WO2025195542A1 - Treatment plant for treating workpieces - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a treatment plant (100) for treating workpieces (102), in particular for dip-coating and rinsing vehicle bodies (106), the treatment plant (100) comprising the following: - at least one main conveying apparatus (108) for conveying the workpieces (102) along a main conveying direction (110); and - a plurality of dip treatment stations (112) which are arranged successively along the main conveying direction (110) and preferably on the same side of the main conveying apparatus (108), wherein the workpieces (102) are each placed on a workpiece carrier (132), wherein the at least one main conveying apparatus (108) has one or more transverse transfer carriages (130) for transporting the workpieces (102), wherein the workpieces (102) can be transported in a transverse conveying direction (135) into and/or out of one or more dip treatment stations (112), and wherein the transverse conveying direction (135) runs at least approximately transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the main conveying direction (110).

Description

Treatment system for treating workpieces

The present invention relates to a treatment system for treating workpieces, in particular for coating and cleaning workpieces, for example, vehicle bodies or vehicle parts. The present invention particularly relates to a dip-coating system for vehicle bodies, in which the vehicle bodies are electrocoated and rinsed.

In practice, it is known that treatment systems for coating, in particular for electrocoating, vehicle bodies comprise a dip-coating station with a dip-coating tank, also called a paint dip tank, and subsequent rinsing zones with one or more rinsing stations, whereby the bodies to be coated must pass through the stations strictly one after the other.

The rinsing zones can be spray rinse stations or immersion rinse stations with immersion rinse basins. Often, the first rinsing zone is a spray rinse station and the second zone is an immersion rinse station.

An ultrafiltrate, which is generated from the treatment fluid in the dip-coating tanks, is used as the rinsing medium in the rinsing zones. For this purpose, the treatment stations are fluidically connected to each other in a closed ultrafiltrate circuit.

The freshly produced ultrafiltrate is usually fed into the last rinsing zone of the treatment system in the workpiece conveying direction and from there is fed in a cascade manner - against the workpiece conveying direction - to the previous rinsing zones before it is finally fed back into the dip coating tank of the dip coating station.

Following the rinsing zones operated with ultrafiltrate, a further rinsing zone with one or more rinsing stations operated with demineralized water can be provided. In individual cases, a nanofiltrate generated from the previously produced ultrafiltrate can be used instead of demineralized water. The treatment fluid in the dip-coating tank, i.e., the paint, must be continuously circulated to prevent it from separating. Furthermore, it is beneficial for the coating process if at least a moderate flow prevails in the dip-coating tank, which helps to dissipate heat from the surface of the vehicle body during the electrocoating process, deliver fresh paint material to the surface of the vehicle body, and remove gas bubbles that form on the surface of the vehicle body.

The dip-coating tank therefore has a circulation circuit to ensure continuous flow in the tank.

Due to the electrical power supplied to the electrocoating tank during the electrocoating process, the fluid bath must also be continuously cooled. The electrocoating tank is therefore usually integrated into a separate cooling circuit.

Three separate fluid circuits are therefore usually provided for the treatment process: an ultrafiltrate circuit, a recirculation circuit and a cooling circuit.

In each circuit, the paint is removed from the dip-coating tank and returned using a separate pump.

All three circuits are equipped with appropriate filter devices. These filter devices typically comprise bag filters through which the circulating paint is filtered.

The paint is usually returned to the dip-coating tank from the three circuits via nozzles or flood pipes installed in the tank, which are aligned in such a way that a flow favorable for the painting process can develop in the tank.

Previously known system concepts are therefore already influencing identified variables and relationships in order to increase the coating quality of the workpieces to be treated. However, one disadvantage of existing dip-coating systems is that the workpieces pass through the dip-coating tank lengthwise, resulting in very long systems. In particular, the dip-coating tanks must be very long to achieve high throughput.

To increase the plant capacity, the respective dip coating tank must be extended and the following rinsing zones must be moved.

The cost and time required for this work are very high.

Conversely, with a lower throughput, the dip-coating tank is unnecessarily long and runs largely empty.

Furthermore, the only dip-coating tank usually has to be completely emptied for maintenance and repair work, which inevitably results in a complete shutdown of the plant.

Optimization measures, such as the iterative adjustment of the nozzle alignment, which requires at least a partial emptying of the pool, also become complex and expensive.

Treating different car body types with different process times is also only possible to a limited extent. In particular, a shorter process time for individual car body types does not lead to a significant increase in overall throughput, as these are slowed down by the other car bodies.

In addition, it is not possible to treat different body types with different paint, for example of different colors, because the paint would first have to be replaced completely and without leaving any residue.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a treatment system for treating workpieces which enables more flexible, easier to maintain and more efficient treatment of workpieces. This object is achieved by a treatment plant having the features according to claim 1.

The treatment system is used for treating, in particular coating, workpieces.

The treatment plant is in particular a painting plant for painting workpieces designed as vehicle bodies.

The treatment system is preferably used for dip painting and rinsing vehicle bodies and/or vehicle parts.

The treatment plant comprises the following: at least one main conveyor device for conveying the workpieces along a

Main conveying direction; and several immersion treatment stations arranged successively along the main conveying direction.

The immersion treatment stations are preferably on the same side of the main conveyor.

The workpieces are each arranged in particular on a workpiece carrier.

The at least one main conveying device comprises one or more transverse transfer carriages for conveying the workpieces.

The workpieces can also be conveyed into and/or out of one or more immersion treatment stations in a transverse conveying direction.

The transverse conveying direction runs at least approximately transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the main conveying direction.

It may be particularly preferred if the workpieces are conveyed on the transverse transfer carriage in their transverse orientation along the main conveying direction. The treatment plant comprises, in particular, immersion tanks of immersion treatment stations arranged side by side along the main conveying direction.

Preferably, the longitudinal extension of the immersion tanks runs parallel to the transverse conveying direction.

The workpieces are then preferably conveyed into and/or out of the dipping tanks in their longitudinal orientation in the transverse conveying direction.

The workpieces are transferred from the main conveyor to the dipping treatment stations, where they are immersed in and out of the respective dipping tank and then conveyed to the next station via the main conveyor.

The immersion tanks preferably have one of their short sides adjacent to the main conveying device, or one of their short sides points towards the main conveying device.

It is also conceivable that the immersion tanks of the immersion treatment stations are arranged along the main conveying direction in such a way that their respective longitudinal extent is aligned parallel to the main conveying direction.

For this purpose, it can be provided that the workpieces are already aligned on the transverse transfer carriage in such a way that their longitudinal alignment also runs parallel to the main conveying direction.

Accordingly, in an arrangement of the dipping tanks in which one of the long sides of the dipping tanks points in the direction of the main conveying device, the workpieces are conveyed into and/or out of the dipping tanks in their transverse orientation in the transverse conveying direction.

Alternatively, the workpieces can be conveyed along the main conveying direction in their transverse orientation from the transverse transfer carriages to or in front of the dipping tanks of the dipping treatment stations, but then they must be rotated on the respective transverse transfer carriage or during the transfer process so that the The longitudinal alignment of the workpiece to be transferred is parallel to the longitudinal extent of the approached dip tank.

