ES2360066T3 - SYSTEM TO SUBJECT AND / OR ALIGN COMPONENTS OF A LIQUID DOSING SYSTEM. - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus (100) for dosing liquid thermoplastic material comprising: a first component (102) that includes a first side and at least one conduit (114) for receiving the liquid thermoplastic material, said conduit (114) including an opening in said first lateral and said first component also including a first interaction surface on said first side and configured as one of a split part (142) extending only partially to said first component (102) or a projecting part (140) configured to extend only partially to a second component (104), said first interaction surface adapted to cooperate with a second interaction surface in the second component (104) and, therefore, capable of at least partially securing said first component (102) in the second component (104) or at least partially fasten the second component (104) in said first component (102), characterized in that the part and cleft (142) or the protruding part (140) resembles a bow tie because it has a narrow central area that widens outward, and said cleft part (142) or said protruding part (140) extends over the entire width of the First or second component.

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention, in general, relates to a liquid dosing system having separate components that are coupled to each other and, more specifically, to the ways in which said components are fixed to each other.

In US 5,265,800 an apparatus and methods for spraying an adhesive onto a movable surface with a plurality of gun modules that are coupled to a transition plate are described, which in turn is attached to adhesive service manifolds and of air. The gun modules are attached to movable plates that can be connected to the transition plate in a way that allows the gun modules to move laterally, separately, relative to the transition plate, such that the location is shifted in which the adhesive is sprayed on the moving surface.

EP0719591A2, which describes the features of the preamble of claims 1 and 27, shows an apparatus and methods for spraying an adhesive onto a substrate that moves along a surface with a plurality of gun modules that are coupled to plates of individual assembly which, in turn, are subject to adhesive and air service manifolds. The gun module and mobile plate assemblies can be mounted on the service manifold in a way that allows the gun and mobile plate module assemblies to travel separately to a plurality of pre-set locations in a direction parallel to the moving surface to change the pattern of sprayed adhesive on the substrate.

Background of the invention

Viscous fluids or liquids are applied by means of dispensers on a surface of a substrate in a variety of dosing applications employed in product manufacturing and product packaging. Such viscous liquids include thermoplastic materials, such as hot melt adhesives. Liquid dispensers use pneumatically or electrically operated valve assemblies to measure an exact amount of the viscous liquid and discharge the measured amount through a small diameter dosing hole. Many thermoplastic materials exist in solid form at room temperature and must be heated to create a fluid viscous liquid. Other hot melt adhesive materials are supplied as liquids at room temperature. A solid form of the material is placed in a retention tank that has thermal walls and melts by heating the solid material above its melting point. The viscous liquid is pumped, in a molten state, under pressure from the holding tank, through a supply line, to a collecting block. The collecting block has liquid ducts connected in fluid communication with the dosing hole of one or more liquid dosers.

A dosing module that includes the dosing hole is normally connected to the manifold block, sometimes referred to as a gun body or gun manifold, by means of screws or bolts extending through the module and even threaded holes of the Gun collector face. In order for the liquid dosing system to function properly, this connection of the collector with the module must be carried out in such a way that holes for liquid or fluid of both the collector and the module are properly aligned in order to provide a fluid tight communication between the two components or auxiliary assemblies. In the case of a pneumatically operated module and / or one that doses air-driven liquid, the cross connection of a liquid hole with an adhesive hole should be avoided. Connecting the two auxiliary assemblies means placing the module in its proper position and, at the same time, while keeping the module firm, screw the connection bolts, through the module, to the manifold. Misalignment can cause the adhesive to drip from the gun onto a transport system and / or substrate, as well as to enter the air section of the module.

Frequently, maintenance or service personnel will need to remove the module from the collector for purposes such as cleaning or attaching a different module. Therefore, there is a need for a contact surface between a dosing module and a gun manifold that simplifies module coupling, prevents misalignment, during the coupling of the two auxiliary assemblies and their respective fluid holes, and prevents the bad connection of the two auxiliary assemblies.

Summary of the Invention

The invention according to claim 1, in general, is directed to an apparatus for dosing liquid thermoplastic material, such as hot melt adhesive, which includes at least a first component that is configured for simpler coupling and extraction with respect to a second component of a dosing system More specifically, the first component includes a first side and at least one conduit for receiving the liquid thermoplastic material. The conduit includes an opening in the first side and the first component also includes a first interaction surface, in the first side, and configured as one of a split part that extends only partially to the first component or a projecting part configured to extend only partially until the second component. The first interaction surface is adapted to cooperate with the second interaction surface of the second component and, therefore, at least partially holds the first component in the second component or at least partially holds the second component in the first component, depending on which component the other component receives.

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The various components that may incorporate the interaction surfaces of the present invention include, for example, dosage modules according to claim 27, gun manifolds, adapters or other liquid dosing components of systems designed to dose liquid thermoplastic material, such as hot melt adhesive.

