Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J9/00—Adhesives characterised by their physical nature or the effects produced, e.g. glue sticks
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J7/00—Adhesives in the form of films or foils
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J2203/00—Applications of adhesives in processes or use of adhesives in the form of films or foils
  • C09J2203/102—Applications of adhesives in processes or use of adhesives in the form of films or foils in the form of dowels, anchors or cartridges

Definitions

• This disclosure pertains generally to adhesives, and particularly to a method and apparatus for applying adhesives.
• a mortise-and-tenon type joint attaches two members together by having the tenon/dowel pushed into the mortise/hole of a member.
• the attachment is as secure as the tightness of the fit.
• the attachment could be significantly strengthened by use of an adhesive between the tenon/dowel and the mortise/hole, the adhesive is often avoided due to a typical user’s lack of ability to properly apply the adhesive.
• the furniture or accessory that is assembled may suffer loss of structural integrity over time, as the joint loosens.
• FIG. 1 depicts an encapsulated adhesive in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• FIG. 3 depicts another example method of making the encapsulated adhesive.
• FIG. 4A depicts a method of making the encapsulated adhesive in accordance with another embodiment of the inventive concept.
• FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6C depict another example use of the encapsulated adhesive.
• FIG. 7A depicts the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• FIG. 9 depicts the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• FIG. 13 depicts the encapsulated adhesive in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• FIG. 14 depicts the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• FIG. 15A, FIG. 15B, FIG. 15C, FIG. 15D, and FIG. 15E depict an embodiment of a dowel that may be used with the encapsulated adhesive.
• the inventive concept pertains to a method for preparing an adhesive that is easy to handle, and the adhesive prepared in such manner.
• adhesive material there are many types of adhesive material.
• One embodiment of the present invention utilizes non-water-based adhesive material such as epoxy, polyurethane, cyanoacrylate (crazy glue), polyvinyl acetate (e.g., white glue) without adding water, aliphatic glue (e.g., wood glue) without adding water, and animal/hide glue, it should be understood that the inventive concept disclosed herein may be adapted to be used with other types of adhesive material.
• Non-water-based adhesive in one aspect of the present invention, may be paired with any suitable encapsulant.
• the balls of encapsulated adhesives 10 may be soft coming out of the chute.
• the encapsulated adhesive 10 is difficult to shape. For example, if one wanted adhesives in a rod shape, it would be difficult to produce encapsulated adhesive 10 in the desired shape.
• the balls of encapsulated adhesive 10 may be cooled to be semi- solidified, so that they can be shaped in a desired manner. After the shaping or molding is done, the encapsulated adhesive 10 can be frozen to retain the shape.
• capsulate parts 30a and 30b can be comprised of commonly available gelatin capsulate parts, and utilized with non-water based adhesive materials 22 (due to the solubility of gelatin in water).
• capsulate parts 30a and 30b comprised of gelatin can be coated with a waterproofing material, such as a nonwater based epoxy, urethane, plastic or other suitable materials.
• the capsulate parts can also be comprised of a non-water soluble material, such as plastic, permitting the use of any suitable adhesive material 22.
• FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6C depict another example use of the encapsulated adhesive 10.
• FIG. 6A depicts dowels 80 that are designed to fit into dowel holes 82. This type of mortise-tenon or dowel-hole configuration is a common way to attach two parts together, for example during the assembly of flatpack furniture.
• an encapsulated adhesive 10 is placed in the dowel hole 82 before the dowel 80 is inserted.
• the pressure of the dowel breaks the encapsulation, allowing the adhesive material 22 to fill the space between the dowel 80 and the inner walls of the dowel hole 82.
• the adhesive material 22 dries and hardens, the dowel 80 is securely attached to the dowel hole 82.
• Dowels are available in a variety of dimensions, typically categorized by their diameter.
• hole and dowels are used in wood based or cellulose based structures, such as furniture.
• Typical standard wooden dowel sizes include 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 inch diameter sizes, which roughly correspond to 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm typical metric dowel sizes, respectively.
• the lengths of the wooden dowels can be of various sizes, but common lengths for typical dowels are as follows (and approximate volumes) (while the current discussion relates to a specific application utilizing wooden dowels, the inventive concept can be applied to other types of dowels and is not limited to wooden dowels):
• combinations of dowels and capsule sizes provided beneficial results.
