Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02830651 2013-09-18
ADHESIVE NOZZLE HAVING A PLURALITY OF OUTLET OPENINGS
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to an adhesive nozzle having an outlet opening
and to a
method for introducing adhesive material into an adhesive gap.
A number of adhesive nozzles that may be used for instance for filling an
adhesive
gap with adhesive material are already known from the prior art. For instance
gluing nozzles
are employed in window construction for joining glass panes to a frame. The
way the
adhesive material is applied to the adhesive gap is critical for holding the
pane in the frame
and thus for quality.
One common type of gluing of glass panes is so-called rebate gluing. In rebate
gluing, an adhesive nozzle is inserted between a glass pane and a casement of
the frame
and the entire rebate is filled with adhesive. Since the depth of the rebate
is delimited by the
casement, when sufficient adhesive is added the adhesive is slightly
compressed. This
causes more pressure to build up between the pane and the casement, which
overall leads
to a more secure seat and better gluing of the pane. However, more adhesive is
used than
would actually be needed for just gluing the pane, since for gluing the pane
to the casement,
it is first necessary to fill a dead space in the rebate, in which dead space
there is no contact
between the adhesive and the glass pane.
In addition, there is the risk that given the large quantity of adhesive used
it will
escape from the rebate because for instance too much adhesive is fed into the
adhesive gap.
This is not desired and itself requires countermeasures, for instance
providing a directly
extruded lip on the casement profile in the area of the rebate. In addition to
excessive
consumption of adhesive, a more complicated device or embodiment of the
casement is also
required for the known adhesive use. Moreover, this procedure is less
variable, if for instance
glass panes having different thicknesses are to be used and thus the shape of
each
adhesive gap is different.
For this reason an alternative method for gluing glass edges has been
developed. In
it, an adhesive nozzle does not dip into the gap, but rather sits on the side
of the glass pane
that is at a distance from the rebate. Regardless of the thickness of the
glass pane, in this
method the same amount of adhesive is always applied. In contrast to rebate
gluing, the
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entire space between the glass pane and the casement is not filled with
adhesive material.
Although this does save on adhesive, there is still the risk that the glass
pane and the
casement will not be joined well if the adhesive applied does not stay adhered
to the glass
pane. This risk is particularly acute if the adhesive introduced is not
compressed. The result
may be that the adhesive is not in contact with the entire surface of the
glass pane or
casement, and also other properties in addition to the gluing, such as for
instance an
insulating or sealing function, may not be adequately satisfied.
In order to better compress the adhesive when it is discharged from the
adhesive
nozzle, before it exits the nozzle the adhesive is therefore diverted such
that it exits against
the movement direction for the nozzle. Thus a certain back pressure occurs
from the
adhesive already applied, which causes compression in the exiting adhesive.
However, it is a
drawback of this system that a large quantity of adhesive is used in order to
provide
adequate attachment of the glass pane to the casement.
Nozzles, in particular application nozzles, having a plurality of outlet
openings are
known from the prior art. For instance, a multiple glue nozzle having a
plurality of openings,
especially two openings, that is for applying glue to paper edges is known
from DE 101 56
691 A1. The glue may be applied for instance through openings that are behind
one another,
above one another, or diagonally offset.
DE 41 00 694 A1 discloses a device that makes it possible when using a dual
nozzle
to apply to a glass pane, in the same work step, both a line of butyl rubber
that acts as a
spacer and a line of an elastically hardening two-component plastic that acts
as a seal.
Known from EP 1 891 865 A1 is a gumming device having two gumming mechanisms
for applying two glue tracks, preferably one cold glue water track and one hot
glue water
track, to a wrapping material strip of a filter or tobacco rod. Furthermore,
EP 1 563 914 A1
descries a material application device for producing a tactile marking on a
surface, which
device has at least one nozzle opening and in particular has two nozzle
openings.
It is therefore the object of the invention to make available an adhesive
nozzle that
avoids the aforesaid drawbacks.
This object is attained with an adhesive nozzle in accordance with patent
claim 1 and
a method in accordance with patent claim 11. Advantageous embodiments are the
subject-
matter of the subordinate claims.
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In accordance with the invention, the adhesive nozzle has a first outlet
channel
having at least a first outlet opening and has at least a second outlet
channel having a
second outlet opening. At least one of the outlet openings has a smaller cross-
section than at
least one other outlet opening. Providing the outlet openings with different
cross-sections
makes it possible for the discharge width of the adhesive material in the
adhesive gap to be
different. Thus adhesive material exiting via the at least one outlet opening
having the
smaller cross-section has a higher flow speed than the adhesive material
exiting via the other
outlet opening. The adhesive material may attain a greater penetration depth
into the
adhesive gap due to the higher flow speed.
