Bell cup, rotary sprayer with bell cup, coating device and corresponding coating method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bell cup (2) of a rotary sprayer (1) for painting parts (26), having the following characteristics: a hub (4) for mounting said bell cup (2) on said rotary sprayer (1) so that said bell cup (2) is rotatable about a rotation axis (3), an annular spray end (8) for spraying paint in the form of a spray jet, and a circumferential outer side surface (9, 10, 11) extending along said rotation axis (3) in a terminal direction towards said spray end (8). The present invention provides that the outer side surface of said bell cup (2) is divided into various sections and angled differently. Furthermore, the present invention includes a rotary sprayer having such a bell cup, a painting device and a corresponding painting method.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bell cup of a rotary sprayer for painting parts, for example parts of an automobile body. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a rotary sprayer having such a bell cup. Furthermore, the present invention also comprises a painting device having a rotary sprayer according to the present invention. Finally, the present invention also comprises a corresponding painting method. [Background technology]

[0002] In modern painting installations for painting parts of car bodies, rotary sprayers are usually used as painting devices, which move a bell cup at high speed by means of a compressed air turbine, which sprays the paint to be applied. An example of such a bell cup can be seen from US Pat. No. 5,399,633. Here, the outer surface of the bell cup is conical and therefore has an inclination angle relative to the axis of rotation of the bell cup that is approximately constant along the bell cup. The outer surface of the bell cup is therefore continuous with a uniform inclination angle and is not subdivided into various outer surface parts.

[0003] Furthermore, in the context of the present invention, it should be said that various painting operations have to be performed in a painting installation. Various coating agents have to be applied, such as fillers, base coats, clear coats, etc. Furthermore, various types of paints can be used, such as solvent-based paints on the one hand and water-based paints on the other hand. Finally, various types of parts can be painted, such as the vehicle body on the one hand and add-on parts (e.g. bumpers) on the other hand. These various painting operations usually require different specially adapted rotary sprayers with corresponding bell cups. The different bell cups required are logistically complex and also require high development costs. Moreover, the various painting operations are performed in different painting booths arranged side by side along the painting line, which increases the costs of building and operating the painting equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 018169 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention is therefore based on the problem of producing a correspondingly improved bell cup, an associated rotary sprayer and a corresponding coating device. Furthermore, the present invention is based on the problem of specifying a corresponding coating method.

[0006] This problem is solved by a bell cup according to the main claim and by a rotary sprayer, a coating device and a corresponding coating method according to the further claims.

[0007] It should be mentioned at the outset that, preferably, due to the structural design of the bell cup according to the invention described below, the bell cup can be used for a wide variety of painting operations, for example for painting the body of a car on the one hand and for painting add-on parts on the other hand. The various possible painting operations are described in more detail below.

[0008] Firstly, the bell cup according to the invention comprises a mounting interface (e.g. a hub) according to the known bell cup mentioned at the beginning, so that the bell cup can be mounted on the rotary atomizer so that the bell cup can rotate about its axis of rotation. For example, the bell cup is screwed with its mounting interface (e.g. a hub) onto the hollow turbine shaft of the compressed air turbine of the rotary atomizer for this purpose. However, the invention is not limited to such a screw connection with regard to the mechanical connection between the bell cup on the one hand and the rotary atomizer on the other hand.

[0009] Moreover, the bell cup according to the invention also has, according to the initially described bell cup, an annular peripheral spray end for spraying the paint to be applied in the form of a spray jet.

[0010] Additionally, the bell cup of the present invention also has a circumferential outer surface that flares along the axis of rotation in a distal direction toward the spray end.

[0011] The bell cup according to the invention is characterized by the design of its outer surface. In the case of the known bell cup according to the patent document 1 mentioned at the beginning, this outer surface is i.e. uniform and has an essentially constant inclination angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the bell cup. Thus, in the known bell cup, the outer surface of the bell cup is not divided into various outer surface sections. The bell cup according to the invention is distinguished from the prior art in that the outer surface of the bell cup is divided along the axis of rotation into several outer surface sections, namely a central outer surface section and a terminal outer surface section. The central outer surface section is conical, as in the case of the known bell cup mentioned at the beginning. On the other hand, the terminal outer surface sections of the bell cup can be either conical or cylindrical in the shape of the bell cup according to the invention. The various outer surface sections of the outer surface of the bell cup differ in their inclination angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the bell cup. For example, the conical central outer surface section has a first inclination angle with respect to the axis of rotation, which is preferably greater than the second inclination angle of the terminal side sections. Thus, the proximal side is at a greater angle to the axis of rotation than the distal side.

[0012] Moreover, the bell cup according to the invention may have a proximal outer surface on its outer side, which is at a different angle to the axis of rotation of the bell cup than the central outer surface. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer surface of the bell cup thus has at least three outer surface portions, i.e., a proximal side portion, followed by a central side portion and finally a distal side portion, which are contiguous with each other along the axis of rotation of the bell cup and may be directly adjacent to each other.

[0013] Preferably, the outer surface of the bell cup has at least four different outer surface portions, which may be contiguous and directly adjacent to each other along the axis of rotation of the bell cup, namely first the lateral, so-called hub portion, then the proximal side portion, followed by the central side portion and finally the distal side portion. It should be mentioned here that the hub portion is preferably more angular with respect to the axis of rotation than the adjacent proximal side portion.

[0014] The distal side of the exterior surface of the bell cup preferably directly abuts the spray end of the bell cup, i.e., the distal side preferably directly becomes the spray end.

[0015] Meanwhile, the central flank of the outer surface of the bell cup is preferably in direct contact with the distal flank, and in particular the kink between the distal flank and the central flank, the kink being due to the difference in the inclination angles of the central flank on the one hand and the distal flank on the other hand.