In the preferred embodiment, the first and the second interaction surface cooperate so that one of the first and second components is itself subject to the other of the first and second components. The first and the second interaction surface have asymmetric shapes that cooperate for said support by themselves in one orientation, but not in the case of an opposite orientation. The first and second components may include respective first and second air holes that are aligned when the first and second interaction surfaces cooperate. The interaction surfaces may include asymmetrically curved surfaces that may further comprise curvilinear surfaces that have different radii of curvature. Curvilinear surfaces can define a split part or a protruding part between them. The split part and the protruding part may generally have a bow tie shape or they may have other different shapes, such as rectangular shapes, dovetail shapes or other shapes that include angled surface parts or combinations of straight surfaces with curved surfaces

In general, coupling the first component to the second component includes at least partially securing one of the first and second components in the other of the first and second components by engaging the split part of the first component with the protruding part of the second component. First and second holes for liquid, located on the same faces as the split part and the protruding part, are aligned in fluid communication with each other. Subsequently, an independent fixation is used to fix the first component to the second component.

It will be understood that the above aspects of the invention are applicable to different types of dosing systems, which may involve pneumatic or electric drive. These different aspects are also applicable to different system components that would benefit from the features described in this document. These and other features, objectives and advantages of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art when they analyze the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and which constitute part thereof, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention that has been offered above and the detailed description given below. , serve to illustrate different embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates a liquid dosing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

the figs. 2A to 2C illustrate an example dosage module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

the figs. 3A to 3C illustrate an example gun manifold configured to couple it with a dosing module in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

fig. 3D illustrates an assembly of a dosing module and the manifold of fig. 3A;

the figs. 4 to 11 illustrate exemplary embodiments of gun modules;

fig. 12A illustrates an assembly having an adapter according to an embodiment of the

present invention to hang a module from a collector that has a face

smooth front;

fig. 12B illustrates an exploded view of the assembly of fig. 12A;

fig. 13A illustrates an assembly that has an adapter for hanging a module, which has a smooth rear face, in a manifold;

fig. 13B illustrates an exploded view of the assembly of fig. 13A;

the figs. 14 to 19 illustrate alternative embodiments in which a recess in the face of the gun module is not located between the air hole and a liquid hole;

the figs. 20 to 22 illustrate an example module according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

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the figs. 23 and 24 illustrate a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an example module according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

the figs. 25 to 27 illustrate an example manifold that is adapted for use with multiple dosing modules;

fig. 28 illustrates an example manifold manufactured in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Detailed description

Throughout this specification, different terms of orientation and spatial reference are used, such as "vertical", "up", "down" and the like. These terms will not be construed as limiting, but are only used for clarity purposes when describing the examples and embodiments of the invention described herein. For example, terms such as "vertically subject" means that a component is capable of being subject vertically to another component and not necessarily having to be subject in that way in a given application.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic view of an assembled liquid or gun dosing system

100. This system 100 is normally connected to a source of molten adhesive (not shown) and a source of pressurized air (not shown). In packaging applications, such a gun 100 is mounted and a substrate moves relative to the gun. In other applications, the gun 100 is mounted on a mobile platform and is controlled by means of a robot or other automatic positioning system. In particular, a gun manifold 102 is connected to a dosage module 104 that includes a dosage hole 106 for distributing adhesive or other liquid in a controlled manner. The dosage hole 106 may be located in a nozzle 107 having the module 104. The manifold 102 may include a connector 108 that connects to a source of pressurized air. The typical pneumatic guns for hot melt adhesive work in a range between 2.76 and 4.83 bar (40 and 70 psi). The manifold 102 also includes a connector 110 that connects to a source of pressurized liquid, such as hot melt adhesive. There may be two ducts inside the manifold 102 to pass the liquid from the manifold 102 to the dosing module

104. The first duct 112 provides the pressurized air to a corresponding duct 116 of the module 104. Also, the duct 114 provides the liquid to a corresponding duct 118 of the module 104. In addition to said ducts 116 and 118, the gun 100 may include a series of other ducts that are not shown. For example, electrical connections can be provided within module 104 and manifold 102. Also, there may be other outlet and inlet holes to provide features such as "turbulence air" that are used to control the dosage pattern of module 104 Therefore, an expert would recognize that the gun 100 can include a series of ducts and internal features, such as those found in pneumatic dosing guns distributed by the assignee hereunder under product models such as H100, H200, H400, CF200 and H20, for example.

There is a contact surface 120 in which conduits 112 and 116 are joined and another contact surface 122 in which conduits 114 and 118 are joined. Each of said contact surfaces 120 and 122 normally includes two coincidence openings ( one in the manifold 102 and the other in the module 104) which coincide with each other to allow a fluid communication between the respective conduits. Frequently, an O-ring 121, 123 or other gasket type element is included in the contact surfaces 120, 122 to help provide a tight seal.

The module 104 further provides a dosing chamber 124 that receives air and liquid, respectively, from the ducts 116 and 118. From the dosing chamber 124, the liquid, such as hot melt adhesive, is released in a controlled manner to through the dosage hole 106, normally, by air drive.

Manifold 102 and module 104 are held together in position using bolt 126. Normally two bolts are used, although in the side view of fig. 1 you can only see one. Through conduit 128, bolt 126 passes through module 104 and engages threads of end of conduit 128 into manifold

102. In this configuration, one face 132 of the module 104 is in contact with a corresponding face 130 of the manifold 102. For orientation purposes, the face 130 refers to the front face of the manifold 102 and the face 132 refers to the face rear of module 104.

