阅读说明：本技术 用于将遮蔽材料施加至基材的系统 (System for applying masking material to a substrate ) 是由 艾伦·赫德 阿尔贝特·科奇斯 古斯塔夫·弗洛里安 于 2018-02-16 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种用于将遮蔽材料(110)施加至基材(104)的系统(100),该系统包括：原料供给装置(108),其用于将一定量的遮蔽材料输送到基材；废物存放装置(112),其用于接收从基材去除的遮蔽材料；喷涂喷嘴(106),其能够相对于基材移动；以及控制器(116),其用于控制喷嘴(106)相对于基材(104)的移动以及从原料供给装置(108)输送的遮蔽材料(110)的输送速度,其中,喷涂喷嘴(106)相对于基材(104)的移动速度基本上等于从原料供给装置(108)输送的遮蔽材料(110)的输送速度。(The invention provides a system (100) for applying a masking material (110) to a substrate (104), the system comprising: a raw material supply device (108) for delivering a certain amount of masking material to the base material; a waste storage device (112) for receiving the masking material removed from the substrate; a spray nozzle (106) movable relative to the substrate; and a controller (116) for controlling the movement of the nozzle (106) relative to the base material (104) and the delivery rate of the masking material (110) delivered from the raw material supply device (108), wherein the movement rate of the spray nozzle (106) relative to the base material (104) is substantially equal to the delivery rate of the masking material (110) delivered from the raw material supply device (108).)

1. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate, the system comprising:

A raw material supply device for delivering a certain amount of the masking material to the base material;

A waste storage device for receiving the masking material removed from the substrate;

A spray nozzle movable relative to the substrate; and

A controller for controlling movement of the spray nozzle relative to the base material and a conveying speed of the masking material conveyed from the raw material supply device,

Wherein a moving speed of the spray nozzle relative to the base material is substantially equal to a conveying speed of the masking material conveyed from the raw material supply device.

2. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate, the system further comprising:

a spray unit at least partially defined by the feedstock supply, the waste storage, and the spray nozzle,

wherein the spray unit is controlled by the controller to be movable as a single unit relative to the substrate.

3. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said stock supply comprises a roller.

4. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the waste storage means comprises a roller.

5. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising:

Guide means for facilitating the transfer of the masking material from the raw material supply means to the waste storage means.

6. The system for applying masking material to a substrate of claim 5 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of rollers spaced apart to contact both sides of said masking material.

7. the system for applying masking material to a substrate of claim 6 wherein said pair of rollers are biased in an engaged position to contact said masking material and are movable away from said engaged position to facilitate loading of said masking material.

8. A system for applying masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein said guide means comprises at least two pairs of rollers, a first pair of rollers being arranged between said stock supply and said spray nozzle and a second pair of rollers being arranged between said spray nozzle and said waste storage means.

9. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one roller of said pair of rollers is driven by a motor.

10. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate, the system comprising:

a raw material supply device for supplying a continuous loop of masking material to a base material;

A spray nozzle movable relative to the substrate and for applying a coating medium to the substrate; and

A cleaning device arranged to clean excess coating medium from the masking material.

11. the system for applying a masking material to a substrate of claim 10 wherein a speed of movement of said spray nozzle relative to said substrate and a speed of delivery of said masking material are controlled by a controller, said speed of movement of said spray nozzle configured to be substantially equal to said speed of delivery of said masking material delivered from said feedstock supply.

12. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to claim 11, further comprising:

a spray unit at least partially defined by the feedstock supply, the waste storage, and the spray nozzle,

wherein the spray unit is controlled by the controller to be movable as a single unit relative to the substrate.

13. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 12, the system further comprising:

A guide device for assisting the delivery of the masking material to the substrate.

14. The system for applying masking material to a substrate of claim 13 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of rollers spaced apart to contact both sides of said masking material.

15. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate as claimed in claim 14, wherein said pair of rollers are driven by a motor.

16. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 15, the system further comprising:

An angle adjusting device for changing an angle of the raw material supply device with respect to the base material.

17. the system for applying a masking material to a substrate as claimed in claim 16, wherein said angle adjustment means comprises a motor.

18. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 17 wherein said continuous loop of masking material is formed from a plastics or metal material.

19. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 18 wherein said cleaning means comprises a reservoir and one or more wiper blades.

20. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate of claim 19 wherein said cleaning device further comprises a drain for removing coating material from said reservoir.

21. The system for applying masking material to a substrate of claim 20 wherein said vent includes a valve having a closed position in which coating material cannot exit said reservoir and an open position in which coating material can exit said reservoir through said vent.

22. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 21 wherein said stock supply comprises two rollers, each roller driving a respective continuous loop of masking material, each continuous loop of masking material being configured to be applied to the substrate on a respective one of opposite sides of the spray nozzle.

23. a system for applying masking material to a substrate according to any one of claims 10 to 21 wherein the stock supply comprises a roller configured to receive two separate continuous loops of masking material spaced apart to define a gap therebetween in use, the spray nozzle being positioned within the gap.

24. the system for applying masking material to a substrate of any of claims 10 to 23, wherein said feedstock supply is configured to deliver said continuous loop of masking material to be spaced a distance y from said substrate.

25. The system for applying a masking material to a substrate as claimed in claim 24, wherein the distance of said feedstock supply from said substrate is adjustable.

26. A system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to claim 21, wherein said cleaning device comprises a level sensor for detecting the level of coating medium within said reservoir, and said valve is controllable by said controller such that when said level sensor detects that the level of coating medium within said reservoir has reached a predetermined level, said valve is moved to said open position to allow coating medium within said reservoir to drain from said reservoir.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a system for applying masking material to a substrate, particularly but not exclusively for paint or printing based applications.

Background

Many everyday items, such as automobile body panels, household appliances and children's toys, are painted or printed by paint-based systems. A typical spray-based system includes a nozzle that is engageable with a reservoir containing a coating medium. A pump is used to drive the coating medium from the reservoir along the conduit to the nozzle where the coating is applied to the substrate. In most modern spray printing systems, the position of the nozzles is precisely controlled by a computer-based control system. The position of the nozzle can be adjusted by x, y, z coordinates and is typically accurate to within very tight tolerances.

The coating medium in the reservoir is configured according to the application. In applications where a smooth edge is desired, the spatial configuration of the coating media is such that the finish is uniform. This is advantageous in most applications, but in the case where a sharp (sharp) edge finish is required, the quality of the finish may be reduced. To produce such a clear edge finish, masking tape is typically applied to the substrate. The substrate is then painted with masking tape. When the masking tape is removed, a clear edge finish is left on the substrate. This simple method has been used for many years, but has some drawbacks, including: excess use of coating, contamination of the masking tape by coating, environmental problems, potential damage to the coating finish when removing the masking tape, and the cost of supplying the masking tape and the labor required to apply and remove the masking tape after painting. In particular, since the used masking tape is contaminated with paint, it cannot be reused, and it has to be discarded into a general landfill due to the contamination of paint. The used masking tape cannot be recycled.

The present invention seeks to solve the aforementioned problems.

Disclosure of Invention

according to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for applying masking material to a substrate, the system comprising: a raw material supply device for delivering a certain amount of the masking material to the base material; a waste storage device for receiving the masking material removed from the substrate; a spray nozzle movable relative to the substrate; and a controller for controlling movement of the spray nozzle relative to the base material and a conveyance speed of the shielding material conveyed from the raw material supply device, wherein the movement speed of the spray nozzle relative to the base material is substantially equal to the conveyance speed of the shielding material conveyed from the raw material supply device.

The described system eliminates the need for manual preparation of the substrate prior to painting, thereby saving significant time and expense. Furthermore, since the masking material is sent directly to the waste storage device during the painting process and is then discarded at the end of the printing operation, local environmental pollution is reduced. Damage to the coating is also minimized because masking material is removed from the substrate prior to drying of the coating during the printing operation. Once a roll of masking material is installed in the stock supply, the masking operation is automated until the roll of masking material is exhausted. At this point, the user simply discards the masking material into the waste storage device and installs a new roll of masking material. This configuration enables the masking system to perform multiple printing operations between installation of new rolls of masking material.

The feedstock supply, the waste storage device and the nozzle may define a spray unit that is movable as a single unit.

Advantageously, the movement of the stock supply, waste storage and roller as a single unit makes it easy to align the masking material with the spray nozzles in a painting operation.

The material supply means may be in the form of a roller. The waste storage means may be in the form of rollers.

The use of rollers for the material supply and waste storage ensures that the speed of the masking material as it leaves the material supply is equal to the speed of the masking material as it reaches the waste storage. Due to the simple mechanical construction, the risk of mechanical failure of the raw material supply or waste storage is minimized.

The system may further comprise guide means for guiding the masking material between the raw material supply means and the waste storage means.

The use of the guide means ensures that the masking material is applied to the substrate in the desired manner without twisting or wrinkling.

The guide means may be in the form of a pair of rollers between which the masking material passes.

