Product conveying system for coating and treating surfaces
First Claim
1. In a coating apparatus comprisinga coating station including a plurality of coating zones for applying a solvent-containing thermosetting coating composition to a work, said plurality of coating zones including a final coating zone for applying the coating composition to a thickness larger than a limit thickness over which the coating composition on a surface of the work extending in a vertical direction will normally run or sag, a heat-hardening station including a heat-hardening zone for hardening the coating composition applied to the work by heating, a rotating means for rotating the work about a substantially horizontal axis after the coating in the coating zone to prevent the coating composition on the vertical surface of the work from running or sagging, and a conveyor means for passing the work through the coating zone and the heat-hardening zone in this order, the conveyor means including a pair of conveyors which form a conveyor line for conveying the work and are separated from each other upstream of a position where the coating composition is applied to the work to a thickness larger than said limit thickness, and said heat-hardening zone including a pre-heat-hardening zone for half hardening the coating composition to such an extent that the coating composition cannot run or sag and a main heat-hardening zone for fully hardening the coating composition after the coating composition is half hardened, wherein the improvement comprises thata pooling station including a pooling zone in which a predetermined number of works are temporarily pooled is provided between the pre-heat-hardening zone and the main heat-hardening zone, said pooling zone having a storage capacity equal to at least the sum of the number of works in the final coating zone and present in the pre-heat-hardening zone, wherein at least the final coating zone, the pre-heat-hardening and the pooling zone are formed on at least one conveyor, the coating zones other than the final coating zone and the main heat-hardening zone being formed on conveyor sections which operate independently from said at least one conveyor.
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Abstract
A work is applied with a solvent-containing thermosetting coating composition to a thickness larger than a limit thickness over which the coating composition on a surface of the work extending in a vertical direction will normally run or sag in a coating zone. After applied with the coating composition, the work is rotated about a substantially horizontal axis to prevent the coating composition on the vertical surface of the work from running or sagging and is conveyed through a heat-hardening zone for hardening the coating composition applied to the work by heating by a conveyor line. The conveyor line includes a pair of conveyors which are separated from each other upstream of a position where the coating composition is applied to the work to a thickness larger than said limit thickness. The heat-hardening zone includes a pre-heat-hardening zone for half hardening the coating composition and a main heat-hardening zone for fully hardening the coating composition after the coating composition is half hardened. A pooling zone in which a predetermined number of works can be temporarily pooled is provided between the pre-heat-hardening zone and the main heat-hardening zone.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. In a coating apparatus comprising
a coating station including a plurality of coating zones for applying a solvent-containing thermosetting coating composition to a work, said plurality of coating zones including a final coating zone for applying the coating composition to a thickness larger than a limit thickness over which the coating composition on a surface of the work extending in a vertical direction will normally run or sag, a heat-hardening station including a heat-hardening zone for hardening the coating composition applied to the work by heating, a rotating means for rotating the work about a substantially horizontal axis after the coating in the coating zone to prevent the coating composition on the vertical surface of the work from running or sagging, and a conveyor means for passing the work through the coating zone and the heat-hardening zone in this order, the conveyor means including a pair of conveyors which form a conveyor line for conveying the work and are separated from each other upstream of a position where the coating composition is applied to the work to a thickness larger than said limit thickness, and said heat-hardening zone including a pre-heat-hardening zone for half hardening the coating composition to such an extent that the coating composition cannot run or sag and a main heat-hardening zone for fully hardening the coating composition after the coating composition is half hardened, wherein the improvement comprises that a pooling station including a pooling zone in which a predetermined number of works are temporarily pooled is provided between the pre-heat-hardening zone and the main heat-hardening zone, said pooling zone having a storage capacity equal to at least the sum of the number of works in the final coating zone and present in the pre-heat-hardening zone, wherein at least the final coating zone, the pre-heat-hardening and the pooling zone are formed on at least one conveyor, the coating zones other than the final coating zone and the main heat-hardening zone being formed on conveyor sections which operate independently from said at least one conveyor.