[0016] On the other hand, the proximal lateral portion of the outer surface of the bell cup is preferably directly adjacent to the central lateral portion, in particular the kink between the proximal lateral portion on the one hand and the central lateral portion on the other hand, which kink is also due to the difference in the inclination angle between the proximal lateral portion on the one hand and the central lateral portion on the other hand.

[0017] Moreover, the proximal flank of the outer surface of the bell cup is preferably directly adjacent to the so-called hub portion, in particular the kink between the proximal flank on the one hand and the hub portion on the other hand. This kink also results from the difference in the inclination angle of the proximal flank on the one hand and the hub portion on the other hand. Thus, the hub portion of the outer surface of the bell cup is preferably at a greater angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the bell cup than the proximal flank.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first inclination angle of the central side portion relative to the axis of rotation of the bell cup is preferably in the range of 25°-45° or 27°-30°, with an inclination angle of 30° having been found to be particularly advantageous.

[0019] On the other hand, the second inclination angle of the distal flank with respect to the axis of rotation of the bell cup is preferably in the range of 0°-10° or 0°-5°, with an inclination angle of 0° having proven to be particularly advantageous. The distal flank of the outer surface of the bell cup is thus preferably parallel to the axis of rotation of the bell cup.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the central side portion preferably has an axial length along the axis of rotation of the bell cup in the range of 0 mm-10 mm or 1 mm-5 mm.

[0021] On the other hand, the distal side portion of the outer surface of the bell cup preferably has an axial length along the axis of rotation of the bell cup in the range of 0 mm-2 mm.

[0022] It should further be mentioned that the bell cup according to the invention also preferably has a centrally located paint supply for supplying the paint to be applied, as known per se in the prior art. For example, the bell cup may be fixed to the hub on the hollow turbine shaft of a rotary sprayer, with paint nozzles projecting axially through the turbine shaft to the bell cup and centrally supplying the paint to be applied, as known in the prior art. Moreover, the bell cup according to the invention may have a leading overflow surface leading to the spray end, so that during operation the paint to be applied flows out from the central paint supply via the overflow surface to the spray end of the bell cup.

[0023] In the bell cup according to the invention, this overflow surface preferably expands conically along the axis of rotation in the spray direction. In this case, the overflow surface may have an approximately constant inclination angle relative to the axis of rotation of the bell cup, i.e. the overflow surface is preferably not divided into several parts with different inclination angles. For example, the inclination angle of the overflow surface relative to the axis of rotation of the bell cup may be in the range of 50°-87° or 55°-85°, an inclination angle of the overflow surface of 60° has proven to be particularly advantageous.

[0024] It should further be stated that the overflow surface of the bell cup preferably includes a particular inclination angle relative to the central or distal outer surface of the bell cup, and this inclination angle is preferably in the range of 10°-50° or 20°-40°, with a value of 30° having been found to be particularly advantageous.

[0025] It should further be stated that the present invention does not only require the protection of the bell cup as a component thereof according to the present invention, but rather the present invention also requires the protection of a rotary atomizer equipped with such a bell cup according to the present invention.

[0026] The rotary sprayer according to the invention may in this case also be provided with a shaping air ring, which has the task of shaping the spray jet emitted by the bell cup, as known per se from the prior art. The shaping air ring annularly surrounds the bell cup at its base end and is designed to emit at least one shaping air jet from behind onto the outer surface of the bell cup and / or onto the paint spray jet in order to shape the spray jet.

[0027] Here, the proximal lateral portion and / or the hub portion of the outer surface of the bell cup may be located completely or partially within the shaping air ring in the axial direction, i.e. the bell cup is at least partially surrounded (covered) by its proximal lateral portion, whereas the central lateral portion of the outer surface of the bell cup is preferably located completely outside the shaping air ring in the axial direction, which also preferably applies to the distal lateral portions of the bell cup.

[0028] It should further be stated that the outer surface of the bell cup with the shaping air ring preferably seals an annular gap, preferably in the region of the central and / or proximal side of the bell cup. This annular gap has a gap width at its narrowest point, preferably less than 10 mm or 5 mm or 4 mm or 3 mm or 2 mm. The narrowest point of the annular gap between the outer end of the shaping air ring on the one hand and the outer circumferential surface of the bell cup on the other hand is here preferably at a certain axial distance from the end face of the shaping air ring, this axial distance being preferably less than 10 mm or 7 mm or 5 mm. It should also be stated, which has proven to be advantageous, that the annular gap between the outer circumferential surface of the bell cup on the one hand and the shaping air ring on the other hand preferably widens from the narrowest point in both the proximal and distal directions.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaping air ring comprises a first shaping air nozzle ring, preferably coaxially aligned with the axis of rotation of the bell cup, and comprises a plurality of shaping air nozzles, each capable of emitting a first shaping air jet. The shaping air nozzles here are arranged in the first shaping air nozzle ring, preferably equidistantly distributed around the circumference of the shaping air nozzle ring. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that the first shaping air nozzle preferably emits a first shaping air jet that is bent in the circumferential direction at a first turning angle. This means that the first shaping air jet is not arranged parallel to the axis of rotation of the bell cup, but is bent in the circumferential direction.

[0030] Moreover, in the rotary atomizer according to the invention, the shaping air ring may have a second shaping air nozzle ring, which is preferably also arranged coaxially with the axis of rotation of the bell cup, and which generally comprises a plurality of shaping air nozzles, each emitting a second shaping air jet, which may be arranged equidistantly distributed around the circumference of the second shaping air nozzle ring. The shaping air nozzles of the second shaping air nozzle ring may optionally be arranged axially, i.e. parallel to the axis of rotation of the bell cup, or circumferentially bent, i.e. twisted.

