Nozzle and coating device

Abstract

To secure sufficient application quality.SOLUTION: A nozzle 110 includes: a discharge member 111 having a discharge port 111a for discharging a fluid P; a plate-like cutting member 112 which is disposed close to the discharge member 111 and may rotate between a first position where the cutting member 112 opens the discharge port 111a and a second position where the cutting member 112 closes the discharge port 111a; and a rotation device which rotates the cutting member 112 between the first position and the second position so as to cut the fluid P discharged from the discharge port 111a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a nozzle and a coating apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a coating apparatus that discharges a fluid from a nozzle onto an object to be coated (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A flow path through which the fluid flows is provided in the nozzle, and an auxiliary on-off valve is provided in the flow path. Then, the flow path is opened and closed by rotating the auxiliary on-off valve by a swing actuator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above coating apparatus, even when the auxiliary on-off valve is closed, the fluid remains inside the nozzle outside (downstream side) of the auxiliary on-off valve. Therefore, the remaining fluid may drip from the nozzle like a thread and adhere to the object to be coated excessively, deteriorating the coating quality. Such dripping is显著 seen, for example, when applying a high-viscosity liquid such as a steel plate reinforcing material for reinforcing an automobile body steel plate as the fluid.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to ensure sufficient coating quality in a nozzle and a coating apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a discharge member having a discharge port for discharging a fluid, a plate-like cutting member disposed close to the discharge member and rotatable between a first position for opening the discharge port and a second position for closing the discharge port, A rotating device that rotates the cutting member between the first position and the second position to cut the fluid discharged from the discharge port. A nozzle is provided that includes the following features.

[0007] With this configuration, the cutting member rotates from a first position to a second position, thereby cutting the fluid discharged from the discharge port and simultaneously closing the discharge port. At this time, since the fluid is cut outside the discharge port and the discharge port is closed from the outside, deterioration of coating quality, such as the fluid inside the discharge member becoming stringy, can be suppressed. This nozzle can be used particularly effectively when intermittently dispensing high-viscosity fluids, ensuring sufficient coating quality.

[0008] The cutting member may have a cutting edge for cutting the fluid. The cutting edge is biased toward the discharge member so as to be pressed against the discharge member, and may be configured to slide relative to the discharge member between the first position and the second position.

[0009] With this configuration, the fluid can be cut with virtually no gap between the cutting member and the discharge port, allowing for clean shearing of the fluid. If there is a gap between the cutting member and the discharge port, the fluid may twist and deform in that gap, potentially resulting in uneven cut ends, or the fluid may clog the gap, negatively affecting the cutting operation.

[0010] The cutting member may have a curved shape that matches the rotation direction of the rotating device. Alternatively, the cutting member may have an arc shape that is aligned with the rotation direction of the rotating device. The outer surface of the discharge member may have the same arc shape as the cutting member.

[0011] These configurations reduce the portion of the cutting member that protrudes outward beyond the rotation radius during rotation, thereby reducing the possibility of fluid immediately after cutting contacting and adhering to the cutting member, which could disrupt the coating process. Furthermore, a configuration that allows the cutting member to rotate (slide) relative to the dispensing member can be efficiently realized in a space-saving manner. Here, "same arc shape" means that the curvature is substantially the same.

[0012] The aforementioned rotating device may include a servo motor or a stepping motor.

[0013] This configuration enables high torque and high cutting speed rotation of the cutting member, allowing for clean cutting of fluids. In particular, when applying fluids intermittently, it becomes possible to rapidly repeat the rotation of the cutting member to the second position and its return to the first position.

[0014] The discharge port may have a wide slit shape that allows the fluid to be discharged in a flat, strip-like shape, and the cutting member may be configured to move in the thickness direction of the fluid to cut the fluid.

[0015] This configuration allows for suppression of stringing even in flat, ribbon-shaped fluids that are prone to stringing, ensuring sufficient coating quality.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention is: The nozzle and, A fluidizing device that causes the fluid to flow so as to pass through the nozzle, A device for moving the object to be coated with the aforementioned fluid and the nozzle relative to it, A control device that controls the rotating device, the flow device, and the moving device. The present invention provides a coating apparatus equipped with the following features.

[0017] With this configuration, the coating device using the above-mentioned nozzle can apply a fluid to the object to be coated at the desired position and in the desired amount while ensuring sufficient coating quality.

