VALVE FOR FLOWABLE MEDIA

Abstract

A valve for flowable media having a valve housing and an elongate closure member arranged therein and which can be axially moved in a medium channel of the valve by a controllable actuator and which in a closed position abuts a valve seat and closes a discharge opening connected to the medium channel, and which is connected to a sealing element to seal the medium channel, namely, a part-piece of an elongate bellows, which moves in an axial direction during movements of the closure member and which is a hollow member made of metal, wherein another part-piece of the bellows is fixedly supported in the valve. The relative axial position between the bellows and the valve seat is adapted to a production-related deviation of the longitudinal dimension of the bellows used from a desired longitudinal dimension so that this deviation is compensated for.

Claims

1. A valve for flowable media, in particular for fluid adhesive or glue, having a valve housing (21) and an elongate closure member (25) which is arranged in the valve housing (21) and which can be axially moved in a medium channel (20) of the valve by a controllable actuator and which in a closed position abuts a valve seat (22) and closes a discharge opening (23), which is connected to the medium channel (20), and which is raised from the valve seat (22) in an open position and releases it, and which is connected to a sealing element in order to seal the medium channel, that is to say, a part-piece of an elongate bellows (39), which also moves in an axial direction during movements of the closure member (25) and which is in the form of a hollow member and which is preferably made of metal, wherein another part-piece of the bellows (39) is fixedly supported in the valve, wherein the relative axial position between the bellows (39) and the valve seat (21) is adapted to a production-related deviation of the actual longitudinal dimension of the bellows (39) used from a desired longitudinal dimension, namely, a production tolerance, so that this deviation is completely or partially compensated for.

2. A valve for flowable media, in particular for fluid adhesive or glue, having a valve housing (21) and an elongate closure member (25) which is arranged in the valve housing (21) and which can be axially moved in a medium channel (20) of the valve by a controllable actuator and which in a closed position abuts a valve seat (22) and closes a discharge opening (23) which is connected to the medium channel (20), and which is raised from the valve seat (22) in an open position and releases it, wherein the closure member (25) has an end which abuts the valve seat (22) in a sealing manner in a closed position on the valve seat (22) and from which the closure member (25) extends through the medium channel (20), and an additional end which is arranged at the other side of the medium channel and in the region of which the closure member (25) is radially supported by means of a particularly cap-like guide member which is connected thereto in a rotationally secure manner and which is arranged in a fixed sliding bearing bush of the valve and can be moved axially in the sliding bearing bush with sliding abutment against the sliding bearing bush.

3. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve has, in order to compensate for the deviation between the actual longitudinal dimension and desired longitudinal dimension of the bellows (39), a compensation means (44) which influences the relative axial position between the bellows and the valve seat.

4. The valve as claimed in claim 3, wherein the compensation means is a spacer piece (45) which is preferably disk-like or annular-disk-like, namely, a spacer piece (45) which is arranged between a receiving member (43), which is arranged in the valve housing (21) and which is connected to the bellows (39) in a fluid-tight manner, for the bellows (39) and a support face which is particularly circumferential, preferably in a transversely axial plane, of the valve housing (21) or in the valve housing (21), on which support face the receiving member (43) is supported or is borne.

5. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bellows (39) is arranged in the medium channel (20) coaxially relative to a, particularly rod-shaped, part-piece, which is arranged in the medium channel (20), of the closure member (25).

6. The valve as claimed in claim 5, wherein the part-piece of the closure member (25) is arranged in the internal bellows space of the bellows (39).

7. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medium channel (20) is delimited at one end, which is remote from the valve seat (22), by a wall (37) which particularly extends in a transversely axial manner and in which a through-opening (38), along which the closure member (25) is guided out of the medium channel (20), is constructed, wherein, in order to seal the region between the closure member (25) and the wall (37), which surrounds it, of the through-opening (38), the bellows (39) surrounds a particularly rod-shaped part-piece of the closure member (25) which is arranged in the medium channel (20) and which extends at least as far as the through-opening (38), wherein the fixedly supported part-piece of the bellows (39), that is to say, a first, particularly hollow-cylindrical end piece thereof, is connected, in particular welded, in a fluid-tight manner to a particularly circumferential connection face, which is associated with the through-opening (38), of the wall (37), and wherein the part-piece, which is connected to the closure member (25), of the bellows (39), that is to say, a second, particularly hollow-cylindrical end piece thereof, is connected, in particular welded, in a fluid-tight manner to a particularly circumferential outer face of the closure member (25).