Providing another outlet channel in the adhesive nozzle enables improved
compression of applied adhesive material in the adhesive gap. Thus it is
inventively assured
that adhesive material that has exited via the outlet opening meets an
adhesive material that
has already exited via another outlet opening. Because the two adhesive
materials that have
exited meet in the adhesive gap, they are compressed there. Due to the
compressed
adhesive material, it is possible to attain a better and more rapid adhesion
of the adhesive
material to a glass pane or a casement of a frame or the like, since the
compressed adhesive
material expands in one direction to the glass pane and the frame. Because the
adhesive
material is compressed, the amount introduced into the adhesive gap may be
reduced, since
it is no longer necessary to fill the entire adhesive gap with adhesive
material. This can
involve economic advantages.
The channel trailing in the movement direction of the adhesive nozzle shall be
considered the first outlet channel in the following. The channel preceding in
the movement
direction shall be considered the second outlet channel. In the following it
is assumed that
the cross-section of the first outlet opening for the first outlet channel is
larger than the cross-
section of the second outlet opening for the second outlet channel. The flow
cross-section
through which the adhesive material flows and that is provided perpendicular
to the outlet
channel center access shall be considered the cross-section. The section of
the nozzle head
that faces the adhesive gap shall be considered the adhesive nozzle in the
context of the
invention. The adhesive nozzle may be embodied integrally with the nozzle head
or in
multiple parts with the nozzle head.
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It should be noted that embodiments are also possible in which the channel
preceding in the movement direction has a larger cross-section than the
channel trailing in
the movement direction.
In one preferred embodiment, first adhesive material is applied via the second
outlet
opening with the smaller cross-section and then adhesive material is applied
via the first
outlet opening. What this achieves is that adhesive material that has exited
via the second
outlet opening acts as a barrier in the adhesive gap for the adhesive material
that has exited
from the first outlet opening. Ultimately, in accordance with the invention
the position or
penetration depth of the adhesive material in the adhesive gap may be adjusted
in a simple
manner since the adhesive material adheres in the adhesive gap wherever the
adhesive
material that has exited from the first outlet opening meets the adhesive
material that has
exited from the second outlet opening. The adhesive material is preferably
compressed in an
area of the adhesive gap that is provided between the adhesive nozzle and the
adhesive gap
floor. As mentioned in the foregoing, the penetration depth of the adhesive
material is a
function of the cross-section of the outlet openings.
In one preferred embodiment, the outlet openings for the outlet channels may
be
arranged behind one another in a movement direction for the adhesive nozzle in
which the
adhesive nozzle is moved when discharging the adhesive material. This means
that in one
end face of the adhesive nozzle a connection axis between the outlet opening
center points
of the two outlet openings is aligned with a movement axis of the adhesive
nozzle that runs
in the movement direction. Such an arrangement of the outlet openings
advantageously
increases the compression on the adhesive already applied from an outlet
opening.
Alternatively, the outlet openings may be arranged behind one another with
respect to
the movement direction of the adhesive nozzle such that their outlet opening
center points
are offset relative to the movement direction of the adhesive nozzle or a
connection axis
between the outlet opening center points is not aligned with the movement axis
of the
adhesive nozzle. Furthermore, the outlet openings may be arranged such that a
connection
axis between the outlet opening center points is perpendicular to the movement
axis of the
adhesive nozzle. When there are a plurality of outlet openings, any desired
arrangement of
the outlet openings relative to one another that may be embodied as a function
of the
adhesive gap to be glued is possible.
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The outlet channels may be embodied within the adhesive nozzle such that the
courses of the outlet channel center axes for the two outlet channels may be
parallel to one
another or not. Appropriate embodiment of the outlet channels with respect to
one another
may further increase compression of the applied adhesive. This may then result
in improved
quality of the gluing. The outlet channels may be provided in the adhesive
nozzle such that
an obtuse angle a, 13 is formed between the movement axis of the adhesive
nozzle and at
least one outlet channel center axis, which again improves compression of the
adhesive. The
angles a and II may be in the range of 90 to 1800, preferably between 100
and 110 , and
may be equal or not equal.
Naturally when there are more than two outlet channels it is possible for the
outlet
channel center axes to run parallel to one another or not parallel to one
another, depending
on the intended purpose of the adhesive nozzle.
The adhesive nozzle or a part of the adhesive nozzle that is provided with an
outlet
channel may also be produced from an elastic material. The outlet channels
and/or the
adhesive nozzle may be provided such that they may be heated. Thus it is
possible to pre-
heat the adhesive material that is to be discharged, which then may make it
easier to
process the adhesive material.
