A delivery unit for dispensing adhesive having a housing, a melting apparatus arranged within the housing for melting the adhesive, a distributing device for dispensing molten adhesive in at least one line connectable to the distributing device, and a pump for conveying the molten adhesive through the distributing device, wherein the housing has a plurality of outer side faces, two of the outer side faces are of a flat configuration and arranged perpendicular to a support plane of the delivery unit on a base and substantially at a right angle to each other, and wherein the distributing device, in a region in which the line is connectable to a connector of the distributing device, has a boundary surface of a flat configuration. The two outer side faces are arranged at a distance apart with the boundary surface therebetween forming an obtuse angle with each of the two outer side faces.

Technologies are described for a method of making an encapsulated reactant having a desired shape or size. The method comprises providing solid reactant particles and an encapsulating material. The encapsulating material is heated above its solidification temperature to form a molten, semi-solid, or liquid encapsulating material. The solid reactant particles are added to the molten, semi-solid, or liquid encapsulating material and mixed to disperse the solid reactant particles in the encapsulating material and form a mixture. The mixture may be extruded or formed into the desired shape or size of the encapsulated reactant, or the mixture may be solidified and extruded, granulated, shredded, ground, or pressed into the desired shape or size.

A melt system that includes a melt unit. The melt unit includes a reservoir and a melt grid disposed above the reservoir. The melt grid is configured to expose solid polymer to a temperature sufficient to form a molten polymer and to deposit the molten polymer into the reservoir. The melt unit includes at least one hopper for holding a supply of the solid polymer. The melt unit includes a thermal isolation region disposed below the hopper to thermally isolate the hopper from the molten polymer in the reservoir.

A device for dispensing a flowable medium, includes a housing having a cavity for receiving the flowable medium, a rod mounted in a bearing section of the housing, wherein the rod is movable by means of an actuator between a first end position and a second end position in an axial direction, a dispensing opening, opening into the cavity, for dispensing the flowable medium, wherein the rod has a sealing section, wherein the sealing section closes the dispensing opening in the first end position and is arranged at a distance from the dispensing opening in the second end position, a bellows seal for sealing off the bearing section from the cavity, wherein the rod passes through the bellows seal, wherein the bellows seal is mounted in a sealed manner on the rod and in a sealed manner on the housing, wherein a first section of the bellows seal is connected to the rod in a manner fixed relative to the rod, and a second section of the bellows seal is connected to the housing in a manner fixed relative to the housing, wherein the bellows seal has at least one compensating section for compensating an axial compression or extension of the bellows seal, wherein the compensating section projects radially relative to adjoining regions of the bellows seal, and having at least one channel, opening into the cavity, through which the flowable medium can flow into the cavity, wherein a projection of a center line of a channel section of the at least one channel, said channel section opening into the cavity, onto a projection plane formed perpendicularly to the axial direction forms a circle tangent of a circle formed concentrically with the rod.

A hand-held hot melt glue gun having a melt chamber, a needle and a nozzle that is movable with respect to the needle to open or close a discharge port in fluid communication with the melt chamber. A spring closure urges the needle and nozzle toward relative positions to close the discharge port. An opening element moves the nozzle with respect to the needle to open the discharge port, and a trigger mechanism is provided for advancing solid glue into the melt chamber and for operating the opening element. A time delay mechanism provides a time delay between the opening of the discharge port and advancement of glue into the melt chamber.

An additive manufacturing (AM) system includes a carriage that deposits material in a defined pattern and a building platform that receives material deposited from the carriage. The carriage includes a pre-heating assembly with a plurality of pre-heating chambers and a printing block with a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of printing heads. The carriage is equipped with more pre-heating chambers than head slots.

A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, which includes providing a part material that compositionally has one or more semi-crystalline polymers and one or more secondary materials that are configured to retard crystallization of the one or more semi-crystalline polymers, where the one or more secondary materials are substantially miscible with the one or more semi-crystalline polymers. The method also includes melting the part material in the additive manufacturing system, forming at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional part from the melted part material in a build environment, and maintaining the build environment at an annealing temperature that is between a glass transition temperature of the part material and a cold crystallization temperature of the part material.

An artificial flower, plant, or other botanical is produced from an aqueous agar-based solidifying mixture. The artificial botanical may be colored as desired by adding one or more colorants. The artificial botanical may also be scented by adding a perfume, odorant, or other scent. Because the artificial botanical is produced using the aqueous agar-based solidifying mixture, no animal-based gelatin products are. The artificial botanical may thus also be edible and satisfies vegan diets. The artificial botanical may thus also be flavored by adding a flavoring, such as fruit, concentrate, or sweetener. The artificial botanical may be all-natural and edible by adding mica powder as the colorant and by adding glycerin as the flavoring.

An arrangement for melting at least one solid precursor product for polymer production includes a housing for receiving the solid precursor product by way of an opening, and a melting device arranged in the housing. The melting device is disposed so that the solid precursor product can be fed thereto to be melted. A preferably switchable discharge device is connected to an opening of the housing and can be connected to an injection unit.

A melting device includes a container capable of melting a material supplied in a free-flowing state and storing the material in a liquid state. The container includes a first storage section for storing the material in the free-flowing state, a second storage section for storing the material in the liquid state, and a dividing section provided between the first storage section and the second storage section and configured to hold back the material, when the material is in a non-molten or free-flowing state and to allow passage of the material from the first storage section into the second storage section, when the material is in a molten or liquid state.