For this purpose, the transverse transfer carriages can each comprise a rotation device by means of which the workpieces can be rotated by at least approximately 90 degrees around the workpiece vertical axis for the transfer process.

In addition to the dip tanks of the dip treatment stations, further treatment stations or process areas can be provided, for example for spray rinsing or tilting the body to drain cavities.

The first dip tank in the main conveying direction is preferably a dip tank of a dip painting station in which electro-dip painting of workpieces, in particular vehicle bodies, is provided.

For increased throughput, one or two additional dip-coating stations can be arranged immediately following.

Each dip-coating station is preferably designed for a throughput of up to 10 workpieces per hour.

It is advantageous if the multiple dip-coating stations are used alternatively by the individual workpieces, i.e. each workpiece is only treated in one dip tank of the dip-coating stations.

The dip-coating stations are followed by rinsing zones, with the first rinsing zone preferably comprising a spray rinsing station.

This is preferably followed by at least a second and a third rinsing zone, which are designed as immersion rinsing stations, each with an immersion basin.

The spray rinsing station is preferably located between the dip tanks, but can alternatively be integrated into the main conveying device. Each workpiece preferably passes through one of the dip painting stations, a spray rinsing station and a first and a second dip rinsing station, in this order.

Required components for the fluid circuits of each immersion tank, such as pumps, filters, and heat exchangers, are preferably located on the same level as the immersion tanks. There, they are preferably located on the plant surface or plant level directly below the main conveying device.

It can be advantageous if one or more workpieces are arranged on a workpiece carrier.

A workpiece carrier is in particular a skid, which is preferably intended to hold a workpiece designed as a vehicle body.

The conveying and/or moving of the workpieces then preferably takes place together with the workpiece carrier, so that the phrase "conveying the workpieces" or "moving the workpieces" can also be understood to mean conveying or moving at least one workpiece carrier together with at least one workpiece arranged thereon.

It can be provided that each transverse transfer carriage comprises the following: a) at least one transverse conveying device, by means of which the workpieces can be conveyed in the transverse conveying direction; and/or b) at least one lifting device, by means of which the workpieces can be set down at a transfer position along the main conveying device and/or lifted from a transfer position along the main conveying device.

For the transport or conveying of the workpieces along the main conveyor device, in particular along the main conveyor line of the main conveyor device, several transverse transfer carriages are preferably used.

Furthermore, skids are preferably used as workpiece carriers, the skid length of which exceeds the length of the workpieces. Each transverse transfer carriage then preferably has a roller conveyor device as a transverse conveyor device, which allows a workpiece to be conveyed into and out of the respective treatment station in the transverse conveying direction.

If shorter workpiece carriers are used or planned, each transverse transfer carriage is preferably equipped with a chain conveyor instead.

In the case of short workpiece carriers, the cross-conveyor device can also be telescopic to minimize the gap to a station conveyor of the processing stations and thus prevent tipping. Alternatively, a roller block can be provided between the cross-conveyor carriage and the station conveyor to provide anti-tip protection.

The travel ranges of adjacent transfer carriages preferably overlap by one station each. Consequently, each workpiece is transported to a treatment station by a transfer carriage and, after the respective treatment, is picked up by the next transfer carriage in the main conveying direction.

The transfer of workpieces between the transverse transfer carriages takes place primarily via the treatment stations.

For maximum throughput, the travel area of each transfer carriage comprises only two stations.

If the capacity of the cross-transfer carriages is not limiting for the throughput, for example if there are fewer than two dip-coating tanks, fewer cross-transfer carriages can be used.

In such a case, the travel range of individual transfer cars covers more than two stations.

In order to avoid mutual obstruction with resulting waiting times, a parking position can preferably be provided for each middle transverse transfer carriage, ie with a preceding and a following transverse transfer carriage, which is arranged between the travel areas of the previous and the following transverse transfer carriage.

If a middle transfer carriage is parked there, the previous transfer carriage can also reach the station in its area that is furthest away in the main conveying direction, while at the same time the following transfer carriage can reach the station in its area that is furthest away from the main conveying direction.

The travel areas of the first and last transverse transfer carriage do not require a separate parking position if the positions for picking up or delivering the workpiece from the treatment system do not have to be approached by other transverse transfer carriages.

The energy chains for the power supply of a transverse transfer carriage are preferably mounted on the side facing away from the immersion tanks.

The energy chains of adjacent transverse transfer carriages are preferably arranged on different sides of the main conveyor device in order to enable the energy chain to be alternately passed over by the adjacent transverse transfer carriage.

If the spray rinsing station is integrated into the main conveying device, the treatment area of the spray rinsing station is preferably used as the transfer position between the two adjacent transverse transfer carriages.

In the spray rinsing station, the workpiece or the workpiece carrier, which is designed in particular as a skid, is placed on support devices, such as support trestles, which are arranged to the side of the track width of the transverse transfer carriage in such a way that the skid runners rest on them when lowered.

The delivering transverse transfer carriage then leaves the spray rinsing station in the opposite direction to the main conveying direction.

The workpiece is picked up from the spray rinsing station integrated into the main conveyor by the following conveyor in the main conveying direction Cross-transfer carriage, which moves into the spray rinsing station against the main conveying direction and picks up the skid together with the workpiece by lifting it.

In this variant, all transverse transfer carriages are equipped with lifting tables for lifting and setting down the workpieces.

The transfer to the dip treatment stations is preferably carried out by placing the workpieces on support devices designed as roller blocks, which, analogous to the support blocks within the spray rinsing station, are arranged in pairs opposite one another to the side of the main conveyor device or to the side of the track of the transverse transfer carriages in a transfer position at the level of the dip tanks.

It can also be provided that the support frames in the spray rinsing station have chain conveyors which enable a reversing movement of the workpiece during the spray rinsing process.

Alternatively or additionally, movable nozzles or movable nozzle rods can be provided to ensure continuous exposure of the workpiece surface during the spray rinsing process.

It can further be provided that the immersion treatment stations each comprise at least one immersion tank for treating the workpieces with a treatment fluid and at least one station conveyor device by means of which the workpieces to be treated can be taken over from the main conveyor device, brought into at least one treatment position in the immersion tank and transferred to the main conveyor device.

It may be advantageous if the station conveyor device comprises at least two lifting conveyor towers which are arranged one behind the other in the transverse conveying direction and are preferably movable in the transverse conveying direction on the same side of the immersion tank of the immersion treatment station.

Alternatively, it can be provided that the station conveyor device comprises two lifting conveyor towers, which are arranged on opposite sides of the immersion tank of the Immersion treatment station and can be moved along the respective side in the transverse conveying direction.

It may be advantageous if the lifting towers each have at least one receiving arm for receiving a section of a workpiece carrier and/or a workpiece, which can be moved in a lifting direction along the respective lifting conveyor tower.

In an alternative embodiment, the station conveyor device may comprise only one lifting conveyor tower which is movable in the transverse conveying direction on one side of the immersion tank of a dipping treatment station.

In this case, the individual lifting conveyor tower preferably has a pendulum arm which is movable along the lifting direction of the lifting conveyor tower and on which preferably two receiving arms for receiving a workpiece carrier and/or a workpiece are rotatably mounted.