The outlet channels may be connected to the same adhesive feed. Alternatively,
the
outlet channels may be connected to separate adhesive feeds. When using two-
component
or multi-component adhesives, providing separate adhesive feeds has the
advantage that
the individual components of the adhesive do not mix with one another until
they exit the
adhesive nozzle.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one bore that is
connected to the feed channel may be provided on the adhesive nozzle. A bore
center axis
may run perpendicular to the feed channel center axis. An adjusting screw for
adjusting the
cross-section of the feed channel may be inserted into the bore. Another bore
may be
connected to a line via which for instance another component of a multi-
component adhesive
is fed to the adhesive nozzle.
It should be noted that the present invention and its embodiments may be
employed
for more than just applying adhesive material when attaching glass panes in a
frame,
especially a casement frame. In fact, the invention is suitable in general for
using adhesive
material in joints of many types, for instance especially also in laying
floors, etc.
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It should further be noted that the material applied through the adhesive
nozzle does
not have to be only adhesive material. It is just as possible for the nozzle
to be used for
introducing other materials into gaps or joints provided for this purpose, for
instance when
tiling or the like. In the context of this application, "adhesive nozzle,"
"adhesive material," etc.,
shall therefore be construed as an example for those fields of application in
which viscous
materials are to be introduced into a cavity or joint, etc., through a nozzle,
without completely
filling this cavity or joint, etc. Naturally the present invention is also
suitable for completely
filling cavities, however.
Additional objectives, advantages, features, and potential applications for
the present
invention result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment,
using drawings.
All described and/or illustrated features, alone or in any reasonable
combination, constitute
the subject-matter of the present invention, even regardless of their
inclusion in the claims
and the references therein.
Fig. 1: is a schematic depiction of a nozzle head having an inventive adhesive
nozzle
for gluing glass panes;
Fig. 2: is a detail view of the nozzle head with inventive adhesive nozzle;
Fig. 3: is an enlarged view of the inventive adhesive nozzle from Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an inventive adhesive nozzle.
Fig. 1 depicts a nozzle head 10 for gluing a glass pane 11 to a frame 12, for
instance
a window or door frame. The frame 12 has a first section 121 that is parallel
to an end face of
the glass pane 11 that faces the frame 12 and has a second section 122 that is
parallel to a
glass pane side that faces the interior space I or the exterior space A.
The first section 121 of the frame 12 is joined to the second section 122 so
that the
lateral cross-section of the frame 12 is essentially L-shaped. The glass pane
side facing the
exterior space A is positioned on the second section 122 of the frame 12 via a
spacer 20 and
is arranged such that an adhesive gap 13 is formed between the end face of the
glass pane
11 that faces the first section of the frame 12 and the first section of the
frame 12.
At its end facing the adhesive gap 13 the nozzle head 10 has an adhesive
nozzle 1.
As shall be described in detail later, the adhesive nozzle 1 is embodied such
that it is placed
onto the glass pane side that is parallel to the second section of the frame
12 and an
adhesive is applied to the adhesive gap 13.
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Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the nozzle head 10, which is connected at one end
to a
mixer 14 and at the end opposing the mixer 14 is connected to the adhesive
nozzle 1. The
mixer 14 is provided for adding the material to be applied, in this case
preferably adhesive, to
the nozzle head 10 and ultimately to the adhesive nozzle 1. The adhesive
nozzle 1 and thus
the nozzle head 10 and the mixer 14 may move in a movement direction B.
The adhesive nozzle 1 has a first outlet opening 3 on an end face 2 on the
adhesive
nozzle 1 that faces the adhesive gap 13 and has a second outlet opening 4, as
is depicted in
Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, an area of the end face 2 in which the outlet openings 3, 4
are embodied
shall be called a lower area to refine the description. An area of the
adhesive nozzle 1
opposing the lower area of the end face 2 shall be called an upper area. The
end face 2 and
thus jointly also the entire cross-section of the adhesive nozzle 1 tapers
upward, starting
from the lower area, to a pre-determined width.
The outlet openings 3, 4 are embodied in an edge area of the end face 2. The
end
face 2 of the adhesive nozzle 1 has a constant width in the area in which the
outlet openings
3, 4 are arranged. The outlet openings 3, 4 in the embodiment depicted are
arranged behind
one another along the movement direction B in which the adhesive nozzle is
moved when
the material is being applied. That is, a connection axis (not shown in the
figures) is aligned
between the outlet opening center points and the movement direction B. The
second outlet
opening 4 has a smaller cross-section that the first outlet opening 3.