Additionally, the manifold 102 includes a protruding portion 140 extending outwardly from its face

130. The module 104 includes a complementary split part or channel 142 on its face 132 which cooperates with the shape of the protruding part 140. Together, these two characteristics allow the module 104 to be retained by the collector, hang from the collector 102 or rest on it even without the bolt 126. Therefore, the module 104 is held in the vertical direction by means of the manifold 102. The split part 142 and the protruding part 140 are advantageously shaped in such a way that the module 104 is attached, by itself, in the manifold 102 in the vertical direction, that is, the module 104 hangs from the manifold 102 without additional support. With module 104 and manifold 102 aligned in this manner, it is not necessary for an operator to hold module 104 in place by threading bolt 126 through conduit 128. Bolts 126 extend through component holes (such as as collector 102 and module 104) which may or may not open towards the split part or protrusion part (such as split part 142 or protrusion part 140).

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Alternatively, the split part 142 and the protruding part 140 may be configured in order to provide substantial vertical support, but it remains necessary for the operator to hold the module 104 slightly firm. Therefore, although the module 104 may not hang freely, it is sufficiently secured that it is not necessary for the operator to keep the module in a suitable position while attempting to couple the module 104 to the manifold 102. However, the protruding part 140 and the split portion serve to align the module 104 and the manifold 102 so that with one hand the operator can hold the module 104 firm while with the other hand it easily attaches the bolts or other retention devices. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention described in this document contemplate modules and manifolds that cooperate to hold a module in the vertical direction and, advantageously, cooperate so that the module itself is held in the direction vertical.

Regardless of whether the module 104 hangs freely or it is necessary that the operator additionally hold it firm, through the interaction of the projecting part 140 and the split part 142, the contact surface 120 between the air ducts 116 and 112 is correctly aligned and the contact surface 122 between the liquid conduits 114 and 118 is also aligned. As described in more detail in this document with additional embodiments of the present invention, the projecting part 140 and the split part 142, in the event of a leakage or other loss, can act as a barrier to prevent the adhesive reaches air duct 116 of module 104 and, likewise, can include a channel or similar area to allow adhesive to deviate from module 104.

The projecting part 140 and the split part 142 of fig. 1 are by way of example and many alternative configurations are possible. The present invention contemplates a variety of complementary interaction surfaces and shapes that allow the module 104 to be temporarily retained by the manifold 102. In general, the front face 130 of the manifold 102 will include one or more interaction surfaces and the rear face 132 of the Module 104 will include complementary interaction surfaces. When the front face 130 and the rear face 132 are positioned together, the interaction surfaces will communicate with each other and cooperate in order to allow the module 104 to be held by itself in the vertical direction relative to the manifold 102.

Figs. 2A to 2C illustrate an example module according to another embodiment of the present invention. The following description of the module 202 focuses on its rear face 201 which is attached to a gun manifold (not shown) and, in particular, to the split feature 212. However, it is understood that the gun module 202 may include All internal and external features normally present in pneumatic guns for hot melt adhesive.

The module 202 includes a threaded extension 218 for receiving a nozzle (not shown) for dosing liquid and a rear face 201 that joins with a gun manifold (not shown). Screw holes 208, 210 are included to allow module 202 to be attached to the gun manifold. The rear face 201 of the example module 202 of fig. 2A includes a hole 204 for an air duct and a hole 206 for a liquid duct. In this specific example, each hole 204, 206 has a surrounding notch 214, 216, respectively, which houses an O-ring (not shown) between module 202 and the manifold.

There is a split portion 212 between the air hole 204 and the liquid hole 206. In this exemplary embodiment, the split portion 212 resembles a "bow tie" because it has a narrow central area that widens outward in each side. It will be appreciated that the embodiments shown in figs. 3A, 4, 7, 8, 10, 20, 23, 26 and 28 are additional examples of bow tie shapes. The split portion 212 includes a curved top portion 240 and a curved bottom portion 242. FIG. 2B provides a side view that highlights the shape of the split portion 212 and fig. 2C provides a detailed view of the split portion 212. In particular, the curved upper portion 240 includes a recessed area 220 that extends to form a flange 226, while the curved bottom portion 242 includes its own recessed portion 222 that extends for forming a flange 224. The flange 226 allows the module 202 to be held by itself in the vertical direction, as oriented in figs. 2A to 2C, when placed in a gun manifold (not shown) that has a complementary protruding part. Accordingly, module 202 will be temporarily held by the collector, or hung from it, until bolts or other retaining parts can be inserted into openings 208 and 210. Opposite surfaces of flanges 224, 226 can be bevelled or angle, as shown in fig. 2C, to help join module 202 with another component.

In those cases where the module can be configured to dose in an upward direction, it will be coupled to the collector in an orientation opposite to that of fig. 2A. Consequently, in such an orientation, the flange 224 (not the flange 226) would interact with a complementary protruding part of the collector in order to retain the module 202 in the manifold.