The two support arms are arranged at a distance from each other on the pendulum arm.

The lowering and/or raising of a pickup arm can be controlled and/or regulated via the rotation of the pendulum arm around a horizontal axis.

The treatment stations along the main conveying direction preferably each comprise a process conveying system or a station conveying device which enables workpieces to be picked up from the transverse transfer carriage and brought into a treatment position within the treatment station.

For a spray rinsing station arranged between the dip tanks, the station conveyor device is preferably a roller conveyor device, such as a roller conveyor, or, if short workpiece carriers are used, a chain conveyor device.

For treatment in a dip tank, the respective station conveyor device must not only enable the conveying movement in the transverse conveying direction, but must also provide a lifting movement in one lifting direction for immersing and retrieving the workpieces in the immersion tank.

For this purpose, the station conveyor device of a dipping treatment station preferably comprises two lifting towers that can be moved along the dipping tank and have vertically adjustable receiving arms that enable a largely freely configurable superposition of the horizontal travel movement and the lifting movement.

This makes it possible, in particular, to freely specify the angle of inclination of the workpieces between 0 degrees and 60 degrees as well as the speed of the workpiece to be treated during insertion and removal in sections.

The two lifting towers are preferably arranged one behind the other on the same long side of the diving tank on a common track.

The running rail can preferably be covered for maintenance purposes so that a flat and walkable surface is provided on the rail.

For example, it may be necessary to walk along the track to access the dialysis cells that form and/or contain the anodes, which are arranged on the inside of the side walls of the immersion tank.

For example, gratings can be used as covers, for which support points can be provided along the running rail.

A particular advantage of two independently movable lifting towers is that different trajectories for insertion and removal can be defined for different workpieces.

For example, it may be advantageous to reduce the immersion speed in sections in order to limit the fluid forces to sensitive sections such as the hood of a workpiece designed as a vehicle body. It may also be advantageous to set the exit angle depending on the workpiece in order to ensure that the treatment fluid flows smoothly out of the cavities of the workpiece.

It can further be provided that one or more dip treatment stations are designed as dip painting stations in which the workpieces can be treated with a paint, in particular an electrocoating paint.

In one embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that 5 to 15 workpieces, preferably 10 workpieces, can be treated per hour in a dip-coating station.

It can also be provided that the dipping tanks of the dip-coating station each have an overflow area separated by a weir.

It may be advantageous if the overflow areas are arranged on the side of the dip tanks facing the main conveying device, wherein the dip-coating stations each have a plurality of spray nozzles for rinsing treated workpieces when conveying them out of the respective dip-coating station.

The spray nozzles are preferably a) arranged on the side of the dipping tanks facing the main conveying device; and/or b) arranged laterally of the transverse conveying direction and in an upper region of the dipping tanks on their inner sides; and/or c) arranged above the dipping tanks, preferably circumferentially, for example in a U-shape, wherein the spray nozzles which rinse the treated workpieces from above are preferably arranged offset with respect to the transverse conveying direction from the spray nozzles which are provided for rinsing the treated workpieces from the side.

It can further be provided that the spray nozzles, which are arranged laterally of the workpieces to be rinsed, are aligned in such a way that the respective injection direction forms an angle with the transverse conveying direction. The dip-coating tanks preferably comprise, in addition to the main volume in which the treatment fluid forms a treatment bath, an overflow area separated by a weir with a slightly lower bath level than in the main volume.

This serves to regulate the level and to safely remove foam and other impurities floating on the bath surface.

The lower bath level is achieved by continuously removing paint from the overflow area by means of one or more circulation circuits and feeding it into the main volume of the pool.

The return to the main volume is achieved via specially aligned nozzles so that the flow on the bath surface is directed toward the overflow area, removing floating contaminants from the main volume via the weir. This prevents such contaminants from settling on the workpiece during the discharge at the end of the coating process, which could impair the coating quality.

The bath level in the main volume is preferably approximately 1.0 m lower than the lower edge of the workpiece carrier at the transfer point from the main conveyor or the upper edge of the cross conveyor. This height difference allows the support arms to pass underneath the workpiece without requiring an unnecessarily large stroke for immersion.

The dipping tanks are preferably dimensioned so that there is a lateral clearance of approximately 0.5 m between the workpiece and the side walls of the dipping tank. In the longitudinal direction of a dipping tank, i.e., particularly in the transverse conveying direction, the internal dimensions of the main volume of the dipping tank are approximately 1 m longer than the workpiece carrier or the workpiece.

It may be advantageous to provide one or more splash guards, such as one or more splash guard plates, along at least one side of the dipping tank, at least in sections. These serve in particular to retain the secondary splashes that may be generated by the emerging workpiece. treatment fluid leaking out and dripping back into the immersion tank in order to prevent or reduce contamination of the station environment.

The splash guards are preferably arranged on and/or at the respective dipping tank edge. The splash guards are particularly designed to be attached or suspended from the respective tank edge or a frame structure arranged above it, and are arranged in such a way that they also protect the upper edge of the dialysis cells from contamination.

It can further be provided that the upper edge of the splash guard walls is designed according to the path of movement of the adjacent receiving arm, which it describes when treating the workpiece, and/or is always spaced apart from the adjacent receiving arm.

This ensures that, on the one hand, the splash guard walls can be designed to be as large as possible in order to protect the area surrounding the dip tanks against secondary splashes of the treatment fluid, and, on the other hand, that the support arms of the lifting towers do not touch or come into contact with the splash guard walls, particularly during the treatment of the workpieces.

The splash guards can be substantially flat and/or at least approximately follow the contour of the receiving arms, especially since they are arranged at least in sections between the receiving arm and the lifting conveyor tower.

It can be advantageous if the splash guard is designed higher in the lateral area of the overflow area and, for example, even reaches up to the upper edge of the workpiece being conveyed into or out of the immersion treatment station.

In this area, splash protection may also be required in the upper area due to replacement spray nozzles.

In particular, the higher splash guard can alternatively be arranged hanging. Dialysis cells are preferably arranged on the inside of the side walls of the long sides and the short side of the dip tanks of the dip-coating stations opposite the main conveyor device. These cells form and/or contain the anodes which serve as the opposite pole to the workpiece as a cathode during the coating process and thus enable the current flow required for the coating process, in particular the electrocoating process.

The overflow area is preferably arranged on one of the short sides or end sides of the dip tank of the dip-coating stations, in particular on the short side facing the main conveying device.

In this case, the overflow area can extend directly to or preferably partially below the cross conveyor device of a cross transfer carriage located in the transfer position in front of the immersion tank.

The dip-coating stations preferably have several circulation circuits through which paint is continuously removed from the dip tanks and fed back in via nozzles installed in and/or on the dip tank.

The circulation circuits each contain at least one pump and at least one filter device or filters.

In addition, at least one of the circulation circuits contains at least one heat exchanger for cooling the paint, while preferably another circulation circuit comprises ultrafiltration modules for producing an ultrafiltrate from the paint.

Each dip tank of the dip-painting stations is preferably equipped with spray nozzles which are arranged above the dip tank, in particular above the overflow, and which serve to rinse the workpieces emerging or just emerging with an ultrafiltrate of the paint.

