Device for application of powdery and/or granular products onto corresponding articles, in particular ceramic tiles, for decoration thereof

Abstract

 A device (1) for application of powdery and/or granular products on corresponding tiles (2) includes a conveying belt (3), having a plurality of recesses (3a), which define the design of a prefixed decoration and which receive the powdery and/or granular products and drop these products onto the articles (2). A plurality of connecting grooves (30) connect longitudinally each of the recesses (3a), to the previous one and to the subsequent one, to facilitate introduction of the powdery and/or granular products into each of the recesses (3a).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the application of powdery and/or granular products on corresponding articles.

[0002] In this case, the present invention relates a device for the application of powdery and/or granular products onto ceramic tiles and products, for decoration thereof.

[0003] As a not limiting example, the reference will be made to decoration of ceramic tiles by powdery and/or granular products.

[0004] It is known to those skilled in the art that the powdery and/or granular products are usually applied to ceramic supports, having a film of enamel, by conveying belts including elastomeric materials, preferably antistatic, oriented substantially horizontal.

[0005] The surface of the elastomeric belts, mounted on corresponding driving and driven wheels, features a plurality of recesses, advantageously made by laser technique and defining the desired decoration.

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic and particularly enlarged, longitudinal section view of a conveying belt according to prior art, in which differently shaped recesses can be distinguished.

[0007] The section of each recess depends strictly on the granules size of the powdery and/or granular products, while the depth thereof defines the decoration tonality.

[0008] The powdery and/or granular products are released onto the conveying belt in a feeding station, in order to fill the recesses.

[0009] In an application station, situated downstream of the feeding station, near the driven wheel, the powdery and/or granular products contained in the recesses drop, due to the gravity, onto the surface of the ceramic supports carried and moved by suitable conveying means, so as to define a prefixed decoration.

[0010] The drop of the powdery and/or granular products is also facilitated by a slight enlargement of the recesses sections caused by elastic elongation, to which the belt is subjected during its passage on the driven wheel.

[0011] A doctor blade is usually situated between the feeding station and the application station, very close to the elastomeric belt, for spreading the powdery and/or granular products released onto the belt and for removing the powder in excess, which does not enter the recesses.

[0012] A big drawback of conveying belts according to prior art, derives from the fact that it is difficult for the powdery and/or granular products to slide on the elastomeric belts, which increases the difficulty to fill the recesses and increases the wear and tear of the elastomeric belts.

[0013] The partial filling of the recesses with respect to their nominal level affects negatively the tonality, and consequently the definition of the desired decoration.

[0014] The object of the present invention is to avoid the above mentioned drawbacks by proposing a device for application of powdery and/or granular products onto corresponding articles, in particular ceramic tiles, for the decoration of the latter, which ensures high productivity standards in any working conditions and a particularly reduced wear of the same device.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to propose a device, which can optimize the filling of recesses and which facilitates the sliding of the powdery and/or granular products on the device, thus preventing any breaking phenomenon, which could change the products granule size.

[0016] A further object of the present invention is to propose a device, which is obtained by a simple technical solution, extremely functional and reliable, relatively cheap and which ensures an easy and rapid installation and maintenance.

[0017] The above mentioned objects are achieved by the features of the independent claim, while preferred features are defined in the dependent claims.

[0018] The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic, particularly enlarged longitudinal section view of a conveying belt according to prior art;
• Figure 2 is a schematic lateral view of the conveying device proposed by the present invention, in a possible spatial conformation, considerably reduced with respect to the previous figures;
• Figure 3 is a schematic, particularly enlarged top view of a portion of the conveying belt of the proposed device;
• Figure 4 is a schematic section view, taken along IV - IV indicated in Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is a schematic enlarged view of the detail A shown in Figure 2;
• Figure 6 is a schematic section view taken along VI - VI shown in Figure 5.

[0019] With reference to the above drawings, the general reference numeral 1 indicates the proposed device for application of powdery and/or granular products, for example enamel, onto corresponding articles 2, in particular ceramic tiles, for the decoration of the latter.

[0020] The device 1 includes a conveying belt 3, mounted in a continuous loop on support means, which maintain the conveying belt 3 under tension and move it.

[0021] The conveying belt 3 features a plurality of recesses 3a, which define the design of the prefixed decoration (Figures 2, 3).

[0022] The conveying belt 3 is made of elastomeric material and is antistatic, according to the known needs of the technical field concerned.

[0023] In a known way, the recesses 3a are aimed at receiving, in a feeding station 4, powdery and/or granular enamel and release it, in an application station 40, onto the tiles 2, in order to decorate them.

[0024] The feeding station 4, as well as the application station 40, are advantageously situated near the conveying belt 3, for example in accordance with the configuration protected by the Italian Patent Application No. BO2003A 000032 filed by the same Applicant.

[0025] The conveying belt 3 has a plurality of connecting grooves 30, open at top, which connect longitudinally pairs of recesses 3a, to facilitate introduction of the powdery and/or granular enamel into each of the recesses 3a.

[0026] Advantageously, the connecting grooves 30 connect longitudinally each recess 3a with the previous one and with the subsequent one (see Figure 4).

[0027] The support means, on which the conveying belt 3 in mounted, include a driving wheel 5, for moving the conveying belt 3, and a return-holding means, which, together with the driving wheel 5, keep the belt under tension.

[0028] The return-holding means include a plate 6, over which the conveying belt 3 slides.