The curved upper part 240 and the curved lower part 242 can have the same radii of curvature

or different. As illustrated in figs. 2A to 2C, curved portions 240, 242 have different radii of curvature. Accordingly, the complementary protruding part of the manifold (not shown) will have complementary curved portions suitably shaped. As a consequence of this asymmetry, module 202 will be correctly connected to the collector only in one orientation. Therefore, the split part 212 of the module 202 can be considered "marked" in such a way that it serves to correctly orient the module 202 and, consequently, prevent an operator, without realizing it, from turning over the module 202 upon coupling. to the collector The curved portions 240, 242 also serve to correctly align the module 202 with the gun manifold. Due to the curved shape, the module is bound to a correct lateral alignment. Therefore, openings 204 and 206 will be aligned with their corresponding openings in the gun manifold. Also, bolt holes 208, 210 will also be aligned correctly.

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Figs. 3A to 3C illustrate an example gun manifold configured to couple it with the module of figs. 2A to 2C in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The manifold 302 differs from that of fig. 1 in which the opening 304 for the air duct is located in the upper part of the manifold 302. Also, there is a zone 318 within the manifold for electrical characteristics, such as a thermal element and controls (not shown).

The manifold 302 includes a front face 308 that joins with a gun module, such as one similar to that of fig. 2A. A recess 308a can be provided to accommodate one or more screw heads 202a associated with the module. Holes 314 and 316 match holes similarly placed in a gun module and allow bolts or other retaining means to be used to secure manifold 302 to a gun module. The front face 308 also includes an opening 310 for an air duct and an opening 312 for a liquid duct. Through said openings 310, 312, air and liquid are introduced, respectively, into a coupled gun module.

A part 306 protrudes from the surface of the front face 308. The protruding part of example 306 of fig. 3A has a narrow neck that curves outward to a thicker wing on each side. Therefore, there is a curved upper part 340 and a curved lower part 342. Similar to the complementary areas of fig. 2A, these curved parts 340, 342 are shown with different radii of curvature. However, alternative embodiments contemplate that each curved part 340, 342 has the same radius of curvature.

The side sectional view of fig. 3B more clearly shows the profile of the projecting part

306. Also, this view illustrates the opening 320 through which liquid, such as adhesive or its precursor, is introduced into manifold 302. The detailed view of the area of fig. 3C, marked with a circle, shows that the protruding part 306 includes a recessed part 330 along its upper edge and a recessed part 332 along its lower edge. Therefore, said recessed portions 330, 332 create a protruding part 306 having a "T-shaped" profile 334.

Fig. 3D illustrates module 202 and manifold 302 assembled to each other. The air connection is not shown. However, an electric cable 356 and a fluid coupling 354 are shown. In addition, a cover 352 is shown, secured with bolts 350, which covers the area 318 and, likewise, an example gun assembly assembly 360 is shown. When the module 202 is placed in the manifold 302, its split part 212 cooperates with the protruding part 306 such that the module is retained by the collector 302 or hangs from it. While in this position, an operator can attach bolts 370 and 372 to more permanently secure module 202 to manifold 302.

Figs. 4 to 11 represent a series of variations on how the rear face of a gun module can be shaped to interact with a complementary front face of a manifold. While reference is made to the assemblies of this series of figures as examples of a module, these forms could easily be used as examples for the manifold or other liquid dosing components. The present invention contemplates a contact surface between the module and the collector that allows the module to be retained or suspended by the collector. The example forms of figs. 4 to 11 will allow such module hanging, regardless of whether they are implemented in the manifold or in the module. Additionally, these figures do not explicitly illustrate the complementary surfaces that would interact with the examples illustrated, since an expert would recognize that any complementary surface would include a suitably shaped protruding part, corresponding to each cleft part illustrated, and a suitably shaped cleft part , corresponding to each outgoing part illustrated.

Similar to the example modules described above, module 402 of fig. 4 includes an air opening 204 and a liquid opening 206 together with bolt holes 208 and 210. In fact, all of the various modules described below include these features even if they are not explicitly described. The part 412 surrounding the air opening 204 is sized to fit an o-ring or other gasket (not shown). Also, the zone 408 surrounding the liquid opening 206 is also sized for an O-ring (not shown). However, the zone 408 includes an annular protrusion 410 directly surrounding the opening 206. In some cases, the liquid passing through the opening 206 can be coupled to the O-ring and move the O-ring or put it in the opening 206 The annular protrusion 210 separates the liquid and the O-ring thereby ensuring that the O-ring is held in position. The notched areas 412 and 408 may be formed so as not to contribute substantially to retaining the module 402 in a manifold (not shown) or may be cut in the module 402 at a depth that interacts with a corresponding annular projection of the manifold a in order to provide additional support surfaces on which to hang the module 402. The split portion 404 of fig. 4 resembles the shape of a bow tie 212 of fig. 2A that helps to correctly align the openings 204, 206 of the module

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402. As explained above, the split portion 404 may also be "marked" to prevent the module 402 from being incorrectly positioned in a gun manifold (not shown). The split portion 404 of module 402 of fig. 4, and the other alternative embodiments of figs. 5 to 24, it may include a flanged part (as shown in Fig. 2C) or it may have a smooth profile.

Module 502 of fig. 5 illustrates a split portion 504 which is a horizontally extending area that has substantially the same width 506 along its entire length. In fig. 6, module 602 includes a split portion 604 substantially along its entire upper half. Therefore, the angled surface 608 appears to protrude from the module 602. Said angled part 608 would effectively interact with a corresponding protruding part of the manifold if the module 602 were positioned in such an orientation that it dosed upwards. The annular part 606 provides an adjustment surface between the module 602 and a manifold (not shown). By joining them with bolts as an assembly, surface 606 would form a tight seal with the manifold.