The dip tanks of the dip-coating stations and the rinsing stations are preferably connected fluidically or fluidically by means of a closed ultrafiltrate circuit. Ultrafiltrate is produced from the paint in the dip tanks of the dip-coating stations, which is used successively in two consecutive rinsing zones to rinse the workpieces after dip-coating before it is directed or guided from the rinsing zones back into the dip tanks of the dip-coating stations.

Alternatively or additionally, continuous mixing of the paint in the dip tanks of the dip painting stations can be provided.

For this purpose, the paint from the circulation circuits of the individual dipping tanks can be passed through a common mixing pipe before the total flow is divided again and returned to the individual dipping tanks.

It can be advantageous if one or more immersion treatment stations are designed as immersion rinsing stations for immersion rinsing workpieces.

In one embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the one or more immersion rinsing stations are arranged in the main conveying direction after the one or more immersion painting stations.

It may further be provided that the treatment plant has one or more support treatment stations which are arranged before, between and/or after the immersion treatment stations.

It may be advantageous if at least one supporting treatment station is designed as a spray rinsing station for spray rinsing the workpieces, wherein the at least one spray rinsing station is arranged between the dip painting stations and the dip rinsing stations.

It may be advantageous if the treatment system comprises, in the main conveying direction, at least one, preferably three dip-coating stations, at least one spray rinsing station and at least one, preferably two dip-rinsing stations. If the spray rinsing station is arranged between the dipping tanks, the workpieces are conveyed in and out in the longitudinal direction from the front side, i.e. the side facing the main conveying device, analogously to the dipping tanks.

The spray rinsing station is in particular equipped with a plurality of spray nozzles, which are arranged in the form of several spray nozzle groups arranged one behind the other in the transverse conveying direction in such a way that they enclose the workpiece in a ring and/or tunnel-like manner.

In addition, it can be provided that a nozzle is arranged in a lance-like manner from the rear of the spray rinsing station, which is opposite the front side, in such a way that it projects into the interior through the front or rear window opening of a workpiece designed as a vehicle body.

The nozzle of such a lance can, for example, be a rotating nozzle with which the interior of the vehicle body can be rinsed.

The spray rinsing station is preferably separated from the adjacent parts of the system, in particular from the neighboring treatment stations, by splash guard walls.

Optionally, the transfer area of the spray rinsing station, through which the workpieces are conveyed into or out of the station, can be closed with a roller shutter to prevent contamination of the main conveying device.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the workpieces are moved back and forth in the spray rinsing station during the spray rinsing in order to ensure that the workpiece surface is continuously exposed to the spray cones of the spray nozzles.

Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the spray nozzles are already active while the workpieces are being conveyed into the spray rinsing station and/or while they are being conveyed out of the spray rinsing station.

Alternatively, the spray rinsing station can be arranged in the main conveyor device. With such an arrangement of the spray rinsing station, the workpieces are conveyed in their transverse orientation and placed in the station.

After the spray rinsing process, the rinsed workpiece is conveyed out of the station on the opposite side in the main conveying direction.

Here, too, the spray rinsing station is equipped with spray nozzles in such a way that they at least partially enclose the workpiece to be rinsed.

It can be advantageous if the integrated spray rinsing station can be closed with roller doors on the sides facing the main conveying direction. These roller doors can protect the adjacent areas of the main conveying device from the ingress of spray mist.

In one embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the treatment stations are fluidically connected to one another in at least one closed ultrafiltrate circuit, by means of which ultrafiltrate can be fed to the treatment stations in a cascade manner counter to the main conveying direction.

It can further be provided that the treatment plant comprises a housing which encloses the main conveying device and the treatment stations.

In particular, a maintenance path is arranged between each two treatment stations and optionally along the outer treatment stations, which allows access to the enclosure, for example for maintenance or cleaning work.

In particular, along plunge pools, the maintenance path is set lower than the pool edge so that the corresponding pool wall can also serve as a parapet to prevent falls into the plunge pool.

These maintenance routes also provide access to the main conveyor device or its conveyor line so that maintenance or cleaning work can be carried out there. The enclosure serves to prevent the escape of vapors into the environment of the treatment plant and at the same time to prevent the entry of dirt, especially dust, into the treatment stations or onto the treated workpieces.

The enclosure preferably spans the main conveyor and the adjacent treatment stations in a hall-like manner.

The enclosure is preferably constructed of sheet metal panels with continuous edging for reinforcement. The sheet metal panels are bolted together along these edgings or welded along the edges. Bolted connections are additionally sealed with a permanently elastic sealant.

Due to the large span, the ceiling of the enclosure is preferably supported in the area of the central axis parallel to the main conveying direction. For this purpose, supports can be provided adjacent to the main conveying device or its conveying line between the immersion tanks, on which longitudinal beams are arranged.

The required height of the enclosure above the treatment stations or process zones is determined by the height of the lifting towers and/or the turning circle of the workpieces when entering and exiting the immersion tanks.

It can be advantageous if the enclosure above the main conveyor device has a lower height, since only the height of the workpieces conveyed onto the transverse transfer carriage is required as a clear dimension.

Along the edges of the pool, support rails are preferably provided on or below the ceiling of the enclosure. Lifting and securing devices can be mounted on these rails and moved along the edge of the pool. For example, a chain hoist can be attached to these rails to lift dialysis cells out of the pool.

In the area of the conveyor line of the main conveyor device, the floor can preferably be welded tightly and equipped with defined drains to collect and drain away fluid dripping from the treated workpieces in a controlled manner. Below the energy chains, which, among other things, supply power to the transverse transfer carriages, the tunnel floor can preferably be stepped down or recessed. This ensures that the energy chains are deep enough to allow the adjacent transverse transfer carriages to negotiate the resulting radius curves.

Access to the enclosure, for example for cleaning or maintenance purposes, is provided from the end of the treatment stations or process zones opposite the main conveyor. For this purpose, an access route to a walkable level is preferably located outside the enclosure.

From this access route, the maintenance routes between the treatment stations or process zones can be accessed through separate access doors from the access route.

Windows are preferably provided in the enclosure wall between the access doors to allow observation of the treatment processes.

The enclosure preferably features a continuous air exchange system. For this purpose, air is extracted from several positions using an exhaust fan, with the air volume at each extraction position being adjustable via manual control flaps. The extraction positions are preferably located above the treatment stations or process zones to prevent the spread of vapors along the main conveyor system.

It may be advantageous if the treatment system comprises at least one counter tank by means of which at least the fluid volume of a diving treatment station can be absorbed.

In order to enable the temporary emptying of a dip tank, for example for maintenance or cleaning purposes, a counter tank is provided whose volume corresponds at least to the fluid volume of one of the dip tanks.

The counter tank can in particular be arranged on the same level and in the immediate vicinity of the diving tanks. Further preferred features and/or advantages of the invention are the subject of the following description and the drawings of exemplary embodiments.

