Coating equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses coating equipment. The coating equipment comprises a bearing device and a coating device, the bearing device comprises a workbench, a driving mechanism installed on the workbench and a carrying disc rotationally connected to the workbench, the carrying disc is configured to be used for containing a product to be coated, and the driving mechanism is connected with the carrying disc so as to drive the carrying disc to rotate; the coating device comprises a mechanical arm, a coating brush installed on the mechanical arm and a liquid supply mechanism used for providing coating liquid, the liquid supply mechanism comprises a liquid supply pipeline, the liquid outlet end of the liquid supply pipeline is arranged at the coating brush, and the mechanical arm is used for driving the coating brush to be close to the to-be-coated product on the carrying disc. According to the coating equipment, the uniformity of the thickness of a coating on a product to be coated can be ensured, the production efficiency is improved, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of coating equipment technology, specifically relating to a coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] After cleaning and drying, the quartz crucible needs to be coated with barium hydroxide solution to form a coating on its surface. This coating reacts with the quartz crucible under high-temperature crystal pulling conditions to form barium silicate (BaSiO3). The formation of barium silicate promotes the rearrangement of silicon dioxide molecules in the quartz crucible, forming a crystal structure, namely cristobalite. Due to its high crystallinity and hardness, cristobalite is figuratively called a "helmet layer." This "helmet layer" enhances the crucible's strength and heat resistance, reduces the risk of high-temperature deformation and softening, and extends its service life.

[0003] The current process of barium coating crucibles involves manual application of a barium hydroxide solution to the crucible's rim using a hand-held brush. Because the coating thickness is difficult to control precisely, it is prone to localized over- or under-coating, leading to abnormal localized crystallization during use and severely impacting the crucible's thermal stability. Furthermore, barium hydroxide, as a strong alkaline substance, is highly corrosive and poses a potential threat to human health. In addition, manual operation not only increases labor intensity but also reduces production efficiency and increases production costs.

[0004] The information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of this utility model and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a coating device that can ensure the uniformity of coating thickness on products to be coated, improve production efficiency, and reduce production costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, a specific embodiment of this utility model provides the following technical solution: a coating device, comprising:

[0007] The carrier device includes a worktable, a drive mechanism mounted on the worktable, and a tray rotatably connected to the worktable. The tray is configured to hold the product to be coated, and the drive mechanism is connected to the tray to drive the tray to rotate.

[0008] A coating apparatus includes a robotic arm, a paint brush mounted on the robotic arm, and a liquid supply mechanism for providing coating liquid. The liquid supply mechanism includes a liquid supply pipe, the outlet of which is located at the paint brush. The robotic arm is used to drive the paint brush close to the product to be coated on the tray.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the liquid supply mechanism further includes a drive unit and a reservoir for containing coating liquid. The inlet end of the liquid supply pipe is connected to the reservoir. The drive unit is connected to the reservoir or the liquid supply pipe and is used to drive the coating liquid in the reservoir to flow through the liquid supply pipe to the paint brush.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, a guardrail is installed on the workbench, and at least part of the guardrail is located above the tray or at the edge of the tray.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the loading tray is disposed above the workbench, the workbench surface is provided with a waste liquid tank, and the projection of the outer edge of the loading tray onto the workbench surface is located within the waste liquid tank.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the workbench is provided with a waste liquid channel that communicates with the waste liquid tank, and the waste liquid channel is connected to the waste liquid pipeline.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the drive mechanism includes a drive motor and a universal joint connector, wherein the drive motor is connected to the loading tray through the universal joint connector.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the workbench is provided with a sliding groove, and a pulley is provided below the loading tray, the pulley being slidably connected in the sliding groove.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the paint brush includes a brush handle and bristles mounted on the brush handle. The brush handle is provided with a connecting hole, the liquid supply pipe is inserted into the connecting hole, and the liquid outlet is located at the bristles.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the coating equipment further includes a control device, which is connected to the drive mechanism, the liquid supply mechanism, and the robotic arm.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, an origin sensor for determining the starting position when the loading disk rotates is installed on the drive mechanism, and the origin sensor is connected to the control device.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the coating equipment of this utility model uses a robotic arm to press the paint brush against the product to be coated on the tray, and the liquid supply pipe provides coating liquid to the paint brush. At the same time, the drive mechanism drives the tray and the product to be coated to rotate, and the coating liquid is brushed onto the surface of the product to be coated. Mechanical coating replaces manual coating, which improves production efficiency, reduces production costs, and ensures the coating amount of the product surface. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a coating device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a partial top view of the carrier device and the product to be coated in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the carrier device and the product to be coated in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Explanation of key figure labels:

[0025] 1. Supporting device; 11. Workbench; 111. Guardrail; 112. Through hole; 113. Tabletop; 114. Waste liquid tank; 115. Waste liquid channel; 116. Waste liquid pipe; 117. Slide; 12. Drive mechanism; 121. Drive motor; 122. Universal joint connector; 123. Gearbox; 13. Loading tray; 131. Pulley; 14. Origin sensor; 2. Coating device; 21. Robotic arm; 22. Paint brush; 221. Brush handle; 2211. Connecting hole; 222. Brush bristles; 23. Liquid supply mechanism; 231. Liquid supply pipe; 2311. Liquid outlet; 2312. Liquid inlet; 232. Liquid reservoir; 3. Control device; 4. Crucible. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this utility model, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0027] As described in the background section, existing quartz crucibles require a layer of barium solution (usually a barium hydroxide aqueous solution) to be coated on the surface of the quartz crucible to form a coating. This coating reacts with the quartz crucible in a high-temperature crystal pulling environment to form barium silicate (BaSiO3). The formation of barium silicate can promote the rearrangement of silicon dioxide molecules in the quartz crucible to form a crystal structure, namely cristobalite, which can enhance the strength and heat resistance of the crucible, reduce the risk of high-temperature deformation and softening, and extend its service life.

[0028] In the existing technology, the barium liquid coating process generally involves manually applying the barium liquid to the surface of a quartz crucible using a brush to form a coating. However, the manual coating process may result in uneven barium liquid coating, which leads to uneven thickness of the barium silicate coating formed on the outer surface of the crucible during the subsequent reaction between the barium liquid and the quartz crucible. This, in turn, causes local crystallization abnormalities during the use of the crucible, seriously affecting the thermal stability of the crucible.

[0029] In the following description, the coating equipment of this utility model is introduced using a crucible as an example of the product to be coated.

[0030] To solve the above problems, such as Figures 1-4 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the coating equipment includes a support device 1 and a coating device 2. The support device 1 includes a worktable 11, a drive mechanism 12 mounted on the worktable 11, and a tray 13 rotatably connected to the worktable 11. The tray 13 is configured to hold a crucible 4. The drive mechanism 12 is connected to the tray 13 to drive the tray 13 to rotate. The coating device 2 includes a robotic arm 21, a paint brush 22 mounted on the robotic arm 21, and a liquid supply mechanism 23 for providing coating liquid. The liquid supply mechanism 23 includes a liquid supply pipe 231. The outlet end 2311 of the liquid supply pipe 231 is located at the paint brush 22. The robotic arm 21 is used to drive the paint brush 22 closer to the crucible 4 on the tray 13.

[0031] It can be understood that the coating equipment of this utility model uses a robotic arm 21 to bring the coating brush 22 into contact with the crucible 4 on the carrier plate 13, and the liquid supply pipe 231 provides coating liquid to the coating brush 22. At the same time, the drive mechanism 12 drives the carrier plate 13 and the crucible 4 to rotate, and the coating brush 22 uniformly coats the surface of the crucible 4 with coating liquid. By using mechanical coating instead of manual coating, the production efficiency is improved, the production cost is reduced, and the amount of coating liquid on the surface of the crucible 4 is ensured, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the coating thickness on the surface of the crucible 4 and the thermal stability of the crucible 4 in subsequent processing.

[0032] In this embodiment, the coating liquid can be barium solution, specifically an aqueous solution of barium hydroxide, the concentration of which can be adjusted according to actual needs; the crucible 4 can be a quartz crucible. The robotic arm 21 can be a commercially available robotic arm 21 to control the movement of the paint brush 22 mounted at the end of the robotic arm 21, moving the paint brush 22 closer to or further away from the crucible 4, and controlling the relative position of the paint brush 22 and the crucible 4, thereby determining the coating position of the paint brush 22 during the coating process. During the coating process, when the paint brush 22 contacts the crucible 4, the carrier plate 13 drives the crucible 4 to rotate, thereby coating the circumference of the outer surface of the crucible 4 at the vertical height where it contacts the paint brush 22. The robotic arm 21 can adjust the position of the paint brush 22 vertically to coat the outer surface of the crucible 4 at different vertical heights; of course, the robotic arm 21 can also adjust the position of the paint brush 22 from the direction of its approach or departure from the crucible 4, thereby adjusting the contact force and contact area between the bristles 222 of the paint brush 22 and the crucible 4.

[0033] The location of the barium liquid coating on the surface of the crucible 4 can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, the coating liquid can be applied only to the outer surface of the crucible 4, about 3-5 cm from the opening, or the entire outer surface of the crucible 4 can be coated with the coating liquid. During the coating process, the crucible 4 is placed on the carrier plate 13. The crucible 4 can be placed upright or upside down on the carrier plate 13. Preferably, the crucible 4 can be placed upside down on the carrier plate 13, that is, the opening of the crucible 4 faces downwards, so that the crucible 4 is stably placed on the carrier plate 13.

