Patent Application
20110014369
The present invention relates generally to hot melt or other thermoplastic material dispensing systems, and more particularly to a new and improved hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material dispensing system which comprises the utilization of two separate and independent rotary, gear-type metering pumps, or two separate and independent sets of rotary, gear-type metering pumps, which are adapted to output or discharge precisely metered amounts of hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material. In particular, the precisely metered amounts of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material discharged from the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps, are able to in fact be independently discharged or outputted through suitable output devices or applicators onto a particular substrate so as to result in different discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive material or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate in accordance with predeterminedly required or desired patterns, or at predeterminedly required or desired locations. Still further, the precisely metered amounts of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material from the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps, may also have their volumetric outputs effectively combined such that the discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate may effectively be, for example, twice the discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material discharged or outputted onto the substrate from only one of the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from only one of the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps.
In some conventional liquid metering systems, such as, for example, those outputting or discharging hot melt adhesives or other thermoplastic materials, it is usually the practice to output or discharge a predetermined volumetric constant of the particular material. The outputted or discharged materials are pumped through a pump manifold, by means of, for example, suitable metering pumps, to one or more outlets with which suitable output devices or applicators are operatively and fluidically connected so as to deposit the materials onto a suitable substrate in accordance with any one of several predetermined patterns. Such conventional metering systems normally comprise a motor to drive the pumps at variable rates of speed in order to achieve the desired output volumes from the pumps in order to in fact achieve the desired depositions of the materials onto the substrates. Accordingly, the speed of the motor drive, and the result drive of the metering pumps, can be altered depending upon, for example, the speed of the substrate being processed, that is, for example, the speed of the substrate as the same passes by the output devices or applicators. Depending upon the structure or configuration of the particular substrate or product onto which the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material is being deposited, it is desirable to be able to quickly change the volumetric output of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material at predetermined times of the material application process, that is, the system must be readily capable of increasing or decreasing the outputted or discharged volumes of the material. While some systems can achieve these changes in the outputted or discharged volumes of material by altering the speed of the pump drive motor, in product process systems, where hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic materials are being applied to different substrates or products, the product processing speeds, characteristic of hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material dispensing metering systems, prevent the change in the speed of the pump motor drive from viably achieving such outputted or discharged volume changes in the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic materials as required or desired.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved liquid metering system which is readily capable of rapidly achieving the aforenoted changes in volumetric outputs of the metering pumps so as to, in turn, achieve the required or desired changes in the outputted or discharged volumes of hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material to be deposited onto a substrate or product at predetermined times and/or locations during a product processing run or operation.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material dispensing system which comprises the utilization of two separate and independent rotary, gear-type metering pumps, or two separate and independent sets of rotary, gear-type metering pumps, which are adapted to output or discharge precisely metered amounts of hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material. In particular, the precisely metered amounts of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material discharged from the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps, are able to in fact be independently discharged or outputted through suitable output devices or applicators onto a particular substrate so as to result in different discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive material or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate in accordance with predeterminedly required or desired patterns, or at predeterminedly required or desired locations. Still further, the precisely metered amounts of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material from the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps, may also have their volumetric outputs effectively combined such that the discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate may effectively be, for example, twice the discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material discharged or outputted onto the substrate from only one of the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from only one of the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps.
Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
More particularly, and with reference continuing to be made to
Accordingly, as can best be appreciated from
It is to be further appreciated that as a result of the independent and removable mounting of the first and second gear pump assemblies 104,106 upon the adhesive manifold 108, each one of the gear pump assemblies 104,106 may be independently removed from the adhesive manifold 108 with respect to the other one of the gear pump assemblies 104,106 for the purposes of repair, maintenance, or to replace a particular one of the gear pump assembly 104,106 with a different gear pump assembly having, for example, a different volumetric output rating. Still further, it is also to be appreciated that as a result of the main drive gear 116 of the first gear pump assembly 104 having a predetermined number of external gear teeth 118, and, in a similar manner, as a result of the idler gear 120 of the adhesive manifold 108 and the driven gear 122 of the second gear pump assembly 106 also having a predetermined number of external gear teeth 124,126, a predetermined drive ratio is effectively established between the drive teeth 118 of the drive gear 116 and the teeth 124,126 of the idler and driven gears 120,122 such that the gear pump assemblies 104,106 have predetermined volumetric output ratings. However, it is to be additionally appreciated that the particular volumetric output rating of a particular one of the gear pump assemblies 104,106 may be changed or altered by providing one or both of the gear pump assemblies 104,106 with a different drive and driven gear 116,122 having a different number of gear teeth 118,126, which would then, in effect, change or alter the drive gear ratio effectively defined between that particular drive gear 116 and the driven gear 122, of the first or second gear pump assembly 104,106, as well as with respect to the idler gear 120 of the adhesive manifold 108. Depending upon whether a larger or smaller drive gear 116 was mounted upon the first gear pump assembly 104, or whether a larger or smaller driven gear 122 was mounted upon the second gear pump assembly 106, the angular and linear disposition of the idler gear 120 upon the adhesive manifold 108 may be altered by means of a slotted arm or bracket 123.