The drawings show:

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a treatment plant according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a treatment plant according to the invention, with a view of a rear side of the treatment plant facing away from the conveying side;

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a dip treatment station of the treatment system from Fig. 2, designed as a dip painting station;

Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of a third embodiment of a treatment plant according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a dip treatment station of the treatment system of Fig. 2, designed as a dip painting station, in which the lifting conveyor towers transfer the treated workpiece to the transverse transfer carriage; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the second embodiment of the immersion treatment station from Fig. 5, in which the treated workpiece has been completely transferred to the transverse transfer carriage.

Identical or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference numerals in all figures. A first embodiment of a treatment system, shown in Fig. 1 and designated as a whole by 100, is used to treat workpieces 102.

The treatment system 100 is preferably an electrocoating system 104 for painting and rinsing workpieces 102 designed as vehicle bodies 106.

The treatment plant 100 comprises a main conveying device 108 with a main conveying direction 110 and a plurality of immersion treatment stations 112 arranged in the main conveying direction 110.

The first three dip treatment stations 112 in the main conveying direction 110 are designed as dip painting stations 114, and the last two dip treatment stations 112 in the main conveying direction 110 are designed as dip rinsing stations 116.

Between the dip-coating stations 114 and the dip-rinsing stations 116, a support treatment station 118 is arranged, which is designed as a spray-rinsing station 120.

With respect to the main conveying direction 110, all treatment stations 112, 118 are arranged to the right of the main conveying device 108 in order to keep the extension of the treatment system 100 transverse to the main conveying direction 110 as small as possible.

The immersion treatment stations 112 each comprise a station conveyor 122 and an immersion tank 124.

The dip treatment stations 112, in particular the dip painting station 114, are described in more detail in connection with Fig. 3.

The treatment system 100 further comprises a workpiece source 126, from which workpieces 102 to be treated are transferred to the main conveyor device 108, and a workpiece sink 128, to which the main conveyor device 108 transfers the treated workpieces 102.

The workpiece source 126 and the workpiece sink 128 are preferably designed as lifting conveyor devices. The main conveying device 108 comprises a plurality of transverse transfer carriages 130, with which the workpieces 102 arranged or stored on workpiece carriers 132 can be conveyed along the main conveying direction 110 to the treatment stations 112, 118.

Each transverse transfer carriage 130 has a transverse conveying device 134, by means of which the workpieces 102 can be conveyed into and/or out of the treatment stations 112, 118 in a transverse conveying direction 135.

If the workpiece carriers 132 are designed as so-called skids, the runner length of which projects beyond the longitudinal extent of the vehicle bodies 106, the transverse conveyor devices 134 are preferably designed as roller conveyor devices.

If, however, the workpiece carriers 132 are shorter than the longitudinal extent of the vehicle bodies 106, the transverse conveyor devices 134 are preferably designed as chain conveyor devices, wherein it can be provided that the chain conveyor device is telescopic in order to enable a gapless workpiece transfer between the respective station conveyor device and the transverse conveyor device 134.

The travel range of a transverse transfer carriage 130 preferably overlaps with the travel range of the preceding and/or following transverse transfer carriage 130 around a treatment station 112, 118.

As a result, the transfer of the workpieces 102 between the transverse transfer carriages 130 takes place via the treatment stations 112, 118, since a transverse transfer carriage 130 transfers a workpiece 102 to a treatment station 112, 118 and the respective subsequent transverse transfer carriage 130 takes over the workpiece 102 treated in the respective treatment station 112, 118 from this station.

For maximum throughput, the number m of stations required for the entire treatment of a workpiece, i.e., including the workpiece source 126 and the workpiece sink 128, is therefore 1 greater than the number n of transverse transfer carriages 130. It should be noted that each workpiece 102 passes the following stations for complete treatment in the treatment system 100 (see Fig. 1): the workpiece source 126; one of the three dip-coating stations 114; the spray rinsing station 120; the two dip-rinsing stations 116; and the workpiece sink 128.

Each workpiece 102 is treated in only one of the existing dip-coating stations 114 and then rinsed.

The maximum throughput in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 can therefore be achieved with m = 6 stations to be passed with n = m-1 = 5 transverse transfer carriages 130.

Furthermore, the capacity of the transverse transfer carriages 130 is not limiting for the throughput, which is the case, for example, with fewer than two dip-coating stations 114, fewer transverse transfer carriages 130 can be used, with each transverse transfer carriage 130 then serving more than two of the required stations.

The spray rinsing station 120 comprises a station conveyor device 122, which is designed as a roller conveyor device or chain conveyor device, and a plurality of spray nozzles 136.

The spray nozzles 136 preferably form a plurality of spray nozzle groups 138 arranged one behind the other in the transverse conveying direction 135, wherein each group encloses the respective section of a treatment area 139 of the spray rinsing station 10 in the spray rinsing station 136 at least approximately in a tunnel or ring manner, so that a workpiece 102 located in the treatment area 139 can be rinsed at least approximately over its entire surface.

It is advantageous if the spray zones of the individual spray nozzle groups overlap. The dip tank 124 of a dip coating station 114 further comprises an overflow area 142 separated by a weir 140, which is preferably arranged between the dip tank 124 and the main conveying device 108.

Preferably, one or more spray nozzles 136 are arranged above the overflow area 142 of a dip-coating station 114, by means of which workpieces 102 emerging from or being transferred to the transverse conveyor device 134 of a transverse transfer carriage 130 can be rinsed.

The overflow area 142 preferably has a lower fluid bath level than the immersion tank 124 itself. This serves, on the one hand, to regulate the level and, on the other hand, to safely remove foam and other contaminants floating on the surface of the fluid bath of the immersion tank 124.

The lower bath level in the overflow area 142 is achieved by continuously removing treatment fluid, i.e., paint, from the overflow area by means of one or more circulation circuits and feeding it into the main volume of the dip tank 124. The fluid is returned to the main volume via nozzles aligned so that a flow prevails at the surface of the fluid bath in the dip tank 124 toward the overflow area 142. Floating contaminants thus pass via the weir 140 into the overflow area 142, preventing these contaminants from settling on the surface of the workpiece 102 when the workpiece 102 is removed from the fluid bath of the dip tank 124 of a dip-coating station 114 at the end of the treatment.

In principle, the immersion treatment stations 112 should have their immersion tanks 124 each having two at least approximately parallel long sides 144 and two at least approximately parallel short sides 146, resulting in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. The long sides of the immersion treatment stations 112 are preferably aligned parallel to one another and/or parallel to the transverse conveying direction 135. Thus, one of the short sides points toward the main conveying device 108, whereas the other points away from the main conveying device 108. Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a treatment plant 100, which differs from the first embodiment of Fig. 1 essentially in that all treatment stations 112, 118 are arranged to the left of the main conveyor device 108 with respect to the main conveying direction 110; thus, from a global perspective, the process flow is reversed from that of the first embodiment.

The schematic perspective or isometric representation in Fig. 2 enables the addressing and explanation of further details of the treatment system 100.

In Fig. 2, six transverse transfer carriages 130, on each of which a workpiece 102 designed as a vehicle body 106 is arranged, are shown in front of the treatment stations 112, 118 in the transfer position, from which the workpieces 102 are conveyed into the respective treatment station 112, 118 in the transverse conveying direction 135.