Module 702 of fig. 7 includes a split part that also resembles a bow tie. However, instead of uniformly curved parts, the split part 704 is defined by angled parts 710 and 712. As before, said angled parts 710, 712 can be shaped different from each other to provide a "marked" module. The 802 module of fig. 8 has a split portion 804 in which the curved portions 808, 810 are more circular than the split portions of bow tie that have been previously described. Module 902 of fig. 9 resembles the horizontally extending area 504 of fig. 5, but includes additional features 908 and 910. These features 908 and 910 provide a relatively small notch in the cleft portion 904. Accordingly, module 902 will automatically align when placed in a complementary manifold (not shown). In fig. 10, the example module 1002 includes two split portions 1004 and 1006 positioned parallel that extend outwardly towards the sides of the module 1002.

The module of fig. 11 is substantially similar to that of fig. 5 except for the location of the respective openings for liquid. The liquid opening 508 of the module 502 (fig. 5) is located off-center with respect to the annular zone 510 similar to the opening 206 of the annular zone 410 shown in fig. 4. However, on the contrary, in fig. 11 the liquid opening 1204 is centered within the surrounding annular zone 1206.

In many of the configurations illustrated in this document, the collector will include a protruding part in a complementary manner. When the manifold and the module are coupled to each other, said protruding part separates the air hole and the liquid hole. More particularly, the protruding part and the cleft part create a barrier-like structure between the two holes. Therefore, even if an O-ring fails or liquid leaks from the manifold, the barrier will help prevent the adhesive from reaching the air hole and damaging the module. Additionally, the cleft parts may be shaped to provide exit paths for any liquid that can exit the liquid hole. In particular, since said split parts are inclined downward from their centers, any liquid entering the channel would tend to go out of the edges of the modules and not into the air hole.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a dosing module that continues to interact with previous or old gun collectors. These collectors normally have a smooth machined front surface that joins a smooth machined rear face of a dosing module. Since modules with hanging features are becoming more common, it is still worthwhile for these new types of modules to interact with an old collector.

In fig. 12A depicts a front manifold 2502 having a smooth front face 2516 without protruding parts. This manifold 2502 includes, together with a number of other features not shown, an air supply connector 2512 and a liquid supply connector 2514. The module 2504 includes a rear face having a split portion 2518 and a nozzle of dosage 2510. Said split part 2518 does not necessarily interfere with module 2504 that is securely attached to manifold 2502. Module 2504 can simply be mounted on manifold 2502 using one or more bolts 2508, such that the contact surfaces Plain and O-rings, if present, tightly couple module 2502 and manifold 2504. However, this arrangement would not benefit from the retention or hanging feature offered by module 2504.

Therefore, an adapter 2506 can be used between the collector 2502 and the module 2504. The adapter 2506 is coupled to the collector 2502 and provides a projecting part 2519 on which to hang, or at least partially hold, one or more modules 2504 Normally, adapter 2506 would use a 2520 bolt and one

or more existing mounting holes 2521 to connect to manifold 2502. For example, adapter 2506 could use the original holes used to mount a module while providing alternative holes that a module could use. An expert would provide many alternative ways to connect one or more modules 2504, adapter 2506 and manifold 2502, which include the use of a long bolt 2508 through at least one of the original mounting holes 2521. Similar to the arrangement of fig. 1, the split part 2518 has a complementary shape to the protruding part 2519 and allows the module 2504 to hang from the collector 2502. In this way, a modern module 2504 can operate with an old collector 2502. FIG. 12B shows an exploded view of the assembly of fig. 12A.

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As an alternative to adapter 2506 of fig. 12A, adapter 2606 of fig. 13A can be used to allow the use of a modern collector 2602 with an older module 2604. The oldest module 2604 includes a dosing nozzle 2610 and a smooth rear face 2616, with no cleft areas. In this case, the adapter 2606 includes a split portion 2618 that coincides with the protruding portion 2619 of the front face of the manifold 2602. As seen above, the split portion 2618 allows the module 2604 to be temporarily held by the manifold 2602 or Hang on it. In operation, for example, module 2604 is connected to adapter 2606 through one or more bolts 2608. Next, module 2604 and adapter 2606 are hung from the protruding part 2619, so that bolt 2608 can be fully tighten inside the conduit or mounting hole 2621. Therefore, in this way, old modules 2604 can be modified to work with more modern collectors 2602. Alternatively, the original bolts associated with module 2604 can be replaced by longer bolts and Components 2602, 2604 and 2606 can be stacked or assembled as shown in fig. 13A and longer new bolts can be used to secure each other. Fig. 13B illustrates an exploded view of fig. 13A.

