Device and method for coating workpieces

Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C156S360000, C156S378000, C269S266000, C269S2540DF, C269S310000, C029S559000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06558489

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
The invention concerns a device for the multi-sided coating of workpieces, in particular panel-like furniture parts, by means of a feeder system comprising a base plate having a plurality of lifting bolts distributed over the base plate in a grid-like manner and which can be adjusted vertically vis-a-vis the base plate between a retracted rest position and an extended coating position, wherein actuating means are provided for the vertical adjustment of the lifting bolts and locking means to lock the individual lifting bolts in the desired vertical position.
Devices of this type are used for furniture parts in which not only the front but also the surrounding side edge surfaces are to be coated with a veneer, a foil material or the like, whereby this coating takes place by heat and pressure in a pressing device. In particular, the workpieces must be lifted by the lifting bolts vis-a-vis the pallet placed on the base plate and supporting said workpieces to enable a trouble-free coating of the edge surfaces. In this case, it is important that only those lifting bolts be raised into the extended coating position which are completely covered by the workpiece while the lifting bolts which are not covered or not completely covered should remain in the rest position in order not to impair the coating process of the edge surfaces.
In the prior art, there are already many descriptions of a feeder system of this type and also the described difficulties, namely to raise and/or not to lower only those lifting bolts which do not impair the coating process of the edge surfaces. In this connection, by way of example, reference is made to EP 0 978 707 from which it is already known, based on all of lifting bolts raised into the coating position, to lock those lifting bolts in the coating position by means of pawls which are completely covered by the workpiece, while the remaining lifting bolts are lowered into the lower rest position by separate adjusting elements. Ultimately, the adjusting elements can be jointly raised or lowered by driving a board carrying the adjusting elements; however, in order to be able to transmit the desired lift position to the lifting bolts, the adjusting elements must first be brought into the lower or upper position by means of separate actuating means for each lifting bolt, depending on the position into which the lifting bolt allocated to the respective adjusting element is to come to lie.
Thus, the known feeder system has its own locking means and also its own actuating means for each lifting bolt, whereby, for further simplification, all actuating means can be driven by a common lifting mechanism.
SUMMARY
Based on the foregoing, the object of the invention is to provide a device of the aforementioned type which enables both the raising or lowering and locking of the lifting bolts in a simplified manner and to thus reduce the operative expenditure of a feeder system. According to the invention, this object is solved therein that the lifting bolts distributed in a grid-like manner are arranged in rows and lines in such a way that each lifting bolt is allocated to a row and a line in each case and that actuating means which can be separately activated and act on all lifting bolts of the line are allocated to each line and that locking means which can be separately activated and act on all lifting bolts of the row are allocated to each row.
This results in the advantage that the device of the invention makes do with one actuating means each per line and one locking means per row and is, nevertheless, able to feed workpieces in such a way that they are only carried by lifting bolts which are completely covered, whereas the lifting bolts not covered or not completely covered remain in the downward driven rest position. It is not necessary to individually actuate every lifting bolt and to provide it with separate actuating and locking means.
In the present invention, the arrangement of the lifting bolts in lines or rows is understood to be a division of the lifting bolt grid into individual groups and the joint actuating of these groups in such a way that each lifting bolt can be locked or released by affiliation with a group and be actuated by simultaneous affiliation with a group and consequently raised or lowered. A simple and clear special case lies therein to dispose every lifting bolt so as to be aligned with the other lifting bolts of its row or its line, whereby the rows and the lines are directed at a right angle to one another. However, other divisions and arrangements of the groups or lifting bolts are also possible. Thus, the rows or columns can also, for example, extend in a zigzag manner, be directed at a specific angle to one another, etc. The expressions “row” or “column” also do not signify any definition with respect to the pattern, shape or direction of the respective group.
While the actuating means advantageously operate pneumatically and as a result enable a problem-free parallel connection of all lifting bolts provided in a line, with respect to the locking means, it is practical if these act mechanically on the lifting means and lock them in the desired vertical position, whereby this locking is usefully accomplished by a blocking element which is positively locked with the lifting bolts. For example, a horizontal bar which travels between a locked position and a release position is suitable as blocking element which acts on all lifting bolts of the same row. A bar of this type can, for example, have keyhole-shaped elongated slots for the respective lifting bolts, so that the aperture range defines the release a way that they are only carried by lifting bolts which are completely covered, whereas the lifting bolts not covered or not completely covered remain in the downward driven rest position. It is not necessary to individually actuate every lifting bolt and to provide it with separate actuating and locking means.
In the present invention, the arrangement of the lifting bolts in lines or rows is understood to be a division of the lifting bolt grid into individual groups and the joint actuating of these groups in such a way that each lifting bolt can be locked or released by affiliation with a group and be actuated by simultaneous affiliation with a group and consequently raised or lowered. A simple and clear special case lies therein to dispose every lifting bolt so as to be aligned with the other lifting bolts of its row or its line, whereby the rows and the lines are directed at a right angle to one another. However, other divisions and arrangements of the groups or lifting bolts are also possible. Thus, the rows or columns can also, for example, extend in a zigzag manner, be directed at a specific angle to one another, etc. The expressions “row” or “column” also do not signify any definition with respect to the pattern, shape or direction of the respective group.
While the actuating means advantageously operate pneumatically and as a result enable a problem-free parallel connection of all lifting bolts provided in a line, with respect to the locking means, it is advantageous if these act mechanically on the lifting means and lock them in the desired vertical position, whereby this locking is usefully accomplished by a blocking element which is positively locked with the lifting bolts. For example, a horizontal bar which travels between a locked position and a release position is suitable as blocking element which acts on all lifting bolts of the same row. A bar of this type can, for example, have keyhole-shaped elongated slots for the respective lifting bolts, so that the aperture range defines the release position with a larger cross section and thus enables a vertical travel of the lifting bolt, while the aperture section with the smaller cross section is used for the positive locking with a corresponding section of the lifting bolt, in order to thus prevent its vertical movement.
The actuation by line and the locking by rows of the lifting bolts according to the invention can be adjusted to one another in such a way that,

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