Nevertheless, the second embodiment in Fig. 2 also applies that each workpiece 102 to be treated is treated in only one of the three dip-coating stations 114, whereas all other treatment stations 112, 118 are preferably approached by each workpiece 102 and used for treatment.

In Fig. 2 it can be seen that the station conveyor devices 122 of the immersion treatment stations 112 comprise two lifting towers 148, which can be moved one behind the other in the transverse conveying direction 135 along a long side 144 of the respective immersion tank 124.

The lifting towers 148 are each controlled and/or regulated in such a way that they receive a workpiece 102 from a cross conveyor device 134 of a cross transfer carriage 130 in a coordinated manner, wherein each lifting conveyor tower 148 has a receiving arm 152 which can be moved in a lifting direction 150 for receiving the workpiece carrier 132 with the workpiece 102 arranged thereon.

The receiving arms 152 are preferably L-shaped.

By means of coordinated movement sequences between the lifting towers 148 in the transverse conveying direction 135 and the associated receiving arms 152 in the lifting direction 150 the picked-up workpiece 102 is moved into at least one treatment position in the dipping tank 124.

The dipping tanks 124 of the dipping painting stations 114 are filled with a paint as a treatment fluid, which forms a paint fluid bath.

To implement the electrocoating, anodes 154 in the form of so-called dialysis cells 156 are arranged along the side walls in the respective dip tank 124 of the dip-coating stations 114, as shown in Fig. 3. In contrast, the workpiece 102 to be treated forms the cathode.

The current flow required for the electrocoating from the anodes 154 through the paint fluid bath to the workpiece 102 as the cathode and back to the anodes 154 is realized by electrical lines in the respective station conveyor device 122, in particular the lifting towers 148 and the receiving arms 152.

It can be seen from Fig. 2 that the horizontal cross section of the dip tanks 124 of the dip-coating stations 114 and the dip-rinsing stations 116 tapers in the lower region of the tanks 124, whereby the amount of the respective treatment fluid can be reduced.

The size of the dipping tanks 124 is dimensioned such that the internal dimension in the transverse conveying direction 135, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of the workpieces 102, is 0.5 m to 1.5 m, in particular 1 m, longer than the workpieces 102. For the internal dimension perpendicular thereto, it is only necessary to provide a space reserve of 0.25 m to 0.75 m, in particular 0.5 m, beyond the width of the workpiece 102.

Furthermore, Fig. 2 shows that the main conveyor device 108 as well as all treatment stations 112, 118 are surrounded or enclosed by a housing 158, which is intended to ensure that no treatment fluid is released into the environment of the treatment plant 100 or contaminates it.

The height of the enclosure 158 is determined by the height of the lifting towers 148 and can, for example, be lower above the main conveyor device 108 than above the treatment stations 112, 118. Furthermore, it can be seen that the treatment system 100 has a walkable level 160, which is arranged at the level of the main conveyor device 108. The walkable level 160 borders the main conveyor device 108 and encloses the horizontal access level of the treatment stations 112, 118.

The accessible level 160 comprises an access path 162, via which maintenance doors are accessible, which are provided on the side of the housing 158 opposite the main conveyor device 108 and through which the treatment stations 112, 118 and the main conveyor device 108 can be reached for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

Between the treatment stations 112, 118 and/or, with respect to the transverse conveying direction 135, to the side of the treatment stations 112, 118, one or more maintenance paths 164 extending in the transverse conveying direction 135 are arranged, which are offset downwards relative to the horizontal level of the accessible level 160 such that a section of the side walls of the immersion tanks 124 forms a parapet which protects against falling into the tanks 124.

Below the accessible level 160, the components required for fluid circuits, such as the pumps 166, are arranged.

Furthermore, a counter tank 168 is arranged below the accessible level 160, in front of all treatment stations 112, 118, relative to the main conveying direction 110, which counter tank is intended to hold at least the fluid volume of an immersion treatment station 112 if necessary.

The three dip-coating stations 114, the spray rinsing station 120 and the two dip rinsing stations 116 in the first and second embodiments in Fig. 1 and 2 respectively are fluidically connected to each other by an ultrafiltrate circuit.

The ultrafiltrate is produced from the treatment fluid of the dip coating stations 114 and fed to at least one dip rinsing station 116. In the second immersion rinsing station 116, which is preferably the last immersion treatment station 112 in the main conveying direction 110 of the treatment plant 100 shown in Fig. 2, the workpieces 102 are preferably rinsed with demineralized water, an ultrafiltrate or a nanofiltrate.

From the immersion rinsing station 116, the ultrafiltrate is fed to the spray rinsing station 120.

The ultrafiltrate is then returned to the dip-coating stations 116 and returns there preferably via the spray nozzles 136 to the dip tank 124.

Overall, the ultrafiltrate is returned in a cascade manner to the dip-coating stations 116, contrary to the main conveying direction 110.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of part of the treatment system 100 from Fig. 2, namely one of the dip treatment stations 112 designed as a dip painting station 114 in cooperation with the main conveyor device 108.

In the illustrated state, the transverse transfer carriage 130, on whose transverse conveyor device 134 a workpiece 102 designed as a vehicle body 106 with workpiece carrier 132 is arranged, has reached the transfer position along the main conveying direction 110, from which the workpiece 102 can be conveyed into the dip-coating station 114 for treatment.

The workpiece 102 is conveyed and/or transferred by means of the workpiece carrier 132, wherein the workpiece carrier 132 is detachably connected to the underside of the workpiece 102.

The workpiece 102 is then conveyed by the transverse conveying device 134 in the transverse conveying direction 135 and is conveyed into an overhanging position from which it is first picked up in a front section of the workpiece carrier 132 by the pick-up arm 152 of the lifting conveyor tower 148 leading in the transverse conveying direction 135, preferably before the workpiece 102 tilts in the direction of the dipping tank 124. Subsequently, the receiving arm 152 of the lifting conveyor tower 148 following in the transverse conveying direction 135 receives the workpiece carrier 132 in a rear section thereof; preferably before the workpiece 102 drops from the transverse conveying device 134.

After the workpiece carrier 132 with the workpiece 102 has been picked up by the pick-up arms 152 and locked thereto at least for the duration of the treatment, the station conveyor device 122 moves the workpiece 102 into at least one treatment position in the immersion tank 124, the treatment fluid of which has been hidden in Fig. 3 for illustrative reasons.

Preferably, the front of the vehicle body 106 is first lowered into the immersion tank 124, for which purpose the receiving arm 152 of the leading lifting tower 148 must first be lowered more in the lifting direction 150.

The receiving arm 152 of the following lifting conveyor tower 144 is then also lowered in the lifting direction 150 as far as necessary for complete immersion, wherein preferably simultaneously or at least immediately thereafter the leading receiving arm 152 is raised again in the lifting direction 150.

Finally, the following receiving arm 152 is also raised again in the lifting direction 150 and the treated workpiece 102, in particular the electrocoated vehicle body 106, is transferred in reverse order to the transverse conveyor device 134 of a transverse transfer carriage 130.

