EP1355742A1

EP1355742A1 - Installation for treating, especially painting, objects, especially vehicle bodies

Info

Publication number: EP1355742A1
Application number: EP20010273587
Authority: EP
Inventors: Franz Ehrenleitner; Hans-Joachim Weinand
Original assignee: Eisenmann Anlagenbau GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Eisenmann Anlagenbau GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2001-01-29
Filing date: 2001-09-14
Publication date: 2003-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2021-09-14
Also published as: PT1355742E; RU2002125869A; WO2002060598A1; CN1212895C; CZ300854B6; US20030056723A1; SK13532002A3; US6676755B2; ATE291496T1; JP5248732B2; PL356711A1; CA2406935C; DE10103837B4; RU2267363C2; ES2237530T3; SK286970B6; EP1355742B1; JP2013126657A; CZ20023147A3; CN1422189A

Abstract

Objects, (4) especially vehicle bodies (4), are guided through a painting installation comprising at least one bath (2) in a continuous translation movement, by means of a transport device (5). Immersion devices carry the objects using a carrier structure (61) which is connected to the transport device (5) in such a way that it can be pivoted by a pivoting arm (50, 51). A first drive device (54, 55, 56, 57) causes a pivoting movement of the pivoting arm (50, 51) about a first axis. A second drive device (78, 79, 80, 81) is used to pivot the carrier structure (61) about the second axis, in relation to the pivoting arm (50, 51). One such immersion device enables very different kinematics of the immersing and emerging movement to be carried out.

Description

System for treating, in particular for painting, objects, in particular vehicle bodies

The invention relates to a system for treating, in particular for painting, objects, in particular vehicle bodies

a) at least one bath in which there is a treatment liquid, in particular a lacquer, in which the objects are to be immersed;

b) a conveyor with which the objects can be guided through the installation in a continuous or intermittent translational movement;

c) a plurality of immersion devices, each of which carries an object on a support structure connected to the conveying device via a connecting structure and are capable of immersing this object in the bath.

Such a system is described in DE 196 41 048 C2. In this case, the immersion devices are designed such that the objects to be treated, vehicle bodies to be painted in the exemplary embodiment shown, are immersed in the baths and lifted out of them again by superimposing the translational movement and a rotary movement about an axis oriented perpendicular to the transport direction. The connection structures of these immersion devices are inherently rigid holding frames, in their normal position in the lower, middle area there is a single axis of rotation for the rotary movement. The purpose of this arrangement is to be able to completely immerse the objects to be treated in the baths on a relatively short path of translational movement, so that the end walls of the baths can be steep and the baths as a whole can be short. It is disadvantageous that the objects to be treated have to be turned completely "upside down". For objects that have a considerable weight, this requires very complex mounting racks and large ones

Forces. If the objects to be treated are vehicle bodies, their moving parts, e.g. doors, trunk and bonnets, must be secured against opening. In addition, these known immersion devices only allow a single kinematics of the immersion movement, namely the rotary movement, which is not optimal for many objects which have unfavorable geometries for this.

The object of the present invention is to develop a system of the type mentioned at the outset such that, using baths of essentially the same length, it is not necessary to rotate the objects to be treated by 180 and the kinematics of the immersion process can be made more variable, if necessary.

This object is achieved in that

d) the connecting structure comprises at least one swivel arm which is pivotably articulated on the conveyor device about a first axis and a drive device assigned to the swivel arm and with which the swivel arm can be swiveled;

e) the support structure about a second axis, the one Has distance from the first axis, is pivotally articulated on the swivel arm and

f) a drive device is provided with which the support structure can be pivoted about the second axis relative to the swivel arm.

According to the invention, a double pivoting possibility is therefore provided within the connecting structure, which has each immersion device: on the one hand, the swivel arm itself swivels with respect to the conveying device, and on the other hand, the support structure with respect to the swivel arm. Both pivoting movements can be effected independently of one another by a separate drive device. By coordinating the two accordingly

Drive devices can also be achieved that the object maintains its orientation with respect to the horizontal or vertical when the swivel arm is pivoted. The system according to the invention achieves particular flexibility if the two degrees of freedom of swivel are coupled with a suitable linear movement of the conveyor system.

