Applicator for applying a sealing compound onto an edging fold

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11896995-B2
Application number	US-202017637916-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Aug 27, 2019
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an applicator for applying a coating agent (e.g. sealant) to a component (e.g. motor vehicle body component), having a nozzle for dispensing the coating agent and an elongate nozzle carrier which supports the nozzle. The invention provides that the nozzle carrier has a yield region in which the nozzle carrier is substantially less bend-resistant than in the remainder of the nozzle carrier in order to be able to yield elastically to contact forces in the event of contact between the applicator and the component to be coated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An applicator for applying a coating agent to a component, the applicator comprising:
a) a nozzle for dispensing the coating agent, and
b) a nozzle carrier which carries the nozzle,
c) wherein the nozzle carrier has a yield region in which the nozzle carrier is less bend-resistant than in the rest of the nozzle carrier to yield elastically in relation to contact forces in the event of contact between the applicator and the component to be coated, the yield region includes a hollow supply pipe shaped as a coil spring through which the coating agent to be applied is conducted to the nozzle,
d) the nozzle carrier has a distal first leg on which the nozzle is arranged,
e) the nozzle carrier has a second leg which adjoins the distal first leg and is curved at a specific angle of curvature with respect to the distal first leg, the angle of curvature between the distal first leg and the second leg being in the range 60°-120°,
f) the nozzle carrier has a third leg which adjoins the second leg and is curved with respect to the second leg with a specific angle of curvature, the angle of curvature between the second leg and the third leg being in the range 60°-120°, and
g) the nozzle carrier has a fourth leg which adjoins the third leg and is curved with respect to the third leg at a specific angle of curvature, the angle of curvature between the third leg and the fourth leg being in the range 60°-120°.

2. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the number of windings of the coil spring is between 4 and 15.

3. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the coil spring tapers in the distal direction.

4. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the coil spring of the hollow supply pipe includes a plurality of windings extending with a winding pitch in the axial direction, the winding pitch of the coil spring is more than twice the diameter of the nozzle carrier, and
b) the diameter of the coil spring is greater than
b1) five times the outside diameter of the individual coils of the coil spring, and
b2) the axial length of the coil spring.

5. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier is attached at a proximal end to a mounting flange to mount the applicator on a handling device.

6. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the distal first leg and the third leg are substantially parallel to each other, and
b) the second leg and the fourth leg are substantially parallel to each other, and
c) the nozzle discharges the coating agent substantially parallel to the fourth leg in the direction of the fourth leg, and
d) the distal first leg and the second leg and the third leg and the fourth leg lie in a common plane, and
e) the yield region is located in the fourth leg of the nozzle carrier.

7. The applicator according to claim 6 , wherein
a) the distal first leg, the second leg, the third leg and the fourth leg of the applicator are each hollow and form a continuous conduit channel leading to the nozzle for supplying the nozzle with the coating agent to be applied, and
b) the continuous conduit channel has a cross-section which is
b1) is larger in the fourth leg than in the third leg, in the second leg and/or in the distal first leg, and
b2) is greater in the yield region than in the rest of the nozzle carrier.

8. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier with the nozzle is one piece and manufactured by a generative manufacturing process.

9. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the yield region is manufactured by a generative manufacturing process, while further nozzle carrier sections are welded or soldered or bonded or pressed to the yield region.

10. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the applicator is configured for an application movement in a certain direction of movement,
b) the applicator exhibits a specific deflection in the direction of movement at the nozzle when a specific contact force acts on the nozzle carrier in the direction of application, and
c) the applicator has a spring stiffness which is defined as the ratio between the contact force acting on the nozzle carrier in the direction of movement and the resulting deflection in the direction of movement, the spring stiffness being less than 10 N/mm.

11. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is configured to apply the application material to the workpiece surface in one of the following ways:
a) as a flat jet,
b) as a round jet,
c) as an airless jet.

12. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow supply pipe in the nozzle carrier has an internal cross section which decreases in the distal direction.

13. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier has an outer cross section which tapers in the distal direction.

14. A coating robot with an applicator according to claim 1 .

15. An applicator for applying a coating agent to a component, the applicator comprising:
a) a nozzle for dispensing the coating agent and
b) a nozzle carrier which carries the nozzle,
c) wherein the nozzle carrier has a yield region in which the nozzle carrier is substantially less bend-resistant than in the rest of the nozzle carrier to yield elastically in relation to contact forces in the event of contact between the applicator and the component to be coated, the nozzle carrier includes a hollow supply pipe shaped as a spiral spring in the yield region through which the coating agent to be applied is conducted to the nozzle,
d) the nozzle carrier has a distal first leg on which the nozzle is arranged,
e) the nozzle carrier has a second leg which adjoins the distal first leg and is curved at a specific angle of curvature with respect to the distal first leg, the angle of curvature between the distal first leg and the second leg being in the range 60°-120°,
f) the nozzle carrier has a third leg which adjoins the second leg and is curved with respect to the second leg with a specific angle of curvature, the angle of curvature between the second leg and the third leg being in the range 60°-120°, and
g) the nozzle carrier has a fourth leg which adjoins the third leg and is curved with respect to the third leg at a specific angle of curvature, the angle of curvature between the third leg and the fourth leg being in the range 60°-120°.

16. The applicator according to claim 15 , wherein the spiral spring has a plurality of windings which lie in a common plane.

17. The applicator according to claim 16 , wherein the number of windings of the spiral spring is between 4 and 15.

Assignees

• Duerr Systems Ag

Inventors

• Kraft Bernd
• Halbgewachs Martin

Classifications

• B05C5/0216 Primary

  by relative movement of article and outlet according to a predetermined path · CPC title

• B05B1/04 Primary

  in flat form, e.g. fan-like, sheet-like · CPC title

• B05B15/652

  whereby the jet can be oriented · CPC title

• B05C7/06

  by devices moving in contact with the work · CPC title

• B05B13/0431 Primary

  with spray heads moved by robots or articulated arms, e.g. for applying liquid or other fluent material to three-dimensional [3D] surfaces · CPC title