Systems for creating electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells include an XY stage having a heated vacuum table physically coupled to the XY stage. The vacuum table has a working face with a plurality of channels formed therein to communicate vacuum pressure from a port coupled to a vacuum source to the channels. A sheet of perforated heat-conductive material has staggered holes configured to evenly distribute the vacuum pressure from the channels through the perforated sheet. A heat-conductive wire mesh is placed over the perforated sheet, and has openings smaller than the staggered holes such that a membrane material placed on the wire mesh is not deformed by the vacuum pressure. A nanopipette or micropipette coupled to a pump is configured to deposit electrode ink onto an exposed surface of the membrane material as the controller device causes the XY stage to move the vacuum table to control deposition of the electrode ink onto the surface of the membrane material.

Methods and systems of accurately dispensing a viscous fluid onto a substrate. In an embodiment, a method includes using an electronic flow meter device to produce electrical flow meter output signals and performing a responsive control function in a closed loop manner by adjusting at least one dispensing parameter to correct for a difference between an output data set and a reference data set. In another embodiment, a system includes a control operatively coupled to a gas flow meter device and to a weigh scale allowing for a density of an amount of viscous material to be determined. In another embodiment, a method includes using a control coupled to both a gas flow meter device and a weigh scale and performing a responsive control function in a closed loop manner by adjusting at least one dispensing parameter using gas flow meter output signals and weigh scale output signals.

An electrode coating system includes a slurry storage tank in which a slurry is stored, a coating slot die configured to receive the slurry, and a line through which the slurry flows from the slurry storage tank to the coating slot die, in which the line includes a first line and a second line, and the slurry is configured to flow from the slurry storage tank to the coating slot die selectively through the first line or the second line.

Provided is a system for supplying a photoresist. In an embodiment, a system for supplying a photoresist includes a pressure adjustment container provided to a supply line connected from a chemical liquid bottle to a first tank, and the pressure adjustment container includes a housing having a space formed therein, a separator separating the space of the housing into a first space and a second space, an inflow port making a photoresist flow in the first space, a discharge port discharging the photoresist from the first space, and a pressurized fluid inflow port supplying a pressurized fluid to the second space, and a volume of the first space varies depending on the supply of the pressurized fluid.

System and methods for applying a liquid coating to a substrate are disclosed herein. One exemplary method includes a flow control routine in which the velocity of an applicator, or other parameter affecting the amount of material applied to the substrate, is iteratively adjusted. The amount of the adjustment performed in each iteration is tracked. When the sum of the adjustments by the flow control routine exceeds a predetermined threshold, a fan width control routine is initiated in which the fan width of the stream of material applied by the applicator is adjusted.

A hot melt adhesive system includes an adhesive supply for receiving solid or semi-solid hot melt adhesive, and a heater associated with the adhesive supply for melting the solid or semi-solid hot melt adhesive into liquid hot melt adhesive. An adhesive tracking system monitors an output of the liquid hot melt adhesive, and includes a flow meter having a flow inlet and a flow outlet. The flow meter measures an amount of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet. A product detector may be used to sense a presence of a product to which the adhesive is applied. A controller then determines the total amount of the liquid adhesive dispensed and the average amount of liquid adhesive dispensed per product.

A liquid coating apparatus includes a liquid chamber, a diaphragm deformable to change a volume of the liquid chamber, a piezoelectric element that deforms the diaphragm in a thickness direction, a pressurized casing bottom-wall portion between the piezoelectric element and the diaphragm to support the piezoelectric element from a diaphragm side, a fixed casing bottom wall portion that supports an end of the piezoelectric element on a side opposite to the diaphragm, a plunger that extends through the pressurized casing bottom-wall portion and transmits expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element to the diaphragm, and a coil spring that is between the piezoelectric element and the pressurized casing bottom-wall portion and is supported by the first support portion to apply a compressive force to the piezoelectric element.

A jetting device and/or fluid module include a module body defining a passageway extending through the module body and also partially defining a fluid chamber, a nozzle supported by the module body, a valve element at least partially within the fluid chamber, a biasing element contacting the valve element and also contacting the module body, and a sealing member contacting the periphery of the valve element and configured to partially define the fluid chamber. The nozzle defines a fluid outlet that is in fluid communication with the fluid chamber. The valve element has an upper portion outside of the fluid chamber that is adapted for contact with the drive pin, and the biasing element is configured to apply a spring force to the valve element. The valve element is configured to cause a droplet of the fluid to be jetted from the fluid outlet when the valve element is moved in the direction toward the nozzle.

A liquid coating apparatus includes a liquid storage assembly to store a liquid, a pressure sensor to detect a remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage assembly, a discharge assembly to discharge the liquid in the liquid storage assembly to an outside, a negative pressure pump to generate a negative pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure, a negative pressure adjusting container with an internal pressure adjusted to a predetermined negative pressure by the negative pressure pump, a pressure adjustment controller to control drive of the negative pressure pump based on a detection result of the pressure sensor, and a pressure switch to adjust pressure in the liquid storage assembly to the predetermined negative pressure in the negative pressure adjusting container.

A plural component dispensing system includes a dispensing device, first and second fluid component sources, a system controller, and an operator interface device. The first fluid component source is connected to the dispensing device to deliver the first fluid component to the dispensing device. The second fluid component source is connected to the dispensing device to deliver the second fluid component to the dispensing device. The system controller is connected to regulate operation of the first fluid component source and the second fluid component source to produce a target ratio of the first fluid component and the second fluid component at the dispensing device. The operator interface device is remote from and operatively connected to the system controller. The operator interface device is configured to output system state information received from the system controller and to receive operator input to control an operational state of the system controller.