The drive device for pivoting the support structure with respect to the swivel arm should expediently be arranged at a point which does not dip into the bath when the swivel arm is pivoted, and be connected to the support structure via a mechanical adjusting device. The treatment liquids within the baths, including paints, can be so aggressive that the drive device should not be exposed to these treatment liquids. The adjusting devices, on the other hand, can be made so insensitive that they are not damaged by the treatment liquid. In this regard, it is particularly preferred that the adjusting device has a linkage. Such a linkage can not only transmit considerable forces; it works robustly and insensitively even in an environment in which substances can be deposited on it. Deposits that have become solid can be blasted off easily using such a linkage.

It is particularly advantageous if the adjusting device comprises two rods which are articulated on the one hand on a part rigidly connected to the support structure and on the other hand on a part rigidly connected to the output shaft of the drive device that they never reach a dead center at the same time. In this way, swivel angles larger than 180o can be easily generated.

In principle, however, the mechanical adjusting device can also comprise a conventional chain.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the output shaft of the drive device of the swivel arm is hollow and the output shaft of the drive device for pivoting the support structure is guided coaxially through the output shaft of the drive device of the swivel arm. This design is particularly space-saving.

The pivot arm expediently carries a counterweight, so that the torque required to pivot the pivot arm can be kept very small.

A similar aim is achieved in the design of the invention follows, in which the swivel arm interacts with an energy store which is able to temporarily store the energy which is released during the downward movement of the end of the swivel arm which is connected to the supporting structure, in order to return it again when it moves upward.

An embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the drawing; show it

Figure 1: a perspective section of a dip painting system for vehicle bodies;

Figure 2 shows a section through the system of Figure 1 perpendicular to the direction of movement of the vehicle bodies, seen from the bottom left;

Figure 3 is a side view of the detail of the painting system of Figure 1;

FIG. 4: a side view of a transport vehicle which is used in the painting installation, with a vehicle body fastened thereon in the normal transport position;

Figure 5 is a side view of the trolley similar to Figure 4, but in which the vehicle body is pivoted from the transport position for immersion in a bath or to be removed from the bath;

Figure 6: the top view of the trolley of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the trolley together with the vehicle body of Figure 4;

FIG. 8: a section through FIG. 6 along the line VIII-VIII there;

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail view in the area of the circle marked with the letter A of Figure 2;

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail view in the area of the circle marked with the letter B of Figure 2.

The dip painting system for vehicle bodies shown in the drawing comprises a steel structure 1 having a plurality of vertical stands and horizontal supports, in which a bath tank 2 is suspended. The bath container 2 is filled to a certain level with liquid paint into which vehicle bodies 4 are to be immersed. For this purpose, these vehicle bodies 4 are transported with the aid of individual transport carriages 5 in the direction of arrow 6 (cf. FIG. 1), this translational movement of the individual transport carriages 5 being able to take place independently of one another and, in the course of these independent movements, decelerations, accelerations, stops and also movement reversals. Conversions are possible. Overall, however, the vehicle bodies 4 are transported in the direction of the arrow 6 of FIG. 1.

The exact design of the transport carriage 5 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 to 10. As particularly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each transport carriage 5 has two longitudinal cross members 7, 8, on the underside of which two double wheels 9, 10 and 11, 12 each around a horizontal one Axis are rotatably mounted. In addition, the wheels 9 to 12 can each be rotated about a vertical axis with the aid of a turntable, not shown in detail, so that the alignment of the double wheels 9 to 12 with respect to the respective longitudinal beams 7, 8 can be changed.

The double wheels 9, 10 roll on a first tread 13 and the double wheels 11, 12 on a parallel second tread 14. The treads 13, 14 are in turn mounted on an I-profile beam 15, 16, which is supported by the steel structure 1 (cf. in particular FIG. 2).

In the middle of the second tread 14 on the right in FIGS. 6 and 7 there is a guide rib 17 which is overlapped by guide members 18 (see FIG. 10) with a complementary recess. In each case one guide member 18 is connected to the turntable of an assigned double wheel 11 or 12 in such a way that it rotates this double wheel 11 or 12 about the vertical axis in accordance with the course of the guide rib 17. In this way, the double wheels 11, 12 follow the tread 14. The double wheels 9, 10 assigned to the first tread 13 on the left in FIGS. 6 and 7, on the other hand, are designed as pure trailing wheels; that is, there are no separate guide means for influencing the angular position of the wheels about their vertical axis of rotation. In this way, the accuracy requirements for the guide means with which the trolleys 5 are held on the running surfaces 13, 14 can be kept low.