[0029] The plate 6 has preferably a shape of a bill, whose tip portion 6a is turned toward the tiles 2 to be decorated (see the above mentioned Italian Patent Application No. BO2003A 000032 filed by the same Applicant).

[0030] In the application station 40, the conveying belt 3 turns around the tip portion 6a of the plate 6, so that the powdery and/or granular enamel, present inside the recesses 3a, drops onto the tiles 2, due to the gravity.

[0031] The line W connecting the rotation axis of the driving wheel 5 with the symmetry axis of the bill 6, may be inclined in any direction, in a range of 0° to 90°, with respect to a horizontal plane.

[0032] According to Figure 2, the conveying belt 3 is inclined, as a mere, not limiting example, in such a way that the connecting line W is substantially vertical, that is slightly inclined with respect to a vertical plane.

[0033] In the following, operation of the proposed device 1 will be shortly described, with reference to a generic operative conformation of the conveying belt 3 and of the feeding station 4 and application station 40, with the tiles 2 moved in a forward movement direction Z by suitably conveyors 17, of known type (Figure 2).

[0034] In the feeding station 4, the powdery and/or granular enamel is released, in known way e.g. by gravity, on the underlying run of the conveying belt 3, thus filling the recesses 3a and the connecting grooves 30.

[0035] The powdery and/or granular enamel is distributed on the conveying belt 3 and its exceeding part, that is the part, which does not enter the recesses 3a, nor the connecting grooves 30, is removed from the conveying belt 3 in a way known to those skilled in the field, not shown, since it does not pertain to the subject of the invention.

[0036] In the application station 40, the conveying belt 3 turns around the tip portion 6a of the plate 6, so that the powdery and/or granular enamel present in the recesses 3a drops, due to the gravity, onto the tiles 2, moved by the conveying means 17, so as to define the prefixed decoration.

[0037] The conveying means 17 are operated in step relation with the conveying belt 3 and can be operated either stepwise or continuously.

[0038] Moreover, the drop of the powdery and/or granular enamel is facilitated by the slight transversal dilation of the recesses 3a caused by the elastic elongation, to which the conveying belt 3 is subjected during its passage at the tip portion of the plate 6.

[0039] As schematically shown in Figure 6, the transversal dilation allows to reduce considerably the cross-section of the connecting grooves 30, so much that they even almost disappear, while at the same time the recesses 3a become larger.

[0040] During the enamel release, the definition of the prefixed decoration, identified by a series of suitably situated recesses 3a, is thus maintained and the connecting grooves 30 have only the prevailing task of facilitating the filling of the recesses 3a with the powdery and/or granular enamel released by the feeding station 4.

[0041] The connecting grooves 30 optimize the filling of the recesses 3a and, at the same time, facilitate the longitudinal sliding of the powdery and/or granular enamel on the conveying belt 3.

[0042] This allows to reduce considerably any breaking facts, which could change the granulometry of the powdery and/or granular enamel and, contemporarily assures high productivity standards in any working condition, reducing the wear of the conveying belt 3.

[0043] According to the proposed embodiment, the return-holding means, including, for example, a driving wheel 5 and a plate 6, are slightly inclined with respect to a vertical plane. However, this does not exclude other possible inclinations, in a range of 0° to 90° with respect to a horizontal plane.

Claims

1. Device for application of powdery and/or granular products on articles (2), in particular tiles and/or ceramics, for decoration thereof, the device including: a conveying belt (3), mounted in a continuous loop on supporting means, which move it and keep it under tension, said conveying belt (3) having a plurality of recesses (3a) for defining a design of a prefixed decoration and for receiving, in a feeding station (4), said powdery and/or granular products and for releasing the latter in a application station (40), onto said articles (2), to decorate the articles; said feeding station (4) and application station (40) being situated near said conveying belt (3); the device being characterized in that said conveying belt (3) features at least one connecting groove (30) for connecting longitudinally at least one pair of said recesses (3a), to facilitate the introduction of said powdery and/or granular products into each of said recesses (3a).

2. Device, according to claim 1, characterized in that said conveying belt (3) includes a plurality of connecting grooves (30), open in their upper parts, aimed at connecting longitudinally corresponding pairs of recesses (3a).

3. Device, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said conveying belt (3) includes a plurality of connecting grooves (30), open in their upper parts, aimed at connecting longitudinally each of said recesses (3a) with a previous one and to a next one.

4. Device, according to claim 1, or 2, or 3, characterized in that said support means, on which said conveying belt (3) is mounted, include at least one driving wheel (5) for driving the conveying belt (3), and return-holding means, cooperating with said driving wheel (5) to keep the conveying belt (3) under tension.

5. Device, according to claim 4, characterized in that said return-holding means include at least one plate (6), on which said conveying belt (3) slides.

6. Device, according to claim 5, characterized in that said plate (6) has a shape of a bill, whose tip portion (6a) keeps said conveying belt (3) under tension and is turned toward said articles (2), in particular tiles and/or ceramics.

7. Device, according to claim 6, characterized in that the line (W) connecting the rotation axis of said driving wheel (5) with the symmetry axis of the bill (6), considered with respect to the tip portion (6a), is inclined at an angle variable in a range of 0° to 90°, with respect to a horizontal plane.

8. Device, according to claim 1, characterized in that said return-holding means are inclined at an angle variable in a range of 0° to 90°, with respect to a horizontal plane.

9. Device, according to any of previous claims, characterized in that said conveying belt (3) has elastomeric properties.

10. Device, according to any of previous claims, characterized in that said conveying belt (3) has antistatic properties.

Drawing