The masking material may be a paper or plastic based material.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for applying masking material to a substrate, the system comprising: a raw material supply device for supplying a continuous loop of masking material to a base material; a spray nozzle movable relative to the substrate and for applying a coating medium to the substrate; and a cleaning device arranged to clean excess coating medium from the masking material.

The use of a continuous loop of masking material passing through the cleaning device has a significant positive impact on the environment by eliminating the need to use a non-recyclable paper-based masking material contaminated with paint. Passing the continuous loop of masking material through the cleaning device enables the paint media to be removed from the masking material so that the masking material is suitable for long term use without replacement.

The speed of movement of the nozzle relative to the substrate may be equal to the speed of delivery of the masking material to the substrate.

The system may further comprise a guide device for assisting in the delivery of the masking material to the substrate.

The provision of the guide means advantageously ensures that the masking material is applied to the substrate in the desired manner without twisting or wrinkling.

The guide means may comprise pairs of rollers spaced apart to contact both sides of the masking material.

the pair of rollers may be driven by a motor.

The use of a motor to drive the roller enables the system to urge the masking material against the substrate, deforming the masking material and more efficiently masking the surface and preventing paint media from entering beneath the masking material. In combination with the spring-like properties of the screening material, the motor provides the following effects: by urging the masking material against the substrate by a motor, geometric errors can be eliminated.

The system may further comprise an angle adjustment device for changing the angle of the raw material supply device with respect to the substrate.

The use of the angle adjustment means provides the following effects: the masking material may be applied to the substrate in any orientation relative to the path of the nozzle.

The angle adjustment device may be configured to adjust an angle of the masking material such that the masking material is always applied to the substrate along a traveling direction of the nozzle.

In order to shield the substrate in the bending direction during painting, the angle adjustment device may be configured such that the shielding material is always applied to the substrate in the traveling direction of the nozzle. This also provides the further benefit that a higher quality paint finish can be obtained in the region of the substrate where the nozzle follows a curved path.

The angle adjustment means may comprise a motor.

The use of a motor enables the angle adjustment means to respond quickly and to cooperate with changes in the direction of travel of the nozzle.

the continuous loop of masking material may be formed of a plastic or metal material.

The use of plastic or metal material enables the masking material to be cleaned without significant risk of damage to the masking material. Elastomeric materials are important and therefore suitable for long term use without replacement.

the cleaning device may include a reservoir and one or more scraping blades.

The reservoir is provided so that the collected coating media can be stored for disposal or later re-use, or the collected coating media can be re-used during the current printing operation. The use of a wiper blade can efficiently remove the wet coating media from the masking material and accumulate the removed coating media into the reservoir.

the drain may include a drain for removing the coating medium from the reservoir.

The provision of a drain enables paint within the reservoir to be easily removed from the reservoir and discarded or fed back into the main print media source.

The vent may include a valve having a closed position in which coating material cannot exit the reservoir and an open position in which coating material can exit the reservoir through the vent.

Providing a valve enables a user to manually select when the coating medium within the reservoir should be removed from the reservoir.

The reservoir may comprise a level sensor for detecting a level of coating medium within the reservoir, and the valve may be controlled by the controller such that when the level sensor detects that the level of coating medium within the reservoir has reached a predetermined level, the valve is moved to an open position to allow coating medium within the reservoir to be discharged from the reservoir.

The system may further comprise height adjustment means for adjusting the position of the continuous loop of masking material relative to the substrate in the y-dimension.

In some applications it may be advantageous for the masking material to be spaced apart from the substrate to be painted, i.e. the masking material defines a non-contact mask. This is especially true when the finished edge does not require definition, such as when painting the interior surface of the pattern.

the system may comprise two rings of continuous masking material, wherein the two rings are positioned on respective sides of opposite sides of the nozzle.

The arrangement of the two annular masking materials enables the paint spraying system to accurately and efficiently spray paint onto a substrate in a straight line or other narrow feature.

Two endless continuous masking materials may be fed from a common raw material supply.

Each endless continuous masking material may be delivered by a respective stock supply.

Drawings

The present invention will now be described by reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art method of spraying a coating onto a substrate;

Figure 2 shows a system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to a first aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a system for applying a masking material to a substrate according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a variation of the system of FIG. 3, including an angle setting motor to enable the system to be used with curved surfaces;

FIG. 5 shows another variation of the system of FIG. 3, which has the masking material out of contact with the substrate;

fig. 6 shows a further variant of the system of fig. 3, which is arranged on both sides of the nozzle.