It is lastly noted that, with respect to the structure of the various components disclosed within
As was noted hereinbefore, each one of the pair of gear pump assemblies 104,106 respectively comprises a predetermined number of gear pumps 150,152. In the illustrated embodiment, the number of gear pumps 150,152 comprising each one of the gear pump assemblies 104,106 is four, however, this number can be more than four or less than four as may be desired or required in connection with a particular substrate or product processing line. With reference now being made to
It will be further appreciated from
The fluid output of the gear train, internally disposed within the gear pump 150 and including the gear pump driven gear 170, is conducted outwardly from the gear pump 150 by means of a first vertically oriented output supply passageway 176, which extends downwardly through the gear pump assembly 104, and a second vertically oriented output supply passageway 178 which is fluidically connected to the downstream end of the first vertically oriented output supply passageway 176 and which is defined within the adhesive manifold 108. The downstream end of the second vertically oriented output supply passageway 178 is, in turn, fluidically connected to the upstream end of a third horizontally oriented output supply passageway 180 which is defined within the adhesive manifold 108, and the downstream end of the third horizontally oriented output supply passageway 180 is, in turn, fluidically connected to the upstream end of a fourth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 182 which is defined within the output device or applicator 110. A fifth vertically oriented output supply passageway 184 has its upstream end portion fluidically connected to the downstream end portion of the fourth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 182, and the downstream end portion of the fifth vertically oriented output supply passageway 184 is fluidically connected to the upstream end portion of a sixth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 186 which is also defined within the output device or applicator 110.
The down-stream end portion of the sixth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 186 is fluidically connected to a dispensing nozzle member 188, disposed upon the underside portion of the output device or applicator 110, through the intermediary of a first electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 190, the detailed structure of which will be provided shortly hereinafter. The valve-controlled output of the electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 190 is actually fluidically connected by means of a seventh vertically oriented output supply passageway 187 and an eighth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 189 which actually leads to the output port of the dispensing nozzle member 188. Lastly, it is seen that the upstream end of the sixth horizontally oriented output supply passage-way 186 is also fluidically connected to a first pressure relief valve assembly 191 so as to effectively define a return flow of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material in a direction which is opposite that of the supply flow of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material in the direction leading toward the electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 190 and the dispensing nozzle member 188, as will be described more particularly hereinafter.
In a similar manner, it is likewise to be appreciated that the fluid output of the gear train, internally disposed within the gear pump 152 and including the gear pump driven gear 172, is conducted outwardly from the gear pump 152 by means of a first horizontally oriented output supply passageway 192, which extends horizontally through the gear pump assembly 106, and a second horizontally oriented output supply passageway 194 which is fluidically connected to the downstream end of the first horizontally oriented output supply passageway 192 and which is defined within the adhesive manifold 108. The downstream end of the second horizontally oriented output supply passageway 194 is, in turn, fluidically connected to the upstream end of a third vertically oriented output supply passageway 196 which is also defined within the adhesive manifold 108, and the downstream end of the third vertically oriented output supply passageway 196 is, in turn, fluidically connected to the upstream end of a fourth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 198 defined within the adhesive manifold 108. A fifth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 200, defined within the upper left central portion of the output device or applicator 110, has its upstream end portion fluidically connected to the downstream end portion of the fourth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 198, and a sixth vertically oriented output supply passageway 202 has its upstream end portion fluidically connected to the downstream end portion of the fifth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 200. A first intermediate section of the sixth vertically oriented output supply passageway 202 is seen to effectively bypass, or be routed around, an intermediate section of the fourth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 182 defined within the output device or applicator 110, while a second intermediate section of the sixth vertically oriented output supply passageway 202 splits into a seventh vertically oriented return passageway 204, which is fluidically connected to a second pressure relief valve assembly 206, and an eighth horizontally oriented output supply passageway 208 which is adapted to be fluidically connected to the fifth vertically oriented output supply passageway 184, defined within the output device or applicator 110, by means of a second electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 210, the description of which will be provided shortly hereinafter. In this manner, the output supply of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material from pump 152 can likewise flow from the gear pump 152 to the dispensing nozzle member 188 disposed upon the underside portion of the output device or applicator 110.