[0018] The flow device may be configured to allow the flow of the flowing material in a direction opposite to the direction in which the flowing material is discharged from the nozzle so as to suck the flowing material from the nozzle. The control device may control the rotation device so as to rotate the cutting member from the first position to the second position at the timing of the suction.

[0019] According to this configuration, by sucking the flowing material, the discharge flow rate of the flowing material near the discharge port can be reduced or made zero, and the flowing material can be easily cut by rotating the cutting member in a state where the discharge flow rate of the flowing material is reduced or zero. Here, the suction timing includes during and immediately after the suction of the flowing material.

[0020] The direction in which the cutting member moves from the first position to the second position may be opposite to the direction in which the moving device relatively moves the nozzle with respect to the application object.

[0021] According to this configuration, since the cutting member is located in the pre-application side (uncoated position) when it returns from the second position to the first position after cutting, it is possible to avoid the cutting member coming into contact with and adhering to the flowing material immediately after cutting.

Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, sufficient coating quality can be ensured in the nozzle and the coating device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] Schematic configuration diagram of a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Front view of a discharge device including a nozzle. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view of the nozzle of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] Side view of the nozzle of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the nozzle of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view of the nozzle when the cutting member is in the first position. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view of the nozzle when the cutting member is in the second position. [Figure 8] A cross-sectional view of a nozzle showing the first step of intermittent application of a fluid. [Figure 9] A cross-sectional view of a nozzle showing the second step of intermittent application of a fluid. [Figure 10] A cross-sectional view of a nozzle showing the third step in intermittent application of a fluid. [Figure 11] A cross-sectional view of a nozzle showing the fourth step in intermittent application of a fluid. [Figure 12] A plan view showing the state after a fluid has been applied to an object by a coating device. [Figure 13] A cross-sectional view of a nozzle showing a modified example of a cut member. [Figure 14] A cross-sectional view of the nozzle showing other variations of the cut member. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0025] Referring to Figure 1, the coating apparatus 1 can be used to coat a fluid onto an object W. Examples of fluids include materials used in the manufacturing process of industrial products such as steel plate reinforcement, heat dissipation gel, or silicone material, or food ingredients such as gummies, chewing candies, mayonnaise, or cheese. In particular, the coating apparatus 1 can also handle high-viscosity liquids as fluids.

[0026] In this embodiment, the coating apparatus 1 includes a storage container 10, a pump 20, a robotic arm (mobilizing device) 30, and a discharge device 100 having a nozzle 110. The coating apparatus 1 is also referred to as a coating system.

[0027] The storage container 10 is a tank for storing fluids. The storage container 10 is fluidically connected to the discharge device 100 via a supply pipe 11 and serves as a source of fluids. The material, shape, and size of the storage container 10 can be arbitrarily determined.

[0028] The pump 20 is attached to the storage container 10. The pump 20 is the power source for supplying fluid from the storage container 10 to the discharge device 100 via the supply pipe 11. The type of pump 20 is not particularly limited, and any known pump can be used.

[0029] The robot arm 30 moves the dispensing device 100 in any direction and at any speed relative to the object to be coated W, which is fixed on the base 32. The robot arm 30 is, for example, a multi-jointed 6-axis movable robot and holds the dispensing device 100 via a bracket 31. Alternatively, instead of the robot arm 30, the position of the dispensing device 100 may be fixed and the object to be coated W placed on a belt conveyor belt to achieve relative movement between them. In other words, the moving device can be anything that moves the object to be coated W and the nozzle 110 relative to each other.

[0030] Referring to Figure 2, the discharge device 100 includes a nozzle 110 for discharging fluid and a fluidizing device 120 for causing the fluid to flow through the nozzle 110.

[0031] Referring to Figures 3 to 7, the nozzle 110 includes a discharge member 111 having a discharge port 111a for discharging fluid, a plate-shaped cutting member 112 positioned close to the discharge member 111, and a rotating device 113 for rotating the cutting member 112.

[0032] The discharge member 111 is provided at the tip of the discharge device 100. The discharge member 111 has a discharge port 111a that opens at its bottom. Inside the discharge member 111, a flow path F is formed that gradually narrows toward the discharge port 111a. The flow path F communicates with the fluid device 120 and is configured for the passage of fluid. Furthermore, the discharge member 111 may be configured to be detachable from the discharge device 100, and multiple types of discharge members 111 with flow paths F corresponding to fluid devices 120 of various flow path diameters may be interchangeable.

