Wheel Rim Coating Cabin With Mobile Guns for Higher Throughput

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing coating booths for rotationally symmetrical workpieces, particularly vehicle rims, face limitations in flexibility, productivity, and economy due to inefficient conveyor systems and the need for large installation spaces, leading to suboptimal throughput and coating quality.

Innovation Solution

A coating booth with a conveyor system below the booth floor, featuring multiple gun systems with synchronized and asynchronous axes, a robot arm system, and controlled airflow, along with a coating material supply system that uses fresh and recycled materials, to enhance flexibility and productivity while maintaining high-quality coating.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the forklift is continuously moved past the stationary spray guns during coating, then the coating process can proceed without stopping, but the forklift must travel extremely slowly to ensure sufficient coating powder application

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating throughputVSAvoidforklift travel speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of moving the forklift past stationary spray guns, the invention inverts the approach by making the spray guns movable and positioning them on the forklift to follow the workpiece. This allows the forklift to travel at normal conveying speeds while the spray guns actively track and coat the workpiece surface, resolving the contradiction between continuous operation and sufficient coating application.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The spray guns are designed with movable mounting arrangements that allow them to dynamically adjust their position and orientation relative to the workpiece during conveying. This dynamic positioning enables the spray guns to maintain optimal coating angles and distances throughout the conveying process, allowing faster forklift speeds while ensuring adequate coating coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If multiple spray stations are used to increase coating throughput, then more vehicle rims can be coated per unit time, but the installation space requirement increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating throughputVSAvoidinstallation space
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges multiple coating functions into a single mobile spray station. By equipping the forklift with multiple spray guns that can be positioned at different locations, the system combines what would traditionally require multiple separate spray stations into one integrated unit, increasing throughput without proportionally increasing installation space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile spray station on the forklift serves multiple coating functions simultaneously - it can coat different areas of the workpiece (face surface, reverse side, flanges) using different spray guns. This multi-functional capability replaces the need for multiple dedicated spray stations, each designed for specific coating tasks, thereby reducing overall space requirements while maintaining high productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enables flexible, automated, and efficient coating of rotationally symmetrical workpieces with improved throughput and economy, ensuring high-quality coating results by optimizing conveyor speed, gun positioning, and material use.

Implementation Method 1

at least one air blowing device is provided for preferably pulsed blowing of an airflow along the ramp-shaped partial area 18 of the cabin floor 3 in the direction of extraction channels 19 provided in the cabin floor 3

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAirflow: Convection

Implementation Method 2

The coating booth according to the invention also has an applicator system for spraying coating material as needed in the coating booth 1

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpray coating: Aerosol

Data Source

PatentEP4132727B1Coating cabin for coating vehicle wheel rims
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 GEMA SWITZERLAND GMBH
  • EP4132727B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4132727B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4132727B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~4b

AI summary

The invention relates to a coating cabin (1) for coating vehicle wheel rims, wherein the coating cabin (1) has a coating chamber and a conveying device (6) for transporting the workpieces (2) for coating through the coating chamber. According to the invention, an applicator system is furthermore provided for spraying coating material as required in the coating chamber, wherein the applicator system has a first pistol system (8) for spraying coating material as required onto a first region (11) of the workpieces (2) for coating, a second pistol system (9) for spraying coating material as required onto a second region (12) of the workpieces (2) for coating, and a third pistol system (10) for spraying coating material as required onto a third region (13) of the workpieces (2) for coating.