• a 3/8 inch dowel having a length of 1 * inches with a size 1 (gelatin) capsule in a hole slightly larger than 3/8 inch in diameter to provide a snug fit (i.e., permitting insertion and removal of the dowel by hand but not loosely) and slightly deeper than % inch in depth (approximately 0.8 inches) the amount of adhesive material contained in the size 1 capsule was suitable to provide good coverage between the surface of the dowel and the walls of the hole. While in some instances, in that combination, some adhesive did extrude out of the seams between the dowel and the hole, the amount of overflow was minimal.
• the amount of adhesive can be increased by increasing the capsule size, or utilizing multiple encapsulated adhesive capsules.
• TABLE 3 shows examples of capsules that may be used in holes of certain dimensions.
• the above chart provides the approximate hole diameters and depths for the exemplary embodiments discussed. As can be seen, good coverage was achieved when the volume of the adhesive is approximately within the range of 40% to 75% of the volume of the hole (understanding that the ratio may vary should the dowel hole dimension vary significantly from the dimensions of the dowel). However, any suitable ratio of adhesive to volume of the hole may be used. This range should be considered exemplary and may vary depending upon additional factors, such as the separation between the hole walls and the dowel. For example, in some applications, it may be either desired to increase the separation or the application may be difficult to achieve minimal separation. It may also be desired to allow excess adhesive to spill over to allow bonding between the ends of the two pieces to be adjoined.
• the volume of adhesive may be increased to compensate for the additional volume within the hole to be filled with adhesive (after the insertion of the dowel).
• a dryer or tighter fit may be desired, requiring less adhesive.
• some type of aggregate can be utilized as part of the encapsulated adhesive to properly fill the separation between the dowel and the hole walls.
• the volume of adhesive may be decreased, such as a desire to avoid any spill over or to achieve a dryer fit between the dowel and the hole walls.
• the introduction of an aggregate or other material into the hole in addition to the dowel i.e., separately applied from the encapsulated adhesive.
• the volume of adhesive may be decreased to compensate for the smaller volume to be filled between the hole and the dowel.
• any suitable range of ratio of adhesive to volume of the hole such as for example 25% to 85%, may be suitable.
• FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show embodiments of encapsulated adhesive 10 with an outer layer.
• FIG. 7A depicts the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• the embodiment of FIG. 7A has fibers 90 attached to the surface of the encapsulant 30.
• the fibers 90 may be fiber glass or carbon fiber, and form an outer layer of the encapsulated adhesive 10.
• the fibers 90 make the encapsulated adhesive 10 easier to handle, and also helps the encapsulated adhesive 10 stay where they are placed. For example, referring to FIG. 6A, the “fuzzy” texture of the fibers 90 make it less likely that the encapsulated adhesive 10 will roll out of the dowel hole 82.
• the fibers 90 can be applied to the encapsulant in any number of ways. For example, after formation of the encapsulated adhesive 10, an adhesive can be applied to the encapsulated adhesive and the fibers 90 can applied and allowed to cure to form the outer layer. In another embodiment where an encapsulating machine is used, such as one similar to those used in the manufacture of paint balls, the fibers 90 may be applied to the exterior facing surfaces of the encapsulating layers, which are then fed into the machine.
• FIG. 9 depicts the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• the embodiment of FIG. 9 has an elongated or cylindrical shape instead of a spherical shape. This shape may be achieved, as mentioned above, by cooling, shaping, and solidifying the encapsulated adhesive 10. To retain the shape at warmer temperature, the encapsulated adhesive 10 may be coated with a hard shell while it is frozen. In another embodiment, when an encapsulating machine is used to form the encapsulated adhesive, the two layers of encapsulant can be formed into half cylinders, which are then joined together and filled.
• FIG. 10A depicts an embodiment of the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• This embodiment has a pin 95 inside the encapsulant material 30.
• the pin 95 is shaped so that when compressed, it expands in one or more directions and breaks the encapsulant 30.
• pushing the dowel into the dowel hole 82 with the encapsulated adhesive 10 inside the hole 82 would cause the pin 95 to expand and break the encapsulant material 30, allowing the adhesive material 22 to contact the dowel 80 and the inner wall of the dowel hole 82.