[0033] In this embodiment, the discharge port 111a is a wide slit shape capable of discharging the fluid in a flat, strip-like manner. That is, the discharge port 111a is a slit-shaped opening in Figure 3 where the length (width) in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction) is significantly larger than the length in the depth direction (short direction) in Figure 3. However, the shape of the discharge port 111a is not limited to a slit shape, and may be circular or any other arbitrary shape.

[0034] In this embodiment, the cutting member 112 is, for example, an elastic plate-shaped member made of metal, and has a bent shape that matches the rotation direction of the rotating device 113. Specifically, the cutting member 112 has an arc shape that is aligned with the rotation direction when viewed from the direction in which the rotating shaft member 113c, described later, extends. The outer surface of the discharge member 111 also has the same arc shape as the cutting member 112. Here, "same arc shape" means that the arcs have substantially the same curvature. In the illustrated example, the centers of the arc shapes of the cutting member 112 and the discharge member 111 are positioned to substantially coincide.

[0035] The cutting member 112 is configured to rotate between a first position (see Figure 6) that opens the discharge port 111a and a second position (see Figure 7) that closes the discharge port 111a. The cutting member 112 has a cutting edge 112a for cutting fluids. The cutting edge 112a is sharply formed for cutting fluids. The cutting edge 112a is biased toward the discharge member 111 so as to press against the discharge member 111, and slides relative to the discharge member 111 between the first position (see Figure 6) and the second position (see Figure 7). This biasing is achieved by holding the cutting member 112 with a screw 112b, fixing it in a state where the arc shape of the cutting member 112 is slightly expanded by contact between the discharge member 111 and the cutting edge 112a, and making it function like a leaf spring. However, the biasing structure is not particularly limited, and any structure can be adopted.

[0036] The rotating device 113 rotates the cutting member 112 so as to reciprocate between a first position (see Figure 6) and a second position (see Figure 7) in order to cut the fluid discharged from the discharge port 111a. The rotating device 113 has a motor 113a that serves as the drive source for rotating the cutting member 112. In this embodiment, the motor 113a is a servo motor or a stepping motor. However, other types of motors may be used as the motor 113a.

[0037] Referring to Figure 3, the rotating device 113 has a gear group 113b and a rotating shaft member 113c that transmit the driving force of the motor 113a to the cutting member 112. The rotating shaft member 113c extends horizontally and constitutes the central axis of rotation. That is, the cutting member 112 rotates around this central axis. The rotating shaft member 113c is supported by a bearing 113d and is fastened to a retaining member 113e and a screw 113f that hold the cutting member 112. The retaining member 113e is positioned close to the discharge member 111 and rotates together with the cutting member 112 between a first position (see Figure 6) and a second position (see Figure 7). The amount of rotation may be, for example, about 10° to 45°.

[0038] In this embodiment, the cutting member 112 is configured to move in the thickness direction of the fluid through the rotation described above, thereby cutting the fluid P. That is, the cutting member 112 is configured to move in the thickness direction of the wide discharge port 111a, thereby closing the discharge port 111a (see Figures 6 and 7).

[0039] Referring to Figure 3, the fluidizer 120 causes the fluid to flow through the nozzle 110. The fluidizer 120 is positioned above the nozzle 110 and is fluidically connected to the nozzle 110. In this embodiment, the fluidizer 120 is a so-called single-screw eccentric pump. The single-screw eccentric pump has a male-screw type rotor 121 that rotates eccentrically when powered, and a stator 122 whose inner surface is formed in the shape of a female screw.

[0040] In this embodiment, the fluidizer 120 can not only discharge fluid from the nozzle 110 but also suck fluid from the nozzle 110. Specifically, the fluidizer 120 is configured to flow fluid in a direction that discharges fluid from the nozzle 110 (downward in Figure 3) and in the opposite direction (upward in Figure 3). This is achieved by rotating the rotor 121 of the single-screw eccentric pump in both forward and reverse directions. In addition to the single-screw eccentric pump, positive displacement pumps such as piston pumps and tube pumps that can discharge and suck fluid may be used, or the system may be configured by combining various pumps with valves that have a suction function when closed.

[0041] Referring to Figure 1, the coating apparatus 1 has a control device 40 that performs various controls. In this embodiment, the control device 40 controls the pump 20, the rotating device 113, the fluidizing device 120, and the robot arm 30. In the illustrated example, one control device 40 is schematically shown, but separate control devices 40 may be provided for each of the pump 20, the rotating device 113, the fluidizing device 120, and the robot arm 30.