Because the receiving arms 152 are rigidly connected to one another by the workpiece carrier 132, the movement of the receiving arms 152 is not decoupled from a movement of the lifting towers 148 along the transverse conveying direction 135 in order to move the workpiece 102 to be treated into one or more treatment positions.

It is also conceivable that the workpiece 102 to be treated is only partially lowered into the dipping tank 124, should only partial treatment be desired or necessary.

The lifting towers 148 of the station conveyor device 122 are arranged one after the other on a long side 144 of the immersion tank 124 in the transverse conveying direction 135. The movement of the lifting towers 148 in the transverse conveying direction 135 and of the receiving arms 152 in the lifting direction 150 is coordinated by at least one control and regulating device.

Preferably, the movement of the transverse transfer carriages 130 along the main conveying direction 110 as well as the conveying movement of the transverse conveying devices 134 of the carriages 130 are also coordinated by at least one control and regulating device.

Preferably, all control and regulation tasks of the treatment plant 100 are coordinated and monitored by a central control and regulation unit.

In Fig. 3 it can also be seen that in the immersion tank 124 the anodes 154 designed as dialysis cells 156 are arranged on the inner sides of the two side walls of the long sides 144 and on the inner side of the side wall of the short side 146, which faces away from the main conveying device 108.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic plan view of a third embodiment of a treatment system 100, which differs from the first embodiment in Fig. 1 in that the support treatment station 118 designed as a spray rinsing station 120 is not arranged next to the main conveyor device 108 between the dip painting stations 114 and the dip rinsing stations 116, but instead is integrated into the main conveyor device 108.

When the at least one spray rinsing station 120 is arranged or integrated into the main conveying device 108, the workpiece 102 to be spray-rinsed is conveyed into the spray rinsing station 120 by a transverse transfer carriage 130 following the respective dip-coating station 114 and deposited in the treatment area there.

In the third embodiment of the treatment system 100, all transverse transfer carriages 130 are equipped with a lifting device for setting down and lifting the workpieces 102, such as a lifting table.

In particular, these transverse transfer carriages 130 do not have a transverse conveying device 134. In order to be able to transfer the workpieces 102 to the immersion treatment stations 112 and to deposit them in the treatment area 139 of the spray rinsing station 120, the main conveyor device 108 has a track width 170 which is dimensioned such that carrying devices 172 can be arranged on both sides of the main conveyor device 108, on which the workpiece carriers 132 can be deposited.

The support devices 172 are preferably arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the main conveyor device 108 and together define a transfer position 173.

The support devices 172 of the treatment area 139 are in particular support trestles 174.

The workpiece carriers 132, on which the workpieces 102 are arranged, project beyond the track width 170 of the main conveyor device 108 at least far enough that they can be safely placed on a pair of carrying devices 172 in one of the transfer positions 173 and lifted out again from this.

The transverse transfer carriages 130 are therefore lower in height than the set-down level of a pair of support devices 172, so that the lifting device of the carriages 130 must be lowered for set-down.

The transverse transfer carriages 130 can therefore preferably move under a workpiece carrier 132 placed on support devices 172 in one of the transfer positions 173 when the lifting device is lowered.

For the spray rinsing station 120, this means that after the workpiece carrier has been deposited on the pair of support blocks 174, i.e. in the transfer position 173 of the spray rinsing station 120, the depositing transverse transfer carriage 130 moves out of the spray rinsing station 120 opposite to the main conveying direction 110.

In the spray rinsing station 120, a plurality of spray nozzles 136 are arranged, which are arranged such that they enclose the workpiece 102 to be spray rinsed, preferably in its longitudinal direction. The longitudinal orientation of a workpiece 102 to be treated is preferably not changed throughout the treatment system 100, ie the longitudinal orientation remains substantially parallel to the transverse conveying direction 135.

After the spray rinsing process, the workpiece carrier 132 with the rinsed workpiece 102 arranged thereon is conveyed out of the spray rinsing station 120 by the transverse transfer carriage 130, which follows the spray rinsing station 120 in the main conveying direction 110.

For this purpose, this transverse transfer carriage 130 moves counter to the main conveying direction 110 into the transfer position 173 under the workpiece carrier 132 placed on the support trestles 174 and lifts it out by means of its lifting device.

This transverse transfer carriage 130 then conveys the workpiece 102 along the main conveying direction 110 to the next transfer position 173 in front of the following immersion rinsing station 116.

In the same way, the transverse transfer carriages 130 place the workpieces 102 or the workpiece carriers 132 on the respective pairs of carrying devices 172, which are assigned to a transfer position 173 in front of a dip treatment station 112.

The carrying devices 172 in the transfer position 173 in front of the immersion treatment stations 112 are preferably designed as roller blocks 176, which convey the workpiece carriers 132 with workpiece 102 into the immersion treatment station 112 in the transverse conveying direction 135 after the setting-down process.

Conversely, the roller blocks enable the treated workpieces 102 to be conveyed back to the corresponding transfer position 173, from which they can be lifted by the subsequent transverse transfer carriage 130 and conveyed to the next treatment station 112, 118.

The pairs of support devices 172 at the beginning and end of the

Main conveyor device 108 are preferably designed as roller blocks in order to To enable transfer from the workpiece source 126 or a transfer to the workpiece sink 128.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a dip treatment station 112 of a treatment system 100 designed as a dip painting station 114.

The station conveyor device 122 of the second embodiment comprises two lifting conveyor towers 148, which are arranged on opposite sides of the immersion tank 124 and are also movable in the transverse conveying direction 135.

By arranging the lifting conveyor towers 148 in this way, the horizontal section of one receiving arm 152 is movable around the horizontal section of the other receiving arm 152, whereby with regard to the plunging movement of the workpiece 102 to be treated, different movement trajectories are possible than with lifting conveyor towers 148 arranged one behind the other.

In Fig. 5, the treated workpiece 102 is transferred from the immersion treatment station 112 to the transverse transfer carriage 130 by the lifting conveyor towers 148.

The emerging workpiece 102 is rinsed by means of a plurality of spray nozzles 136 during the return to the waiting transverse transfer carriage 130.

For this purpose, spray nozzles 136 are provided, which are arranged in the upper area of the immersion tank 124, preferably near the edge of the tank, on the inside of the immersion tank 124, in front of the weir 140.

These spray nozzles 136 rinse the treated workpiece 102 essentially from its underside.

On the other hand, further spray nozzles 136 are arranged on a U-shaped frame 178, which is arranged in the area of the weir 140 above the dip tank 124 so that the associated spray nozzles 136 can rinse the treated workpiece 102 from above and from both sides. The frame 178 is shaped such that the upper spray nozzles 136 are arranged offset from the lateral spray nozzles with respect to the transverse conveying direction 135, whereby the treated workpiece 102 is preferably rinsed first from above and then from the sides when emerging from the spray nozzles 136 of the frame 178.

Furthermore, a splash guard wall 180 is arranged in sections along the two long sides 144 of the plunge pool 124 on or at the edge of the pool, which protects the surroundings of the plunge pool 124 in particular from so-called secondary splashes.

Each splash guard 180 is arranged at least in sections between the respective receiving arm 152 and the associated lifting conveyor tower 148 and therefore preferably follows at least approximately the contour of the adjacent section of the associated receiving arm 152.