Detailed Description

A prior art paint spray system 10 is shown in fig. 1. The nozzle 12 is arranged such that it is spaced apart from the substrate 14 to be painted. Masking material 16 is applied to substrate 14 so that when the coating is applied, a clear edge finish can be formed. After the painting process is complete, the masking material 16 is removed from the substrate. The masking material 16 is discarded into a general landfill due to contamination with paint, thus preventing recycling.

A first aspect 100 of the present invention is shown in fig. 2. The spraying unit 102 is arranged such that it is spaced apart from the substrate 104 to be painted. The spray unit comprises a nozzle 106, a raw material supply 108 for dispensing a masking material 110, a waste storage 112 for receiving used masking material 110, and a guide 114 for guiding the masking material 110 between the raw material supply and the waste storage 112.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the raw material supply 108 and waste storage 112 are shown as rollers. Masking material 110 is supplied from stock supply 108 and applied to the substrate immediately prior to painting. After painting, masking material 110 is removed from substrate 104 and stored in or on waste disposal device 112. One or both of the rollers of the material supply 108 and the rollers of the waste storage 112 are driven by motors.

the spray unit 102 is controlled by a controller 116, the controller 116 being operable to control the linear movement of the spray unit 102 and the transfer of the masking material 110 from the raw material supply 108 to the waste storage 112. To facilitate efficient operation of the spray unit 102, the controller 116 is configured such that the conveyance speed V1 of the masking material 110 from the source material supply 108 to the waste storage 112 is equal to the travel speed V2 of the spray unit 102 relative to the substrate 104. Because one or both of the rollers of the raw material supply 108 and the rollers of the waste storage device 112 may be controlled by a motor, the speed of the motor may be appropriately controlled.

a second aspect 200 of the invention is shown in fig. 3. The spray unit 202 includes a nozzle 203 and a roller 204, and a continuous loop of masking material 206 is positioned around the roller 204. Masking material 206 is tensioned by one or more guides 208. The cleaning cartridge 210 is disposed in contact with the masking material 206. The cleaning cartridge 210 includes a wiper 212, the wiper 212 for wiping the coating media from the masking material 206. The coating media is collected in a reservoir 214, which reservoir 214 is part of the cleaning cartridge 210, or is external to the cleaning cartridge 210. Reservoir 216 includes a drain 220 to enable the coating medium within reservoir 214 to be drained. The vent 220 includes a valve 222 having an open position in which coating material cannot be vented from the reservoir 214 and an open position in which coating material can be vented from the reservoir 214 through the vent 220.

To tension the continuous loop of screening material, a second roller (not shown) may be provided in-line with the first roller 204. The first roller 204 and the second roller (if present) are both offset relative to the nozzle 206.

The spray unit 202 is controlled by a controller 216, which controller 216 is operable to control the movement of the spray unit 202 relative to the substrate 218 and the movement of the continuous loop of masking material 206 around the loop-shaped path. To assist in the efficient operation of the spray unit 202, the controller is configured such that the velocity V1 of movement of the masking material 206 about the path is equal to the linear movement (velocity) V2 of the spray unit 202.

In use, the continuous loop of masking material 206 is positioned against or adjacent the substrate 218 to be painted. As the spray unit 202 moves relative to the substrate 218, the masking material 206 moves around a predetermined path. The masking material prevents the coating medium from being applied to specific areas of the substrate 218.

Fig. 4 shows the spray unit 202, the spray unit 202 further including an angle setting motor 224. The angle setting motor 224 enables axial rotation about the y-axis, so that the angle of the first roller 204 can be adjusted. In one embodiment, the angle of the first roller 204 is controlled by the controller 216 such that the angle setting motor 224 is instructed to adjust the angle of the first roller 204 according to the change in the direction of travel of the nozzle 203.

Fig. 5 illustrates a spray unit 202, the spray unit 202 being configured such that the masking material 206 does not contact the substrate 218 during use. In this example, masking material 206 is offset a distance x relative to substrate 218. The first roller 204 is adjustable such that the distance of the first roller 204 relative to the substrate 218 is adjustable in height.

fig. 6 shows a spray unit 202, which spray unit 202 enables two continuous loops of masking material 206 to be applied against or near a substrate 218. This may be achieved by a roller design that is capable of receiving two annular masking materials 206, or by providing two sets of rollers each set of rollers receiving a respective annular masking material 206. Each continuous loop of masking material 206 is delivered to substrate 218 such that nozzle 203 is positioned between two continuous loops of masking material 206 (respectively) located on opposite sides of nozzle 203.

The foregoing description is intended to describe embodiments of the present invention and is provided by way of example only.