The adapters 2506 and 2606 of figs. 12A and 13A may be shaped in such a way that they adapt to any of the split shapes (or complementary protruding parts) illustrated in this document for the purpose of holding liquid dosing components, such as modules, manifolds, adapters or other components. Similar. Therefore, with the use of the appropriate adapter, previous equipment can be adapted in order to provide the barrier-like structure to prevent contamination of the air duct with liquid, the marking feature to prevent poor orientation of a module in a collector and self-aligning feature to align the corresponding ducts of the collector and module. In addition, adapters constructed in accordance with the invention can be used to facilitate the exchange of multiple modules coupled with a single adapter with other modules in another adapter that may be different in quantity and / or separation, for example.

In the previously described embodiments, the split parts of the different modules have been located between the air hole and the liquid hole. However, other embodiments of the present invention contemplate locating the cleft area also in other parts of the rear face of a module. For example, module 2702 of fig. 14 includes a split portion 2704 located near the top of module 2702. As before, module 2702 includes an air hole 2708, a liquid hole 2710 and bolt holes 2712, 2714. However, in this example, the Split part 2704 is not located between holes 2708, 2710. A split part 2704 will interact with a complementary protruding part of a collector (not shown) to allow module 2702 to be retained by the collector or to hang from it. The shape of the profile of the split portion 2704 resembles a dovetail that has edges that widen outwardly from one another. However, alternative embodiments may include a split portion having edges substantially parallel to each other. Fig. 15 represents a module 2802 having a split portion 2804 similar to that of the split portion 2704, but located near the bottom of module 2802 instead of the top. Fig. 16 illustrates a module 2902 having two split portions 2904 and 2906 located at opposite ends of module 2902. The profiles of split portions 2904 and 2906 may be similar or may be different in order to prevent bad orientation of module 2902.

The modules of figs. 17 to 19 include cleft parts that have a groove shape. The module 3002 of fig. 17 includes slot portion 3004 along its upper edge, while module 3102 of fig. 18 includes slot portion 3104 along its bottom edge. Module 3202 of fig. 19 includes a slot 3204 along its upper edge, as well as another slot 3206 along its lower edge. Said slot parts are configured to receive protruding parts in a complementary manner from a manifold (not shown) in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Figs. 20 to 22 illustrate an example module according to another embodiment of the present invention. The following description of module 3302 focuses on its rear face 3301 which is attached to a gun manifold (not shown) and, in particular, to split feature 3312. However, it is understood that gun module 3302 may include All internal and external features normally present in pneumatic or electric guns for hot melt adhesive.

Module 3302 includes screw holes 3308, 3310 to allow module 3302 to be attached to the gun manifold. The rear face 3301 of the example module 3302 includes a hole 3304 for an air duct and a hole 3306 for a liquid duct. In this specific example, each hole 3304, 3306 has a surrounding notch 3314, 3316, respectively, which houses an O-ring (not shown) between module 3302 and the manifold.

There is a split portion 3312 between the air hole 3304 and the liquid hole 3306. In this exemplary embodiment, the split portion 3312 resembles a "bow tie" because it has a narrow central area that widens outward in each side. Therefore, there is a curved upper part 3340 and a curved lower part 3342. FIG. 21 provides a side view highlighting the shape of the cleft part 3312 and fig. 22 provides a detailed view of the cleft part 3312. In particular, the curved upper part 3340 includes a recessed area 3320 which extends to form a flange 3326, while the curved lower part 3342 includes its own recessed part 3322 which extends to forming a flange 3324. The flange 3326 allows the module 3302 to be held by itself in the vertical direction, as oriented in figs. 20 to 22, when placed in a gun manifold (not shown) that has a complementary protruding part. Therefore, module 3302 will be temporarily held by the collector,

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or will hang from it, until bolts or other retaining parts can be inserted into openings 3308 and 3310.

Module 3302 is substantially similar to module 202 of figs. 2A to 2C except for flanges 3326 and 3324. Referring again to figs. 2A to 2C, the anal flange 224, 226 is skewed out of the rear face 201. The module 3302 has flanges 3324, 3326 that are substantially perpendicular to the face 3301 of the module 3301. If used with a manifold having a part In addition, the relatively flat surface of the flanges 3324, 3326 provides more surface area to frictionally engage the manifold than the biased flanges 224, 226.

In those cases where the module may be configured to dose in an upward direction, it would be coupled to a manifold in an orientation opposite to that of fig. 20. Accordingly, in such an orientation, the flange 3324 (not the flange 3326) would interact with a complementary protruding part of the manifold in order to retain the module 3302 in the manifold.

The curved upper part 3340 and the curved lower part 3342 may have the same or different radii of curvature. As illustrated in figs. 20 to 22, curved portions 3340, 3342 have different radii of curvature. Accordingly, the complementary protruding part of the manifold (not shown) will have complementary curved portions suitably shaped. As a consequence of this asymmetry, module 3302 will be correctly connected to the collector only in one orientation. Therefore, the split part 3312 of the module 3302 can be considered "marked" in such a way that it serves to correctly orient the module 3302 and, therefore, prevent an operator, without realizing it, from turning the module 3302 upon coupling. to the collector The curved parts 3340, 3342 also serve to correctly align the module 3302 with the gun manifold. Due to the curved shape, the module is bound to a correct lateral alignment. Therefore, openings 3304 and 3306 will be aligned with their corresponding openings in the gun manifold. Also, bolt holes 3308, 3310 will also be aligned correctly.