[0034] The liquid supply mechanism 23 also includes a drive unit (not shown in the figure) and a reservoir 232 for containing the coating liquid. The inlet end 2312 of the liquid supply pipe 231 is connected to the reservoir 232. The drive unit is connected to the reservoir 232 or the liquid supply pipe 231 and is used to drive the coating liquid in the reservoir 232 to flow through the liquid supply pipe 231 to the paint brush 22. The drive unit plays the role of driving the flow of coating liquid in the reservoir 232 and the liquid supply pipe 231.

[0035] In one specific example, the driving unit can be a driving pump. The driving pump can be installed on the liquid supply pipe 231, or it can be installed on the liquid supply pipe 231 to drive the flow of coating liquid in the liquid reservoir 232 and the liquid supply pipe 231. In other examples, the driving unit can also be other driving structures, as long as they can drive the flow of coating liquid in the liquid reservoir 232 and the liquid supply pipe 231.

[0036] The coating brush 22 includes a handle 221 and bristles 222 mounted on the handle 221. The handle 221 has a connection hole 2211, into which a liquid supply pipe 231 is inserted, and the liquid outlet 2311 is located at the bristles 222. The coating liquid flows out through the liquid outlet 2311 onto the bristles 222, and the bristles 222 coat the crucible 4 with the coating liquid.

[0037] A guardrail 111 is installed on the workbench 11, and at least part of the guardrail 111 is located above the tray 13 or at the edge of the tray 13. The guardrail 111 does not rotate with the tray 13. The guardrail 111 serves to protect and block the crucible 4, preventing the crucible 4 from moving out of the tray 13 during rotation and thus falling and breaking.

[0038] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, in this embodiment, three guardrails 111 can be installed at intervals on the workbench 11, and the three guardrails 111 are arranged around the crucible 4. The three guardrails 111 are arranged opposite to the paint brush 22 to avoid the paint brush 22 from colliding with the guardrails 111.

[0039] In other embodiments, the paint brush 22 can be positioned in the gap between the guardrails 111 to abut against the crucible 4, thereby enabling the coating process on the crucible 4.

[0040] like Figure 1 and 4 As shown, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the tray 13 is located above the worktable 11, and at least a portion of the drive mechanism 12 is located below the worktable 11. The worktable 11 may be provided with a through hole 112, and a portion of the tray 13 and / or the drive mechanism 12 is located within the through hole 112, thereby achieving the connection between the tray 13 and the drive mechanism 12. For example, a protrusion may be provided below the tray 13, which is inserted into the through hole 112 and connected to the drive mechanism 12; or a portion of the drive mechanism 12 may be inserted into the through hole 112 and connected to the lower part of the tray 13.

[0041] During the coating process, some coating liquid will flow from the crucible 4 onto the tray 13. To prevent the coating liquid from flowing into the through hole 112 of the worktable 11 and then into the drive mechanism 12, which could damage the drive mechanism 12 and contaminate the entire coating equipment, in this embodiment, a waste liquid tank 114 is provided on the table surface 113 of the worktable 11. The projection of the tray 13 onto the table surface 113 of the worktable 11 is located within the waste liquid tank 114, that is, the outer edge of the tray 13 is located above the waste liquid tank 114. The coating liquid on the tray 13 drips from its outer edge (edge) into the waste liquid tank 114 under the action of gravity, thereby preventing the coating liquid from flowing into the through hole 112 of the worktable 11. The waste liquid tank 114 is an annular groove that matches the outer edge of the tray 13, thereby ensuring that as much of the coating liquid as possible from the outer edge of the tray 13 falls into the waste liquid tank 114.

[0042] Furthermore, the workbench 11 is provided with a waste liquid channel 115 that communicates with the waste liquid tank 114, and the waste liquid channel 115 is connected to the waste liquid pipe 116. The coating liquid (waste liquid) in the waste liquid tank 114 can be discharged or recycled through the waste liquid channel 115 and the waste liquid pipe 116, so as to avoid the coating liquid overflowing from the waste liquid tank 114 and flowing into the through hole 112 of the workbench 11 due to long-term coating.

[0043] The drive mechanism 12 includes a drive motor 121 and a universal joint connector 122. The drive motor 121 is connected to the loading tray 13 via the universal joint connector 122. The drive motor 121 can be a common rotary motor, and its output end is connected to the universal joint connector 122, thereby enabling the drive motor 121 to drive the loading tray 13 to rotate. At the same time, the universal joint connector 122 can reduce the impact and vibration during rotation.

