Two-part stream dispensing for high viscosity materials

Apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• serially connected flow control, dispense metering, and temperature-conditioned mixing tube means combined as a unitary end effector dispense package on a robot arm adapted to place the entire dispense package at a dispense point within adhesive-applying distance of a workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and robot arm.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• a unitary dispense package adapted to be mounted on a tool as an adhesive-applying end effector, the dispense package having refill means for receiving the first and second components of the two-part adhesive from an offboard supply, a flow control portion with displacement rods operated to displace the first and second components from corresponding displacement rod chambers, the displacement rod chambers opening directly to metering valve means which control flow of the first and second components from the displacement rod chambers through injection passages, and a temperature-conditioned mixing tube connected to the dispense package to receive the first and second components from the injection passages in an unmixed state and to mix and temperature condition the first and second components prior to their being dispensed from a streaming orifice at a downstream end of the temperature-conditioned mixing tube.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• a dispense package capable of being applied as a tool-mounted end effector to a workpiece and adapted to apply two-part adhesive to the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and the end effector, the dispense package comprising adhesive flow control means and a mixing device terminating in a streaming orifice, the flow control means adapted to supply the first and second components of the two-part adhesive from a supply source to the mixing device at a desired flow rate, the dispense package further defining a constant temperature flow path for the two-part adhesive from the flow control means to the streaming orifice such that the adhesive remains at substantially the same temperature from the flow control means to the streaming orifice.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• a mixing tube adapted to receive the first and second components and to mix them along its length and deliver them in a fully mixed state to a streaming orifice, and a temperature-conditioning device associated with the mixing tube to temperature-condition the adhesive components as they are being mixed in the tube along substantially the entire length of the tube to the streaming orifice.

Apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• a mixing tube adapted to receive the first and second components of the two-part adhesive at a first end and progressively mix the components as they travel from the first end to a second end comprising a streaming orifice, wherein the mixing tube is temperature-conditioned along substantially its entire length from the first end to the second end to maintain the adhesive components at a desired temperature.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• a mixing tube having a first end for receiving the first and second components of the two-part adhesive in a substantially unmixed state, means for mixing the components as they travel from the first end to a second end of the mixing tube, and a separate, removable streaming orifice nozzle mounted on the second end for receiving the mixed components and streaming them from the second end of the mixing tube.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• a dispense package mounted on a tool as an end effector to be operatively located at a dispense point within adhesive-applying distance of a workpiece and adapted to apply two-part adhesive to the workpiece during relative movement between the workpiece and the dispense package, the dispense package comprising a metering block and a nozzle body connected to the metering block, the metering block being adapted to receive the first and second components of the two-part adhesive and supply them at a desired flow rate to the nozzle body, the nozzle body including a mixing tube, a temperature-conditioned jacket surrounding the mixing tube, and a streaming orifice at a dispense end of the mixing tube, wherein the metering block and the nozzle body are temperature-conditioned to define a constant temperature flow path for the first and second components to the streaming orifice.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components which require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• an end effector dispense package mounted on a robot arm, the dispense package comprising serially connected flow control means, metering means, and a temperature-conditioned mixing tube for receiving the first and second components from the flow control means via the metering means to mix the first and second components as they proceed toward a streaming orifice means and to temperature-condition the first and second components in the temperature-conditioned mixing tube, the flow control means including an outlet for each of the first and second components, and the metering means comprising dispense valving immediately associated with each outlet to precisely control the flow of the first and second components from the flow control means to the temperature-conditioned mixing tube, wherein the temperature-conditioned mixing tube comprises a shortened mixing tube contained within a temperature-conditioning jacket.

An apparatus for streaming a high viscosity, two-part adhesive having first and second components to require mixing prior to being applied to a workpiece, comprising:

• an end effector dispense package mounted on a robot arm, the dispense package having refill means for receiving the first and second components of the two-part adhesive from an offboard supply, a flow control portion with displacement rods operated to displace the first and second components from corresponding displacement rod chambers, the displacement rod chambers opening directly to metering valve means which control flow of the first and second components from the displacement rod chambers through injection passages, and a temperature-conditioned mixing tube connected to the dispense package to receive the first and second components from the injection passages in an unmixed state and to mix and temperature-condition the first and second components prior to their being dispensed from a streaming orifice at a downstream end of the temperature-conditioned mixing tube, wherein the displacement rod chambers and the metering valve means is contained in a temperature-conditioned metering block connected to the flow control portion, and the temperature-conditioned mixing tube is contained in a temperature-conditioned jacket attached to the metering block.