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13. In a coating apparatus comprising
a coating station including a plurality of coating zones for applying a solvent-containing thermosetting coating composition to a work, said plurality of coating zones including a final coating zone for applying the coating composition to a thickness larger than a limit thickness over which the coating composition on a surface of the work extending in a vertical direction will normally run or sag, a setting station including a setting zone for effecting setting of evaporating the solvent in the coating composition applied to the work to such an extent that the coating composition cannot run or sag, a heat-hardening station including a heat-hardening zone for hardening the coating composition applied to the work by heating after the setting in the setting zone, a rotating means for rotating the work about a substantially horizontal axis after the coating in the coating zone to prevent the coating composition on the vertical surface of the work from running or sagging, and a conveyor means for passing the work through the coating zone, the setting zone and the heat-hardening zone in this order, the conveyor means including a pair of conveyors which form a conveyor line for conveying the work and are separated from each other upstream of a position where the coating composition is applied to the work to a thickness larger than said limit thickness, wherein the improvement comprises that a pooling station including a pooling zone in which a predetermined number of works are temporarily pooled is provided between the setting zone and the heat-hardening zone, said pooling zone having a storage capacity equal to at least the sum of the number of works in the final coating zone and present in the setting zone, wherein at least the final coating zone, the setting and the pooling zone are formed on at least one conveyor, the coating zones other than the final coating zone and the main heat-hardening zone being formed on conveyor sections which operate independently from said at least one conveyor.
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20. In a coating apparatus comprising
a coating station including a plurality of coating zones for applying a solvent-containing thermosetting coating composition to a work, said plurality of coating zones including a final coating zone for applying the coating composition to a thickness larger than a limit thickness over which the coating composition on a surface of the work extending in a vertical direction will normally run or sag, a heat-hardening station including a heat-hardening zone for hardening the coating composition applied to the work by heating, and a conveyor means for passing the work through the coating zone and the heat-hardening zone in this order to prevent the coating composition on the vertical surface of the work from running or sagging, the conveyor means including a pair of conveyors which form a conveyor line for conveying the work and are separated from each other upstream of a position where the coating composition is applied to the work to a thickness larger than said limit thickness, and said heat-hardening zone including a pre-heat-hardening zone for half hardening the coating composition to such an extent that the coating composition cannot run or sag and a main heat-hardening zone for fully hardening the coating composition after the coating composition is half hardened, wherein the improvement comprises that a pooling station including a pooling zone in which a predetermined number of works are temporarily pooled is provided between the pre-heat-hardening zone and the main heat-hardening zone, said pooling zone having a storage capacity equal to at least the sum of the number of works in the final coating zone and present in the pre-heat-hardening zone, wherein at least the final coating zone, the pre-heat-hardening and the pooling zone are formed on at least one conveyor, the coating zones other than the final coating zone and the main heat-hardening zone being formed on conveyor sections which operate independently from said at least one conveyor.
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24. In a coating apparatus comprising
a coating station including a plurality of coating zones for applying a solvent-containing thermosetting coating composition to a work, said plurality of coating zones including a final coating zone for applying the coating composition to a thickness larger than a limit thickness over which the coating composition on a surface of the work extending in a vertical direction will normally run or sag, a setting station including a setting zone for effecting setting of evaporating the solvent in the coating composition applied to the work to such an extent that the coating composition cannot run or sag, a heat-hardening station including heat-hardening zone for hardening the coating composition applied to the work by heating after the setting in the setting zone, and a conveyor means for passing the work through the coating zone, the setting zone and the heat-hardening zone in this order, the conveyor means to prevent the coating composition on the vertical surface of the work from running or sagging including a pair of conveyors which form a conveyor line for conveying the work and are separated from each other upstream of a position where the coating composition is applied to the work to a thickness larger than said limit thickness, wherein the improvement comprises that a pooling station including a pooling zone in which a predetermined number of works are temporarily pooled is provided between the setting zone and the main heat-hardening zone, said pooling zone having a storage capacity equal to at least the sum of the number of works in the final coating zone and present in the setting zone, wherein at least the final coating zone, the setting zone and the pooling zone are formed on at least one conveyor, the coating zones other than the final coating zone and the main heat-hardening zone being formed on conveyor sections which operate independently from said at least one conveyor.
Specification