Coating method and corresponding coating installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11904334-B2
Application number	US-202017609019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2020
Priority date	May 9, 2019
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a coating method for coating a component (e.g. motor vehicle body component) with a coating agent (e.g. paint), that includes steps ofDefining a pattern on the component surface of the component to be coated, the pattern being a surface area outlined by a contour, andareal coating of the component surface with the coating agent within the contour,sharp-edged coating of the component surface with a coating agent along at least a portion of the contour of the pattern.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A coating method for coating a component with a coating agent, having the following steps:
a) defining a pattern on the component surface of the component to be coated, the pattern being a surface region which is bordered by a contour,
b) areal coating the component surface with the coating agent within the contour,
c) sharp-edged coating of the component surface with a coating agent along at least part of the contour of the pattern, and
further comprising at least one of the following steps:
d) determining the type of a manipulator for guiding an applicator,
e) reading out a manipulator-specific parameter set from a memory, the manipulator-specific parameter set representing properties of the manipulator,
f) defining a type of applicator,
g) reading an applicator-specific parameter set from a memory, the applicator-specific parameter set representing properties of the applicator,
h) defining a path program-specific parameter set, the path program-specific parameter set defining properties of a robot path, including at least one of the following:
h1) coating path width,
h2) curve radius of the robot path,
h3) coating volume flow,
h4) maximum path speed,

i) reading of the pattern from a memory,
j) analysis of the read out pattern to determine the contour,
k) calculation of a path program including at least one of the following:
k1) approach paths,
k2) departure paths,
k3) switch-on points, and/or
k4) switch-off points,

l) visualization of the path program.

2. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein the areal coating within the contour is carried out with a greater area coating performance than the sharp-edged coating along the contour.

3. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the coating is carried out by means of an applicator which has a plurality of nozzles which can be activated or deactivated individually or in groups for coating,
b) for the areal coating within the contour, a larger number of nozzles are activated for the coating than in the case of sharp-edged coating along the contour,
c) for the sharp-edged coating along the contour, fewer than 20 nozzles of the applicator is activated for the coating.

4. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the sharp-edged coating along the contour of the pattern is carried out by means of an applicator which is moved along the contour by a manipulator, and
b) the applicator applies the coating agent during the sharp-edged coating along the contour with a certain flow rate, and
c) the manipulator moves the applicator along the contour at a specific speed over the component surface during the sharp-edged coating, and
d) during the sharp-edged coating along the contour
d1) the flow rate of the coating agent is adjusted as a function of the traversing speed in order to achieve a coating thickness on the component surface which is as constant as possible, or
d2) the flow rate of the coating agent remains constant.

5. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the sharp-edged coating along the contour of the pattern is carried out by means of an applicator which is moved along the contour by a manipulator, and
b) the manipulator moves the applicator along the contour at a specific traversing speed over the component surface during the sharp-edged coating and in so doing traverses the contour, and
c) the manipulator does not traverse the contour contiguously, but in several path sections, and
d) the applicator interrupts the delivery of the coating agent between the coating of the immediately successive path sections of the contour.

6. The coating method according to claim 5 , wherein
a) the directly successive path sections adjoin one another at problem points of the contour, the problem points being characterized in that the manipulator could pass the problem points without an interruption only with a sharp drop in the traversing speed, and/or
b) the manipulator executes a kink-free start movement at the problem points between the coating of the immediately successive path sections in order to start again at the immediately successive path section.

7. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein the sharp-edged coating of the contour is carried out with a coating agent jet which is contiguous in the longitudinal direction of the jet.

8. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein the sharp-edged coating of the contour is first carried out with a coating agent jet which is contiguous in the longitudinal direction of the jet and then with a droplet jet which consists of numerous droplets which are not contiguous in the longitudinal direction of the jet.

9. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein first the pattern and then the contour is coated.

10. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein first the contour and then the pattern is coated.

11. The coating method according to claim 1 , further comprising the following steps:
a) first the pattern and only then the contour is coated, and
b) the pattern applied to the component surface is detected with respect to its spatial position and extent by means of a measuring system, in order to determine the contour after the areal coating of the pattern.

12. The coating method according to claim 11 , wherein
a) the measuring system is attached to the manipulator and is moved with the manipulator, or
b) the measuring system is arranged separately from the manipulator in a stationary manner.

13. The coating method according to claim 1 , further comprising the following steps:
a) first the contour and then the pattern is coated, and
b) the contour applied to the component surface is detected by means of a measuring system, in order to determine the areal extent of the pattern.

14. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein the areal coating within the contour is carried out with a different coating agent than the sharp-edged coating along the contour.

15. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the coating agent, after application to the component surface, can only run within a certain running time in order to form a two-dimensional contiguous coating on the component surface, and
b) the areal coating of the pattern and the sharp-edged coating along the adjacent contour are affected at a time interval which is shorter than the certain running time so that the coating agent of the contour and of the surface can run together.

16. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the areal coating within the contour is carried out with a different coating agent than the sharp-edged coating along the contour, and
b) the coating agent, after application to the component surface, can only run within a certain flow time in order to form a contiguous coating over the entire area of the component surface, and
c) the areal coating of the pattern and the sharp-edged coating along the adjacent contour are carried out at a time interval which is greater than the certain flow time, so that the different coating agents of the contour and of the surface do not run together.

17. The coating method according to claim 1 , wherein
a) the coating agent is applied by an applicator which does not emit a spray jet but a narrowly limited coating agent jet, and
b) the applicator is moved over the component surface by a manipulator, and
c) the manipulator has a spatial positioning accuracy and/or repeatability accuracy which is more precise than 5 mm, and
d) the coating agent is a paint, and
e) the coating agent is

Assignees

• Duerr Systems Ag

Inventors

• Fritz Hans-Georg
• Wöhr Benjamin
• Lavallée Jerome
• Bubek Moritz
• Beyl Timo
• Tandler Daniel
• Berndt Tobias
• Herre Frank
• Sotzny Steffen

Classifications

• B05B13/002

  Machines or plants for applying coating liquids or other fluent materials by inkjet · CPC title

• B05B12/04 Primary

  for sequential operation or multiple outlets · CPC title

• B05B12/004

  comprising sensors for monitoring the delivery, e.g. by displaying the sensed value or generating an alarm (B05B12/08 takes precedence; registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus in general G07C3/00) · CPC title

• B05D1/02

  performed by spraying · CPC title

• B05B12/122 Primary

  responsive to presence or shape of target (B05B12/124 takes precedence) · CPC title