[0031] The first swirl angle of the circumferentially angled shaping air nozzles of the first shaping air nozzle ring is preferably in the range of 40°-75° or 50°-64°, a swirl angle of 55° having proven to be particularly advantageous. It should be mentioned here that the circumferentially angled shaping air nozzles are preferably arranged against the direction of rotation of the bell cup.

[0032] It should further be mentioned that the first shaping air nozzle ring is preferably shorter in diameter at its spray end than the bell cup, the difference in diameter may be in the range of, for example, 2mm-8mm or 3mm-6mm.

[0033] It should also be mentioned that there may be an axial distance between the end face of the shaping air ring on the one hand and the spray end of the bell cup on the other hand, which may be in the range of 2mm-40mm or 5mm-30mm, with a distance of 15mm proving to be particularly advantageous.

[0034] It should also be noted that the diameter of the second shaping air nozzle ring is preferably essentially equal to the outer diameter of the spray end of the bell cup, with a maximum difference of ±2 mm or +1 mm longer, for example.

[0035] It should be mentioned that the individual shaping air nozzles of the first and second shaping air nozzle rings may each have, at their outlet opening, a countersink, e.g. of cylindrical or conical shape. The maximum diameter of the countersink of the shaping air nozzle is preferably larger than the diameter of the hole of the shaping air nozzle, preferably 20-70% or 30-50% larger. It should be mentioned here that the countersink may extend axially along the axis of the hole by a countersink length which is approximately equal to the diameter of the hole and has a deviation of e.g. up to ±40% or ±30% or 45%.

[0036] In practice, countersinks are used. They are usually used to remove burrs from holes or to countersink the heads of wood screws, i.e. to taper the countersink. Usually countersinks have an angle of 90°. But the angle can also be 60° or 120°. Alternatively, there are flat countersinks. They are used to countersink the heads of screws (hexagonal screws, allen screws). The point is that the airflow distribution changes if the hole is countersunk instead of sharp. Small changes have a big effect. The countersink can be measured by diameter and / or by countersink depth. The angle is also required, but in that case it is given by the tool chosen.

[0037] The spray end of the bell cup is preferably located at a spray end surface extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the bell cup, as is the case in known bell cups. The shaping air jet preferably intersects the spray end surface of the bell cup at a point spaced from the spray end of the bell cup, preferably at a distance of 0 mm-4 mm. Thus, the air jet is preferably not directed at the outer surface of the bell cup, but passes past the outer surface of the bell cup with its central axis. This preferably applies to both the first shaping air and the second shaping air.

[0038] The bell cup according to the invention and the rotary sprayer according to the invention have been described above, but the invention also claims protection for a coating device comprising a rotary sprayer as according to the invention.

[0039] The coating apparatus according to the invention comprises a coating zone, which may for example be arranged in a coating booth, and further comprises a coating line for conveying parts (for example automotive body parts) to be coated through the coating zone.

[0040] The painting installation according to the invention is characterised by the fact that the various painting operations are carried out within the same painting zone.

[0041] For example, the following painting operations may be performed in the same painting zone: - Applying the first basecoat layer (BC1) to the exterior of the part - Applying the first basecoat layer (BC1) to the inside of the part - Applying a second base coat layer (BC2) onto the first base coat layer on the outer surface of the part (BC: base coat)

[0042] Furthermore, within the scope of the present invention it is also possible for the following painting operations to be carried out in the same painting zone: - Automobile body painting - Painting add-on parts for car bodies

[0043] Furthermore, within the scope of the present invention it is also possible for the following painting operations to be carried out in the same painting zone using the same rotary sprayer: - Painting a filler layer onto the part - Applying the first basecoat layer (BC1) onto the filler layer of the part - Applying a second base coat layer (BC2) onto the first base coat layer of the part. - Applying a clear coat layer over the second base coat layer of the part

[0044] Finally, the present invention also comprises a corresponding coating method, the individual method steps of which are already clear from the above description and therefore a separate description of the individual method steps is not necessary.

[0045] With respect to the above description of the present invention, it should be noted that the stated specific numerical values ​​do not necessarily have to be adhered to exactly. For example, when specific numerical values ​​are stated, the present invention may deviate from the stated numerical values ​​in the concrete technical realization, for example, within the range of ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, or ±5%.

[0046] Other advantageous further embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims or are explained in more detail below together with the description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a rotary atomizer according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 shows enlarged schematic cross-sectional views of bell cups of various modifications of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 shows enlarged schematic cross-sectional views of bell cups of various modifications of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 shows enlarged schematic cross-sectional views of bell cups of various modifications of the present invention. [Diagram 5] A modification of the rotary atomizer according to FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 shows a schematic perspective view to illustrate the countersinking of the shaping air nozzle. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 shows a schematic perspective view to illustrate the countersinking of the shaping air nozzle. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a rotary atomizer according to the present invention to illustrate the direction of the shaping air jets. [Figure 9] 1 shows a perspective view of a rotary atomizer according to the present invention to illustrate the various air jet configurations. [Figure 10] 1 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a coating apparatus according to the present invention; [Figure 11] 3 shows a flow chart illustrating one variant of the coating method according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 4 shows a flow chart illustrating another variant of the coating method according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0048] In the following, an embodiment of a rotary atomizer 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 is described, whereby essentially the construction and the method of operation of the rotary atomizer 1 are as known from the prior art.

[0049] Thus, according to the state of the art, the rotary atomizer 1 comprises a bell cup 2 rotatable about a rotation axis 3 and moved under the action of a compressed air turbine of the rotary atomizer 1. The compressed air turbine is not shown for the sake of simplicity.

[0050] For fixing to the rotary atomizer 1 the bell cup 2 has a hub 4 by means of which the bell cup 1 can be screwed, for example, to a hollow turbine shaft of a compressed air turbine of the rotary atomizer 1 .