Lastly, as has been noted hereinbefore, a description of the electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assemblies 190,210 will now be briefly described. The output device or applicator 110 is provided with two bores 212,214 within which the valve mechanisms, comprising ball valve members 216,218, are adapted to be disposed. The ball valve members 216,218 are adapted to engage underside portions of valve seat members 220,222 when the ball valve members 216,218 are disposed at their CLOSED positions, and it is further seen that the ball valve members 216,218 are fixedly mounted upon the lower end portions of vertically oriented valve stems 224,226. The upper end portions of the valve stems 224, 226 are fixedly mounted within piston members 228,230, and the piston members 228,230 are normally biased or assisted toward their raised or uppermost positions by means of coil springs 232,234. The electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assemblies 190,210 further comprise solenoid actuators 236,238 and control air inlet ports 240,242. Each one of the control air inlet ports 240,242 are fluidically connected to a pair of control air outlet ports 244,246 and 248,250 by means of fluid passageways disposed internally within the solenoid actuators 236, 238 but not shown for clarity purposes. The control air outlet ports 244,246 and 248,250 fluidically connect each of the solenoid actuators 236,238 to the piston housings 252,254 of the valve assemblies 190,210, respectively, and it is to be understood or appreciated that the solenoid actuators 236,238 comprise suitable valve mechanisms disposed internally thereof, but not shown for clarity purposes, which will respectively control the flow of the incoming control air from control air inlet ports 240,242 to one of the control air outlet ports 244,246 and 248,250.
In this manner, the control air can, in effect, act upon the top surface portion or the undersurface portion of each one of the piston members 228,230 and thereby control the vertical disposition of the piston members 228,230 that, in turn, will control the disposition of the ball valve members 216,218 with respect to their valve seats 220,222. Accordingly, the ball valve members 216,218 will alternatively define CLOSED or OPEN states which will respectively prevent the flow of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material toward the dispensing nozzle member 188, or will permit the flow of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material toward the dispensing nozzle member 188. Lastly, a pair of mufflers 256,258 and 260,262 are operatively associated with each one of the control air inlets 240,242 so as to effectively muffle the sound of exhausted control air when the piston members 228,230 are moved between their upper and lower positions to as to respectively move the ball valve members 216,218 between their CLOSED or OPENED positions.
