Painting robot

A painting robot configured to discharge paint towards a painting object from a plurality of nozzles to perform painting, comprising:

• a nozzle head comprising:
• a paint supply side flow path,
• at least one column-direction supply flow path fluidly connected to the paint supply side flow path,
• at least one column-direction exhaust flow path, and
• a paint exhaust side flow path fluidly connected to the at least one column-direction exhaust flow path,
• wherein the plurality of nozzles is fluidly connected between the at least one column-direction supply flow path and the at least one column-direction exhaust flow path, the nozzle head discharging the paint from each of the plurality of nozzles by driving of a piezoelectric substrate, the paint not discharged from the plurality of nozzles configured to converge into the paint exhaust side flow path from the at least one column-direction exhaust flow path;
• a paint supply path fluidly connected to the paint supply side flow path upstream of the nozzle head;
• a return flow path fluidly connected to the paint exhaust side flow path downstream of the nozzle head, the return flow path configured to recover the paint from the paint exhaust side flow path not discharged from the plurality of nozzles;
• a first filter provided in an intermediate portion of the paint supply path and configured to remove foreign matter in the paint;
• a second filter provided on a downstream side of the paint supply path compared to the first filter and configured to separate dissolved gas from the paint;
• a bypass flow path fluidly connected to the intermediate portion of the paint supply path upstream of the nozzle head and to an intermediate portion of the return flow path downstream of the nozzle head such that the bypass flow path is connected in parallel with the nozzle head, the bypass flow path configured to circulate the paint in parallel with the nozzle head such that the paint bypasses the paint supply side flow path and the paint exhaust side flow path of the nozzle head;
• a three-way valve connected to the intermediate portion of the paint supply path upstream of the nozzle head and connected to the bypass flow path,
• wherein, when in a first state during painting, the paint from the paint supply path is directed to the nozzle head through the three-way valve,
• wherein, when in a second state when painting is not being performed, the paint from the paint supply path is directed to the bypass flow path to circulate the paint in parallel with the nozzle head;
• wherein an on-off valve is provided in the bypass flow path, wherein the on-off valve opens and closes under control of a control unit, and wherein, when the paint is not discharged from the nozzle head, the control unit opens the on-off valve and circulates the paint to the bypass flow path;
• and
• wherein the return flow path is connected to at least a location on an upstream side of the second filter of the paint supply path;
• wherein the paint which has circulated through the bypass flow path is again supplied to the paint supply path via the return flow path, so that the paint passes through at least the second filter again.