[0051] Here, the bell cup 2 has an outer rinsing chamber 5 so that the outer surface of the bell cup 2 can be rinsed with a rinsing agent. As known per se from US Pat. No. 5,999,236, the outer rinsing chamber 5 is shown here only diagrammatically.

[0052] The paint to be applied is here fed centrally via a hollow hub 4, for example via a paint nozzle which runs coaxially into the hollow turbine shaft of a compressed air turbine.

[0053] The paint to be applied then first impinges axially on a distributor disc 6, shown here only diagrammatically, and is consequently deflected radially outwards. As is known from the prior art, the paint then flows over an overflow surface 7 up to an annular spray end 8 from which the paint is blown off of the distributor disc 6.

[0054] The outer surface of the bell cup 2 is divided into several lateral portions, namely a hub portion NA in the region of the hub 4, a proximal lateral portion 9, a central lateral portion 10 and a distal lateral portion 11, which are directly contiguous with one another along the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2 and directly adjacent to one another.

[0055] Hub portion NA is joined by a kink to a proximal side portion 9, which is now joined by a kink 12 to a medial side portion 10, which in turn is joined by a kink 13 to a distal side portion 11.

[0056] The outer surface of the bell cup 2, i.e., the hub portion NA, the proximal side portion 9, the central side portion 10 and the distal side portion 12, here have different angles of inclination relative to the axis of rotation 3 on the one hand and relative to the overflow surface 7 of the bell cup 2 on the other hand.

[0057] 2-4 show various variations of the present invention in which the various side portions 9-11 of the outer surface of the bell cup 2 have various inclination angles.

[0058] First, it should be noted that the distal side surface 11 of the outer surface of the bell cup 2 is arranged parallel to the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2 and therefore has an inclination angle β=0. However, within the scope of the present invention, the inclination angle β of the distal side surface 11 may be other angles, for example within the range of 0°-5°.

[0059] On the other hand, the central lateral portion 10 has an inclination angle α relative to the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2, which may be in the range 25°-45°, with a value of α=30° having been found to be particularly advantageous.

[0060] On the other hand, the proximal lateral portion 9 has an inclination angle relative to the axis of rotation 3 that is smaller than the inclination angle α of the central lateral portion 10 .

[0061] Furthermore, the central lateral portion 10 encloses an inclination angle θ together with the overflow surface 7, which may for example be in the range of 10°-50°, preferably θ=30°.

[0062] On the other hand, the overflow surface 7 subtends an angle δ with the axis of rotation 3, which angle δ may preferably be in the range of 55°-85°.

[0063] It should further be mentioned that the terminal lateral portion 11 of the outer surface of the bell cup 2 extends over a certain axial length W along the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2, this axial length W being preferably within the range of 0-2 mm.

[0064] On the other hand, the central lateral portion 10 has an axial length B along the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2, which axial length B is preferably in the range of 1 mm-5 mm. Thus, the axial length B of the central lateral portion 10 is preferably significantly longer than the axial length W of the distal lateral portions 11 on the outer surface of the bell cup 2.

[0065] It is further evident from the drawing that the rotary atomizer 1 comprises a shaping air ring 14 whose task is to shape the spray jet issuing from the bell cup 2, as known per se from the prior art.

[0066] The shaping air ring 14 is annular in shape and surrounds the bell cup 2, and together with the bell cup 2 encloses an annular gap 15. The annular gap 15 has a gap width b at its narrowest point, which gap width b is preferably less than 2 mm. The narrowest point of the annular gap 15 is located a distance H from an end face 16 of the shaping air ring 15, which distance H is preferably less than 5 mm.

[0067] Since FIG. 5 shows a modification of FIG. 1, to avoid repetition, reference is first made to the description of FIG. 1 and the same reference symbols are used for corresponding details.

[0068] From this figure it can be seen that the shaping air ring 14 has two shaping air nozzle rings of different diameters TK1, TK2. The first shaping air nozzle ring here has circumferentially bent shaping air nozzles 17, i.e. they do not run parallel to the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2 but are bent in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, the second shaping air nozzle ring has shaping air nozzles 18 aligned parallel to the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2.

[0069] FIG. 6 shows a schematic simplified representation of a shaping air nozzle 17, which may have a countersink 19 at its outlet opening, which in this embodiment is cylindrical and has a countersink length l, which may be in the range of 30%-50% with respect to the diameter of the shaping air nozzle 17.

[0070] FIG. 7 shows a variation of FIG. 6 in which the countersink 19 is not cylindrical but has oddly shaped features.

[0071] The countersinks 19 are shown here only for the shaping air nozzle 17. However, the shaping air nozzle 18 may have such a countersink 19 as well.

[0072] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram to clarify the direction of the shaping air jet 20. Here, the spraying end 8 of the bell cup 2 extends into a spraying end surface 21 that is radially intersected by the shaping air jet 20 outside the spraying end 8 of the bell cup 2, i.e. at a distance a in the range of 0 mm-4 mm.

[0073] 9 shows a perspective view of a rotary atomizer 1 according to the invention. Since it corresponds in large part to the above-described embodiment, reference is made to said description to avoid repetition, and the same reference symbols are used for corresponding details.

[0074] It can be seen here that two shaping air nozzle rings emit two different shaping air jets 22, 23, the shaping air jet 22 being arranged axially, i.e. parallel to the axis of rotation 3 of the bell cup 2, whereas the shaping air jet 23 is bent circumferentially and thus has a twist.

[0075] FIG. 10 shows a highly simplified schematic diagram of a painting installation according to the present invention having a paint booth 24 through which a paint line 25 passes for transporting automobile bodies 26 into and out of the paint booth 24.

