US 2019/0337004 A1Published application

Robotic electrostatic painting apparatus

AssigneeFanuc America Corporation

InventorsScott J. Clifford, Douglas B. Waineo

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A next generation painting robot with advanced fluid delivery system, enhanced kinematics and a service airlock compartment. The painting robot includes a fluid delivery system which places color changing valves and pumping hardware on the back side of the robot's mounting pedestal, where it can be serviced without a technician having to enter the spray booth. The fluid delivery system also allows smaller and lighter robot arms, and is designed to minimize paint waste and wait time during color changes. This is accomplished by an arrangement of shut off valves and pumps, including a pump for paint and a high-efficiency pump for low viscosity solvent, operating in a sequence to push paint through a minimal-length supply line to the applicator, using almost all of this paint for painting the part, before returning to a cleaning stand and expelling the remaining paint and solvent in the supply line.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An automatic coating system having at least one robot performing a coating process on a part conveyed through a painting cabin, said system comprising:

a painting robot with at least five degrees of freedom, said robot having a robot base rotatable about a mounting stand at a first rotational joint, an inner arm rotatable about the robot base, an outer arm rotatable about the inner arm, and a robot wrist attached to a free end of the outer arm;
and
a fluid delivery circuit including a first coating liquid fluidly connected to a first shutoff valve, a first supply line fluidly connected to said first shutoff valve, a first pumping device fluidly connected to said first supply line, a second supply line fluidly connecting said first pumping device to a coating applicator mounted to said robot wrist, and a second pumping device fluidly connected via a second shutoff valve to the first or second supply line,
wherein the first shutoff valve, the first supply line and the first and second pumping devices are proximally mounted in a stationary manner independent of movement of the robot where they can be serviced from a protected area outside of the painting cabin while parts continue to be painted by other robots within the painting cabin,
and wherein a push-out fluid is introduced by the second pumping device to expel remaining coating liquid through the second supply line to the coating applicator.

2 more elements

A method for servicing a painting robot system, said method comprising:

providing a painting robot having a robot base rotatable about a mounting stand at a first rotational joint, where the mounting stand has a first side facing into a paint spray booth and a second side facing into an operator aisle, said robot also having inner and outer arms connecting a robot wrist to the robot base, said robot further including a fluid delivery circuit including a color changer device fluidly coupled to a first pumping device via a first supply line, a second pumping device fluidly connected via a shutoff valve to the first supply line or a second supply line, and a wrist-mounted coating applicator fluidly coupled to the pumping device by the second supply line, wherein the color changer device, the first pumping device and the second pumping device are located on the second side of the mounting stand;
determining that a component of the color changer device, the first pumping device or the second pumping device requires service or replacement;
placing the painting robot in a standby mode, where the painting robot discontinues painting and returns the coating applicator to a home position, and other robots in the paint spray booth continue painting including the other robots assuming responsibilities of the painting robot which is in standby mode;
repairing or replacing the color changer device or the pumping device by an operator located in the operator aisle;
and
placing the painting robot in a normal mode and resuming painting operations by the painting robot.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/403,273Filed 3 May 2019
Priority: 3 May 2018
Published: 7 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification21 codes

B05B 13/0431
The spray heads being moved during spraying operation: with spray heads moved by robots or articulated arms, e.g. for applying liquid or other…
B05B 3/1014
Characterised by the rotating member: with a spraying edge, e.g. like a cup or a bell
B05B 5/03
Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns: characterised by the use of gas , e.g. electrostatically assisted pneumatic spraying
B05B 9/0423
With pumps for liquids or other fluent material: for supplying liquid or other fluent material to several spraying apparatus