Device for coating parts including a movable receiver in which a dispenser device and an IR emitter device are located

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coating device for small parts, in particular for lacquering mass produced small parts, like e.g. bolts, small plastic parts and similar, and it relates to a method for this purpose with a movable receiver element for receiving and moving the small parts, and a dispenser device, located at the receiver element for continuous or portioned dispensing the coating material into the receiver element, wherein a radiation emitter device is provided in the receiver element for emitting radiation for drying and/or hardening the coating material.

Claims

1. A coating system for parts comprising: a movable receiver element for receiving parts to be coated and moving and thereby turning over the parts to be coated, said movable receiver element having a circumferential side wall, an opening, a rear wall located opposite to the opening, and an axis of rotation, said movable receiver element is disposed in a coating position characterized by an inclination of the axis of rotation such that the parts to be coated accumulate in a depression between the circumferential side wall and the rear wall of the movable receiver element; at least one dispenser device for dispensing a coating material into the movable receiver element, the dispenser device being an air-assisted spray gun or a water-assisted spray gun configured to intermittently dispense coating material by spraying or squirting blasts of the coating material with limited duration; said dispenser device configured to dispense the coating material in the depression between the circumferential side wall and the rear wall where the parts to be coated accumulate when the movable receiver element is disposed in the coating position; said dispenser device is located within the movable receiver element when the movable receiver element is in the coating position; at least one infrared (IR) radiation emitter device for emitting infrared (IR) radiation into the movable receiver element; said at least one infrared radiation emitter device disposed to provide the IR radiation in the depression between the circumferential side wall and rear wall where the parts to be coated accumulate when the movable receiver element is disposed in the coating position; said one infrared radiation emitter device is located adjacent to the dispenser device and located within the movable receiver element adjacent to the dispenser device when the movable receiver element is in the coating position; a programmable processor configured to control or regulate the at least one IR radiation emitter device and the at least one dispenser device while the parts to be coated are turned over by moving the movable receiver element; said programmable processor configured to control the at least one infrared radiation emitter device to provide infrared radiation to heat the parts to be coated to a required minimum temperature; said programmable processor configured to control the dispenser device to begin dispensing the coating material after the required minimum temperature of the parts to be coated has been reached such that a film is formed from the coating material on the parts to be coated and said film is immediately dried or hardened by the IR radiation provided by the IR radiation emitter device, and at least one flap located at the opening of the movable receiver element for loading and unloading of the parts to be coated, said at least one flap pivots from a closed position to an opened position to open and close the opening of the movable receiver element; wherein the at least one dispenser device and the at least one IR radiation emitter device are located within the movable receiver element during coating so as to dry and/or harden the coating material, wherein the dispenser device is configured to dispense coating material in amounts such that an immediate drying or hardening of the coating material on the parts to be coated takes place when the required minimum temperature is reached by the IR energy imparted by the IR radiation emitter device.

2. A coating system according to claim 1, wherein: the movable receiver element is a rotatable drum or a rattling or shaking body.

3. A coating system according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one IR radiation emitter device comprises at least one radiation emitter from the group comprising short-, medium- or long-wave IR radiation emitters, CIR radiation emitters and NIR radiation emitters.

4. A coating system according to claim 1, wherein: an opening for incoming air and an opening for exhaust air are provided in the movable receiver element and/or at the at least one flap.

5. A coating system according to claim 4, wherein: an evacuation device is located at the opening for exhaust air.

6. A coating system according claim 1, further including: sensors whose output signals are processed through the programmable processor configured to control or regulate the at least one IR radiation emitter device and the at least one dispenser device.

7. A coating system according to claim 2, wherein: the movable receiver element is a rotatable drum with conveyor ribs on an inside wall.

8. A coating system according to claim 4, wherein: the opening for incoming air has an air intake spout, whose outlet opening ends proximal to a closing element, and the opening for exhaust air has an air exhaust spout, whose intake opening is disposed close to the backside wall located opposite to the closing element.

9. A coating system according to claim 5, wherein: the evacuation device includes a fan.

10. A coating system according to claim 6, wherein: the sensors comprise temperature and/or gas or steam sensors.

Description

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages, characteristics, and features of the present invention become apparent from the detailed description, when read with reference to the appended drawings. In a purely schematic manner, these drawings show in:

(2) FIG. 1 a sectional side view through a device, according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 a sectional top view of the device, according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 a partial front view of the device from FIGS. 1 and 2; and in

(5) FIG. 4 a partial sectional side view according to FIG. 1 in more detail.