Having described substantially all of the structural components of the first embodiment of the new and improved metering system 100 of the present invention, a brief description of the operation of the first embodiment of the new and improved metering system 100 of the present invention will now be described with reference being made primarily to
Accordingly, it can be further appreciated that by means of the new and improved metering system 100, as constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, the output or dispensing from the dispensing nozzle member 188, for dispensing, discharge, or deposition of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate or product 154 as illustrated within
Continuing still further, a third electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valve 264 can effectively be mounted upon the output device or applicator 110 so as to be disposed at a position interposed between the output of the gear pump 150 and the first electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valve 190 as is schematically illustrated within
In accordance with this operational state, the first electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valve 190 has been moved to its OPENED position, but the third electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valve 264 has been moved to its CLOSED position. Accordingly, only the output volume of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material outputted by means of the second gear pump 152 is being conducted to the dispensing nozzle member 188 for deposition onto the underlying substrate or product 154. Naturally, when it is again desired to achieve the THIRD FULL or COMBINED VOLUME operational state, it must be ensured that all three of the first, second, and third electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valves 190, 210,264 have all been moved to their OPENED positions. Still yet further, while the description and drawings have only been directed toward the provision of two gear pump assemblies 104,106 respectively comprising the various gear pumps 150,152, additional gear pump assemblies, comprising additional gear pumps, can of course be implemented into the system 100, such additional gear pump assemblies, their associated gear pumps, electrically-controlled solenoid-actuated control valves, and relief valves being illustrated in phantom lines within
With reference reverting back to
Accordingly, it can be appreciated further that the overall width of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material deposited onto the underlying product or substrate can vary, that is, it can extend across all four lanes 266, 268,270,272, as at 274, or it can be relatively or effectively narrowed by only extending across the two central lanes 268,270, as at 276, depending upon whether or not the output to a particular one of the dispensing nozzle members 188 has been CLOSED or OPENED by control of, for example, the first electrically controlled solenoid-actuated control valves 236-1,236-2,236-3,236-4 as has been previously described in connection with the various operational states of the metering system 100 of the present invention. Still further, it is also to be appreciated that the particular volume emitted from each one of the dispensing nozzle members 188 and deposited onto the substrate or product 154 within a particular one of the lanes or strips 266,268,270,272 of hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material can likewise be varied from one of the PARTIAL VOLUME states to the COMBINED FULL VOLUME state as has also been previously described. Finally, it can readily be appreciated that other modes of operation are similarly capable of being achieved in connection with rotary gear pumps 150-1,150-2,150-3,150-4,152-1,152-2,152-3, 152-4 as controlled by means of electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assemblies 236-1,236-2,236-3, 236-4,238-1,238-2,238-3,238-4 or other combinations of the rotary gear pumps 150-1,150-2,150-3,150-4,152-1,152-2,152-3, 152-4 and the electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assemblies 236-1,236-2,236-3,236-4,238-1,238-2, 238-3, 238-4, so as to, for example, deposit the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material only within certain ones of the lanes 266,268,270,272 and at predetermined times.
With reference now being lastly made to
Accordingly, with reference being made to
Conversely, when the electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 390-2 is open, but the electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 390-1 is closed, then only the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic fluid output flow from pump 350-2 is conducted toward the dispensing nozzle member 388-1 for deposition onto the under-lying substrate or product. This phase of the operation of the metering system 300 therefore constitutes the THIRD STATE or SECOND PARTIAL VOLUME OPERATIVE STATE. It is seen that the output flows from the pumps 350-1, 350-2 are conducted along fluid passageways 387-1,387-2 into a common or balancing channel 389-1. Lastly, when both of the electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assembly 390-1,390-2 are open, the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic fluid outputs flow from both of the rotary gear pumps 350-1,350-2 and are conducted toward the dispensing nozzle member 388-1 for deposition onto the underlying substrate or product. This phase of the operation of the metering system 300 therefore constitutes the FOURTH or FULL VOLUME OPERATIVE STATE. It can readily be appreciated that other modes of operation are similarly capable of being achieved in connection with rotary gear pumps 350-3,350-4 as controlled by means of electrically controlled, solenoid-actuated control valve assemblies 390-3,390-4, or other combinations of rotary gear pumps 350-1,350-2,350-3,350-4, and electrically control-led, solenoid actuated control valve assembly 390-1, 390-2,390-3,390-4.
Thus, it may be seen that in accordance with the Principles and teachings of the present invention, there has been provided a new and improved hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material dispensing system which comprises the utilization of two separate and independent rotary, gear-type metering pumps, or two separate and independent sets of rotary, gear-type metering pumps, which are adapted to output or discharge precisely metered amounts of hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material. In particular, the precisely metered amounts of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material discharged from the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps, are able to in fact be independently discharged or outputted through suitable output devices or applicators onto a particular substrate so as to result in different discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive material or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate in accordance with predeterminedly required or desired patterns, or at predeterminedly required or desired locations. Still further, the precisely metered amounts of the hot melt adhesive or other thermo-plastic material from the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps, may also have their volumetric outputs effectively combined. In this manner, the discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material onto the substrate may effectively be, for example, twice the discharged or outputted volumes of the hot melt adhesive or other thermoplastic material discharged or outputted onto the substrate from only one of the two separate and independent rotary gear pumps, or from only one of the two separate and independent sets of rotary gear pumps.
Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
