CAROUSEL-TYPE PAINT TONING MACHINE

Abstract: The invention relates to a carousel-type paint toning machine comprising a frame (1); a carousel base (3) arranged rotatably in an upper part (2) of the frame; containers (4) for toning paste, arranged in a circle on the carousel base; means (5) for rotating the carousel base (3); means for mixing the paste in the paste containers, the means comprising a mixer (6) inside each paste container and a rotatable part (7) connected to the mixer and situated below each container; and means (8) for rotating the rotatable parts (7) connected to the mixers. In order to reduce the costs of manufacturing the machine, the carousel base (3) and the means (8) for rotating the rotatable parts (7) connected to the mixers (6) are formed by cutting them from a single plate, the middle of which forms the carousel base (3) and the remaining outer part forms the means (8) for rotating said rotatable parts.

Description: CAROUSEL-TYPE PAINT TONING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a carousel-type paint toning machine comprising a frame; a carousel base arranged rotatably in an upper part of the frame; containers for toning paste, arranged in a circle on the carousel base; means for rotating the carousel base; means for mixing the paste in the paste containers, the means comprising a mixer inside each paste container and a rotatable part connected to the mixer and situated below each container; and means for rotating the rotatable parts connected to the mixers. The prior art teaches this kind of carousel-type paint toning machine where a specially made carousel base with smooth edges is rotated by a friction wheel, which is mounted in friction contact against the upper surface of the base and which is driven by an electric motor, for example. The rotatable part connected to the mixer is usually a gearwheel, and the means rotating the part consist of a gear ring with inside toothing, arranged below the carousel base in the machine frame. When the carousel base is rotated, i.e. when a paste container with a certain colour should be moved to the feeding point, the gearwheel and the gear ring that interact simultaneously spin the mixers situated inside the paste containers. A drawback of the prior art paint toning machine is that the structural parts which bring out the simultaneous rotary movements described above are expensive to manufacture, since it is necessary to produce separately the carousel base and the internal gear ring, which must somehow be inserted into the frame structure of the machine below the carousel base. Further, the rotation of the carousel base by means of friction is not very efficient, wherefore it is necessary to use more powerful and more expensive motors, which correspondingly results in higher consumption of energy. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An objective of the invention is to improve the paint toning machine of the type described at the beginning such that the aforementioned drawbacks can be eliminated. This objective is achieved with a paint toning machine according to the invention, which is primarily characterized in that the carousel base and the means for rotating the rotatable parts connected to the mixers are formed by cutting them from a single plate, the middle of which forms the carousel base and the remaining outer part forms the means for rotating said rotatable parts. The cutting circle is preferably provided with teeth during the cutting, so that the carousel base comprises outside toothing for the means rotating the carousel base, and the outer part comprises inside toothing for the rotatable parts connected to the mixers. The invention is thus based on the idea of cutting the carousel base and the ring that rotates the mixers from one and the same plate, preferably such that the toothings or the like, which are possibly required depending on the transmission of the rotation, are formed at the same time as the carousel base and the ring are separated from one another. This substantially decreases the costs of manufacturing the machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described below in greater detail in connection with a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a paint toning machine according to the invention; Figure 2 is a general side view showing the rotation of a carousel base and mixers of the paint toning machine according to the invention; and Figure 3 shows a plate from which the carousel base and the ring that rotates the mixers are made. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to Figure 1 , a carousel-type paint toning machine according to the invention comprises a frame 1 , an annular carousel base 3 arranged rotatably in an upper part 2 of the frame, containers 4 for toning paste, placed in a circle on the carousel base 3, some of the containers being deleted from the figure or shown in a sectional view, a rotary motor 5, preferably an electric motor, for rotating the carousel base 3, a mixer 6 situated inside each paste container 4 for mixing the paste therein, a rotatable part 7 placed under each container, extending below the carousel base 3 and connected to the mixer 6, a means 8 arranged in the upper part 2 of the frame below the carousel base 3 for rotating the rotatable parts 7 connected to the mixers 6, a paste feeding device (a nozzle, a valve, a pump) 9 connected to each paste container 4, and means 10 for operating the paste feeding devices 9. A lower part 15 of the frame 1 also comprises a rack 16 with an adjustable elevation for a paint can 17 to be toned. The carousel base 3 and the means 8 for rotating the rotatable parts 7 connected to the mixers 6 are formed by cutting them from a single plate P (Figure 3), such that the middle of the plate forms the carousel base 3 and the remaining outer part forms the means 8 for rotating the rotatable parts 7. In this example the cutting circle C is provided with teeth during the cutting, whereupon the inner part or the carousel base 3 comprises outside toothing or the like 11 for the motor 5 that rotates the carousel base 3, and the outer part 8 comprises inside toothing or the like 12 for the rotatable parts or gearwheels 7 connected to the mixers 6. A round support sheet 13 is also separated through cutting from the middle of the carousel base 3 and it is attached to the upper part 2 of the frame. The carousel base 3 is mounted in bearings 14 on the circumference of the support sheet and the means 10 for operating the paste feeding devices 9 are also fastened to the sheet. The plate P is preferably cut by means of a laser so that the result is a clean cut. It is naturally also possible to use other cutting methods, such as plasma cutting, as long as the result is sufficiently good. The cutting can be carried out directly on the frame plate at the upper part 2 of the frame, and the structure of the machine or the frame 1 , 2 can be adjusted suitably so that no sheet material is wasted and the costs of manufacture and material remain low. The paint toning machine described above operates in the following manner: When a desired tone has been selected from a control unit (not shown in the figure) connected to the paint toning machine, the motor 5 starts rotating the carousel base, whereupon the gear ring 11 simultaneously spins the mixers 6 via the gearwheels 7 so that they mix the paste while the carousel base 3 rotates. When the container 4 containing the required toning paste arrives at the feeding point, it stops exactly at the right spot, i.e. at the paint can 17 placed on the rack 16, whereafter the feeding device 9 draws a sufficient amount of paste from the container 4 by means of the actuator 10 and feeds the paste into the paint can 17. The above description of the invention is only intended to illustrate the basic idea of the invention. A person skilled in the art can therefore implement the details thereof in various ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, for example "toothing" should be understood broadly to refer to all surfaces that are not smooth.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A carousel-type paint toning machine comprising -a frame (1); - a carousel base (3) arranged rotatably in an upper part (2) of the frame (1); - containers (4) for toning paste, arranged in a circle on the carousel base (3); - means (5, 11) for rotating the carousel base (3); - means for mixing the paste in the paste containers (4), the means comprising a mixer (6) inside each paste container and a rotatable part (7) connected to the mixer and situated below each container; and - means (8) for rotating the rotatable parts (7) connected to the mixers (6); characterized in that the carousel base (3) and the means (8) for rotating the rotatable parts (7) connected to the mixers (6) are formed by cutting them from a single plate (P), the middle of which forms the carousel base (3) and the remaining outer part forms the means (8) for rotating said rotatable parts. 2. A paint toning machine according to claim 1, character- i z e d in that the cutting circle is provided with teeth during the cutting, so that the carousel base (3) comprises outside toothing (11) for the means (5) rotating the carousel base, and the outer part (8) comprises inside toothing (12) for the rotatable parts (7) connected to the mixers (6). 3. A paint toning machine according to claim 1 or 2, charac- te r i z e d in that a round support sheet (13), connected to the upper part (2) of the frame, is also separated from the middle of the carousel base (3) by cutting, the carousel base being mounted in bearings on the circumference of the support sheet, which is provided with means (10) for operating paste feeding devices (9) connected to each paste container (4). 4. A paint toning machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cutting is carried out by a laser.

Inventors: SEPPAENEN TAPIO, SEPPAENEN, TAPIO
Applicants: COROB OY, SEPPAENEN TAPIO, SEPPAENEN, TAPIO
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B44D3
IPC codes: B01F7, B01F13, B01F15