BEST MODE TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a lateral sectional view of a device 1, according to the invention, in which, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, a drum 6, rotatable around an axis 21, is pivotably mounted to a frame with two vertical pillars 2 and horizontal pillars 3, mounted thereupon, receiving the small parts 23 (see FIG. 4). Between the horizontal beams 3, a rod 4 is provided, on which the drum 6 is pivotably mounted through the mounting flanges 12 and 14 and the pivot supports 13 and 15, and thus in a position 6, as shown in FIG. 1. Through pivoting around the rod 4, or its longitudinal axis into the position 6, the drum 6 can be emptied in a simple manner. For pivoting, a drive in the form of an electric motor 7 is provided.

(7) Besides the pivoting ability around the rod 4, the drum is rotatable around the axis 21, wherein an electric motor 5 is provided as a rotations drive for this purpose.

(8) The drum 6 has a closure provided as two closure flaps 10, 11 at the drum opening 24 (see FIGS. 1 and 4), as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein the closure flaps can be pivoted from a closed position into an opened position 10, 11 and versa. The opening mechanism provided for this purpose (see FIGS. 2 and 3, and the detail shown in between) comprises an electric motor 8 and connection rods 9, 16, whereupon the closing flaps 10, 11 are provided. Through an operation of the motor 8 and through motions of the connection bars 9 and 16 triggered thereby, the closure flaps 10 and 11 can be opened and closed.

(9) As it becomes apparent, in particular from FIGS. 1 and 4, openings in the form of pass-through spouts 17 and 18 are provided at least at one closure cap. These pass-through spouts 17 and 18 operate as an air intake opening 18 and an air exhaust opening 17. The air intake spout 18 hereby only extends through the closure flap 10 and is thereby only slightly longer than the thickness of the closure flap 10. In comparison, the air exhaust spout 17 is significantly longer and approximately corresponds to the depth of the drum 6, so that the vented air is directly vented from the rear wall 26, located opposite to the drum opening 24. Thereby, a complete ventilation of the entire drum volume is assured.

(10) For evacuation, an evacuation device 35 provided, which is connected with the air vent spout 17, and which can evacuate air from the drum 6 through a fan 36, and which removes the remaining particles from the exhaust air through an exhaust air filter.

(11) Through the disposition of air intake and exhaust spouts 17 and 18 at the closure flap 10, it is accomplished that the spouts 17 and 18 do not protrude into the drum cavity during the emptying process, and thus when the drum 6 is in the position 6, so they cannot interfere with the emptying process.

(12) Also at the closure flap 10, or at the second closure flap 11, the schematically shown radiation emitter device 20, and the also schematically shown spray gun 19 are disposed, wherein this is not shown in particular.

(13) The spray gun 19 is disposed, so that it is formed in the direction of the depression 27, which is formed by the circumferential side wall 25, and the rear wall 26, located opposite to the drum opening 24. This also applies to the emitter device 20, which is located adjacent to the spray gun 19.

(14) The small parts 23 received in the drum 6 accumulate in the depression 27, when the drum 6 is in the coating position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The coating position is characterized by an inclination of the rotation axis 21, relative to horizontal, so that the small parts to be coated are accumulated in the depression 27. Through the pivotability of the drum 6 around the rod 4 or its longitudinal axis, the inclination of the drum 6, or of the rotation axis 21 can be varied infinitely, and thus between 0 and 90.

(15) At the inner wall of the drum, conveyor ribs 22 are provided, which are offset along the circumference of the side wall 25, in a star shape at the rear wall 26, coming together towards the drum axis 21, wherein the conveyor ribs 22 protrude into the drum cavity and they are being used to turn over the small parts 23, received in the drum 6, due to the rotation of the drum 6.

(16) The shape of the drum 6 with the round cross section, and also with the circular drum opening 24, and a funnel shaped rear wall 26 and the cylinder shaped side wall 25 is selected, so that good mixing and application of the coating material is assured, while simultaneously providing a high internal storage volume. In particular, the rounded transition from the side wall 25 to the rear wall 26 contributes to this feature.

