Coating apparatus – Solid applicator contacting work – Pads or absorbent or porous applicators
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-02
2001-04-17
Lamb, Brenda A. (Department: 1734)
Coating apparatus
Solid applicator contacting work
Pads or absorbent or porous applicators
C118S602000, C118S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217653
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a primer on an outer surface of a work having rod shape.
2. Related Art Statement
Generally, in the case of manufacturing for example a polymer insulator, a primer (under-coating member such as adhesives) is applied on an outer surface of an FRP core having a rod shape as a work, and then a shed made of for example silicone rubber is molded thereon. In this method, an operation for applying the primer on the outer surface of the FRP core is performed such that, an operator moves gauze in which the primer is immersed on the outer surface of the FRP core in a longitudinal direction under a contact manner, while he rotates the FRP core every 120°. Moreover, in this primer applying operation, if it is necessary to provide a portion, to which the primer is not applied, at both ends of the outer surface of the FRP core which are connected with a metal flange, a masking tape is adhered to the portion to which the primer is not applied, and then the primer applying operation is performed.
However, in the known primer applying method mentioned above, since the operator applies the primer manually, the primer applying operation takes a lot of time and also it is difficult to apply the primer uniformly on the outer surface of the work. Moreover, in the case of providing the portion to which no primer is applied, it also takes a lot of time since the masking tape adhering and removing operations are troublesome.
In order to solve these problems of the known primer applying method, the present application proposed an apparatus and method of applying a coating member in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-24317 (JP-A-9-24317).
FIG. 4
is a schematic view showing one embodiment of the apparatus mentioned above. In
FIG. 4
, an accommodating chamber
51
is provided on a supporting plate
53
through a receiving member
52
, and is divided into a lower chamber
51
a
and an upper chamber
51
b.
The lower chamber
51
a
is fixed on the supporting plate
53
and the upper chamber
51
b
is provided detachably on the lower chamber
51
a.
A primer inlet
55
to which a primer supply pipe
54
is connected is provided on a top portion of the upper chamber
51
b.
An overflow hole
56
for overflowing the primer is provided at a side wall of the lower chamber
51
a.
Moreover, an elastic member
57
made of sponge in which bubbles are communicated with each other is divided into a lower elastic member
57
a
and an upper elastic muter
57
b
along a partition line from a communication hole
58
. The lower elastic member
57
a
is accommodated exchangeablly in the lower chamber
51
a
and the upper elastic member
57
b
is accommodated exchangeablly in the upper chamber
51
b.
Supporting members
59
are made of an elastic material such as rubber whose hardness is larger than that of the sponge mentioned above. The elastic member
57
is sandwiched by the supporting members
59
toward a moving direction of a work
60
. Through holes
61
having a taper shape communicated with the communication hole
58
are formed respectively at centers of the supporting members
59
. Each supporting member
59
is divided into a lower supporting member
59
a
and an upper supporting member
59
b
along a partition line from the through hole
61
.
In the apparatus for applying a primer mentioned above, the primer is supplied continuously into the accommodating chamber
51
through the primer supply pipe
54
and the primer inlet
55
, and is discharged from the overflow hole
56
. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the elastic member
57
always at a moist state by the primer. If the work
60
is rotated and moved along a longitudinal direction under such a condition, it is possible to automatically apply the primer on a predetermined portion of the work
60
.
However, in the apparatus for applying a primer shown in
FIG. 4
, the present applicant found that the following problems occur.
(1) Special shape is required for the elastic member (sponge) for applying the primer, and thus a forming operation of the elastic member requires a lot of working steps.
(2) Every time a diameter of the work is changed, it is necessary to prepare the elastic member corresponding to the diameter of the work.
(3) A specific primer such as silane used for an adhesion between the FRP core and silicone rubber in the polymer insulator is hardened if being brought into contact with a water component in the air but it is never softened again by a solvent. Since the elastic member, to which the primer is applied, is brought into contact with a water component in the air every time the work is changed, there is a limitation for a successive use and it is necessary to change the elastic member frequently.
(4) Since the primer discharged from the overflow hole is brought into contact with the air, the primer is not used again and must be scrapped.
(5) The primer is uniformly immersed into the lower elastic member, but is not uniformly immersed into the upper elastic member. This is because the primer is uniformly immersed into a portion of the upper elastic member just beneath the primer inlet but is not uniformly immersed into a portion of the upper elastic member remote from the portion just beneath the primer inlet. Therefore, the primer is wasted for a running operation from a start of the primer applying operation to a state in which the primer applying operation becomes stable, and also the primer applying operation takes a lot of time for the running operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above and to provide an apparatus for applying a primer in which an affection of a water component in the air is few, and a uniform primer applying operation can be performed.
According to the invention, an apparatus for applying a primer on an outer surface of a work having rod shape, comprises an primer applying portion provided under said work in which said primer is immersed; a cap portion provided detachably to said primer applying portion, which prevents an inclusion of a water component in the air into said primer applying portion; a primer inlet provided to said primer applying portion through which said primer is supplied into said primer applying portion; and a primer outlet which discharges said primer from said primer applying portion in such a manner that a liquid level of said primer applying portion becomes constant in said primer applying portion, wherein said primer is applied on the outer surface of the work having rod shape by rotating and moving said work on said primer applying portion.
In the present invention, the primer applying portion is provided under the work, and thus it is possible to make a shape of the elastic member in the primer applying portion simple like a pole shape having a square cross section. Therefore, the working operation of the elastic member becomes easy and the same primer applying portion can be used even if a diameter of the work is changed. Moreover, the cap portion is provided such that it covers the primer applying portion, and thus a water component in the air is not entered into a space between the cap portion and the primer applying portion since a vapor of a solvent in the primer is filled in this space. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a hardening of the primer during the primer applying operation. Further, as a preferred embodiment, in the case of supplying continuously an inert gas such as dry nitrogen into this space, it is possible to further effectively prevent the hardening of the primer.
Moreover, even in the case that the elastic member of the primer applying portion is brought into contact with a water component in the air and is hardened due to a work change and soon, if a cross sectional shape of the elastic member is square, it is possible to use four main planes of the elastic member respectively and successively for the primer applying operation, and thus a life of the elastic member ca
Ishino Shigeo
Matsuzaki Kimihiko
Lamb Brenda A.
NGK Insulators Ltd.
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
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