[0042] The control device 40 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) that works in cooperation with software to realize a predetermined function. The control device 40 may consist of hardware circuits such as dedicated electronic circuits or reconfigurable electronic circuits designed to realize a predetermined function, or it may consist of various semiconductor integrated circuits. Examples of various semiconductor integrated circuits include, in addition to CPUs and MPUs, microcomputers, DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). The control device 40 may also include storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). Specifically, the control device 40 may consist of, for example, a dedicated control panel, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a robot controller capable of external axis control, an information processing device such as a desktop PC, a laptop computer, a workstation, or a tablet terminal, or a printed circuit board with equivalent functionality.

[0043] The control device 40 reads stored data and programs and performs various arithmetic operations to realize predetermined functions. The programs executed by the control device 40 may be provided externally using a communication unit or the like that which communicates according to a predetermined communication standard, or they may be stored on a portable recording medium.

[0044] Refer to Figures 1, 8-11 to explain the flow of applying the fluid P to the object W.

[0045] Referring to Figures 1 and 8, under normal circumstances, the control device 40 controls the pump 20, and the fluid P is sent from the storage container 10 to the discharge device 100. In the discharge device 100, the control device 40 drives the fluidizer 120 to rotate in the forward direction, and the fluid P is discharged from the discharge port 111a. At this time, the cutting member 112 is in a first position that opens the discharge port 111a. Then, the control device 40 controls the robot arm 30, and the nozzle 110 is moved forward in the coating direction (see arrow A1), and the strip-shaped fluid P is applied to the object W to be coated. The movement by the robot arm 30 is performed similarly in Figures 9 to 11.

[0046] Referring to Figures 1 and 9, at the start of cutting, the control device 40 drives the fluidizer 120 in reverse rotation, and the fluid P is drawn in from the discharge port 111a (see arrow A2). At the timing of this suction, the control device 40 controls the rotating device 113, and the cutting member 112 is rotated from the first position to the second position (see arrow A3). Here, the timing of suction includes during and immediately after the suction of the fluid P. Note that Figure 9 shows the cutting member 112 when it is in the first position.

[0047] Referring to Figures 1 and 10, when the cutting member 112 is in the second position, the discharge port 111a is closed and the fluid P is cut. The direction in which the cutting member 112 moves from the first position to the second position is opposite to the direction in which the robot arm 30 moves the nozzle 110 relative to the object to be coated W (see arrow A1) (to the right in the figure, opposite to arrow A1). Note that Figure 10 shows the case when the cutting member 112 is in the second position.

[0048] Referring to Figure 11, after cutting, the control device 40 returns the cutting member 112 to the first position (see arrow A4), and the control device 40 again drives the fluidizer 120 to rotate in the forward direction, causing the fluid P to be discharged from the discharge port 111a. Note that Figure 11 shows the cutting member 112 in the first position.

[0049] Referring to Figure 12, in this embodiment, a flat, ribbon-shaped fluid P is intermittently applied from the discharge port 111a as described above. This intermittent application is performed by controlling the rotating device, the flow device 120, and the robot arm 30 with the control device 40.

[0050] This embodiment provides the following effects and advantages.

[0051] The cutting member 112 rotates from a first position (see Figures 8 and 9) to a second position (see Figure 10), thereby cutting the fluid P discharged from the discharge port 111a and closing the discharge port 111a. At this time, the fluid P is cut outside the discharge port 111a, and the discharge port 111a is closed from the outside, thus suppressing deterioration of coating quality such as stringing of the fluid P inside the discharge member 111. The nozzle 110 can be effectively used, especially when intermittently dispensing high-viscosity fluid P, and can ensure sufficient coating quality.

[0052] Furthermore, since the cutting edge 112a of the cutting member 112 is biased toward the discharge member 111 so as to press against the discharge member 111, the fluid can be cut with virtually no gap between the cutting member 112 and the discharge port 111a (i.e., the discharge member 111), and the fluid P can be cleanly sheared. If there is a gap between the cutting member 112 and the discharge port 111a (i.e., the discharge member 111), the fluid P may twist and deform in the gap, potentially resulting in uneven cut ends of the fluid P, or the fluid may get stuck in the gap, potentially negatively affecting the cutting operation.

[0053] Furthermore, since both the cutting member 112 and the discharge member 111 are arc-shaped, the portion that protrudes outward from the cutting member 112 beyond the rotation radius during rotation is reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of the fluid P immediately after cutting contacting and adhering to the cutting member 112, which could disrupt the coating. In addition, a configuration in which the cutting member 112 rotates (slides) relative to the discharge member 111 can be realized efficiently in a space-saving manner.

