US 11,752,518 B2
Robot-centered coating system with multiple curing workstations
Robert G. Rock, Sturgeon Bay, WI (US); and Chad Martin Andreae, Sturgeon Bay, WI (US)
Assigned to SST Systems, Inc.
Filed by SST Systems, Inc., Sturgeon Bay, WI (US)
Filed on Jun. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/338,348.
Prior Publication US 2022/0388025 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. B05C 3/10 (2006.01); B05D 1/18 (2006.01); B05D 3/00 (2006.01); B05D 3/02 (2006.01); B05C 13/00 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01); B05C 3/08 (2006.01); B25J 17/02 (2006.01); B05C 9/14 (2006.01); B25J 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC B05D 1/18 (2013.01) [B05C 3/08 (2013.01); B05C 3/10 (2013.01); B05C 9/14 (2013.01); B05C 13/00 (2013.01); B05D 3/002 (2013.01); B05D 3/0272 (2013.01); B25J 11/0075 (2013.01); B25J 15/0213 (2013.01); B25J 17/0283 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A coating system comprising:
a plurality of liquid immersion workstations positioned along an arcuate path, the plurality of liquid immersion workstations defining a coating process for a sequence of objects, wherein the coating process defines, along the arcuate path, a single complete coating process of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations along the arcuate path, wherein the plurality of liquid immersion workstations are a series of sequential workstations along the arcuate path that define the single complete coating process with successive workstations placed in order along the arcuate path;
a plurality of curing workstations configured to independently receive objects of the sequence of objects exiting the plurality of liquid immersion workstations defining the coating process;
a robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm is an articulated robotic arm having a base positioned inside the arcuate path in top plan view such that the robotic arm is operable to carry each object of the sequence of objects through each of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations in order along the arcuate path and to exactly one of the plurality of curing workstations; and
one articulated robotic hand provided at a distal end of the robotic arm and configured to grasp and hold each object of the sequence of objects and to oscillate each object of the sequence of objects while each object of the sequence of objects is submerged in each of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations,
wherein the sequential workstations are located adjacent to one another such that the robotic arm is operable to carry the sequence of objects along the arcuate path in one circumferential direction to each of the successive workstations located in order along the arcuate path to exactly one of the plurality of curing workstations.