TW201341296A - Reversible flow inducer - Google Patents

Abstract

A hot melt dispensing system includes a container for storing adhesive pellets, a melt system for heating adhesive pellets into a liquid, and a feed system connecting the container to the melt system. The feed system includes a reversible flow inducer having a first position for directing air flow toward the melt system. The reversible flow inducer also has a second position for directing air flow toward the container.

Description

Reversible fluid guide

The present invention generally relates to systems for dispensing hot melt adhesives. More specifically, the present invention relates to feeding solid adhesive particles into a system for dispensing a hot melt adhesive.

Hot melt dispensing systems are typically used in manufacturing assembly lines to automatically dispense adhesives for use in constructing packaging materials such as boxes, cartons, and the like. The hot melt dispensing system conventionally includes a material reservoir, a heating element, a pump, and a dispenser. A solid heating element can be used to melt the solid polymer particles in the reservoir, after which the particles are supplied to the dispenser by the pump. Since the molten particles will re-solidify into a solid form if they are allowed to cool, the temperature of the molten particles must be maintained from the reservoir to the dispenser. This generally requires the placement of heating elements in the reservoir, the pump, and the dispenser, and in addition to heating any tubing or hoses that connect the components. In addition, conventional hot melt dispensing systems typically use a reservoir having a large volume such that the dispensing period after the particles contained in the reservoirs are melted can be extended. However, it takes a considerable amount of time for the particles in the tank to be completely melted, which increases the startup time of the system. For example, a typical reservoir includes a plurality of heating elements lined into a rectangular, gravity-fed reservoir wall such that the molten particles along the walls prevent the heating elements from effectively melting the particles in the center of the container. The particles in such tanks take longer to melt, increasing the likelihood of "charring" or blackening due to the long exposure time of the glue.

According to the present invention, a hot melt dispensing system includes a container for storing adhesive particles, a melting system for heating the adhesive particles to melt into a liquid, and a feeding system that will The container is connected to the melting system. The feed system includes a reversible fluid guide having a first position for feeding the viscous particles from the container to the melting system. The reversible fluid guide also has a second position for returning the viscous particles from the feed system to the container.

Another embodiment is a hot melt dispensing system comprising a container for storing adhesive particles; a melting system for heating the adhesive particles to melt into a liquid; and a feeding system, It connects the container to the melting system. The feed system includes a reversible fluid guide having a first position for directing airflow to the melting system. The reversible fluid guide also has a second position for directing airflow to the container.

Another embodiment is a method of operating a hot melt dispensing system. The method includes, when a reversible fluid guide is in a first position, directing air to a melting system via the reversible fluid guide; moving the reversible fluid guide to a second position; and when When the reversible fluid guide is in the second position, air is directed to a viscose particle container via the reversible fluid guide. The reversible fluid guide is a component used to connect the container to the feed system of the melting system.

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a system 10 for dispensing a hot melt adhesive. System 10 includes a cold section 12, a hot section 14, an air source 16, an air control valve 17, and a controller 18. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the cold section 12 includes a container 20. And the feed assembly 22, and the feed assembly 22 includes a vacuum assembly 24, a feed hose 26, and an inlet 28. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the hot section 14 includes a melting system 30, a pump 32, and a dispenser 34. The air source 16 is a source of compressed air that is supplied to components of the system 10 in both the cold section 12 and the hot section 14. The air control valve 17 is connected to the air source 16 via an air hose 35A, and selectively controls the flow of air from the air source 16 through the air hose 35B to the vacuum assembly 24 and to the motor of the pump 32 through the air hose 35C. 36 air flow. Air hose 35D connects air source 16 to dispenser 34, bypassing air control valve 17. Controller 18 is in communication with various components of system 10, such as air control valve 17, melting system 30, pump 32, and/or dispenser 34 to control the operation of system 10.

The components of the cold section 12 can be operated without heating at room temperature. The container 20 can be a hopper for holding a quantity of solid adhesive particles that the system 10 will use. Suitable adhesives include, for example, thermoplastic polymer colloids such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or metallocene. The feed assembly 22 connects the container 20 to the hot section 14 to transport the solid viscose particles from the container 20 to the hot section 14. The feed assembly 22 includes a vacuum assembly 24 and a feed hose 26. Compressed air from air source 16 and air control valve 17 is delivered to vacuum assembly 24 to create a vacuum that directs the flow of solid adhesive particles into inlet 28 of vacuum assembly 24, followed by feed hose 26. Hot section 14. The feed hose 26 is a tube or other passageway having a diameter substantially larger than the diameter of the solid adhesive particles to allow the solid adhesive particles to flow freely through the feed hose 26. Feed hose 26 connects vacuum assembly 24 to thermal section 14.