In addition, the upper edge of the splash guard walls 180 is particularly contoured so that the receiving arms 152 do not touch the splash guard walls 180 during the treatment of the workpieces 102 in the dip tank 124.

Fig. 6 shows the state in which the treated workpiece 102 has been completely transferred to the transverse transfer carriage 130.

In Figs. 5 and 6, possible additional positions along the lifting towers 148 are indicated for the base units 182 of the support arms 152, which connect the support arms 152 to the respective lifting tower 148. The indicated possible additional positions therefore do not hinder or impair the actual base units 182 during movement along the respective lifting tower 148.

List of reference symbols

Treatment plant

workpiece

Electrocoating system

vehicle body

Main conveyor device

Main conveying direction

T-treatment station

T painting station

Immersion rinsing station

Support treatment unit

Spray rinsing station

Station conveyor device

plunge pool

Workpiece source

Workpiece countersink

Transverse transfer carriage

Workpiece carrier

Cross conveyor device

Cross conveying direction

Spray nozzles

Spray nozzle group

Treatment area

Weir

Overflow area

Long side of the diving pool

Short side of the diving pool

hoist tower

Stroke direction

Recording arm

Anodes

Dialysis cells

Enclosure 160 walkable levels

162 Access route

164 Maintenance route

166 Pump

168 Counter Tank

170 track width

172 carrying device

173 Transfer position

174 Support trestle

176 dolly

178 U-shaped frame

180 splash guard

182 Base unit m Number of required/to-pass stations per workpiece n Number of transverse transfer carriages

Claims

Patent claims 1. Treatment system (100) for treating workpieces (102), in particular for dip painting and rinsing vehicle bodies (106), wherein the treatment system (100) comprises: at least one main conveying device (108) for conveying the workpieces (102) along a main conveying direction (110); and a plurality of immersion treatment stations (112) which are arranged one after the other along the main conveying direction (110) and preferably on the same side of the main conveying device (108), wherein the workpieces (102) are each arranged on a workpiece carrier (132), wherein the at least one main conveying device (108) comprises one or more transverse transfer carriages (130) for conveying the workpieces (102), wherein the workpieces (102) can be conveyed into and/or out of one or more immersion treatment stations (112) in a transverse conveying direction (135), and wherein the transverse conveying direction (135) runs at least approximately transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the main conveying direction (110). 2. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the workpieces can be conveyed by means of the transverse displacement carriages in their transverse orientation along the main conveying direction (110). 3. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the workpieces (102) can be conveyed in their longitudinal orientation in the transverse conveying direction (135) into and/or out of the one or more immersion treatment stations (112). 4. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each transverse transfer carriage (130) comprises the following: a) at least one transverse conveying device (134), by means of which the workpieces (102) can be conveyed in the transverse conveying direction (135); and/or b) at least one lifting device, by means of which the workpieces (102) can be set down at a transfer position (173) along the main conveying device (108). and/or can be lifted from a transfer position (173) along the main conveyor device (108). 5. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the immersion treatment stations (112) each comprise at least one immersion tank (124) for treating the workpieces (102) with a treatment fluid and at least one station conveyor device (122) by means of which the workpieces (102) to be treated can be taken over from the main conveyor device (108), brought into at least one treatment position in the immersion tank (124) and transferred to the main conveyor device (108). 6. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the station conveyor device (122) a) comprises at least two lifting conveyor towers (148) which are arranged one behind the other in the transverse conveying direction (135) and are movable in the transverse conveying direction (135) on the same side of the immersion tank (124) of the immersion treatment station (112); or b) comprises at least two lifting conveyor towers (148) which are arranged on opposite sides of the immersion tank (124) of the immersion treatment station (112) and are movable along the respective side in the transverse conveying direction (135). 7. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that the lifting towers (148) each have at least one receiving arm (152) for receiving a section of a workpiece carrier (132) and/or a workpiece (102), which can be moved in a lifting direction (150) along the respective lifting conveyor tower (148). 8. Treatment system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that one or more dip treatment stations (112) are designed as dip painting stations (114) in which the workpieces (102) can be treated with a paint, in particular an electrocoating paint. 9. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that 5 to 15 workpieces (102), preferably 10 workpieces (102), can be treated per hour in a dip-coating station. 10. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the dipping tanks (124) of the dip-coating station (114) each have an overflow area (142) separated by a weir (140). 11. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that the overflow areas (142) are arranged on the side of the immersion tanks (124) facing the main conveying device (108). 12. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the dip-coating stations (114) each have a plurality of spray nozzles (136) for rinsing treated workpieces (102) when they are conveyed out of the respective dip-coating station (114). 13. Treatment system (100) according to claim 12, characterized in that the spray nozzles (136) a) are arranged on the side of the dipping tanks (124) facing the main conveying device (108); and/or b) are arranged laterally of the transverse conveying direction (135) and in an upper region of the dipping tanks (124) on their inner sides; and/or c) are arranged above the dipping tanks (124), preferably circumferentially, for example in a U-shape, wherein the spray nozzles (136) which rinse the treated workpieces (102) from above are preferably arranged offset with respect to the transverse conveying direction (135) from the spray nozzles (136) which are provided for rinsing the treated workpieces (102) from the side. 14. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 5 to 13, characterized in that along at least one side of the immersion tanks (124) at least in sections one or more splash guard walls (180), for example one or more splash guard plates, are provided. 15. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 14, characterized in that the splash guard walls (180) are arranged on and/or at the respective immersion pool edge. 16. Treatment system (100) according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the upper edge of the splash guard walls (180) is designed according to the path of movement of the respective adjacent receiving arm (152), which the latter describes during the treatment of the workpiece (102), and/or is always spaced apart from the adjacent receiving arm (152). 17. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that one or more immersion treatment stations (112) are designed as immersion rinsing stations (116) for immersion rinsing workpieces (102). 18. Treatment plant (100) according to claim 17, characterized in that the one or more immersion rinsing stations (116) are arranged in the main conveying direction (110) after the one or more immersion painting stations (114). 19. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the treatment plant (100) has one or more support treatment stations (118) which are arranged before, between and/or after the immersion treatment stations (112). 20. Treatment system (100) according to claim 19, characterized in that at least one supporting treatment station (118) is designed as a spray rinsing station (120) for spray rinsing the workpieces (102), wherein the at least one spray rinsing station (120) is arranged between the dip painting stations (114) and the dip rinsing stations (116). 21. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the treatment plant (100) comprises, in the main conveying direction (110), at least one, preferably three dip-coating stations (114), at least one spray rinsing station (120) and at least one, preferably two dip-rinsing stations (116) in succession. 22. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the treatment stations (112, 118) are fluidically connected to one another in at least one closed ultrafiltrate circuit, by means of which ultrafiltrate can be fed to the treatment stations (112, 118) in a cascade manner against the main conveying direction (110). 23. Treatment plant (100) according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the treatment plant (100) comprises a housing (158) which encloses the main conveyor device (108) and the treatment stations (112, 118). 24. Treatment system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the treatment system (100) comprises at least one counter tank (168) by means of which at least the fluid volume of an immersion treatment station (112) can be accommodated.