(17) The spray gun 19 is connected with the supply device for the coating material through a feed line (not shown), and accordingly, when required with a feed device for an auxiliary or carrier material, as, e.g., air or water vapor. The spray gun 19 provides for an atomization of the coating material and for a fine deposition of the coating material on the small parts to be coated, wherein all known methods can be used for this purpose, like in particular also water vapor assisted spraying. In particular, the spray gun 19 is provided so that the smallest amounts of coating material can be deposited in the finest drop or powder volumes in order to create thin films with a very thin layer thickness on the small parts to be coated. Thus, the generated layer thicknesses are so small, that the created coating film immediately dries and/or hardens under the prevailing temperatures or environmental conditions.

(18) The respective temperature, or the necessary environmental conditions are being created through irradiated energy, wherein infrared (IR) emitters or ultraviolet (UV) emitters can be used as radiation emitters. Among the IR emitters, short wave, or long wave IR emitters with a wavelength of preferably 800 through 5000 nm, or IR radiation emitters with a wavelength spectrum near the infrared (near IR or NIR) are being used. Also, so-called carbon IR emitters with a medium wave length spectrum have proven suitable. UV emitters are being used in particular with UV hardening lacquer systems.

(19) Through the energy radiation emitters of the radiation emitter device 20 also the small parts 23 can be quickly brought to the temperature required for drying and/or hardening of e.g. 50 to 100 C., preferably 60 to 80 C., in particular 70 C., and/or the coating material, in particular the lacquer can be dried and/or hardened in a very short period of time.

(20) The device 1 is operated, so that in the coating position shown in FIG. 1, or at another suitable inclination of the drum 6, the material to be coated is deposited as small parts through the open drum opening 24. After closing the drum opening 24 through operating the closure flaps 10 and 11, the drum 6 is brought into a rotating motion around the axis 21 through the motor 5, whereby the small parts 23 are being turned over. Simultaneously with the rotation motion of the drum, the radiation emitter unit 20 is activated, so that the small parts 23 are heated. After reaching the required minimum temperature of the small parts, which are determined by respective sensors 32, the spray gun 19 begins depositing coating material in small portions. The coating material, which is deposited through fine atomization by the spray gun 19 in a very thin layer on the small parts 23, is immediately dried or hardened, through the radiation energy, or by the temperature created thereby, so that through the additional motion of the small parts 23 no undesired layering errors occur.

(21) The emitter device 20 can be switched on and off, or power regulated, depending on requirements, based on the temperature in the drum 6 or of the small parts 23, determined by the sensors 32. For this purpose, a respective control or regulation device 30 can be provided, which can be formed by a programmable computer. Also, the dispensing device in the form of a spray gun 19 can hereby be controlled or regulated through respective parameters, like, e.g., solvent or water vapor content in the drum 6.

(22) During the coating process, the solvents released by the drying coating material, or the respective water vapor, or the respective powder dust are evacuated and provided to the disposal through the intake spouts 18 and exhaust spouts 17.

(23) After a certain coating time, when all small parts 23 are evenly coated with coating material, the rotation of the drum 6 is stopped, the radiation emitter unit 20 is turned off, or still operated for a certain period of time and the spray gun 19 is turned off. The closure flaps 10 and 11 can be opened after a short waiting time, whereby also the spouts 17 and 18, and the radiation device 20, and the spray gun 19 are removed from the gun cavity. Thereby, the drum 6 can be pivoted into the emptying position 6, whereby the coated small parts 23 move into a receiving device (not shown). After pivoting the drum 6 back into the coating position, a new coating process can begin.

(24) Through the fast drying and/or hardening, based on the imparted radiation energy, the process according to an aspect of invention achieves a performance increase, with respect to coating duration, volume throughput, and coating quality.

(25) Though the previously described embodiment constitutes an implementation of the invention, single components can be replaced by similar or identically operating means. Besides the previously described closing elements 10 and 11, also other suitable means can be provided, as e.g., a single cover. Said cover can, in particular, be operated also through another closing motion, e.g., a sliding motion. Also, the described pivoting or opening mechanisms can be replaced by other suitable mechanisms. The same applies to the drives, which cannot only be realized by the illustrated electric motors. Also, other suitable radiation emitters are conceivable.