Self-feeding hose 26 carries solid adhesive particles to melting system 30. melt System 30 can include a container (not shown) and a resistive heating element (not shown) to melt the solid adhesive particles to form a hot melt adhesive in liquid form. The melting system 30 can be sized to have a relatively small adhesive volume, for example, about 0.5 liters, and is configured to melt the solid viscose particles in a relatively short period of time. The pump 32 is driven by a motor 36 to pump the hot melt adhesive from the melting system 30 through the supply hose 38 to the dispenser 34. Motor 36 can be an air motor driven by a pulse of compressed air from air source 16 and air control valve 17. The pump 32 can be a linear shifting pump driven by the motor 36. In the illustrated embodiment, the dispenser 34 includes a manifold 40 and a module 42. The hot melt adhesive from the pump 32 is housed in the manifold 40 and dispensed via the module 42. The dispenser 34 selectively discharges the hot melt adhesive, thereby spraying the hot melt adhesive out of the outlet 44 of the module 42 to an object, such as a package, a box, or benefiting from the system 10 Another object of hot melt adhesive. Module 42 can be one of a plurality of modules that are part of dispenser 34. In an alternate embodiment, the dispenser 34 can have a different configuration, such as a palm-type gun dispenser. Some or all of the components of the heat section 14 may be heated, including the melting system 30, the pump 32, the supply hose 38, and the dispenser 34 to maintain the hot melt adhesive throughout the hot section 14 during the dispensing process. It is in a liquid state.

System 10 can be a component of an industrial process, for example, for packaging and sealing cartons and/or crates. In an alternative embodiment, system 10 can be modified as needed for a particular industrial application. For example, in an embodiment (not shown), the pump 32 can be separate from the melting system 30 and attached to the dispenser 34. Supply hose 38 connects the melting system 30 to the pump 32.

2 is a schematic side view of one of the container 20 and the feed assembly 22. The container 20 includes a container housing 46, a particle inlet 48 at the top of one of the container housings 46, and a particle outlet 50 at the bottom of one of the container housings 46. The funnel 46A is a substantially funnel-shaped portion of the container housing 46 adjacent the particle outlet 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the funnel 46A forms an angle with respect to the vertical. The container 20 is a hopper that houses one of the amounts of the viscous particles 52 that will be used by the system 10 (as shown in Figure 1).

The feed assembly 22 is a feed system fluidly coupled to the particle outlet 50 of the container 20 to transport the adhesive particles 52 from the container 20 to the melting system 30 (as shown in Figure 1). The inlet 28 of the feed assembly 22 is a particle inlet for the vacuum assembly 24. The vacuum assembly 24 is used to direct one of the airflow and fluid flow of the glue particles 52. In the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum assembly 24 is a venturi vacuum assembly having a venturi inlet 54 and a venturi outlet 56. The distribution passage 58 fluidly connects the venturi inlet 54 to the venturi outlet 56, which are angled to each other to direct air downstream through the feed assembly 22. Air from air hose 35B flows through venturi inlet 54, through distribution passage 58 and through venturi outlet 56 at an angle. The vacuum assembly 24 creates a vacuum in the feed assembly 22 to draw the viscous particles 52 into the vacuum assembly 24, and the resulting gas stream continues to push the viscous particles 52 through the feed hose 26. The vacuum system produced by vacuum assembly 24 feeds a low pressure zone in assembly 22 for directing the flow of adhesive particles from container 20. In the illustrated embodiment, vacuum assembly 24 is a reversible fluid guide, as will be further described below with reference to Figures 3A and 3B.

3A is a schematic side elevational view of the vacuum assembly 24 as part of the feed assembly 22 in a first position. The vacuum assembly 24 includes a nozzle 60 and a handle 62. Nozzle 60 includes a nozzle body 64 that is a substantially curved body that defines a venturi outlet 56, a dispensing passage 58, and a particulate passage 66. The dispensing passage 58 extends through one of the passages of the nozzle body 64. The distribution passage 58 is aligned with the venturi inlet 54 to distribute the venturi air to the venturi outlet 56, which directs the venturi flow into the vacuum assembly 24 in a selectable direction. The venturi outlet 56 is positioned radially outwardly and circumferentially about the particle passage 66. The particle passage 66 includes a particulate passage inlet 68 and a particulate passage outlet 70. The venturi outlet 56 is located adjacent one of the most adjacent particle passage outlets 70 of the particle passage 66. The venturi air outflow venturi outlet 56 creates a low pressure zone in the vacuum assembly 24 downstream of the particulate passage outlet 70 to direct the flow through the particulate passage 66 in one direction from the particulate passage inlet 68 to the particulate passage outlet 70. And the flow of viscose particles (as shown in Figure 2). When the vacuum assembly 24 is in the first position, the vacuum assembly 24 generates a suction to draw the adhesive particles 52 from the container 20 to the vacuum assembly 24, and then in a first direction from the vacuum assembly 24 The viscose particles 52 are blown to the melting system 30 (as shown in Figure 1).

