Hot melt adhesive foam dispensing system
AssigneeNordson Corporation
InventorLaurence B. Saidman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dispensing system for dispensing a hot melt adhesive foam onto a substrate is described. The dispensing system comprises a pump having a first input to receive a hot melt adhesive and a second input to receive a gas, where the pump mixes the hot melt adhesive and the gas to produce a solution. The dispensing system also includes a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the solution, a dispenser to receive the solution from the pump and dispense the solution, and a controller. The controller instructs the pump to operate at a first speed, receives the temperature of the solution, and instructs the pump to operate at a second speed that is different than the first speed in response to the signal.
Claims20
A dispensing system to dispense a hot melt adhesive foam onto a substrate, the dispensing system comprising:
- a pump having a first input configured to receive a hot melt adhesive and a second input configured to receive a gas, wherein the pump is configured to mix the hot melt adhesive and the gas to produce a solution;
- a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the solution;
- a dispenser configured to receive the solution from the pump and dispense the solution to create the hot melt adhesive foam;
- and
- a controller in signal communication with the temperature sensor and the pump, wherein the controller is configured to 1) instruct the pump to operate at a first speed;
- 2) receive a signal from the temperature sensor that is indicative of the temperature of the solution;
- and 3) instruct the pump to operate at a second speed that is different than the first speed in response to the signal.
A dispensing system to dispense a hot melt adhesive foam onto a substrate, the dispensing system comprising:
- a pump having a first input configured to receive a hot melt adhesive and a second input configured to receive a gas, wherein the pump is configured to mix the hot melt adhesive and the gas to produce a solution;
- a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the solution;
- a dispenser configured to receive the solution from the pump and dispense the solution to create the hot melt adhesive foam;
- a controller in signal communication with the temperature sensor and the pump, wherein the controller is configured to 1) instruct the pump to operate at a first speed;
- 2) receive a signal from the temperature sensor that is indicative of the temperature of the solution;
- and 3) instruct the pump to operate at a second speed that is different than the first speed in response to the signal;
- a recirculation channel configured to selectively direct the solution from the dispenser to an input of the pump;
- a pressure regulator for controlling a pressure of the solution flowing through the recirculation channel;
- an electro-pneumatic transducer configured to selectively actuate the pressure regulator;
- a pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure of the solution flowing through the recirculation channel;
- and
- a proportional-integral-derivative controller configured to receive a signal from the pressure sensor indicative of the pressure and instruct the electro-pneumatic transducer to actuate the pressure regulator based on the pressure.
A method of dispensing hot melt adhesive foam onto a substrate, comprising:
- receiving a hot melt adhesive from a hot melt adhesive source;
- receiving a gas from a gas source;
- mixing the hot melt adhesive and the gas to produce a solution;
- pumping the solution from a pump operating at a first speed to a dispenser;
- dispensing the solution from the dispenser to produce the hot melt adhesive foam;
- measuring, by a temperature sensor, a temperature of the solution;
- and
- adjusting, by a controller, an operational speed of the pump from the first speed to a second speed that is different than the first speed in response to the measuring of the temperature of the solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.