High-throughput method for preparing anticorrosion coatings

1 . A method for preparing anticorrosion coatings, comprising the steps of:

treating surfaces of sample substrates to be coated by removing oxide layers, and placing the treated substrates on specimen fixture trays;

determining solution data based on types and composition ranges of corrosion inhibitors planned for anticorrosion coating preparation;

preparing solutions based on the solution data, adding the solutions to designated test tubes using an anticorrosion coating preparation platform, and thoroughly mixing with primer coats to obtain coating solutions;

dispensing the formulated coating solutions onto the surfaces of the sample substrates to be coated using a pipette, and applying coatings using a coating application robotic arm integrated in the anticorrosion coating preparation platform;

transferring the applied sample substrates to an ultraviolet (UV) radiation station, and performing irradiation by selecting different wavelengths and times corresponding to specific liquids to achieve thermal curing of anticorrosion coatings; and

removing the specimen fixture trays from the UV radiation station upon completion of irradiation, and transferring the entire specimen fixture tray to a designated position using a gantry robotic arm, finalizing the preparation of the anticorrosion coatings;

the anticorrosion coating preparation platform comprising a stock solution bottle loading assembly, a robot motion assembly, a roll-coating gantry assembly, and a control assembly, wherein

the robot motion assembly comprises a liquid handling robotic arm, a roll-coating robotic arm, an uncapping robotic arm, and a robotic vision monitoring system;

the robotic vision monitoring system is capable of determining the necessity of ion spraying surface treatment operations based on assessment of coating spreading behaviors across the surfaces of the sample substrates;

the liquid handling robotic arm comprises a clamp hand assembly, pipettes, a pipette tip rack, and a vortex mixer, and the pipette comprises a single-row pipette configuration capable of simultaneously aspirating distinct solutions; or alternatively, allowing independent aspiration of distinct solutions or identical solutions through peripheral channels within the single-row pipette;

the roll-coating robotic arm is capable of determining a coating application method from roller coating, drop coating, or spray coating under the control of the robotic vision monitoring system and the control assembly, based on solution fluidity characteristics; and

the roll-coating gantry assembly comprises a roll-coating gantry, a roll-coating electric gripper, a hollow rotating platform, a laser displacement sensor, a camera, roll-coating trays, a roller rack, and UV curing assemblies, and the roll-coating gantry, the laser displacement sensor, the camera and the roll-coating electric gripper are electrically connected to the control assembly; and

manual placement of roll-coating trays and rollers at fixed positions is performed, followed by moving the roll-coating gantry above a target tray; each roll-coating tray position is determined using the laser displacement sensor, and quick response (QR) code scanning is performed by the camera to register the roll-coating tray; after reagent dispensing by the liquid handling robotic arm, the rollers are clamped by the roll-coating gantry; the presence of rollers at a roll-coating station is determined using sensors, and roller coating is performed following roller clamping by the roll-coating electric gripper; and upon completion, the rollers are transferred to an unloading station.

2 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 1 , wherein the control assembly is electrically connected to the robot motion assembly and the robotic vision monitoring system.

3 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 2 , wherein the stock solution bottle loading assembly comprises a stock solution bottle gantry, a stock solution bottle electric gripper, a floating mechanism, a solution bottle tray, a locating block, a drag chain, and a clamping mechanism, an induction sensor is arranged at a lower portion of the solution bottle tray, photoelectric switches is correspondingly arranged on the stock solution bottle gantry, and the induction sensor and the photoelectric switches are electrically connected to the control assembly.

4 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 3 , wherein upon manual placement of stock solution bottles onto the solution bottle tray, the placement of stock solution bottles is detected by the induction sensor, and each stock solution bottle is grasped by the stock solution bottle gantry and transferred to the clamping mechanism where it is clamped; after clamping, a bottle cap is rotated open by the stock solution bottle electric gripper, the bottle cap is retracted to a standby position through the stock solution bottle gantry, and a liquid aspiration signal is issued from the control assembly to the robot motion assembly for liquid aspiration; and upon completion, a signal is returned to the control assembly from the robot motion assembly, the bottle cap is re-tightened through the stock solution bottle gantry, and the stock solution bottle is released by the clamping mechanism and returned to its initial position.

5 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 2 , wherein the clamp hand assembly, the pipette, the vortex mixer and the roll-coating gantry assembly are electrically connected to the control assembly.

6 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 5 , wherein upon manual placement of pipette tips onto the pipette tip rack, the pipette tips are clamped by the clamp hand assembly for liquid aspiration using the pipette; and after liquid aspiration, the liquid handling robotic arm moves to the vortex mixer, and liquid dispensing is executed by the pipette into the test tubes, followed by the vortex mixer performing a shaking operation; and

upon the completion of the shaking operation, the clamp hand assembly of the liquid handling robotic arm drives the pipette for liquid aspiration, while the roll-coating gantry assembly clamps the tray and places it on the roll-coating station; and upon completion of placement, the liquid handling robotic arm controls the pipette to perform quantitative dispensing operations, and contaminated tips are discarded after all reagents have been dispensed.

7 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 1 , wherein the unloading station is arranged at a lower portion of the roller rack, through-beam sensors are arranged on the unloading station, and the through-beam sensors are electrically connected to the control assembly;

upon detection of the roller placed at the unloading station by the through-beam sensors, the roll-coating gantry is retracted to its initial position while the roll-coating tray is advanced into the UV curing assembly for irradiation; and after a predetermined irradiation time elapses, the roll-coating tray is ejected while the roll-coating tray is clamped by the roll-coating electric gripper, and the position of the roll-coating tray is determined by the laser displacement sensor, finalizing the unloading operation; and

the UV curing assembly comprises a UV lamp, and the UV lamp is electrically connected to the control assembly.

8 . The method for preparing anticorrosion coatings according to claim 1 , wherein the preparation platform further comprises a spraying mechanism, the spraying mechanism comprises a quantitative conveying mechanism, a disposable needle tube, a spray-head lifting mechanism, and an atomizing nozzle; and

the robot motion assembly is capable of driving the quantitative conveying mechanism to mount the disposable needle tube, and aspirating liquids for spray coating into the needle tube; and the liquid-filled disposable needle tube is capable of being inserted into a spray-coating atomization zone of the spray-head lifting mechanism under driven by the robot motion assembly, and spraying the liquids onto carrier surfaces in combination with the atomizing nozzle.