Method & apparatus for metering flow of a two-component dispensing system

A two-component mixing and dispensing system for mixing and dispensing two different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, said system comprising

• a two-component dispenser having a pair of liquid flow inlets and a single outlet,
• first supply means including a first metering pump for supplying a first liquid polymeric material to one of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser at a first pressure;
• second supply means including a second metering pump for supplying a second liquid polymeric material to the other of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser at a second pressure, and
• control means for controlling said first pressure of at least said first liquid supply to said one of said inlets of said dispenser, both when said materials are flowing through said dispenser and when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated, so that upon and subsequent to startup of flow of said liquid materials through said dispenser the volume of said first liquid material flowing through said dispenser remains substantially constant at a predetermined flow rate, said control means including a bypass flow path around flow rate, said control means including a bypass flow path around said first metering pump and an adjustable pressure regulator means for regulating the pressure in said bypass flow path.

A two-component mixing and dispensing system for mixing and dispensing two different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, said system comprising

• a two-component dispenser having a pair of liquid flow inlets and a single outlet,
• first supply means including a first metering pump for supplying a first pressurized, liquid polymeric material to one of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• second supply means including a second metering pump for supplying a second pressurized, liquid polymeric material to the other of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser, and
• contol means for maintaining the flow rate of at least said first liquid downstream of said first metering pump at a predetermined flow rate both when said materials are flowing through said dispenser and when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated so that upon and subsequent to startup of flow of said liquid materials through said dispenser, the volume of said first liquid material flowing through said dispenser remains substantially constant, said control means including a bypass flow path around said first metering pump and an adjustable pressure regulator means for regulating the pressure in said bypas flow path.

A two-component mixing and dispensing system for mixing two different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined and for dispensing a resultant mixture thereof, which system comprises:

• a two-component dispenser,
• first supply means for supplying a first liquid polymeric material to said dispenser at a first pressure, said first supply means including a first source of said first material and first conduit means for interconnecting said first source to said dispenser, said first conduit means further including a first metering pump for supplying measured quantities of said first material through said first conduit means to said dispenser,
• second supply means for supplying a second liquid polymeric material to said dispenser at a second pressure, said second supply means including a second source of said second material and second conduit means for interconnecting said second source to said dispenser, said second conduit means further including a second metering pump for supplying measured quantities of said second material through said second conduit means to said dispenser, and
• pressure control means, operable when the flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated, for controlling the pressure at which at least the first pressurized liquid material is supplied to said dispenser as a function of the pressure when said liquid materials are flowing through said dispenser, said pressure control means including a bypass flow path around said first metering pump and an adjustable pressure regulator means for regulating the pressure in said bypass flow path.

A method of mixing and dispensing different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, which method comprises:

• supplying a first pressurized liquid polymeric material to said dispenser,
• supplying a second pressurized liquid polymeric material to said dispenser,
• intermittently starting and stopping the flow of said materials from said dispenser, and
• controlling the supply of at least one of said liquid materials to said dispenser so that said at least one liquid material flows at a steady state flow pressure when said materials are flowing through said dispenser and at an adjustably regulated pressure which is determined by an adjustable pressure regulator contained in a bypass flow path for said at least one liquid material and is a predetermined function of said steady state flow pressure when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated.

A method of mixing and dispensing different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, which method comprises:

• supplying a first pressurized liquid polymeric material to a dispenser,
• supplying a second pressurized liquid polymeric material to said dispenser,
• intermittently starting and stopping the flow of said materials from said dispenser, and
• controlling the steady state flow pressures at which both said first and second liquid materials are inlet to said dispenser when said liquid materials are flowing through said dispenser, and controlling the inlet pressure of each of said first and second materials by adjustably regulating each inlet pressure to a pressure which is determined by adjustable pressure regulators contained in bypass flow paths for said first and second liquid materials and is a predetermined function of said steady state flow pressures when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated.

A method of mixing and dispensing comprising the steps of:

• a) intermittently dispensing a mixture of a first and second pressurized liquid polymeric material from an outlet of a dispenser;
• a) intermittently dispensing a mixture of a first and second pressurized liquid polymeric material from an outlet of a dispenser;
• b) determining a steady state inlet pressure for each liquid polymeric material to the dispenser when said mixture is dispensing under steady state flow conditions;
• and
• c) adjustably regulating an off inlet pressure as a function of the respective steady state inlet pressures of each liquid polymeric material when said mixture is not being dispensed from the dispenser by directing said first and second liquid polymeric materials through respective first and second bypass flow paths each including an adjustable pressure regulator.

A method for mixing and dispensing different polymeric materials comprising the steps of:

• a) dispensing a resultant mixture of a first and second liquid polymeric material while maintaining a respective first supply pressure for each liquid polymeric material;
• b) determining a respective second supply pressure for each liquid polymeric material in a predetermined relationship to the respective first supply pressure for each liquid polymeric material;
• c) adjustably regulating said second supply pressure of at least one of said first and second liquid polymeric materials to a second supply pressure different from said first supply pressure of said one of said first and second liquid polymeric materials by directing said one of said first and second liquid polymeric materials through a bypass flow path including an adjustable pressure regulator;
• d) stopping the dispensing of the resultant mixture while maintaining respective second supply pressures and;
• e) repeating steps (a) through (d).

