Pivoting Holder for Vehicle Body Immersion Wetting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing conveyor systems for treating objects, such as car bodies, face challenges in ensuring complete wetting and drainage due to limited mobility, leading to air entrapment and increased contamination, which affects coating quality and increases costs.

Innovation Solution

A device that allows for simultaneous translation, rotation around a rotary shaft, and pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the rotary shaft, enabling efficient air removal and drainage while minimizing the presence of conveyor technology within the treatment liquid, thus preventing contamination and optimizing space.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the workpiece is conveyed using a rotary shaft system with limited mobility, then the device structure is simple, but air cannot escape from the workpiece preventing complete wetting by treatment liquid

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveyor structureVSAvoidwetting quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The holder is designed to perform multiple dynamic movements: rotation around the rotary shaft for immersion/extraction, and pivoting about a perpendicular axis for air escape and complete wetting. This dynamic capability allows the workpiece to change orientation and position relative to the treatment liquid, enabling air bubbles to escape and ensuring complete surface wetting while maintaining a relatively simple overall conveyor structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Manufacturing precision

If nozzles are installed in treatment tanks to displace enclosed air, then complete wetting can be achieved, but the system becomes complex and requires repositioning when workpiece shape changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewetting qualityVSAvoidtreatment tank system
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The air escape function is extracted from the treatment tank system and transferred to the conveyor mechanism itself. By equipping the holder with pivoting capability, the air escape function is built into the conveying process, eliminating the need for complex nozzle systems in the treatment tanks that would require repositioning when workpiece shapes change.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Device complexity

If the workpiece is conveyed with restricted mobility, then the conveyor system is simple, but the workpiece cannot drain completely after immersion bath

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveyor systemVSAvoiddrainage efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The holder's pivoting capability about an axis perpendicular to the rotary shaft enables the workpiece to be tilted at various angles during and after immersion. This dynamic tilting allows gravity to assist drainage, ensuring complete drainage after the immersion bath while maintaining a simple conveyor system structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Quantity of substance

If conveyor technology is arranged above the workpiece, then the treatment liquid volume can be reduced, but contamination of treatment liquid from moving parts occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment liquid volumeVSAvoidliquid contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful moving parts of the conveyor system (rotary shaft and holder mechanisms) are extracted from the treatment liquid environment and positioned above or outside the treatment tanks. Only the workpiece passes through the treatment liquid, while the conveyor mechanisms operate in a contamination-free zone, preventing lubricant and wear particle contamination of the treatment liquid.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

5Manufacturing precision

If the treatment tank is enlarged to accommodate pivoting motion, then complete wetting can be achieved, but more treatment liquid is required increasing costs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewetting qualityVSAvoidtreatment liquid volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The holder performs pivoting motion about an axis perpendicular to the transport direction, allowing the workpiece to be tilted within a compact space. This dynamic motion enables complete wetting of the workpiece surface without requiring significant enlargement of the treatment tank volume, thus minimizing the amount of treatment liquid needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2556004B1Device for conveying an object to be treated
Publication Date: 2014.12.03 FEHBERGER ALEX
  • EP2556004B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2556004B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2556004B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a device (1) for conveying an object to be treated, in particular a vehicle body, along a treatment segment, comprising at least one transport carriage (3), which can be moved in a transport direction (R) along the treatment segment, a rotary shaft (4), which is or can be oriented approximately perpendicularly to the transport direction (R) and at least approximately horizontally and which is supported in the area of one end on the at least one transport carriage (3) so that the rotary shaft can be rotated about an axis of the rotary shaft (4), and a retainer (6) for the object to be treated, which retainer is connected indirectly or directly to the rotary shaft (4). In order to be able to remove the air from the vehicle body as efficiently as possible in an immersion bath and thereby achieve complete wetting of the vehicle body with a treatment liquid, the retainer (6) is pivotably supported about an axis (X), wherein the axis (X) is oriented at least approximately perpendicularly to the rotary shaft (4). The invention further relates to the use of such a device (1) to clean and dip-paint vehicle bodies.