Adhesive dispensing assembly having a mechanism for cleaning the dispensing nozzle

A dispensing assembly comprising:

• a flow control device for controlling a flow of a dispensing fluid through a dispensing nozzle, the flow control device disposed within a body portion of the dispensing assembly;
• and
• a mechanism for cleaning the dispensing nozzle, the mechanism for cleaning the dispensing nozzle being stationary with respect to the body portion of the dispensing assembly while in operation;
• wherein the mechanism for cleaning the dispensing nozzle includes a blow-off mechanism operably attached to the body portion, the blow-off mechanism including one or more openings to allow a fluid to pass through the one or more openings to the dispensing nozzle to remove a dispensed fluid residue from a tip of the dispensing nozzle, the fluid flowing through a path located between a cap member and the dispensing nozzle from a first end of a surface of the cap member that faces the dispensing nozzle to a second end of the surface of the cap member, the second end being an end of the cap member, the second end of the cap member being located on a different plane than the tip of the nozzle;
• wherein the dispensing fluid passes through a different outlet than the fluid flowing from the one or more openings of the blow-off mechanism.

An end effector configured to attach to a Y axis actuator for moving along a Y axis and a X axis actuator for moving along an X axis, the end effector comprising:

• a feeding mechanism, the feeding mechanism having a first fluid pathway and a second fluid pathway for advancing a first fluid and a second fluid;
• a mixing element having a first end and a second end, the first end operably connected to the feeding mechanism, wherein the mixing element is configured to receive the first fluid and the second fluid;
• and
• a dispensing assembly having a dispensing nozzle, the dispensing assembly receiving the second end of the mixing element, wherein the dispensing assembly includes a blow-off mechanism to clean off a tip of the dispensing nozzle by directing a flow of gas towards the tip of the dispensing nozzle that flows external to the dispensing nozzle, the dispensing nozzle being a tapered dispensing nozzle;
• wherein the gas flows through a path located between a cap member and the dispensing nozzle from a first end of a surface of the cap member that faces the dispensing nozzle to a second end of the surface of the cap member, the second end being an end of the cap member, the second end of the cap member being located on a different plane than the tip of the nozzle.