Method and apparatus for dispensing small amounts of liquid material

A method for rapidly dispensing a small quantity of a viscous material during the manufacture of an electronic device, the viscous material having a viscosity of at least about 25,000 centipoise and being dispensed from a dispenser including a valve member, a viscous material passage and a resilient valve seat disposed on a rigid valve seat support member and having an orifice, the method comprising the steps of:

• moving the valve member out of engagement with said resilient valve seat,
• holding the viscous material in the viscous material passage at a pressure of about 4 psi to about 30 psi,
• introducing the viscous material into the orifice from the viscous material passage, and
• compressing the valve seat with the valve member against the rigid valve seat support member to close the orifice of the valve seat and dispense a small droplet of the viscous material from the orifice and onto the electronic device.

Apparatus for dispensing small amounts of viscous material, the apparatus comprising:

• a dispenser housing having an inlet for receiving a supply of said viscous material and an outlet for discharging said viscous material,
• a valve member having an end portion and mounted for movement within said dispenser housing between open and closed positions,
• a rigid valve seat support member, and
• a valve seat disposed on said rigid valve seat support member proximate said outlet, said valve seat having a resilient portion with a plurality of orifices, said end portion of said valve member being capable of engaging and compressing said resilient portion of said valve seat in said closed position to block each orifice and to dispense the viscous material from each orifice.