The nozzle 60 is configured to move a reversible nozzle between the first position and the second position. As illustrated in Figure 3A, the nozzle 60 is in a first position to direct airflow along the feed hose 26 to the melting system 30. Handle 62 is coupled to nozzle 60 via shaft 72 to move nozzle 60 between a first position and a second position. The shaft 72 is supported by bearings 74 to allow the handle 62, the shaft 72 and the nozzle 60 to pivot about the axis of the shaft 72 relative to the vacuum assembly housing 76. turn. The nozzle 60 is pivotally positioned in a pocket within the vacuum assembly housing 76. In the illustrated embodiment, the venturi inlet 54 extends into the vacuum assembly housing 76 and is substantially aligned with the axis of the shaft 72.

During normal operation of system 10 (as shown in FIG. 1), nozzle 60 of vacuum assembly 24 can be positioned at the first position to direct airflow in the first direction. In this first position, the vacuum assembly 24 can direct the adhesive particles from the container 20 to the melting assembly 30 through the feed assembly 22. System 10 may be suspended or turned off after system 10 has completed normal operations for a period of time. Between the normal operating periods, residual adhesive particles 52 may still be present in the feed assembly 22. When the system 10 is again activated, the viscose particles 52 can be blown to the melting assembly 30 by the vacuum assembly 24 to be melted by the melting assembly 30.

In some applications, system 10 can be used for different types of adhesive particles 52 for different applications. Between normal operating periods, the container 20 can be disconnected and replaced with a container that accommodates one of the different types of adhesive particles. In such cases, the residual viscose particles 52 in the feed assembly 22 need to be removed to avoid (residual adhesive particles) contaminating new viscose particles for use in different operations.

3B is a schematic side view of the vacuum assembly 24 when the nozzle 60 is in the second position. In the second position, the venturi outlet 56 and the particulate passage 66 are directed toward the container 20 in a second direction opposite the first direction. In the second position, the venturi air flows out of the venturi outlet 56 to create a low pressure zone in the vacuum assembly 24 downstream of the particulate passage outlet 70 to direct the air flow and the flow of the viscous particles 52 (see Figure 2). The self-feeding hose 26 passes through the particle passage 66 in the second direction, through the particle passage inlet 68, through the particle passage outlet 70, and into the container 20. When the vacuum assembly 24 is in the second position At the time, the vacuum assembly 24 produces a suction to draw the adhesive particles 52 from the feed hose 26 to the vacuum assembly 24, and then the adhesive particles 52 are blown from the vacuum assembly 24 to the container 20. Thus, the vacuum assembly 24 returns the adhesive particles 52 from the assembly 22 to the container 20. This is a relatively convenient way to remove one of the adhesive particles 52 from the feed assembly 22 prior to replacing the container 20. After the adhesive particles 52 have been returned to the container 20, the container 20 can be replaced by replacing the container with one of the different adhesive particles. In some embodiments, the container 20 can include a closure valve (not shown) or other mechanism for closing the particle outlet 50.

The handle 62 allows the user to manually move the vacuum assembly 24 between the first position and the second position as needed. In an alternative embodiment, in the vacuum assembly 24, the handle 62 can be omitted and the vacuum assembly 24 can be reversed automatically or via another mechanism adapted to reverse the direction of the airflow in the vacuum assembly 24.

While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments of the embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but the invention is intended to include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, and configuration of the various components of system 10 can be set differently than the size, shape, and configuration illustrated for a given application.

10‧‧‧Hot melt adhesive dispensing system

12‧‧‧ Cold section

14‧‧‧hot section

16‧‧‧Air source

17‧‧‧Air control valve

18‧‧‧ Controller

20‧‧‧ container

22‧‧‧Feed assembly

24‧‧‧vacuum assembly

26‧‧‧feed hose

27A‧‧‧Coupling parts

27B‧‧‧Coupling parts

28‧‧‧ Entrance

30‧‧‧melting system

32‧‧‧

34‧‧‧ dispenser

35A‧‧‧Air hose

35B‧‧ Air hose

35C‧‧‧Air hose

35D‧‧‧Air hose

36‧‧‧Motor

38‧‧‧Supply hose

40‧‧‧Management

42‧‧‧ modules

44‧‧‧Export

46‧‧‧ container housing

46A‧‧‧Funnel

48‧‧‧Particle entrance

50‧‧‧Parts of grain export

52‧‧‧Viscose particles

54‧‧‧ Venturi inlet

56‧‧‧ Venturi outlet

58‧‧‧Distribution path

60‧‧‧ nozzle

62‧‧‧Hands

64‧‧‧Nozzle body

66‧‧‧Particle access

68‧‧‧Particle access

70‧‧‧Particle access

72‧‧‧ shaft

74‧‧‧ Bearing

76‧‧‧Vacuum assembly housing

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of one of the systems for dispensing a hot melt adhesive.