[0044] Specifically, the output end of the drive motor 121 can be connected to the universal joint connector 122 through the gearbox 123. The gearbox 123 includes a housing and several meshing gears installed inside the housing. A gear is fixedly connected to the output end of the drive motor 121 and the universal joint connector 122 respectively. Through the meshing between the gears, the output end of the drive motor 121 is connected to the universal joint connector 122, so that the drive motor 121 can drive the universal joint connector 122 to rotate, and then the universal joint connector 122 drives the loading tray 13 to rotate.

[0045] like Figure 2 and 4 As shown, the worktable 11 is provided with a slide groove 117, and the tray 13 is provided with a pulley 131 below it. The pulley 131 is slidably connected in the slide groove 117. This design restricts the position of the tray 13 on the worktable 11 and prevents the tray 13 from shifting during rotation.

[0046] To automate the coating process, the coating equipment of this invention also includes a control device 3, which is connected to the drive mechanism 12, the liquid supply mechanism 23, and the robotic arm 21. The control device 3 can be an existing host computer or PLC controller, etc., to control the drive motor 121, the drive unit, and the robotic arm 21. By setting specific parameters for each mechanism and component throughout the coating process, the control device 3 can achieve precise control of the coating liquid flow rate, coating area, and direction, thereby achieving the goal of precise barium coating.

[0047] Furthermore, the drive mechanism 12 is equipped with an origin sensor 14 for determining the starting position of the tray 13 when it rotates. The origin sensor 14 is connected to the control device 3. The origin sensor 14 can be a commercially available origin sensor. The control device 3 determines the starting position of the tray 13 when it rotates by using the data transmitted by the origin sensor 14, thereby determining the required rotation angle and number of revolutions of the tray 13 during the coating process.

[0048] It is understood that in this embodiment, the connection between the various components or mechanisms and the control device 3 can be electrical, including wireless and wired connections. The control device 3 can be fixedly mounted on the robotic arm 21 or can be set up independently.

[0049] In summary, the coating equipment of this invention aims to solve the technical challenges in the barium coating process of quartz crucibles. By assembling a coating brush with a robotic arm and combining it with a control device to set specific parameters for each mechanism and component throughout the coating process, precise control of the coating liquid flow rate, coating area, and direction is achieved, thus realizing accurate barium coating. This not only effectively avoids direct contact between operators and barium hydroxide, reducing occupational health risks, but also ensures the uniformity of the crucible coating thickness and significantly improves the thermal stability of the crucible. Furthermore, the coating equipment of this invention is easy to operate, highly practical, and can greatly reduce human error, improve product quality, while also helping to reduce labor intensity, lower manual labor costs, and significantly improve production efficiency.

[0050] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0051] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A coating apparatus characterized by, The application relates to a coating device, which comprises a bearing device and a coating device. The bearing device comprises a workbench, a driving mechanism installed on the workbench and a carrier disc rotatably connected to the workbench, wherein the carrier disc is configured to place a product to be coated, and the driving mechanism is connected to the carrier disc to drive the carrier disc to rotate. The coating device comprises a mechanical arm, a paint brush installed on the mechanical arm and a liquid supply mechanism for supplying coating liquid, wherein the liquid supply mechanism comprises a liquid supply pipeline, and the liquid outlet end of the liquid supply pipeline is arranged at the paint brush, and the mechanical arm is used for driving the paint brush to approach the product to be coated on the carrier disc.

2. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The liquid supply mechanism further comprises a driving unit and a liquid storage device for containing the coating liquid, the liquid inlet end of the liquid supply pipeline is in communication with the liquid storage device, and the driving unit is connected to the liquid storage device or the liquid supply pipeline to drive the coating liquid in the liquid storage device to flow to the paint brush through the liquid supply pipeline.

3. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, A guardrail is installed on the workbench, and at least a part of the guardrail is arranged above the carrier disc or at the edge of the carrier disc.

4. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The carrier disc is arranged above the workbench, a waste liquid groove is arranged on the workbench, and the projection of the outer edge of the carrier disc on the workbench is located in the waste liquid groove.

5. The coating apparatus of claim 4, wherein, A waste liquid channel in communication with the waste liquid groove is arranged in the workbench, and the waste liquid channel is connected to a waste liquid pipeline.

6. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The driving mechanism comprises a driving motor and a universal joint connector, and the driving motor is connected to the carrier disc through the universal joint connector.

7. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, A sliding groove is arranged on the workbench, and a pulley is arranged below the carrier disc and is slidingly connected to the sliding groove.

8. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The paint brush comprises a brush handle and brush hairs installed on the brush handle, a connecting hole is arranged on the brush handle, the liquid supply pipeline is inserted into the connecting hole, and the liquid outlet end is arranged at the brush hairs.

9. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The coating device further comprises a control device connected to the driving mechanism, the liquid supply mechanism and the mechanical arm.

10. The coating apparatus of claim 9, wherein, An original point sensor for determining the starting position of the carrier disc during rotation is arranged on the driving mechanism, and the original point sensor is connected to the control device.

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