DEVICE FOR APPLYING CLAY TO A SURFACE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for applying clay to a surface, in particular for producing models, comprising a housing with a connection piece for a clay supply hose and a clay discharge opening.

[0002] Clay is a material used primarily for model making in automotive design. Character designers (for example, for films, cartoons, and video games), industrial designers, artists, and architects also use this material to model their three-dimensional designs. It is a special development of the well-known plasticine for this purpose.

[0003] Clay is a plastically deformable mass, usually wax-based, at certain temperatures. Sulfur is used as a filler in most types. Clay is usually brownish or gray in color, which allows for easy visualization of a modeled shape, especially for the designer to check it during modeling.

[0004] For example, before the market launch of a new car, the design process for its new body is lengthy and complex: sketches, drawings, and 3D CAD are used first. But even today, models of the vehicle are ultimately built, usually in various scales from 1:10 and 1:4 to 1:1. Only then can the shapes and proportions be truly assessed both as a whole and in detail. The shapes and proportions of the clay model can also be finely and precisely reworked and finished. Because clay, with its high dimensional stability at room temperature, can be milled, planed, carved, or sanded, for example. Subsequent material application is also possible, whereby the clay is heated, for example, in the area of ​​the planned material application using a hot air blower or heat lamps (to temperatures no higher than in the double-digit Celsius range).In this upper temperature limit, particularly around 60 to 70 °C, clay can be plastically deformed and forms a substantially homogeneous bond with clay material of approximately the same temperature that is applied on top. Once cooled, the area supplemented by the application regains its shape, forming a substantially homogeneous transition point with careful processing, and can also be reworked by removal. Clay can also be painted using known processing steps or covered with colored foils. In this way, a model from clay can be produced that is extremely close to, or even identical to, the intended product in terms of shape and surface.

[0005] For such a model, a wooden or metal frame is usually first made, onto which panels (e.g. foam panels) made of polyurethane, for example, are attached, onto which clay is applied as the outer layer of the model, which can be modeled as described - usually in layers to create a desired clay layer thickness - and thus to form a preliminary model, if possible at least the size of the final model everywhere.

[0006] This application is still widely done by hand. Typically, the warmed clay (below 60°C) is applied with kneading hand movements and worked with spatula-like tools and blades – specifically, within the aforementioned temperature range of the clay, in which it can be plastically deformed and thus adheres well to the frame panels. Various known measures exist for improving adhesion, such as applying a sealant (e.g., as a paint or spray), particularly to bind dust, and / or creating depressions and / or barbed structures, for example, by drilling holes or milling grooves, in which the clay can then adhere in a form-fitting manner.

[0007] During and after this application, as long as the clay has not yet completely cooled down, the desired surface shape of the clay can also be created, at least in part, by plastic shaping or at least prepared by appropriate pre-shaping and contouring.

[0008] However, mechanical devices and methods are also known, for example from DE 10 2016 109 816. Difficulties are evident in the state of the art in mechanical processing using such a device: namely regarding the intimate connection from the feed line of the clay to an already applied layer, but also regarding the homogeneity of the plasticized clay when exiting the feed line, where, for example, in the edge area of ​​the exiting clay, a consistency differs from the center of the strand.

[0009] The present invention is based on the object of creating a device for the mechanical application of clay, in particular for the production of models, which simplifies and accelerates model making using clay as a molding material.

[0010] A device according to the invention is used for applying clay to a surface, particularly for the production of preliminary models, as described in the introduction. The device has a housing with a connection piece for a clay supply line, for example, a flexible (optionally heated) high-pressure hose, to allow the device to move as freely as possible over the surface, for example, by hand, but also by means of a robot arm or CNC system. The housing also has a clay discharge opening.

[0011] According to the invention, the device has a disk that fits tightly into a clay discharge flange opening, and is rotatable and motor-driven. The disk closes this flange opening but has at least one discharge opening through which the clay fed into the device can exit. The disk also has at least one raised portion on its outside.