A two-component mixing and dispensing system for mixing two different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, and for dispensing a resultant mixture thereof, said system comprising

• a two-component dispenser having a pair of liquid flow inlets and an outlet,
• first supply means for supplying a first pressurized, liquid polymeric material to one of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• second supply means for supplying a second pressurized, liquid polymeric material to the other of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• control means for establishing and controlling the flow rate of said first and second liquid materials supplied to said inlets of said dispenser at a predetermined flow rate during startup of said dispenser, while also maintaining the flow rate of the resulting mixture being dispensed from the outlet of the dispenser at another predetermined flow rate, and
• said control means including means for maintaining a fixed mass ratio of said liquid materials supplied to said inlets of said dispenser by varying the volume of each of said materials supplied to said inlets in response to temperature changes of said respective materials.

A two-component mixing and dispensing system for mixing and dispensing two different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, said system comprising

• a two-component dispenser having a pair of liquid flow inlets and a single outlet,
• first supply means including a first metering pump for supplying a first pressurized, liquid polymeric material to one of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• second supply means including a second metering pump for supplying a second pressurized, liquid polymeric material to the other of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• control means for controlling the pressure of at least said first liquid supplied to said one of said inlets of said dispenser, both when said materials are flowing through said dispenser and when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated, so that upon and subsequent to startup of flow of said liquid materials through said dispenser the volume of said first liquid material flowing through said dispenser remains substantially constant at a predetermined flow pressure, and
• said control means including means for maintaining a fixed mass ratio of said liquid materials supplied to said inlets of said dispenser by varying the volume of said materials supplied to said inlets in response to temperature changes of said materials.

A two-component mixing and dispensing system for mixing and dispensing two different liquid polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, said system comprising

• a two-component dispenser having a pair of liquid flow inlets and a single outlet,
• first supply means including a first metering pump for supplying a first pressurized, liquid polymeric material to one of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• second supply means including a second metering pump for supplying a second pressurized, liquid polymeric material to the other of said liquid flow inlets of said dispenser,
• means for maintaining the flow rate of said liquid materials through said metering pumps at predetermined flow rates both when said materials are flowing through said dispenser and when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated so that upon and subsequent to startup of flow of said liquid materials through said dispenser, the volume of said first liquid material flowing through said dispenser remains substantially constant, and
• said last named means including means for maintaining a fixed mass ratio of said liquid materials supplied to said inlets of said dispenser by varying the volume of said materials supplied to said inlets in response to temperature changes of said materials.

The method of mixing and dispensing two different liquid materials while maintaining a fixed mass ratio of the materials as they are mixed and combined, which materials when combined chemically react with one another, which method comprises,

• supplying a first pressurized liquid material to a first metering pump and from the first metering pump to a dispenser,
• supplying a second pressurized liquid material to a second metering pump and from the second metering pump to a dispenser,
• combining and initiating a chemical reaction of said materials at said dispenser, and
• maintaining a fixed mass ratio of said materials supplied to said dispenser by varying the volume of each material supplied to said dispenser by said metering pumps in response to temperature changes of said materials.

The method of mixing and dispensing two different liquid materials while maintaining a fixed mass ratio of the materials as they are mixed and combined, which materials when combined react chemically with one another, which method comprises,

• supplying a first pressurized liquid material to a first metering pump and from the first metering pump to a dispenser,
• combining and initiating a chemical reaction of said materials,
• measuring the temperature of each of said materials, and
• varying the speed of said metering pumps in response to changes of temperature of said liquid materials so as to maintain a fixed mass ratio of said materials and a fixed flow rate of said combined materials dispensed from said dispenser.

A method of mixing and dispensing different polymeric materials which react chemically with one another when combined, which method comprises

• supplying a first pressurized liquid polymeric material via a first metering pump to said dispenser,
• supplying a second pressurized liquid polymeric material via a second metering pump to said dispenser,
• intermittently starting and stopping the flow of said materials from said dispenser,
• controlling the steady state flow pressures at which each of said liquid materials are inlet to said dispenser when said materials are flowing through said dispenser, and controlling the inlet pressure of each of said first and second materials as a predetermined function of said steady state flow pressures when said flow of materials through said dispenser is terminated, and
• maintaining a fixed mass ratio of said materials and a fixed flow rate of said combined materials dispensed from said dispenser by varying the speed of said metering pumps in response to a change in temperature of said materials.

A method of mixing and dispensing comprising the steps of:

• a) supplying first and second pressurized liquid polymeric materials via first and second metering pumps to a dispenser and intermittently dispensing a mixture of said first and second pressurized liquid polymeric materials from an outlet of said dispenser;
• b) determining a steady state inlet pressure for each liquid polymeric material to the dispenser when said mixture is dispensing under steady state flow conditions;
• c) determining and maintaining an off inlet pressure as a function of the respective steady state inlet pressures of each liquid polymeric material when said mixture is not being dispensed from the dispenser;
• and
• d) maintaining a fixed mass ratio of said materials and a fixed flow rate of said combined materials dispensed from said dispenser by varying the speed of said metering pumps in response to a change in temperature of said materials.