[0076] A painting robot 27 is arranged in the paint booth 24, which is equipped with a rotary sprayer 1 according to the invention and can therefore perform various painting operations within the same paint booth 24. For example, in addition to the car body 25, add-on parts may be painted in the paint booth 24, to name just a few of the various painting operations.

[0077] FIG. 11 shows a flow diagram illustrating a coating method according to one variation of the present invention.

[0078] In the first step S1, the automobile body is carried into the paint booth.

[0079] In a next step S2, a first base coat (BC1) is then applied to the outer surface of the automobile body.

[0080] In a further step S3, a first basecoat (BC1) is then applied to the inner surfaces of the car body in the same paint booth.

[0081] In a further step S4, a second base coat (BC2) is then applied to the outer surface of the vehicle body.

[0082] As mentioned at the outset, it should be mentioned here that various painting operations can advantageously be carried out in the same paint booth.

[0083] FIG. 12 further shows a flow diagram illustrating another variation of the coating method according to the present invention.

[0084] First, in step S1, the automobile body is again carried into the paint booth.

[0085] In a next step S2, a filler layer is then applied to the car body in a paint booth.

[0086] A further step S3 then involves applying a first basecoat (BC1) to the car body in the same paint booth.

[0087] In a next step S4, a second base coat (BC2) may be applied to the car body in the same paint booth.

[0088] Finally, in a next step S5, a layer of clear coat may be applied to the vehicle body, which may also be done in the same paint booth.

[0089] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described above. Rather, numerous modifications and variations are possible that utilize the inventive concept and therefore fall within the scope of protection. In particular, the invention also claims protection for the subject matter and features of the dependent claims which in each case refer to the independent claims, in particular without the features of the main claim. The invention thus includes various aspects of the invention which can enjoy protection independently of each other.

[0090] (Additional Note) (Appendix 1) A bell cup (2) for a rotary sprayer (1) for painting a part (26), in particular a part (26) of an automobile body, comprising: a) a mounting interface, in particular a hub (4), for mounting the bell cup (2) to the rotary atomizer (1); b) an annular spray end (8) surrounding the axis of rotation (3) for spraying paint in the form of a spray jet; c) a circumferential outer side surface (NA, 9, 10, 11) extending along said axis of rotation (3) in a distal direction towards said spray end (8); having d) said sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of said bell cup (2) have a central side portion (10) and a distal side portion (11) along said axis of rotation (3); e) the central side portion (10) is conical; f) the conical central side portion (10) is inclined at a first inclination angle (α) with respect to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2); g) the end lateral portion (11) is conical or cylindrical; h) the end flank (11) is inclined at a second inclination angle (β) relative to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2); i) the first tilt angle (α) is greater than the second tilt angle (β); Characterized by a bell cup (2).

[0091] (Appendix 2) a) the sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) further have a proximal side portion (9) that is at a different angle to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2) than the central side portion (10); and / or b) the sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) further include a hub portion (NA) proximally adjacent the proximal side portion (9); The hub portion (NA) is preferably b1) the proximal side portion (9) and / or the distal side portion (11) have a different angle relative to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2), in particular a larger angle of inclination relative to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2); and / or b2) kink-attached to the proximal lateral portion (9); and / or b3) the axial length along the axis of rotation (3) is longer than the end side portion (11); and / or b4) conical with a constant cone angle; and / or b5) directly adjacent to the outer rinse chamber (5) on the rear side of the bell cup (2); The bell cup (2) according to claim 1,

[0092] (Appendix 3) a) said distal lateral portion (11) is directly adjacent to said spray end (8); and / or b) the central flank portion (10) is directly adjacent to the distal flank portion (11), in particular the kink (W2) between the distal flank portion (11) and the central flank portion (10); and / or c) the proximal lateral portion (9) is directly adjacent to the central lateral portion (10), in particular the kink (W1) between the proximal lateral portion (9) and the central lateral portion (10); The bell cup (2) according to claim 1 or 2,

[0093] (Appendix 4) a) the first inclination angle (α) of the central side portion (10) is in the range of 25°-45° or 27°-35°, or is substantially 30°; and / or b) the second inclination angle (β) of the distal side portion (11) is within the range of 0°-10° or 0°-5°, or is substantially 0°; 4. A bell cup (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

[0094] (Appendix 5) a) the central lateral portion (10) has a length (B) in the axial direction along the axis of rotation (3) in the range of 0.5 mm-10 mm or 1 mm-5 mm; and / or b) the distal side portion (11) has a length (W) in the axial direction along the rotation axis (3) in the range of 0 mm-2 mm; 5. A bell cup (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

[0095] (Appendix 6) a) a centrally located paint supply for supplying the paint to be applied; b) an overflow surface (7) on the front side leading to the spray end (8) so that in operation, the paint to be applied flows out from the paint supply through the overflow surface (7) to the spray end (8); 6. The bell cup (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that

[0096] (Appendix 7) a) the overflow surface (7) extends conically along the axis of rotation (3) in the spray direction, and / or b) the overflow surface (7) has a substantially constant inclination angle (δ) with respect to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2); and / or c) the inclination angle (δ) of the overflow surface (7) is in the range of 50°-87° or 55°-85° or is substantially 60°; and / or d) the overflow surface (7) forms an angle (θ) with the central side portion (10) and / or the terminal side portion (11) of the outer side portions (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2), the angle (θ) being in the range of 10°-50° or 20°-40° or substantially 30°; The bell cup (2) according to claim 6,

[0097] (Appendix 8) A rotary atomizer (1) characterized by a bell cup (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

[0098] (Appendix 9) 9. The rotary sprayer (1) according to claim 8, characterized by a shaping air ring (14) annularly surrounding the bell cup (2) at its base end and designed to emit at least one shaping air jet from behind onto the sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and / or onto the paint spray jet to shape the spray jet.

