|
(11) | EP 0 851 193 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| (54) | Apparatus for drying paint |
| (57) Paint drying apparatus, for example, for a vehicle body (1) comprises an overhead
travelling gantry (10) with side pillars (13 and 14) and an overhead beam (16) the
gantry carries overhead heating panels (15, 17, 18) and upright heating panels on
the pillars (13 and 14). The apparatus has moving parts to enable the heating panels
to approach to approximately 20cm of all surfaces of the vehicle body (1), and the
gantry carries a sensor which upon an initial pass produces electrical signals representative
of the shape of the vehicle body (1) and transmits them to a computer adapted, on
a second pass, to place the heating panels progressively into close proximity with
all surfaces of the vehicle body (1) thus to effect uniform heating and to ensure
even drying of the paint on all surfaces. Considerable energy savings and improved
drying performance are ensured by the accurate placement of the heating panels with
respect to the surface profile of the vehicle body (1). |