement device.

[0064] This relative movement is to be understood as a movement along the longitudinal axis of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 and is indicated by the first movement direction 19 and the second movement direction 20.

[0065] The movement device can be formed simply as a guide, wherein an operator can for example execute the relative movement by a hand lever.

[0066] However, it can entirely also be provided that the movement device has a drive device, wherein the relative movement between the piece of winter sports equipment 2 and the receiving plate 16 can be controlled or regulated.

[0067] After arrangement of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 on the holding devices 17, a movement in a first movement direction 19 can be performed by the device 1more precisely: the receiving plate 16whereby the receiving plate 16 moves in a first movement direction 19 parallel to a longitudinal axis of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 over the winter sports equipment 2.

[0068] In the course of this a brush roller 15 is first moved over the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2, which brush roller 15 is arranged on the receiving plate 16.

[0069] In a first method step, for example an old wax or contaminations on the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 can be removed by this brush roller 15 and the running-surface coating 3 can be cleaned for the subsequent method.

[0070] After that, a ski wax 5 is applied to the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 via the application device 4, which is also arranged on the receiving plate 16.

[0071] This application device 4 is formed in this embodiment as a wax roller 14, which, dispensing ski wax 5, rolls on the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2.

[0072] Through this wax roller 14 ski wax 5 in liquid or powder form can for example be distributedpreferably evenlyover the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2.

[0073] Then the heating device 6 is guided to the running-surface coating 3 and the ski wax 5 applied thereto.

[0074] This heating device 6 is implemented in this embodiment by the two heating stations 11, wherein the first heating station 11 is implemented by a hot air blower 12 and the second heating station 11 is implemented by an IR heater 13.

[0075] Ambient air is drawn in and heated by the hot air blower 12, wherein the heated ambient air is then blown onto the ski wax 5 on the running-surface coating 3.

[0076] Heat radiation (infrared radiation) is then applied to the ski wax and the running-surface coating 3 via the IR heater 13.

[0077] Thus, the applied ski wax 5 on the running-surface coating 3 is heated to above the melting temperature of the ski wax 5 by the heating device 6 and the two heating stations 11, whereby a sufficient crosslinking of the ski wax 5 on the running-surface coating 3 can be carried out.

[0078] Through the further relative movement of the device 1more precisely: the receiving plate 16 with respect to the piece of winter sports equipment 2the area of the ski wax 5 heated by the heating device 6 and running-surface coating 3 is guided to the cooling device 7.

[0079] This cooling device 7 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is provided as a cool air blower 8.

[0080] This cool air blower draws in ambient air and conveys it to the running-surface coating 3 and the ski wax 5 heated here for active cooling, wherein the ski wax 5 is cooled to below the solidification temperature of the ski wax 5.

[0081] In addition the cool air blower 8 can have a cooling device, wherein the ambient air which is drawn in by the cool air blower 8 can be cooled before the blowing onto the ski wax 5 on the running-surface coating 3.

[0082] When the entire running-surface coating 3 has passed through the device 1more precisely: has traversed the cooling device 7the relative movement is reversed into a second movement direction 20, wherein the running-surface coating 3 first comes into contact with the cooling device 7 again and is cooled further once more in a second step.

[0083] The heating device 6 is shut down during the movement in this second movement direction 20, wherein an active heating of the running-surface coating 3 is no longer performed while the receiving plate 16 is being passed over the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2 in the second movement direction 20.

[0084] In a preferred embodiment it can even be provided that the hot air blower 12 of the heating device 6 is formed so that it can be varied in terms of its temperature, whereby the hot air blower 12 can be optionally switched to a second movement direction 20, whereby only ambient air without heating or optionally even with cooling can be conveyed to the running-surface coating 3 and thus the applied ski wax 5 for further active cooling of the running-surface coating 3.

[0085] Furthermore, ski wax 5 is no longer applied to the running-surface coating 3 by the application device 4 in a second movement direction 20, by for example the wax roller 14 being able to be raised from the running-surface coating 3 during execution of the second movement direction 20.