[0099] (Appendix 10) a) the proximal side portion (9) of the side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) is arranged in the axial direction wholly or partly within the shaping air ring (14); and / or b) the central lateral portion (10) of the lateral sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) is disposed more completely outside the shaping air ring (14) in the axial direction; and / or c) the distal side portion (11) of the side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) is disposed more completely outside the shaping air ring (14) in the axial direction; 10. The rotary sprayer (1) according to claim 8 or 9,

[0100] (Appendix 11) a) the outer side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) together with a shaping air ring (14) enclose an annular gap (S); b) the annular gap (S) between the outer side (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and a shaping air ring (14) has a maximum gap width (b) of less than or equal to 10 mm or 5 mm or 4 mm or 3 mm or 2 mm; and / or c) the annular gap (S) between the outer side surface (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and a shaping air ring (14) has, at the narrowest point of the annular gap, an axial length (H) of not more than 10 mm or 7 mm or 5 mm from an end face (16) of the shaping air ring (14); and / or d) the narrowest point of the annular gap (S) between the outer circumferential surface (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and a shaping air ring (14) is spaced from the end face of the shaping air ring (14) such that the annular gap (S) widens in both a proximal and a distal direction starting from the narrowest point; 11. The rotary sprayer (1) according to claim 9 or 10,

[0101] (Appendix 12) a) the shaping air ring (14) comprises a first shaping air nozzle ring having a plurality of shaping air nozzles (17), each of the plurality of shaping air nozzles (17) outputting a first shaping air jet; a1) a first said shaping air nozzle (17) emits said first shaping air jet in a circumferential direction and angled at a first swirl angle; a2) the first shaping air nozzle ring has a first diameter (TK1); and / or b) the shaping air ring (14) has a second shaping air nozzle ring with a plurality of shaping air nozzles (18), each of the plurality of shaping air nozzles (18) emitting a second shaping air jet; b1) a second shaping air nozzle (18) emits a second shaping air jet angled circumferentially or axially at a second swirl angle; b2) the second shaping air nozzle ring has a second diameter (TK2); 12. A rotary sprayer (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that

[0102] (Appendix 13) a) said first swivel angle is within the range of 40°-75° or 50°-65°, or essentially 55°, and is preferably aligned against the direction of rotation of the bell cup (2); and / or b) the first diameter (TK1) of the first shaping air nozzle ring is smaller than the outer diameter (D) of the bell cup (2), in particular by 2 mm-8 mm or 3 mm-6 mm; and / or c) there is an axial distance (A) along the axis of rotation (3) between the end face (16) of the shaping air ring (14) and the spray end (8) of the bell cup (2) in the range of 2 mm-40 mm or 5 mm-30 mm, preferably 15 mm; and / or d) the second diameter (TK2) of the second shaping air nozzle ring is substantially equal to the outer diameter (D) of the spray end (8), in particular with a maximum difference of ±2 mm or +1 mm, 13. The rotary sprayer (1) according to claim 12,

[0103] (Appendix 14) a) the first shaping air nozzle (17) and / or the second shaping air nozzle (18) each have a countersink (19); and / or b) the first shaping air nozzle (17) and / or the second shaping air nozzle (18) each have a hole diameter and a countersink (19) each having a countersink diameter that is 20%-70% or 30%-50% longer than the hole diameter, and / or c) the countersink (19) extends along its axis over a countersink length (l) which is substantially equal to the diameter of the hole, in particular with a deviation of ±40%, ±30%, ±25%; and / or d) the countersink (19) is cylindrical or conical; 14. A rotary sprayer (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that

[0104] (Appendix 15) a) the spray end (8) of the bell cup (2) extends into a spray end surface (21) extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2); b) the shaping air jet (20) intersects the spray end surface (21) of the bell cup (2) at a point spaced from the spray end (8), preferably at a distance of 0 to 4 mm; 15. A rotary sprayer (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

[0105] (Appendix 16) 16. A coating device for coating parts (26), in particular parts (26) of an automobile body, comprising a rotary sprayer (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 15.

[0106] (Appendix 17) a) a paint zone (24), in particular a paint booth (24), b) a coating line (25) conveying the parts (26) to be coated through the coating zone (24); 17. The coating apparatus according to claim 16, characterized by:

[0107] (Appendix 18) The coating zone (24) is configured to carry out the following coating operations using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same coating zone: a) applying a first basecoat layer to an exterior surface of the component (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer to the interior surface of the component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer on the exterior surface of the component (26); 18. The coating device according to claim 17, characterized in that it is designed to carry out the steps of:

[0108] (Appendix 19) The coating zone (24) is configured to carry out the following coating operations using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same coating zone: a) Painting the car body, b) Painting add-on parts for the vehicle body; 18. The coating device according to claim 17, characterized in that it is designed to carry out the steps of:

[0109] (Appendix 20) The coating zone (24) is configured to carry out the following coating operations using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same coating zone: a) applying a filler layer to the part (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer onto the filler layer of the component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer of the component (26); d) applying a clear coat layer over said second base coat layer of said component (26); 18. The coating device according to claim 17, characterized in that it is designed to carry out the steps of:

[0110] (Appendix 21) A method for painting a part (26), in particular a part (26) of an automobile body, using the painting apparatus according to any one of appendices 16 to 20.