Fig. 23 illustrates an example module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Module 3602 is similar in many ways to module 3302 of fig. 20, therefore, most of the features of module 3602 will only be briefly described. The rear face 3601 of the example module 3602 includes a hole 3604 for an air duct and a second hole 3605 for another air duct. In some dosing modules, a piston is actuated by means of pressurized air in order to move the piston in one direction. The movement of the piston is transferred to the movement of a needle inside the module in order to control the liquid dosage from the module. In such a module, a spring is normally provided that pushes the piston in an opposite direction. Alternatively, a dosing module may include a piston that does not use a spring, but instead uses respectively applied air to move the piston both in the upward and downward direction. The module 3602 is an example of the last type of dosing module and, therefore, includes the hole 3604 to provide air to move the piston down and the hole 3605 to provide air to move the piston up. As in the previous embodiments, a hole 3306 for a liquid conduit is included. In this specific example, each hole 3604, 3605, 3606 has a surrounding notch, respectively, that houses an O-ring (not shown) between module 3602 and the manifold.

There is a split portion 3612 between the air holes 3604, 3605 and the liquid hole 3606. The split portion 3612 is substantially similar to the "bow tie" portion 3312 described above. Accordingly, there is a curved upper part 3640 and a curved lower part 3642. In particular, the curved upper part 3640 includes a recessed part 3620 which extends to form an upper flange, while the curved lower part 3642 includes its own recessed part 3622 that extends to form a bottom flange. Similar to flanges 3324, 3326 of fig. 22, the upper and lower flanges of the module 3602 are substantially perpendicular to the face 3601, as shown in fig. 24. However, the use of flanges similar to biased flanges 224, 226 is also contemplated.

Fig. 25 illustrates a manifold 4002 that is adapted for use with multiple dosing modules. An example application of a collector 4002 of this type would be in the production of nonwoven materials, such as those used in the manufacture of diapers. Collector 4002 includes five sections (a, b, c, d, e and f) that can be substantially equal. An expert will recognize that fewer or more sections can be used to house a number of different modules. The characteristics of section a are explicitly described below. However, each of the other sections b to f also have similar characteristics. An opening or hole 4004 is provided that receives pressurized air and provides it in a controlled manner to a dosing module through a hole 4006. The hole 4010 is a liquid orifice that supplies liquid, such as hot melt adhesive, to A dosage module. Also, hole 4012 supplies air to the dosing module. However, said air is normally not used to drive the liquid dosage, but instead is used to influence the characteristics of the liquid being dosed such as, for example, turbulence air. One skilled in the art will recognize that the air and liquid holes described are exemplary and different configurations can be used, as are known in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, additional holes may be included to allow the recirculation of liquid from the dosing module.

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Coupling holes 4008 and 4009 are included in the manifold 4002 to allow bolting or otherwise attaching a dosing module to the manifold 4002. In addition, a protruding part 4005 is provided which meshes an indented part in a complementary manner to the dosing module . In this way, the projecting part 4005 holds the dosing module in a vertical direction even before bolts are used to couple the dosing module to the manifold 4002.

Fig. 26 is a detailed view of the projecting part 4005 and illustrates that the projecting part 4005 is in the form of a bow tie, as previously described herein, which includes two different radii of curvature in order to provide a "marking" operation. In fig. 25 five of said protruding parts are represented, thereby allowing five different dosing modules to be coupled to the manifold 4002.

Fig. 27 shows a cross-sectional view of the manifold 4002. In this cross-sectional view, conduits for the different holes are shown. For example, conduit 4020 communicates with orifice 4006, conduit 4022 communicates with orifice 4010 and conduit 4024 communicates with orifice 4012. In fig. 27 shows the profile of the projecting part 4005 and includes an upper surface 4030 and a lower surface 4032 protruding from the face 4001 of the manifold 4002, and substantially parallel thereto.

The sample modules and collectors described in this document can be manufactured in different ways. For example, a collector such as that of fig. 3A may initially be formed with a rectangular projection protruding from face 308. Accordingly, face 308 is machined with independent manufacturing steps, so that the tight connection with a dosing module is within the tolerances, and the projection it is machined to create the profile of the projecting part 306 as shown in fig. 3C.

Fig. 28 represents a manifold with a protruding part manufactured according to an alternative manufacturing process. In particular, the manifold 4102 initially includes a face 4104 having a substantially flat surface. During the manufacturing process, the material is machine separated from the face 4104 to create a cleft upper zone 4106 and a cleft lower zone 4108. Said zones 4106, 4108 correspond to the surfaces that will be joined with a dosing module. The material extraction effectively creates a projecting part 4114 having an upper flange 4110 and a lower flange 4112. During the extraction process, the profile of the upper and lower flanges 4110, 4112 can also be machined to create the characteristics described in this document, for example, in relation to fig. 3C. As a consequence, the manufacturing process to form the protruding part of the collector is simplified, improved and cheaper.

Additionally, the machined part 4025, as shown in figs. 3A, 25 and 26, of the collector is formed according to the manufacturing process that is used to produce the cleft area (308 of Fig. 3A and 4001 of Fig. 38) within the allowable tolerance. However, part 4025 is not formed when alternative machining procedures are followed and / or cutting tools are used, as in fig. 28.