[0086] The cooled ski wax 5 on the running-surface coating 3 is then still treated by the stripping device 10, wherein excess ski wax 5 can be removed from the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2.

[0087] This stripping device 10 is implemented by the brush roller 15, which thus (in addition to the initial cleaning function) in this embodiment undertakes a double function.

[0088] The device 1 of this embodiment can be mounted over the legs 18 and can be raised from a floor or ground, whereby a comfortable working height for an operator can be set.

[0089] Unlike what is represented in FIG. 1, the ski tip can also point to the right while passing through.

[0090] FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of a device 1 for treating a running-surface coating 3 of a piece of winter sports equipment 2, wherein only a purely schematic representation was chosen here.

[0091] Thus, in this embodiment of FIG. 2 the piece of winter sports equipment 2 is continuously moved with only a first movement direction 19 relative to the device 1. Here, the piece of winter sports equipment 3 is in turn arranged with the running-surface coating 3 upwards and the upper surface 9 downwards with respect to the device 1.

[0092] Thus, the piece of winter sports equipment 2 first comes into contact with a wax roller 14 of the device 1 with its running-surface coating 3, wherein a powdered or liquid ski wax 5 is applied to the running-surface coating 3 via the wax roller 14.

[0093] The application device 4 is formed in this embodiment by the receiving container 21, which applies ski wax 5 to the wax roller 14, and the wax roller 14.

[0094] The running-surface coating 3 with the applied ski wax 5 then passes through a heating device 6, wherein the applied ski wax 5 is heated to above a melting temperature of the ski wax 5.

[0095] Subsequently, the heated ski wax 5 is in turn actively cooled via a cooling device 7 and the ski wax 5 is brought to below the solidification temperature of the ski wax 5.

[0096] Finally, the solidified ski wax 5 is supplied to the running-surface coating 3 of the stripping device 10, which in turn is formed as a brush roller 15, wherein excess ski wax can be removed.

[0097] The stripping device 10 can also serve to supply a desired structure to the running-surface coating 3more precisely: to the ski wax 5 arranged on the running-surface coating 3.

[0098] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a supply device 23 of a device 1 for treating a running-surface coating 3 of a winter sports article 2.

[0099] A row of pieces of winter sports equipment 2 can be placed, with the surface side 9, on a first guide rail (an upper guide rail) and are fed in one after another into a treating position of the device 1 for treating the running-surface coating 3.

[0100] Two pieces of winter sports equipment 2 can then be treated synchronously by the device 1 for treating the running-surface coating 3 of the piece of winter sports equipment 2.

[0101] This device 1 can for example be implemented according to the embodiment of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 3 could be regarded as a side view of the figure.

[0102] After treatment with the device 1 for treating the running-surface coating 3 the pieces of winter sports equipment 2 can be dropped onto the second (the lower) guide rail, wherein this second guide rail represents the device for delivering the piece of winter sports equipment 2 after treatment by the device 1.

[0103] This second guide rail is formed sloping, whereby the pieces of winter sports equipment 2, as represented, can slide down due to gravity.

[0104] Here, one of the pieces of winter sports equipment previously treated by the device 1 is represented as a snowboard, whereby it is evident that either two skis can be treated by the device 1 or one snowboard, since the device 1 has a corresponding width.

[0105] Furthermore, however, loading and unloading devices using paternoster operation or by means of a robot are also entirely conceivable.

[0106] Treating capacities of 120 pairs of skis per hour are entirely achievable by the shown device 1 of the embodiments from FIGS. 1-3.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0107] 1 device for treating a running-surface coating [0108] 2 piece of winter sports equipment [0109] 3 running-surface coating [0110] 4 application device [0111] 5 ski wax [0112] 6 heating device [0113] 7 cooling device [0114] 8 cool air blower [0115] 9 upper side [0116] 10 stripping device [0117] 11 heating station [0118] 12 hot air blower [0119] 13 IR heater [0120] 14 wax roller [0121] 15 brush roller [0122] 16 receiving plate [0123] 17 holding device [0124] 18 leg [0125] 19 first movement direction [0126] 20 second movement direction [0127] 21 receiving container [0128] 22 movement direction [0129] 23 supply device