PRESERVATION INSTALLATIONS FOR VEHICLE BODIES, METHOD FOR THE PRESERVATION OF A VEHICLE BODY AND VEHICLE BODY

Abstract

In order to preserve vehicle bodies, a common plant is used, which plant is configured both for flooding and for spraying. The plant makes use of a common feed system and is operated with the same preservative for the spraying and the flooding.

Claims

1. A preservation plant for vehicle bodies, having the following features: a. the preservation plant is configured to discharge a waxy preservative into cavities and/or onto surfaces of a vehicle body, and b. the preservation plant comprises at least a storage tank for the preservative, a discharging system for dispensing the preservative, and a feed pump for feeding the preservative from the storage tank to the discharging system, and c. the preservation plant comprises at least two discharging systems for dispensing the preservative, comprising: a first discharging system, which is configured to discharge the preservative in a liquid form, and a second discharging system, which is configured to discharge the preservative in an atomized form together with atomizing air (spray wax).

2. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 1, having the following feature: a. the preservation plant comprises a common storage tank for supplying the first discharging system and the second discharging system.

3. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 1, having the following feature: a. the preservation plant comprises a common feed pump for feeding the preservative from the storage tank to the first discharging system and to the second discharging system.

4. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 3, having the following features: a. the preservation plant has a loop in which the common feed pump is provided and which has an inlet and an outlet, which are both connected to the storage tank, and b. at least a first supply line for supplying the first discharging system and a second supply line for supplying the second discharging system branch off from the loop.

5. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 4, having the following feature: a. at least one supply line has a further feed pump for supplying the associated discharging system.

6. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 1, having the following feature: a. the first discharging system comprises a flood bar for positioning at a cavity to be flooded, having at least one outlet for the preservative.

7. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 1, having the following feature: a. the second discharging system comprises at least one spray device which is supplied with atomizing air and preservative.

8. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 6, having the following feature: a. the flood bar and/or the spray device are configured to be permanently or temporarily attached to a robot arm.

9. The preservation plant as claimed in claim 8, having the following feature: a. the preservation plant has two robots for the simultaneous preservation of the body by means of the flood bar and by means of the spray device.

10. A method for preserving a vehicle body by introducing and/or applying a waxy preservative, including the following steps: a. the vehicle body being delivered to a preservation plant as claimed in claim 1, and, b. by means of the preservation plant, the vehicle body being preserved partially by flooding and partially by spraying.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, having the following feature: a. both the flooding and the spraying take place with a preserving wax which is flowable and sprayable at 30.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, having the following feature: a. both the flooding and the spraying take place with a preservative which is at a temperature of between 20 C. and 60 C., preferably between 40 C. and 60 C., during discharging.

13. A vehicle body having the following feature: a. the vehicle body has cavities and/or surfaces protected by the introduction or application of waxy preservative, and b. the preservative was applied by means of the method as claimed in claim 10.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Further advantages and aspects of the invention can be gathered from the claims and from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, which is explained in the following text with reference to the FIGURE.

[0043] This FIG. 1 shows a preservation plant according to the invention with a vehicle body introduced therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0044] FIG. 1 schematically shows a preservation plant 10 according to the invention for preserving a vehicle body 60. This vehicle body 60 has cavities 62 and surfaces 64 which are intended to be coated appropriately with a preservative in order to reduce the corrosion tendency. These may be for example sills of the body or attachment regions for further components such as an engine, transmission, shock absorber or the like.

[0045] The preservation plant 10 used has two separate discharging systems 30, 40. The discharging system 30 is a flooding wax discharging system and has a flood bar 34 with a wax outlet 36 for dispensing the wax in a liquid form. The flood bar 34 is coupled to a robot arm 39 of a robot 38 which can therefore position the flood bar properly after the body has been delivered to the preservation plant, specifically such that the wax outlet 36 projects into the cavity 62 through an opening.

[0046] The second discharging system 40 is a discharging system for spraying. It has a spray device 44 which is likewise attached to a robot arm 49 of a robot 48 and is thus movable in a flexible manner.

[0047] The two discharging systems 30, 40 each have supply lines 23, 24, by means of which they are connected to a loop 20. In the case of the discharging system 40, the spray device 44 is additionally connected by means of an air line 25 to a compressor 50, by way of which atomizing air is supplied to the spray device 44.

[0048] The two supply lines 23, 24 are connected to a loop 20, in which a storage tank 12 and a feed pump 14 are additionally provided. The feed pump 14 ensures that the wax heated to about 30 C., in the present case ANTICORIT DS 329 DE, circulates in the loop 20 under pressure. As soon as the discharging systems 30, 40 are ready to discharge by respective positioning, valves (not illustrated here) that are assigned to the supply lines can be opened such that the supply lines 23, 24 are supplied with preservative.

[0049] In the case of the supply line 24 of the spray wax system 40, an additional feed pump 42 is provided in order to further increase the pressure with respect to the loop 20 and thus to achieve the desired spray behavior at the spray device 44. The pressure level, brought about by the feed pump 14, in the loop 20 can be for example 20 bar, while, for the purpose of atomization, the pressure in the supply line 24 is raised to 160 bar by the feed pump 42. This pressure is suitable for the air atomization of preserving wax.

[0050] In the case of the flooding wax discharging system 30, it is not necessary to raise the pressure and so a further feed pump is not provided here.

[0051] In operation, the bodies 60 are delivered to the preservation plant 10 in a cycled manner. As soon as the processing position has been reached, the preservation by means of the discharging systems 30, 40 starts simultaneously or one after the other. Via the flood bars 34 and the wax outlet 36, the preserving wax is delivered into the cavity 62 and forms a protective layer covering the walls there. Excess wax runs back out of the cavity 62 or is pumped out actively. Via the spray device 44, preserving wax is applied in an atomized form such that it covers the surfaces 64 toward which the spray device is directed.

[0052] The preserving wax can harden in situ, wherein this hardening can be due in particular to physical effects.

[0053] The illustrated preservation plant thus makes it possible to preserve the vehicle body 60 in an ideally suitable manner in each case, wherein, preferably, the respective preservation steps with respect to the cavities 62 and the surface 64 are carried out at the same time.

[0054] In the system illustrated, a single storage tank is used, which thus also provides only one preservative for flooding and spraying. In alternative designs, it would also be possible to use two storage tanks, which each contain different preservatives for spraying and flooding.

[0055] In a deviation from the described plant, it is also possible to use a plant in which a pressure which is sufficient for flooding and for spraying already prevails in the loop. This pressure, which is generated by the central feed pump, can be for example 160 bar. The supply lines can then each be provided with pressure regulators in order to suitably reduce the pressure for the discharging systems, in particular for the system for flooding.

[0056] The processing temperature for the wax can also be above 30 C. For many waxes, a particularly homogeneous and advantageous spray pattern is achieved in particular at 40 to 60.