The vehicle bodies 4 are carried on the transport vehicle 5 with the aid of an immersion device, which comprises a swivel device on each side of the vehicle bodies 4. Each of these swivel devices has a swivel arm 50, 51 which can pivot in a manner to be described in a vertical plane which runs parallel to the conveying direction. For this purpose, each swivel arm 50, 51 is connected to the output shaft of a gear 54, 55 via a stub shaft 52, 53 which runs perpendicular to the conveying direction. The gear 54, 55 is fastened to the respective longitudinal cross member 7, 8 of the transport carriage 5 approximately in the central area thereof. It is driven by a motor 56 or 57, which is flanged to the side of the gear 54, 55.

The rear ends of the swivel arms 50, 51 in the direction of movement are connected in an articulated manner to a tab 58, 59 which, in the normal transport position shown in FIG. 4, extends vertically downward from the corresponding swivel arm 50, 51. The lower ends of the tabs 58, 59 are connected to one another via a crossbar 60 running perpendicular to the direction of movement, which in turn is rigidly connected to the central region of a support platform 61 for the vehicle body 4. The direction of extension of the two tabs 58, 59 extends perpendicular to the plane of the support platform 61.

The angular position which the tabs 58, 59 assume with respect to the swivel arms 50, 51 is determined in each case by an adjusting device which bears the reference numbers 62 and 63 as a whole. Each of these adjustment devices 62, 63 comprises a linkage with two parallel push rods 64, 65 or 66, 67, which are connected to each other at their opposite ends by a connecting bracket 68, 69 or 70, 71. The connecting straps 69 and 71, which are at the rear in the direction of movement, are rigid at their lower end on the crossbar 60 fixed .

The connecting lugs 70, 71 located at the front in the direction of movement, on the other hand, are each rigidly connected to a stub shaft which cannot be seen in the drawing, since it extends coaxially through the associated stub shaft 52, 53 designed as a hollow shaft. These further stub shafts also run through the gears 54, 55 and are coupled to the output shafts of further gears 78, 79, which are attached laterally to the gears 54, 55. Drive motors 80, 81 are also flanged to the gears 78, 79.

The front ends of the two swivel arms 50, 51 together carry a counterweight 88, so that the torques acting on the stub shafts 52, 53 are approximately balanced when the vehicle body 4 is in place.

The double wheels 19 to 12 of the transport carriage 5 are not themselves driven. Rather, the forward drive of the transport carriage 5 takes place via a separate drive, which is explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10.

Parallel to the two running surfaces 13, 14 are two vertically oriented, stationary drive flanges 26, 27. These each cooperate with a press roller drive 28 or 29, which on the side surface of the adjacent longitudinal cross member 7, 8 by means of a tab 30 or 31 is attached. The pressure roller drives 28, 29 each comprise an electric drive motor 32, 33 and a drive gear 34, 35. The latter drives the parallel, vertical axes of two pressure rollers 36, 37 and 38, 39, respectively, from both sides against the respectively assigned drive flange 26 or 27 pressed become. If the drive motors 32, 33 are energized, the pressure rollers 36, 37 and 38, 39 run on the respective side surfaces of the drive flanges 26, 27 and thereby move the transport carriage 5 on the running surfaces 13, 14 forward.

Each transport carriage 5 comprises its own carriage control, under the regime of which it carries out both its translational movement along the running surfaces 13, 14 and the immersion movement of the vehicle bodies 4.

The overall function of the dip coating system described above is as follows:

The vehicle bodies 4 to be painted are each placed on their own transport wagon 5 and thus fed to the bath 2. When the leading end of a vehicle body 4 has reached the start of the bath 2, the vehicle controller decides whether this vehicle body 4 should be immersed in this bath 2. If the answer is affirmative, the immersion process is initiated. This can be carried out with the aid of the pivoting device described in very different kinematics, as will now be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

