|
(11) | EP 1 800 766 A1 |
(12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(54) | Device for cleaning paint buckets |
(57) The invention relates to the automated cleaning of paint buckets (2). In a device intended for this purpose the curled mouth rims (6) of the buckets are pushed slidingly one by one into the teeth (22,23) of a lifting fork (21), tilted and positioned in upside down position at the location of a scraping station (12), where paint residues are removed from the inner surface by scraping. A thus cleaned bucket is then transported in upside down position to a flushing station (17) where the last paint residues are removed by flushing and spraying clean. The thus cleaned buckets are finally tilted back to their upright position and stacked onto each other in nested form. |
optional supply means for successively supplying one upright bucket at a time;
a first lifting column which connects with a first side to the optional supply means and along which a first gripper is displaceable up and downward on both sides and is pivotable over the upper end of the first lifting column from the one side to the other and in reverse direction;
first positioning means connecting to the second side of the first lifting column for temporarily carrying one bucket at a time in upside down position and holding it in position with some force;
scraper means present under the first positioning means for removing by means of a scraping operation at least a part of paint residues present on the inner surface of the bucket;
transport means connecting to the first positioning means;
a second lifting column which connects with a first side to the transport means and along which a second gripper is displaceable up and downward on both sides and is pivotable over the upper end of the second lifting column from the one side to the other and in reverse direction;
second positioning means present on the first side of the second lifting column for carrying one bucket at a time in upside down position and holding it in position with some force;
flushing means present under the second positioning means for removing by means of a flushing operation the last paint residues present on the inner surface of the bucket; and
carrying means connecting to the second side of the second lifting column for carrying one or a number of upright buckets stacked onto each other in nested relation;
wherein successive buckets supplied in upright position by the supply means are gripped one at a time by the first gripper, displaced upward on the first side of the first lifting column, tilted over the upper end of the first lifting column, displaced downward on the second side of the first lifting column, placed on the first positioning means, subjected by the scraper means to a scraping operation, displaced upward by the first gripper to a chosen height, gripped by the transport means, displaced by these transport means to the second gripper, gripped by this second gripper and displaced downward and placed on the second positioning means, subjected to a flushing operation by the flushing means, displaced upward along the first side of the second lifting column by the second gripper, tilted over the upper end of the second lifting column, displaced downward on the second side of the second lifting column, and placed on the carrying means or in nested relation on a bucket already placed on these carrying means such as to form a stack of cleaned, upright buckets in nested relation.figure 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the invention; and
figure 2 shows a schematic side view of the device according to the invention.
an endless supply conveyor 7 for successively supplying one upright bucket 2 at a time;
a first lifting column 8 which connects with a first side to conveyor 7 and along which a first gripper 9 is displaceable up and downward on both sides and pivotable over the upper end 10 of first lifting column 8 from the one side to the other, and in reverse direction;
first positioning means 11 connecting to the second side of lifting column 8 for temporarily carrying one bucket 2 at a time in upside down position and holding it in position with some force;
scraper means 12 present under the first positioning means 11 for removing by means of a scraping operation at least a part of paint residues present on the inner surface of bucket 2;
a transport platform 13 connecting to the first positioning means 11;
a second lifting column 14 which connects with a first side to transport platform 13 and along which a second gripper 15 is displaceable up and downward on both sides and pivotable over the upper end 19 of second lifting column 14 from the one side to the other, and in reverse direction;
second positioning means 16 present on the first side of second lifting column 14 for carrying one bucket 2 at a time in upside down position and holding it in position with some force;
flushing means 17 present under the second positioning means 16 for removing by means of a flushing operation the last paint residues present on the inner surface of bucket 2; and
carrying means 18 connecting to the second side of the second lifting column for carrying one or a number of upright buckets 2 stacked onto each other in nested relation;
wherein successive buckets 2 supplied in upright position by supply conveyor 7 are gripped one at a time by the first gripper 9, displaced upward on the first side of first lifting column 8, tilted over the upper end 10 of first lifting column 8, displaced downward on the second side of first lifting column 8, placed on first positioning means 11 and there held fast by clamps 39, 40, subjected by scraper means 12 to a scraping operation, displaced upward by first gripper 9 to a chosen height, gripped by transport platform 13, displaced by this transport platform 13 to second gripper 15, gripped by this second gripper 15 and displaced downward and placed on second positioning means 16 and there held fast by clamps 41, 42, subjected to a flushing operation by flushing means 17, displaced upward along the first side of second lifting column 14 by second gripper 15, tilted over upper end 19 of second lifting column 14, displaced downward on the second side of second lifting column 14, and placed on carrying means 18 or in nested relation on a bucket 2 already placed on these carrying means 18 such as to form a stack 20 of cleaned, upright buckets 2 in nested relation.optional supply means (7) for successively supplying one upright bucket (2) at a time;
a first lifting column (8) which connects with a first side to the optional supply means (7) and along which a first gripper (9) is displaceable up and downward on both sides and is pivotable over the upper end (10) of the first lifting column (8) from the one side to the other and in reverse direction;
first positioning means (11) connecting to the second side of the lifting column (8) for temporarily carrying one bucket (2) at a time in upside down position and holding it in position with some force;
scraper means (12) present under the first positioning means (11) for removing by means of a scraping operation at least a part of paint residues present on the inner surface of the bucket (2);
transport means (13) connecting to the first positioning means (11);
a second lifting column (14) which connects with a first side to the transport means (13) and along which a second gripper (15) is displaceable up and downward on both sides and is pivotable over the upper end (19) of the second lifting column (14) from the one side to the other and in reverse direction;
second positioning means (16) present on the first side of the second lifting column (14) for carrying one bucket (2) at a time in upside down position and holding it in position with some force;
flushing means (17) present under the second positioning means (16) for removing by means of a flushing operation the last paint residues present on the inner surface of the bucket (2); and
carrying means (18) connecting to the second side of the second lifting column for carrying one or a number of upright buckets (2) stacked onto each other in nested relation;
wherein successive buckets (2) supplied in upright position by the supply means (7) are gripped one at a time by the first gripper (9), displaced upward on the first side of the first lifting column (8), tilted over the upper end (10) of the first lifting column (8), displaced downward on the second side of the first lifting column (8), placed on the first positioning means (11), subjected by the scraper means (12) to a scraping operation, displaced upward by the first gripper (9) to a chosen height, gripped by the transport means (13), displaced by these transport means (13) to the second gripper (15), gripped by this second gripper (15) and displaced downward and placed on the second positioning means (16), subjected to a flushing operation by the flushing means (17), displaced upward along the first side of the second lifting column (14) by the second gripper (15), tilted over the upper end (19) of the second lifting column (14), displaced downward on the second side of the second lifting column (14), and placed on the carrying means (18) or in nested relation on a bucket (2) already placed on these carrying means (18) such as to form a stack (20) of cleaned, upright buckets (2) in nested relation.