[0111] (Appendix 22) The following painting operations were carried out using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same painting zone: a) applying a first basecoat layer to an exterior surface of the component (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer to the interior surface of the component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer on the exterior surface of the component (26); The coating method according to claim 21, characterized in that

[0112] (Appendix 23) The following painting operations were carried out using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same painting zone: a) Painting the car body, b) Painting add-on parts for the vehicle body; The coating method according to claim 21, characterized in that

[0113] (Appendix 24) The following painting operations were carried out using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same painting zone: a) applying a filler layer to the part (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer onto the filler layer of the component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer of the component (26); d) applying a clear coat layer over said second base coat layer of said component (26); The coating method according to claim 21, characterized in that [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1 Rotary Sprayer 2 Bell Cup 3 Bell cup rotation axis 4 Bell Cup Hub 5. Outer rinsing chamber of the bell cup 6 Bell Cup Distributor Discs 7 Bell cup overflow surface 8 Spray end of bell cup 9. Proximal lateral part of bell cup 10 Center of the bell cup 11 Side portion of the end of the bell cup 12 Kink between the proximal and middle lateral parts 12. Kink between the central side and the distal side 14 Shaping Air Ring 15 Annular gap between the side of the bell cup and the shaping air ring 16 Shaping air ring end face 17 Shaping Air Nozzle 18 Shaping Air Nozzle 19 Countersink 20 Shaping Air Jet 21 Spray end face 22 Shaping Air Jet 23 Shaping Air Jet 24 Paint Booth 25 Painting Line 26 Automobile body 27 Painting robot b Gap width of the annular gap between the side of the bell cup and the shaping air ring H is the axial length between the narrowest point of the annular gap and the end face of the shaping air ring α The inclination angle of the central side part with respect to the axis of rotation δ Inclination angle of the overflow surface with respect to the axis of rotation B Length of the central side part along the axis of rotation W Length of the end of the side part along the axis of rotation A is the axial length between the spray end of the bell cup and the face of the shaping air ring D Diameter of the bell cup at the spray end NA Bell cup side hub part TK1 First shaping air ring diameter TK2 Second Shaping Air Nozzle Ring Diameter l Length of the countersink at the outlet opening of the shaping air nozzle a The distance between the spray end of the bell cup and the intersection of the shaping air jet and the spray end face

Claims

1. A bell cup (2) for a rotary sprayer (1) for painting parts (26), in particular parts (26) of an automobile body, comprising: a) a mounting interface, in particular a hub (4), for attaching the bell cup (2) to the rotary atomizer (1); b) an annular spray end (8) surrounding the rotation axis (3) for spraying paint in the form of a spray jet; c) a circumferential outer side surface (NA, 9, 10, 11) extending along said axis of rotation (3) in a distal direction towards said spray end (8); and d) said sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of said bell cup (2) have a central side portion (10) and a distal side portion (11) along said axis of rotation (3); e) said central side portion (10) is conical; f) the central conical side portion (10) is inclined at a first inclination angle (α) relative to the rotation axis (3) of the bell cup (2); g) the end flank (11) is conical or cylindrical; h) the distal flank (11) is inclined at a second inclination angle (β) relative to the rotation axis (3) of the bell cup (2); i) the first tilt angle (α) is greater than the second tilt angle (β); A bell cup (2) characterized by:

2. a) the sides (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) further have a proximal side (9) at a different angle to the rotation axis (3) of the bell cup (2) than the central side (10); and / or b) the lateral surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) further comprise a hub portion (NA) proximally adjacent to the proximal lateral surface portion (9); The hub portion (NA) is preferably b1) the proximal side (9) and / or the distal side (11) have a different angle relative to the rotation axis (3) of the bell cup (2), in particular a greater angle of inclination relative to the rotation axis (3) of the bell cup (2); and / or b2) kink-connected to the proximal lateral portion (9), and / or b3) the axial length along the axis of rotation (3) is greater than the side portion (11) of the end, and / or b4) conical with a constant cone angle; and / or b5) directly adjacent to the outer rinse chamber (5) behind the bell cup (2); Bell cup (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it

3. a) the distal lateral portion (11) is directly adjacent to the spray end (8), and / or b) the central flank (10) is directly adjacent to the distal flank (11), in particular the kink (W2) between the distal flank (11) and the central flank (10); and / or c) the proximal lateral portion (9) is directly adjacent to the central lateral portion (10), in particular the kink (W1) between the proximal lateral portion (9) and the central lateral portion (10); Bell cup (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it

4. a) the first inclination angle (α) of the central lateral portion (10) is in the range of 25°-45° or 27°-35°, or is substantially 30°; and / or b) the second inclination angle (β) of the distal flank (11) is in the range of 0°-10° or 0°-5°, or is substantially 0°; Bell cup (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it

5. a) the central lateral portion (10) has a length (B) in the axial direction along the axis of rotation (3) in the range of 0.5 mm-10 mm or 1 mm-5 mm; and / or b) the distal lateral portion (11) has a length (W) in the axial direction along the axis of rotation (3) in the range of 0 mm to 2 mm; Bell cup (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it

6. a) a centrally located paint supply for supplying the paint to be applied; b) an overflow surface (7) on the front side leading to the spray end (8) so that in operation the paint to be applied flows out from the paint supply through the overflow surface (7) to the spray end (8); Bell cup (2) according to claim 1, characterized by:

7. a) said overflow surface (7) widens conically along said axis of rotation (3) in the spraying direction, and / or b) the overflow surface (7) has a substantially constant angle of inclination (δ) relative to the axis of rotation (3) of the bell cup (2), and / or c) the inclination angle (δ) of the overflow surface (7) is in the range of 50°-87° or 55°-85° or is substantially 60°; and / or d) said overflow surface (7) forms an angle (θ) with said central side portion (10) and / or said terminal side portion (11) of said outer side surface (NA, 9, 10, 11) of said bell cup (2), said angle (θ) being in the range of 10°-50° or 20°-40° or being substantially 30°; Bell cup (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that

8. A rotary atomizer (1) characterized by a bell cup (2) according to claim 1.

9. 9. The rotary sprayer (1) according to claim 8, characterized by a shaping air ring (14) which annularly surrounds the bell cup (2) at its base end and is designed to emit at least one shaping air jet from behind onto the side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and / or onto the paint spray jet in order to shape the spray jet.

