CLEANING METHOD FOR COATING DEVICE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the cleaning time when coating materials are exchanged to change colors in a coating device and the residual coating material in the device is cleaned with a thinner, by decreasing the cleaning time with the smaller difference between the coating materials to be exchanged concerning to the density, series of colors or kinds of materials. SOLUTION: A work W is coated in a coating chamber 20 by a coating robot 14. After the work W is coated, the residual coating material in the coating device is cleaned and colors are changed for the next coating process according to the coating color indication sheet and a controlling device 18 for exchanging colors of coating materials. Namely, air or nitrogen is first supplied to a manifold 2 from a gas supply source 11 through a gas supply tube 12 to blow out the residual coating material remaining in the manifold 2, hose 15, coating robot 14, etc. Then a thinner in a thinner tank 7 is supplied in the same way to clean the device with the thinner. In this process, the coating material currently used is compared to the coating material to be used next. With the small difference of the density, color series or kinds of the coating materials, the cleaning time is decreased to prevent consumption of unnecessary thinner.