Although the present invention has been illustrated with a description of various preferred embodiments and although these embodiments have been described to some extent in detail, the Applicant's intention is not to restrict or, in any way, limit the scope of the claims. attached to these details. Additional advantages and modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It is a description of the present invention together with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as it is currently known.

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Claims (30)

1. An apparatus (100) for dosing liquid thermoplastic material comprising: a first component (102) that includes a first side and at least one conduit (114) for receiving the liquid thermoplastic material, said conduit (114) including an opening in said first lateral and said first component also including a first interaction surface in said first side and configured as one of a split part (142) extending only partially to said first component (102) or a projecting part (140) configured to extend only partially to a second component (104), said first surface of interaction adapted to cooperate with a second interaction surface in the second component (104) and, therefore, capable of at least partially securing said first component (102) in the second component (104) or at least partially securing the second component (104) in said first component (102), characterized in that the cleft part (142) or the protruding part (140) resembles a bow tie because it has a narrow central area that widens outward, and said split part (142) or said protruding part (140) extends over the entire width of the first or of the second component.

2.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first component is a gun manifold (102) configured to carry a dosing module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) on said first side.

3.

The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising said second component, wherein said second component is a dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) that includes a second complementary interaction surface to said first interaction surface and configured such that said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface cooperate so that said dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) is at less partially attached to said gun manifold.

Four.

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface cooperate so that said dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) is held vertically by itself by said gun manifold.

5.

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface cooperate so that said dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) is held vertically by itself by said gun manifold.

6.

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said first and said second interaction surface cooperate to position said dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) in a predetermined position.

7.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first component is a dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) that includes a valve for selectively dosing the liquid thermoplastic material.

8.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first interaction surface is asymmetrically shaped such that the first and the second interaction surface cooperate so that one of said first and second component is itself attached to the other of said first and second component, when said first component is oriented in a first orientation, and said first and second interaction surface do not cooperate so that one of said first and second component is itself attached to the other of said first and second component, when said first component is oriented in a second orientation opposite to said first orientation.

9.

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising said second component having a second interaction surface and wherein said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface cooperate so that said first components is itself secured in said second component.

10.

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

said first component further comprises a first air hole and said second component further comprises a second air hole; image 1 wherein, when said first and second interaction surface are in cooperation, said first air hole communicates with said second air hole.

eleven.

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface cooperate to align said first and second air orifice and said first and second fluid orifice, respectively.

12.

The apparatus of claim 11,

wherein said first interaction surface is asymmetrically shaped such that the first and second interaction surface cooperate only when said first liquid hole is aligned with said second liquid hole.

13.

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein

said first interaction surface includes asymmetrically curved surfaces such that the first and second interaction surface cooperate only when said first air hole is aligned with said second air hole.

14.

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said asymmetrically curved surfaces further comprise opposite curvilinear surfaces having different radii of curvature.

fifteen.

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface further cooperate to align said first and second air hole.

16.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first component is an adapter configured to be positioned, in general, between a dosing module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) and a manifold .

17.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first interaction surface further comprises opposite curvilinear surfaces that define a cleft space between them to receive a projecting portion at least partially defined by the second interaction surface.

18.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first interaction surface further comprises opposing curvilinear surfaces defining a projecting portion between them, said projecting portion configured to be received in a cleft space at least partially defined by the second interaction surface.

19.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said split portion and said protruding portion have shapes selected from the group consisting of

a plurality of angled surface parts.

twenty.

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first interaction surface further comprises a projecting part (4114) having a first recess forming a first flange (4112, 3340).

twenty-one.

The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a second recess forming a second flange (3342) in opposite relation to said first flange (3340, 4412).

22

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said first and second flanges (3340, 3342, 4112) have opposite bevel surfaces.

2. 3.

 An apparatus of claim 1, wherein said split portion and said protruding portion cooperate to align a first and a second orifice for liquid and to at least partially secure one of said first and second component in the other of said first and second component .

24.

The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

said split part is defined between a first set of curvilinear surfaces, and said protruding part is defined between a second set of curvilinear surfaces.

25.

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein

said first interaction surface and said second interaction surface, when in cooperation, form a barrier for fluid flow, said barrier located between said first liquid orifice and said second air orifice.

26.

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein

said front face is configured to divert the existing liquid in the first liquid hole out of the first air hole. image2 27. A dosing module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) configured for coupling with a gun manifold of a fluid dosing apparatus (100), the module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) comprising a front face and a face Opposite rear, a first interaction surface on said rear face, at least one air hole and at least one liquid hole on said rear face, said first interaction surface includes a split part, characterized in that the cleft part has a narrow central area that widens outward, and because said split portion extends over the entire width of the module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 10 902, 3302, 3602).

28.

A dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) of claim 27, wherein the split portion is one of the following: a) generally, in the form of a bow tie; b) angled surface parts; c) combinations of straight surfaces with curved surfaces or d) separate curvilinear surfaces.

29.

A dosage module (104, 202, 402, 702, 802, 902, 3302, 3602) of claim 27, in the

15 that said first interaction surface is shaped to cooperate with a second interaction surface of said gun manifold. 30. Module of claim 27, wherein said first interaction surface further comprises a protruding part having a first recess forming a first flange.