Method and system for a robotic tape applicator
AssigneeInnovative Automation, Inc.
InventorsMichael Lalonde, Zac Cutt, Michael Sutton, Robert Dorion
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system comprising: a source of a tape comprising a material associated with an adhesive and at least one removable liner; an applicator head; a cutting mechanism; at least one drive feeding mechanism configured to index the tape from the source to the applicator head at a controlled rate; wherein the applicator head is controllable to apply the material on a surface or a substrate; and wherein the applicator head comprises a cutting mechanism configured to sever the material while leaving the at least one removable liner intact.
Claims37
A system comprising:
- a source of a tape comprising a material associated with an adhesive and at least one removable liner;
- an applicator head;
- a cutting mechanism;
- at least one drive feeding mechanism configured to index the tape from the source to the applicator head at a controlled rate;
- wherein the applicator head is controllable to apply the material on a surface;
- wherein the applicator head comprises the cutting mechanism configured to sever the material while leaving the at least one removable liner intact;
- wherein the tape is conveyed to the applicator head via a flexible conduit and
- wherein the at least one drive feeding mechanism comprises a fluid amplifier which creates a vacuum effect in the flexible conduit.
A system for applying a tape to a surface, the tape comprising a material associated with an adhesive and at least one removable liner, the system comprising:
- a source of the tape;
- a robotic applicator head comprising an application tip;
- a flexible conduit coupled between the source and the robotic applicator head;
- at least one drive feeding mechanism;
- and
- wherein the tape is conveyed to the applicator head via the flexible conduit;
- wherein the at least one drive feeding mechanism comprises a fluid amplifier which creates a vacuum effect in the flexible conduit;
- a cutting mechanism;
- a controller comprising program instructions executable by a processor to at least cause:
- the at least one drive feeding mechanism to index the tape from the source to the application tip;
- the application tip to apply the material to the surface in accordance to a predefined path;
- and
- the cutting mechanism to sever the material while leaving at least one removable liner intact.
A method of applying a tape to a surface, the tape comprising a material and at least one removable liner, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) at a first tape station, receiving the tape from a primary tape supply source;
- (b) feeding the tape into a flexible infeed conduit coupled between the first tape station and a remote robotic end-effector having a tape applicator, the flexible infeed conduit being dimensioned to permit transport of the tape to the remote robotic end-effector, wherein the tape is conveyed to the remote robotic end-effector via the flexible infeed conduit;
- wherein at least one drive feeding mechanism comprises a fluid amplifier which creates a vacuum effect in the flexible infeed conduit;
- (c) at a second tape station associated with the tape applicator, receiving the tape from the primary tape supply source to form a secondary source of tape;
- (d) at the tape applicator, applying the material on the surface along a predefined path and removing the at least one removable liner from the primary tape supply source;
- and
- (e) at an end of the predefined path, severing the material while leaving the at least one removable liner intact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.