The starting point for the consideration is FIG. 4, which, as already mentioned, represents the "normal" transport position of the transport carriage 5. In this, both the swivel arms 50, 51 and the support platform 61 and the body 4 fastened thereon run horizontally. It is now assumed that by appropriately energizing the motors 56, 57 acting on the gears 54, 55, the pivot arms 50, 51 are pivoted by a certain angle. The drive motors 80, 81 of the adjusting devices 62, 63 are to be energized in this way during this movement be that the tabs 58, 59 rotate through the same angle. Then the geometric assignment of the individual components of these adjusting devices, namely the push rods 64, 65, 66, 67 and the connecting brackets 68, 69, 70, 71 does not change compared to the swivel arms 50, 51. The support platform 61 and the body 4 therefore initially continue to run parallel to the direction of the swivel arms 50, 51; they make the pivoting movement of the pivot arms 50, 51 by the same angle. The support platform 61 is raised. The articulation points between the swivel arms 50, 51 and the connecting straps 58, 59 in the direction of movement move in circles, the diameter of which corresponds to the distance between these articulation points and the axes of the stub shafts 52, 53.

Instead of the swiveling movement described above, in which the support platform 61 and swivel arms 50, 51 remained parallel, it is possible, with the aid of the adjusting devices 62, 63, to determine the angular position of the connecting straps 58, 59, thus the angular position of the support platform 61 and the vehicle body 4 relative to the swivel arms 50, 51 to change. This is done by appropriately energizing the drive motors 80 and 81. As a result, the connecting straps 68, 70 located at the front in the direction of movement are pivoted. The pivoting movement of these connecting brackets 68, 70 is transmitted to the rear connecting brackets 69, 71 via the push rods 64, 65, 66, 67, which leads to a pivoting of the support platform 61 and the vehicle body 4 relative to the pivoting arms 50, 51. In this way it is e.g. B. possible to obtain the position of the vehicle body 4 shown in Figure 5.

Of course, by pivoting the swivel arms 50, 51 and by operating the Adjustment devices 62, 63 movements carried out simultaneously and thus superimposed. All of this can, again independently, superpose the translational movement of the transport carriage 5.

A possible sequence of movements when a vehicle body 4 is immersed in a bath 2 is as follows: First, the transport carriage 5 is moved over the bath 2 until the front area of the support platform 61 is approximately above the connecting bracket 71 above the bath 2. Appropriate energization of the motors 80, 81 actuating the adjusting devices 62, 63 now places the support platform 61 approximately vertically. The front area of the vehicle body 4 dips into the bath 2 at a short distance behind the end wall of the bath 2. Now the swivel arms 50, 51, which were still horizontal up to now, are pivoted counterclockwise with the aid of the electric motors 56, 57, so that the rear ends of the swivel arms 50, 51 carrying the support platform 61 are brought down into the bath 2. During this pivoting movement, the adjusting devices 62, 63 are actuated at the same time so that the vertical orientation of the support platform 61 is maintained. At the same time, the drives 28, 29 of the transport carriage 5 are activated; the transport carriage 5 travels backwards during the described pivoting movements of the swivel arms 50, 51 and the transport platform 61 so that the distance between the support platform 61 and the adjacent end wall of the bath 2 remains approximately constant. In this way, the vehicle body 4 plunges vertically into the bath 2.

If a sufficient immersion depth is reached, the

Swiveling of the swivel arms 50, 51 ended. Now with the help of the two adjusting devices 62, 63 one Pivotal movement of the support platform 61 initiated back into the horizontal. So that the support frame 61 does not abut the adjacent end wall of the bath 2 during this pivoting movement, the actuation of the drives 28, 29 causes the transport carriage 5 to move so linearly that the rear end of the support frame 61 is at an approximately constant distance from the end wall of the bath 2 moved down. Once the support frame 61 has reached the horizontal orientation, the adjusting devices 62, 63 are stopped. The body 4 now moves with the help of the transport carriage 5 in a horizontal orientation through the bath 2. If necessary, a rocking movement of the supporting platform 61 can be effected during this movement by correspondingly opposing the motors 80, 81 of the adjusting devices 62, 63.

When the transport carriage 5 has reached the end of the bath 2, the carrying platform 61 is lifted out of the bath 2 again and into the bath by a combined pivoting movement of the swivel arms 50, 51, the adjusting devices 62, 63 and, if appropriate, a superimposed linear movement of the entire transport carriage 5 brought "normal" transport position of Figure 4. The sequence of movements can be reversed to the immersion process or with a completely different kinematics.

If desired, the translational movement of the transport carriage 5 can be slowed down or stopped when the vehicle body 4 is immersed.