In addition, the adhesive nozzle 1 preferably has two bores 5 in an adhesive
nozzle
side 7 that is perpendicular to the end face 2. The bores 5 are provided with
a thread. The
adhesive nozzle 1 may be connected via the bores to additional components, not
shown in
the figures, such as for instance an adjusting screw and/or another adhesive
material feed
line.
Fig. 4 depicts a cross-section through the adhesive nozzle 1 in the preferred
embodiment of the invention. Starting from the first and second outlet
openings 3, 4, the
adhesive nozzle 1 has bores that shall be called 3A and 4A in the following.
The outlet
channels 3A, 4A extend from the outlet openings 3, 4, that is, from the end
face 2 of the
adhesive nozzle 1, into the interior of the adhesive nozzle 1 in the direction
of the nozzle
head 10 illustrated in Figure 2. The outlet channels 3A, 4A are arranged in
the adhesive
nozzle 1 such that the outlet channel center axes A1, A2 run parallel to one
another and form
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=
an obtuse angle a, with the movement axis that runs in the movement
direction B of the
adhesive nozzle 1.
In the interior of the adhesive nozzle the outlet channels 3A, 4A are
connected to a
feed channel 6. In the preferred embodiment the feed channel 6 is a center
bore in the
adhesive nozzle 1 and runs in a direction away from the end face 2. The feed
channel 6 is
arranged in the adhesive nozzle 1 such that a feed channel center axis Z1 does
not run
parallel to the outlet channel center axes A1, A2. The feed channel center
axis Z1 runs
perpendicular to the movement axis for the adhesive nozzle 1. The feed channel
6 is
connected to the nozzle head 10 via a channel (not shown in the figures). This
creates a
continuous channel from the adhesive nozzle 1 to the mixer 14.
The diameter of the outlet channels 3A, 4A is the same as the diameters of the
associated outlet openings 3, 4. The diameter of the second outlet channel 4A
is smaller
than the diameter of the first outlet channel 3A, however.
The following briefly describes how the adhesive nozzle 1 is used.
The inventive adhesive nozzle 1 is connected to a nozzle head 10 through which
the
material to be applied is to be introduced into an adhesive gap 13. To this
end the end face 2
of the adhesive nozzle 1 is placed on a surface of the glass pane 11 such that
the part of the
adhesive nozzle 1 that is provided with the outlet openings 3, 4 projects
beyond the edge of
the glass pane 11 and the remaining part of the end face 2 of the adhesive
nozzle 1 is
positioned on the glass pane 11. In this position, the adhesive nozzle 1 is
pushed along the
edge of the glass pane 11, while adhesive material, due to pressure exerted by
the mixer 14,
passes through the feed channel 6, outlet channels 3A, 4A, and finally the
outlet openings 3,
4. Due to the embodiment of the outlet channels 3A, 4A in the adhesive nozzle
1, described
in the foregoing, the adhesive material exits from the end face 2 in a
direction opposing the
movement axis B for the adhesive nozzle 1 and goes into the adhesive gap 13
between the
glass pane 11 and the frame 12. Due to the plurality of outlet openings 3, 4,
this is a multi-
stage discharge of the adhesive material. This leads to mutual compression of
the adhesive
material output from the individual outlet openings 3, 4.
The adhesive material output under pressure from the first outlet opening 3
compresses the adhesive material that was already output from the second
outlet opening. In
addition, adhesive already output from each of the outlet openings 3, 4 is
naturally also
compressed by the additional material output. In this manner it is possible to
attain better
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compression of the output adhesive material and the quantity of adhesive
material to be
output may be optimized and reduced to a necessary minimum. In particular the
quantity of
the adhesive to be used may be adapted to the thickness of the glass pane 11.
Appropriate embodiment of the adhesive nozzle can also make further
compression
possible, for instance by varying the diameter of the outlet openings or the
outlet channels. In
addition, the components of two or multi-component adhesives may be applied
using
different channels. Moreover, providing heating of one of the channels ¨ feed
or outlet ¨ can
improve the outputability, for instance using the viscosity. It is also
possible for the entire
adhesive nozzle to be heated for this purpose. This may also be used for
better cleaning the
nozzle.
Reference list
1 Adhesive nozzle
2 End face
3 First outlet opening
3A First outlet channel
4 Second outlet opening
4A Second outlet channel
5 Bore
6 Feed channel
7 Adhesive nozzle side
10 Nozzle head
11 Glass pane
12 Frame
13 Adhesive gap
14 Mixer
20 Spacer
21 Feed channel center axis
121 First section
122 Second section
Interior space
A Exterior space
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A1 Second outlet channel center axis
A2 First outlet channel center axis
a, 11 Angles
