Method for forming hot melt adhesives into a readily packageable form
AssigneeH. B. Fuller Company
InventorWillard A. Franke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method for handling of materials having characteristics such that they are normally solid at room ambient temperatures and are prepared and used at elevated temperatures to transfer the form of the material to a liquid. The improved method provides for handling of the material in liquid form and extruding it as a stream or continuous flow, cooling the outer surface of the same to solidify it and severing the stream of material with the hardened exterior and liquid interior such that the individual segments severed therefrom seal themselves and form individual pillow-like segments which can be then further cooled to a hardened state and readily handled, packaged, shipped and used.
Claims13
The method of packaging a hot melt adhesive material having normally solid characteristics which becomes liquid at elevated temperatures, comprising the steps of:
- a. conveying said hot melt adhesive material in the form of a molten liquid stream through a cooling medium, said hot melt adhesive having a solidification temperature in the range of 125 to 450.degree. F. and comprising a thermoplastic synthetic resin and a substantial amount of wax, whereby said hot melt adhesive material in said form is capable of forming a semi-hard, flexible outer surface while cooling down from the molten state;
- said conveying through said cooling medium being containued until the outer surface of said stream is solidified by the action of said cooling medium to form a partially solidified stream comprising a solidified, semi-hard, flexible outer surface, serving as a sealing coating, enveloping the still-liquid interior;
- said cooling medium having a density greater than said liquid or partially solidified stream of material thus causing said liquid or partially solidified stream of material to be supported by said cooling medium;
- b. severing said partially solidified stream into segments by pinching said partially solidified stream between a rotary cutting means and a cushioning means, so as to form a solid envelope or casing enclosing the liquid interior of each resulting segment;
- c. circulating said cooling medium so as to move the resulting segments further through the cooling medium until said segments are sufficiently further solidified to be resistant to breakage of the solid envelopes thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.