Figure 2 is a schematic side elevational view of one of the containers and a feed assembly used in the system of Figure 1.

3A is a schematic side view of one of the fluid guides used in one of the first positions of the feed assembly of FIG. 2.

Figure 3B is a schematic side elevational view of the fluid guide of Figure 3A in a second position.

20‧‧‧ container

22‧‧‧Feed assembly

24‧‧‧vacuum assembly

26‧‧‧feed hose

28‧‧‧ Entrance

35B‧‧ Air hose

46‧‧‧ container housing

46A‧‧‧Funnel

48‧‧‧Particle entrance

50‧‧‧Parts of grain export

52‧‧‧Viscose particles

54‧‧‧ Venturi inlet

56‧‧‧ Venturi outlet

58‧‧‧Distribution path

Claims (20)

A hot melt dispensing system comprising: a container for storing adhesive particles; a melting system for heating the adhesive particles to melt into a liquid; and a feeding system for the container Connected to the melting system, the feed system comprising: a reversible fluid guide having a first position for feeding the viscous particles from the container to the melting system and for applying the viscous particles from the feeding system Returns the second position of one of the containers. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the reversible fluid guide is a Venturi vacuum assembly that creates a vacuum in the feed system to direct the flow of the viscous particles. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the reversible fluid guide is coupled to an outlet of the container, and wherein the feed system further comprises: a feed hose that connects the reversible fluid guide To the melting system. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the reversible fluid guide comprises: a nozzle for guiding the air flow; and a handle for positioning the nozzle in the first position and the second position Move between. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the container comprises a material A bucket having a particle inlet at one of the tops of one of the hoppers and a particle outlet at the bottom of one of the hoppers. A hot melt dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the container is substantially funnel shaped. A hot melt dispensing system comprising: a container for storing adhesive particles; a melting system for heating the adhesive particles to melt into a liquid; and a feeding system for the container Connected to the melting system, the feed system includes a reversible fluid guide having a first position for directing airflow to the melting system and a second position for directing airflow to the container. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 7, wherein the reversible fluid guide is a venturi vacuum assembly that produces a low pressure zone in the feed system to direct the flow of the viscous particles. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 7, wherein the reversible fluid guide is coupled to an outlet of the container, and wherein the feed system further comprises: a feed hose connecting the reversible fluid guide To the melting system. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 7, wherein the reversible fluid guide comprises: a nozzle for directing airflow; a handle for moving the nozzle between the first position and the second position. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 10, wherein the handle pivots the nozzle between the first position and the second position. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 7, wherein the reversible fluid guide comprises: a reversible nozzle having a nozzle body defining a plurality of ports circumferentially positioned about a particle passage. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 7, wherein the reversible fluid guide comprises: a vacuum assembly housing having a venturi inlet; and a reversible nozzle having the venturi The inlet is in fluid communication with one of the venturi outlets. A hot melt dispensing system according to claim 7 wherein the container comprises a hopper having a particle inlet at one of the tops of the hopper and a particle outlet at one of the bottoms of the hopper. The hot melt dispensing system of claim 7, wherein the reversible fluid guide is coupled to an outlet of the container. A method of operating a hot melt dispensing system, the method comprising: directing air to a melting system via the reversible fluid guide when the reversible fluid guide is in a first position, wherein the reversible fluid The guide is a feeding system that connects a glue particle container to a portion of the melting system; moving the reversible fluid guide to a second position; When the reversible fluid guide is in the second position, air is directed to the container via the reversible fluid guide. The method of claim 16, and further comprising: supplying air to the reversible fluid director to generate a venturi vacuum to direct the flow of the viscous particles. The method of claim 16, wherein the reversible fluid guide generates a suction force to draw the viscous particles from the container to the reversible fluid guide and then when the reversible fluid guide is in the first position The viscose particles are blown from the reversible fluid guide to the melting system. The method of claim 16, wherein a feed hose connects the reversible fluid guide to the melting system and wherein the reversible fluid guide generates a suction to draw adhesive particles from the feed hose to the reversible The fluid guide and then, when the reversible fluid guide is in the second position, blows the viscose particles from the reversible fluid guide to the melting system. The method of claim 16, wherein the reversible fluid guide returns the viscous particles to the container when the reversible fluid guide is in the second position, and further comprising: the viscous particles have been returned After the container, the container is replaced with a replacement container.