If necessary, the vehicle body 4 can be brought into different angular positions above the bath 2 in order to allow the paint to run out and drip as completely as possible into the associated bath 2 and in this way to minimize the spread of paint. Ren. Then, by actuating the press roller drives 28, 29, the translational movement of the transport carriage 5 is resumed, possibly at a higher speed, until the vehicle body 4 has reached, for example, another bath 3 following in the direction of movement.

The same processes can be carried out there again as described for the first bath 2.

In certain painting systems, different vehicle bodies 4 follow one another, which have to be treated in different ways. This is easily possible with the painting system described. For example, a bath 2 can be run over completely; the vehicle body 4 can also be immersed in the bath 2, 3 in question with a backward, combined pivoting and translating movement.

Since, as mentioned, successive vehicle bodies 4 can be treated in the bathrooms in different ways, different distances between successive transport carriages 5 can be set. If desired, these different distances can be equalized again by appropriate acceleration or deceleration of successive transport carriages 5.

At the beginning of the painting system there is a feed station, not shown, at which the individual vehicle bodies 4 are placed on a stationary transport carriage 5 and fastened thereon. In a corresponding manner, there is an acceptance station at the end of the painting system, at which the vehicle bodies 4 are removed from a stationary transport carriage 5. Both the loading and the removal station can be designed as lifting stations. The emptied transport trolley 5 is lowered downwards in the take-off station, until the treads 13, 14, which also continue into the take-off station, are aligned with parallel treads, which extend back to the feed station in a basement of the steel structure 1. The empty transport carts 5 are brought to the loading station on these treads below the baths 2 in the opposite direction of arrow 6, which can be done at a higher speed. In the loading station, the transport carriages 5 are brought back to the level of the upper running surfaces 13, 14 and, as already described, are fitted with new vehicle bodies 4 to be painted.

Of course, the transport carts 5 can also be brought back to the inlet of the system in another way.

As can be seen in particular in FIG. 1, all of the conveyor technology components of the painting system described are located to the side of the bath 2, so that the liquid in the bath 2 cannot be contaminated by these conveyor technology components.

Claims

claims

1. System for treating, in particular for painting, objects, in particular vehicle bodies, with

b) a conveyor with which the objects in a continuous or intermittent

Translation movement can be performed through the system;

c) a multiplicity of immersion devices which each carry an object on a support structure connected to the conveying device via a connecting structure and are capable of immersing this object in the bath,

characterized in that

d) the connecting structure has at least one swivel arm (50, 51) which is articulated on the conveyor device (5) so as to be pivotable about a first axis, and a drive device (54, 55, 56, 57) associated with the swivel arm (50, 51) which the pivot arm (50, 51) can pivot includes;

e) the supporting structure (61) can be pivoted about a second axis which is at a distance from the first axis is articulated on the swivel arm (50, 51); and

f) a drive device (78, 79, 80, 81) is provided with which the support structure (61) can be pivoted about the second axis relative to the swivel arm (50, 51).

2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive device (78, 79, 80, 81) for the pivoting of the support structure (61) relative to the pivot arm (50, 51) is arranged at a point which when pivoting the pivot arms ( 50, 51) is not immersed in the bath (2), and is connected to the supporting structure (61) via a mechanical adjusting device (62, 63).

3. Plant according to claim 2, characterized in that the adjusting device (62, 63) is a linkage

(64, 65, 66, 61) on ice.

4. Plant according to claim 3, characterized in that the adjusting device (62, 63) two rods

(64, 65, 66, 67), which on the one hand on a part rigidly connected to the support structure (61) (70, 71) and on the other hand rigidly connected to the output shaft of the drive device (78, 79, 80, 81) Part (68, 69) are articulated that they never reach a dead center at the same time.

5. Plant according to claim 2, characterized in that the mechanical adjusting device comprises a chain.

6. Installation according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the output shaft (52, 53) the drive device (54, 55, 56, 57) of the swivel arm (50, 51) is hollow and the output shaft of the drive device (78, 79, 80, 81) for pivoting the support structure (61) coaxially through the output shaft (52, 53 ) of the drive device (54, 55, 56, 57) of the swivel arm (50, 51) is passed through.

7. Plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the swivel arm (50, 51) carries a counterweight.

8. Plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the swivel arm with a

Energy storage cooperates, which is able to temporarily store the energy released during the downward movement of the end of the swivel arm connected to the supporting structure, in order to return it when the upward movement occurs.