[0054] Furthermore, since the rotating device 113 has a servo motor or a stepping motor, it is possible to rotate the cutting member 112 with high torque and high cutting speed, and to cleanly cut the fluid P. In particular, when the fluid P is applied intermittently, it is possible to rapidly repeat the rotation of the cutting member 112 to the second position and its return to the first position.

[0055] Furthermore, since the cutting member 112 is configured to move in the thickness direction of the flat, strip-shaped fluid P to cut the fluid P, stringing can be suppressed even for flat, strip-shaped fluid P that is prone to stringing, and sufficient coating quality can be ensured.

[0056] Furthermore, the coating device 1 using the nozzle 110 can apply the fluid P to the object W at the desired position and in the desired amount while ensuring sufficient coating quality. For example, intermittent application of the fluid P can be easily achieved.

[0057] Furthermore, since the cutting member 112 is rotated at the same time as the fluid P is sucked in, the fluid P can be easily cut.

[0058] Furthermore, since the cutting member 112 is located on the pre-coating side (uncoated position) when it returns from the second position (see Figure 10) to the first position (see Figure 11) after cutting, it is possible to avoid the fluid P immediately after cutting coming into contact with and adhering to the cutting member 112. Specifically, in Figure 11, it can be confirmed that there is no fluid P applied below the cutting member 112, and therefore there is no risk of contact.

[0059] Referring to Figure 13, the shape of the cutting member 112 may have a bent shape instead of an arc shape. This bent shape constitutes a bend that matches the rotation direction of the rotating device 113. In the illustrated example, the cutting member 112 has a roughly L-shaped form with two bent portions 112c and 112d. Figure 13 shows the cutting member 112 in the second position, and the cutting member 112 can rotate in the direction of arrow A5 to move to the first position.

[0060] Referring to Figure 14, the cutting member 112 may be provided with a cutting hole H. The hole edge 112e defining the hole H functions as the cutting edge. Figure 14 shows the cutting member 112 in a first position, and the cutting member 112 can rotate in the direction of arrow A6 to move to a second position.

[0061] Although specific embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Coating device 10 Storage containers 11 Supply pipe 20 pumps 30. Robot arm (mobility device) 31 Brackets 32 units 40 Control device 100 Discharge device 110 nozzles 111 Discharge member 111a Discharge port 112 Cutting member 112a Cutting edge 112b screw 112c,112d Bend part 112e Hole edge (cutting edge) 113 Rotating device 113a motor 113b Gear group 113c Rotary shaft member 113d bearing 113e Retaining member 113f screw 120 Flow apparatus 121 Rotor 122 stata

Claims

1. A discharge member having a discharge port for discharging fluid, A plate-shaped cutting member is positioned close to the discharge member and is rotatable between a first position that opens the discharge port and a second position that closes the discharge port. A rotating device that rotates the cutting member between the first position and the second position so as to cut the fluid discharged from the discharge port across the discharge direction, Equipped with, The rotation axis of the aforementioned rotation is a nozzle that extends on a horizontal plane.

2. The cutting member has a cutting edge for cutting the fluid, The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is biased toward the discharge member so as to be pressed against the discharge member, and is configured to slide relative to the discharge member between the first position and the second position.

3. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the cutting member has a bent shape that matches the rotation direction of the rotating device.

4. The nozzle according to claim 3, wherein the cutting member has an arc shape along the rotation direction of the rotating device.

5. The nozzle according to claim 4, wherein the outer surface of the discharge member has the same arc shape as the cutting member.

6. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the rotating device has a servo motor or a stepping motor.

7. The discharge port has a wide slit shape that allows the fluid to be discharged in a flat, strip-like shape. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the cutting member is configured to move in the thickness direction of the fluid to cut the fluid.

8. The nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A fluidizing device that causes the fluid to flow so as to pass through the nozzle, A device for moving the object to be coated with the aforementioned fluid and the nozzle relative to it, A control device that controls the rotating device, the flow device, and the moving device. A coating apparatus equipped with the following features.

9. The fluidizing device is configured to be able to flow the fluid in the opposite direction to the direction in which the fluid is discharged from the nozzle, so as to suck the fluid from the nozzle. The coating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control device controls the rotating device to rotate the cutting member from the first position to the second position at the timing of the suction.

10. The coating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the direction in which the cutting member moves from the first position to the second position is opposite to the direction in which the moving device moves the nozzle relative to the object to be coated.

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