Paint-supply system for a coating installation, and associated operating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11890630-B2
Application number	US-202017772570-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2020
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a paint supply system for a coating installation (e.g. painting installation) comprising a ring line for circulation of a coating agent, a ring line tapping point in the ring line for extraction of the coating agent from the ring line, a consumer and a tap line leading from the ring line tapping point to the consumer. The disclosure provides a device for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line to avoid settling of the coating agent in the tap line.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A paint supply system for a coating installation comprising:
a) a ring line adapted for circulation of a coating agent,
b) a ring line tapping point in the ring line adapted for extracting the coating agent from the ring line,
c) a consumer, which is supplied with the coating agent,
d) a tap line leading from the ring line tapping point to the consumer,
e) a valve arrangement, and
f) means for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line in order to avoid settling of the coating agent in the tap line, wherein the means for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line includes at least one pig line which contains a displaceable pig and leads from the valve arrangement to a pig station, and the pig station moves the displaceable pig for returning the coating agent from the at least one pig line into the tap line from the pig station in a direction of the valve arrangement.

2. Paint supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the tap line opens into the valve arrangement,
b) a reservoir is connected to the valve arrangement,
c) the valve arrangement is connected on the outlet side to the consumer,
d) in a first operating mode, the valve arrangement conducts the coating agent from the tap line to the consumer, and
e) the valve arrangement in a second mode of operation for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line alternately
e1) directs the coating agent from the tap line into the reservoir, and
e2) directs the coating agent from the reservoir back into the tap line.

3. Paint supply system according to claim 2 , wherein
a) the at least one pig line ends on both sides in a respective pig station,
b) the valve arrangement is connected to the proximal pig station via a connecting line, and
c) the connecting line has a smaller line cross-section than the at least one pig line.

4. Paint supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the valve arrangement has a color changer which is connected via a respective tap line to a plurality of ring lines for different coating agents.

5. Paint supply system according to claim 4 , wherein the color changer is a linear color changer which carries out a color selection by a linear movement of two coupling parts.

6. Paint supply system according to claim 2 , wherein
a) the valve arrangement has a coating agent outlet which is connected to the consumer, and
b) the valve arrangement comprises a pulse air input for supplying pulse air, and
c) the valve arrangement has a controllable pulse air valve at the pulse air inlet in order to control the supply of pulse air, and
d) the valve arrangement has a rinsing agent inlet for supplying a rinsing agent, and
e) the valve arrangement has a controllable rinsing agent valve at the rinsing agent inlet in order to control the supply of the rinsing agent, and
f) the valve arrangement has a return connection for returning media to a return line, and
g) the valve arrangement has a controllable return valve at the return connection in order to open or close the return, and
h) the valve arrangement has a reservoir connection to which the reservoir is connected, and
i) the valve arrangement comprises a controllable reservoir valve at the reservoir connection to control the coating agent flow from the tap line into the reservoir and from the reservoir into the tap line, and
j) the valve arrangement comprises selection valves to selectively pass the rinsing agent and the pulse air:
j1) through the reservoir connection into the reservoir or
j2) through the return connection into the return or
j3) through the coating agent outlet to the consumer.

7. Paint supply system according to claim 2 , wherein
a) the consumer is an atomizer, which is moved by a multi-axis painting robot,
b) the painting robot is an articulated arm robot with a proximal robot arm and a distal robot arm, and
c) the valve arrangement is mounted in or on the proximal robot arm or the distal robot arm.

8. Paint supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the reservoir has a volume that is 10%-150% of the volume of the tap line.

9. Paint supply system according to claim 2 , wherein a metering pump is arranged between the valve arrangement and the consumer.

10. Paint supply system according to claim 1 , wherein two pig lines are connected to the valve arrangement, each forming a reservoir and each leading to a pig station.

11. Painting installation having a paint supply system according to claim 1 .

12. A paint supply system for a coating installation comprising:
a) a ring line adapted for circulation of a coating agent,
b) a ring line tapping point in the ring line adapted for extracting the coating agent from the ring line,
c) a tap line leading from the ring line tapping point to a closed end,
d) a consumer connected to the tap line between the ring line tapping point and the closed end, the consumer supplied with the coating agent,
e) means for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line in order to avoid settling of the coating agent in the tap line, the means for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line including a cushion of a compressible medium at the closed end of the tap line, the cushion of the compressible medium reflecting pressure shocks from the tap line and thereby alternately moves the coating agent standing in the tap line forwards and backwards.

13. The paint supply system according to claim 12 , further comprising
a) a tap line tapping point in the tap line, and wherein,
b) the consumer is connected to the tap line at the tap line tapping point, and
c) the closed end of the tap line and the cushion of the compressible medium are downstream of the tap line tapping point.

14. The paint supply system according to claim 13 , further comprising a control unit adapted for controlling the pressure generator in such a way that the pressure in the tap line fluctuates in an abrupt manner.

15. The paint supply system according to claim 13 , wherein the cushion in the relaxed state has a volume which is 10%-150% of the volume of the tap line.

16. The paint supply system according to claim 13 , wherein the means for alternately moving the coating agent forward and backward in the tap line includes a pressure generator adapted for generating the pressure shocks in the tap line.

17. The paint supply system according to claim 16 , wherein the pressure generator is a coating agent pump, which is adapted to pump the coating agent through the ring line.

Assignees

• Duerr Systems Ag

Inventors

• Rüger Alexander
• Hermann Sascha
• Jimenez Cadenas Luis
• Frühsorger Eduard

Classifications

• B05B15/20 Primary

  Arrangements for agitating the material to be sprayed, e.g. for stirring, mixing or homogenising · CPC title

• B05B12/1481

  comprising pigs, i.e. movable elements sealingly received in supply pipes, for separating different fluids, e.g. liquid coating materials from solvent or air (cleaning pipes with pigs B08B9/0557, pigs per se F16L55/26) · CPC title

• B05B15/58 Primary

  preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage by recirculating the fluid to be sprayed from upstream of the discharge opening back to the supplying means {(B05B1/3093 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B05B15/50

  Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter · CPC title

• B05B15/55

  using cleaning fluids · CPC title