[0012] The raised area is, so to speak, a massaging bead, a "wobbler", which serves to massage the clay onto (and into) the surface through its circular movements - especially if the surface already consists of clay, for example because a layer of clay has already been applied.

[0013] For this purpose, it is particularly preferred that (in any combination or individually or with everything) the (at least one) elevation (in the case of several, all or at least one of the elevations - also different elevations with different features) on the disc is arranged eccentrically and / or extends along the radial edge of the disc and / or forms a continuous surface with a region of the outer side or the entire outer side of the disc and / or has an edge that also extends radially.

[0014] For this purpose, it is also particularly preferred that the (at least one) discharge opening in the disc an elongated hole that extends concentrically in the disc in the shape of a circular segment and / or several discharge openings are evenly distributed over a circumference around the axis of rotation of the disc.

[0015] It is also particularly preferred to design the edge area of ​​the clay dispensing flange opening by means of form-fitting sleeves (at least one) which can be removed and replaced and thus move the opening edge further axially out of the housing, forwards, by the length of the respective sleeve (and thus allow the wobbler or at least the disc to disappear deeper into the opening) or move it axially backwards into the housing (and thus allow the disc or at least the wobbler to protrude further out of the opening).

[0016] In particular, to further homogenize and mix the clay, a mixer and / or propeller or impeller (in particular two impellers, preferably with counter-rotating blades - or even more, particularly axially spaced from each other) can be arranged in the device, particularly in the area of ​​the discharge line. These can also be rotationally driven by the motor. For this purpose, the impellers are then preferably mounted on a drive shaft together with the discharge opening propeller according to the invention.

[0017] Alternatively, the impellers and their bearings can be designed so that they are not actively driven by the drive, but are either mounted on the pipe wall and thus serve as stationary impellers, or are mounted on the shaft, for example, with a through hole, "flying," freely rotating, so that they are driven by the flowing clay in one direction depending on their blade angle, thus further homogenizing and mixing the clay. The same applies to the mixer.

[0018] Further advantages, embodiments and details of the invention are described below in the description of embodiments with reference to the attached figures: Figure 1 shows four views of a device according to the invention, namely two alternative longitudinal sections, one with a mixer and one with two axially spaced impellers driven in rotation on the motor shaft, as well as a plan view below and a spatial view to the right, Figure 2 shows the views of the device according to the invention from Figure 1 with an alternative sleeve on the clay discharge flange opening, Figure 3 shows nine views of the wobbler disc 14 according to the invention from Figure 1 and 2 , Figures 4 to 6 show three views of a device according to the invention, namely a longitudinal section and below it a side view and to the right of it a spatial view, each with differently designed clay discharge flange openings and different wobbler discs, Figures 7 to 20 each show six views of a wobbler disc 14 according to the invention from Figure 1 and 2

[0019] The Figures 1and 2 and 4 to 6 show a device 2 according to the invention for applying clay (not shown) to a surface 4 for producing a preliminary model 4, as described in the introduction. The device 2 has a housing 6 with a connection piece 8 for a clay supply line (not shown), namely a flexible (heated) high-pressure hose (not shown), to enable movement of the device 2 over the surface 4 (for example, by hand, but also by means of a robot arm) as freely as possible. The housing 6 has a clay discharge flange opening 12.

[0020] In the area of ​​the discharge opening 12, each of the devices 2 has a disc 14, which is driven by a motor 18 via a drive shaft 16. The Figures 3 and 7 to 20 show the respective discs individually in six views each.

[0021] According to the invention, the device 2 has a disk that fits tightly into the clay dispensing flange opening 12, and, as mentioned, is rotatable and motor-driven. The disk 14 closes this flange opening 12, but has (at least one) dispensing opening 19 for dispensing the clay, through which the clay fed into the device 2 can exit.

[0022] And on the outside, the disc 14 has at least one elevation 20.

[0023] The elevation 20 is, so to speak, a massaging bead, a "wobbler", which serves to massage the clay onto (and into) the surface 4 through its circular movements - especially if the surface 4 already consists of clay, for example because a layer of clay has already been applied.