10. a) the proximal side portion (9) of the side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) is arranged in the axial direction wholly or partly within the shaping air ring (14), and / or b) the central lateral portion (10) of the lateral surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) is arranged more completely outside the shaping air ring (14) in the axial direction; and / or c) the distal side portion (11) of the side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) is arranged more completely outside the shaping air ring (14) in the axial direction; Rotary atomizer (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that

11. a) the outer side surfaces (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) together with a shaping air ring (14) enclose an annular gap (S); b) the annular gap (S) between the outer side (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and the shaping air ring (14) has a maximum gap width (b) of 10 mm or 5 mm or 4 mm or 3 mm or 2 mm or less; and / or c) the annular gap (S) between the outer side (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and the shaping air ring (14) has, at its narrowest point, an axial length (H) of 10 mm or 7 mm or 5 mm or less from the end face (16) of the shaping air ring (14); and / or d) the narrowest point of the annular gap (S) between the outer peripheral surface (NA, 9, 10, 11) of the bell cup (2) and the shaping air ring (14) is spaced from the end face of the shaping air ring (14) so ​​that the annular gap (S) widens in both the proximal and distal directions starting from the narrowest point; Rotary atomizer (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that

12. a) the shaping air ring (14) has a first shaping air nozzle ring with a plurality of shaping air nozzles (17), each of the plurality of shaping air nozzles (17) outputting a first shaping air jet; a1) a first said shaping air nozzle (17) emits said first shaping air jet angled in a circumferential direction at a first swirl angle; a2) the first shaping air nozzle ring has a first diameter (TK1); and / or b) the shaping air ring (14) has a second shaping air nozzle ring with a plurality of shaping air nozzles (18), each of the plurality of shaping air nozzles (18) emitting a second shaping air jet; b1) a second said shaping air nozzle (18) emits said second shaping air jet angled circumferentially or axially at a second swirl angle; b2) the second shaping air nozzle ring has a second diameter (TK2); Rotary atomizer (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that

13. a) said first swivel angle is in the range of 40°-75° or 50°-65°, or essentially 55°, and is preferably aligned opposite to the direction of rotation of the bell cup (2); and / or b) the first diameter (TK1) of the first shaping air nozzle ring is smaller than the outer diameter (D) of the bell cup (2), in particular by 2 mm-8 mm or 3 mm-6 mm; and / or c) there is an axial distance (A) along the axis of rotation (3) between the end face (16) of the shaping air ring (14) and the spray end (8) of the bell cup (2) in the range of 2 mm-40 mm or 5 mm-30 mm, preferably 15 mm; and / or d) the second diameter (TK2) of the second shaping air nozzle ring is substantially equal to the outer diameter (D) of the spray end (8), in particular with a maximum difference of ±2 mm or +1 mm, Rotary atomizer (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that

14. a) the first shaping air nozzle (17) and / or the second shaping air nozzle (18) each have a countersink (19); and / or b) the first shaping air nozzle (17) and / or the second shaping air nozzle (18) each have a hole diameter and a countersink (19) with a countersink diameter that is 20%-70% or 30%-50% longer than the hole diameter, respectively; and / or c) the countersink (19) extends along its axis over a countersink length (l) substantially equal to the diameter of the hole, with a deviation of, in particular, ±40%, ±30%, ±25%; and / or d) said countersink (19) is cylindrical or conical; Rotary atomizer (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that

15. a) the spray end (8) of the bell cup (2) extends into a spray end surface (21) extending perpendicularly to the rotation axis (3) of the bell cup (2); b) the shaping air jet (20) intersects the spray end face (21) of the bell cup (2) at a point spaced from the spray end (8), preferably at a distance of 0 to 4 mm; Rotary atomizer (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that

16. 9. A coating device for painting parts (26), in particular parts (26) of an automobile body, comprising a rotary sprayer (1) according to claim 8.

17. a) a painting zone (24), in particular a painting booth (24); b) a coating line (25) that conveys the parts (26) to be coated through the coating zone (24); 17. The coating device according to claim 16, characterized by:

18. The coating zone (24) can carry out the following coating operations using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same coating zone: a) applying a first basecoat layer to the exterior surface of the component (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer to the interior surface of said component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer on the exterior surface of the component (26); 18. The coating device according to claim 17, characterized in that it is designed to carry out the following:

19. The coating zone (24) can carry out the following coating operations using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same coating zone: a) painting the body of the car; b) painting add-on parts for the car body; 18. The coating device according to claim 17, characterized in that it is designed to carry out the following:

20. The coating zone (24) can carry out the following coating operations using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same coating zone: a) applying a filler layer to the part (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer onto the filler layer of the component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer of the component (26); d) applying a clear coat layer over said second base coat layer of said component (26); 18. The coating device according to claim 17, characterized in that it is designed to carry out the following:

21. 17. A method for painting a part (26), in particular a part (26) of an automobile body, with a painting device according to claim 16.

22. The following painting operations were carried out using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same painting zone: a) applying a first basecoat layer to the exterior surface of the component (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer to the interior surface of said component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer on the exterior surface of the component (26); 22. The coating method according to claim 21, wherein the following is carried out.

23. The following painting operations were carried out using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same painting zone: a) painting the body of the car; b) painting add-on parts for the car body; 22. The coating method according to claim 21, wherein the following is carried out.

24. The following painting operations were carried out using the same rotary sprayer (1) in the same painting zone: a) applying a filler layer to the part (26); b) applying a first basecoat layer onto the filler layer of the component (26); c) applying a second basecoat layer over the first basecoat layer of the component (26); d) applying a clear coat layer over said second base coat layer of said component (26); 22. The coating method according to claim 21, wherein the following is carried out.

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