• the encapsulated adhesive 10 is placed in a cavity 82, and a dowel/member 80 is inserted into the cavity. As the dowel/member 80 reaches and presses the encapsulated adhesive 10, the pin 95 gets compressed and breaches the encapsulant 30. Alternatively or in addition, pin 95 may be added to the cavity 82 separately from the encapsulated adhesive 10 so that when the member 80 presses down on the pin 95 and the encapsulated adhesive 10, the encapsulant 30 will be breached.
• FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B depict the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with different embodiments of the inventive concept.
• These embodiments have scoring/perforation 100 on the surface of the encapsulant 30 to make the breaking of the encapsulant 30 predictable.
• the scoring may ensure that the encapsulant 30 will break into small pieces.
• the scoring 100 may be done by laser or mechanically onto an encapsulated adhesive 10 that is prepared. The dents or holes of the scoring 100 should not be big enough to allow any adhesive material 22 to leak out. Scoring may be performed in any pattern, either decorative or functional.
• scoring may be applied to the encapsulant in any pattern such that the adhesive is released sufficiently around the collapsed encapsulant, such that the adhesive is applied evenly to the surfaces of both pieces (e.g., mortise and tenon, dowel and hole, or tongue and groove).
• scoring may be applied in a spiral pattern such that the encapsulant is released around the entire surface of the cylinder, coating the surfaces of the two pieces to be bonded and the remaining encapsulant acting as aggregate material.
• first adhesive material 22a and the second adhesive material 22b may be a resin and an activator, as are well known in the art.
• the dowel 80 is inserted into the cavity 82, the first adhesive material 22a and the second adhesive material 22b will mix in the cavity and fix the dowel 80 in place.
• FIG. 14 depicts the encapsulated adhesive 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept.
• This embodiment provides a two-part epoxy packaged in two compartments of a single encapsulated adhesive 10.
• a separation layer 32 keeps the two types of epoxy contained in the encapsulant 30 from coming into contact with each other.
• the separation layer 32 may also break, but may not be necessary.
• the first adhesive material 22a and the second adhesive material 22b mix when the encapsulant 30 and/or the separation layer 32 breaks, and begin to cure.
• the embodiment of FIG. 14 may be prepared by using a capsule structure as shown in FIG. 4B, then adding a separation layer 32 over one or both of the half-capsule pieces before combining the two pieces.
• the two-part epoxy structures of FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 allow the first adhesive material 22a and the second adhesive material 22b to be present in a preselected ratio.
• the ratio of the two components may be controlled by the relative sizes of the spheres.
• the size of the spheres may be controlled by the size of the droplets that fall into the second reactant, referring to the process described in FIG. 3.
• the size of the sphere may be all the same and the ratio of the components may be controlled by the number of balls of each adhesive material that is used.
• the encapsulated adhesives can be color coded, one color for the activator and another color for the resin. Color coding would further assist in applying the proper ratio of activator and resin.
• the relative sizes of the two pieces can be adjusted to achieve the proper ratio of adhesives. It may be preferable to remove and reinsert the dowel or tenon in the hole to ensure adequate mixing of the two part epoxy.
• the present embodiment can be achieved using a plastic film as the encapsulant 30.
• Sachet or pouch filling and sealing machines are well known, and can be utilized to fill and seal an encapsulated adhesive 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• the size, shape and dimensions of the encapsulated adhesive 10 would preferably correspond to the desired application.
• the encapsulated adhesive 10 in sachet form would be substantially cylindrical.
• the encapsulated adhesive 10 can be a pouch conforming to the rough dimensions of the mortise.
• any size or shape of the encapsulated adhesive may be formed as suitable for the application.
• the present invention may also be applied to the bonding any suitable pieces, including without limitation, wood, paper, metal, plastics, ceramics, or alloys, applied to like pieces or dissimilar pieces. It should be understood that the inventive concept can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the inventive concept to the precise form disclosed.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Adhesives Or Adhesive Processes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=80050585

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2021
  • 2021-12-21 EP EP21848376.6A patent/EP4267689A1/de active Pending
  • 2021-12-21 WO PCT/US2021/064643 patent/WO2022140407A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2021-12-21 CN CN202180087135.4A patent/CN116806244A/zh active Pending

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events