[0024] The Figures 3 and 7 to 20 show that in the figures two elevations 21 on the disc 14 are arranged eccentrically and / or extend along the radial edge of the disc 14 and / or form a continuous surface with a region of the outer side or the entire outer side of the disc 14 and / or has an edge 21 which also extends radially.

[0025] For this purpose, it is also particularly preferred that the (at least one) discharge opening 19 in the disc 14 is an elongated hole which extends concentrically in the disc in the shape of a circular segment and / or several discharge openings 19 are evenly distributed over a circumference around the axis of rotation 16 of the disc 14.

[0026] To further enhance these functions, particularly for application on flat or convex surfaces 4, the flange opening 12 has a plane-lying edge 22. The disc 14 according to Figure 1 does not protrude from the flange opening 12 - according to Figure 2On the other hand, the wobbler 20 protrudes from the flange opening 12: The housing 6 in Figure 1 and 2 is adjustable and changeable between these configurations. For this purpose, the area of ​​the edge 22 of the discharge opening 12 is designed by a form-fitting sleeve 24, which can be removed (and reattached) and replaced by another sleeve 24. By attaching one sleeve 24 ( Figure 1 ), the opening edge 22 of the sleeve 24 can be moved further forward from the housing 6 (to the left in the figure), so that the raised portion, the wobbler 20, also disappears into the flange opening 12. When using a shorter sleeve 24 according to Figure 2 the massaging bead 20 of the same disc 14 protrudes from the flange opening 12.

[0027] Or by replacing the sleeve 24 (according to Figures 4 to 6 ) the opening edge 26 of the sleeve 24 can also be adapted to the various Figures 4 to 6adjust the respective inserted discs 14 clay-tight (and / or design the opening edge 22 functionally as described).

[0028] In particular, to further homogenize and mix the clay, a mixer 34 and / or propeller or impeller 32 (in particular two impellers 32, preferably with counter-rotating blades - or even more - particularly axially spaced from one another) can be arranged in the device 2, particularly in the area of ​​the discharge line 30. These can also be rotationally driven by the motor 18. For this purpose, the impellers 32 are then preferably mounted on a drive shaft 16 together with a disk 14.

[0029] Alternatively, the impellers 32 and their bearings can also be designed such that the impellers are not actively driven by the drive 18, but are either held on the pipe wall 30 and thus serve as stationary impellers, or are mounted on the shaft 16, for example, with a through hole, "flying," freely rotating, so that they are driven in one direction of rotation by the clay flowing through them (not shown), depending on their blade inclination, thus further homogenizing and mixing the clay. The same applies to the mixer 34. Reference symbol

[0030] Device 2 Surface, pre-model 4 Housing 6 Connection piece 8 Clay discharge flange opening 12 Disc 14 Drive shaft 16 Motor 18 Clay discharge opening 19 Raised portion, massaging bead, wobbler 20 Edge 21 Rim 22 of the flange opening 12 Sleeve 24 Clay discharge line 30 Propeller or impeller 32 Mixer 34

Claims

1. Device (2) for applying clay to a surface (4), in particular for producing automobile design models, having a housing (6) with a connection piece (8) for a clay supply line and with a clay discharge opening (19), characterized by a disc (14) which - is placed Clay-tight in a clay dispensing flange opening (12) and is rotatable and motor-driven and - has the discharge opening (19) and otherwise closes said flange opening (12) and - has an elevation (20) on the outside.

2. Device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevation (20) is arranged eccentrically on the disc (14).

3. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elevation (20) along the radial edge (22) of the disc (14).

4. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elevation (20) forms a continuous surface (4) with a region of the outer side or the entire outer side of the disc (14).

5. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elevation (20) also has a radially extending edge (21).

6. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge opening (19) is at least one elongated hole which extends concentrically in a circular segment shape in the disc (14).

7. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of discharge openings (19) are arranged uniformly on a circumference around the axis of rotation of the disc (14) are distributed.

8. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one mixer (34) and / or impeller (32) are also arranged in the discharge line (30) through which the clay can flow.