8. The valve as claimed in claim 7, wherein the circumferential connection face of the wall (37), to which the first end piece of the bellows (39) is connected in a fluid-tight manner, radially surrounds the through-opening (38) and in particular it extends coaxially relative to the first end-piece.

9. The valve as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second end-piece of the bellows (39) externally abuts a circumferential connection face of the particularly rod-shaped part-piece of the closure member (25) and is connected, in particular welded, thereto in a fluid-tight manner.

10. The valve as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fluid-tight connection of the first end piece of the bellows (39) to the connection face of the wall (37) and/or the connection of the second end piece of the bellows (39) to the part-piece of the closure member (25), in particular to the connection face of the part-piece, is a laser welding connection.

11. The valve as claimed in claim 7, wherein the particularly transversely axially extending wall (37) is a wall (37) of the bellows receiving member (43), and/or in that the through-opening (38) extends coaxially relative to the particularly rod-shaped part-piece of the closure member (25) which is guided through the through-opening (38).

12. The valve as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bellows receiving member (43) is integrally connected to the valve housing (21), or in that the bellows receiving member (43) is a separate component which is arranged in the valve housing (21).

13. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the closed position of the valve, the bellows (39) is positioned under pretension in the medium channel (20), in particular in a state redirected or compressed with respect to a tension-free position.

14. The valve as claimed in 1, wherein claim a closing force member of the valve, in particular a spring (32), applies in the closed position of the valve a closing force, which acts in the direction of the valve seat (22), to the closure member (25).

15. The valve as claimed in claim 14, wherein the bellows (39) applies to the closure member (25) in the closed position of the valve in order to support a subsequent opening movement, which is brought about by the opening force of an opening force member, in particular the controllable actuator, an additional opening force which is brought about particularly by the pretensioning and which acts counter to the closing force and which is smaller with respect thereto.

16. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein an opening force member of the valve, in particular the controllable actuator, applies to the closure member (25), in an open position of the valve, an opening force which is particularly directed counter to the closing force of a or the closing force member.

17. The valve as claimed in claim 16, wherein the bellows (39) applies an additional closing force, which is directed counter to the opening force and which is brought about in particular by the pretensioning and which is smaller than the opening force, in order to support a subsequent closing movement, which is brought about by the closing force member of the valve, of the closure member (25).

18. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein a tension-free state of the bellows (39) which also moves with the closure member (25) is produced at an open position of the closure member (25) corresponding to half the travel length of the closure member (25).

19. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall of the bellows (39) is constructed with multiple layers, in particular two layers.

20. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controllable actuator with which the closure member (25) is axially movable comprises an electromagnet (26) with a coil (28), the core or armature of which forms the closure member (25) or an armature portion (33) which is connected to the closure member (25), wherein the closure member (25) extends in the valve housing (21) from an end of the closure member (25) in abutment with the valve seat (22) in the closed position, through the medium channel (20) and through the space which is surrounded by the coil (28), as far as a region at the other side of the coil (28).

21. The valve as claimed in claim 20, wherein the closure member (25) is radially guided with at least two guides (29, 30), that is to say, on the one hand, with a first guide (29) which is arranged adjacent to the valve seat (22) in the medium channel (20) and, on the other hand, with or by means of a second guide (30) which is arranged in the region at the other side of the coil (28).

22. The valve as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first guide and/or the second guide (29, 30) has/have a guide member having a preferably disk-like, transversely axially extending guide member portion, in which a (an axial) guide member through-opening, through which the closure member (25) extends, is located.

23. The valve as claimed in claim 22, wherein the transversely axially extending guide member portion of the guide member of the first guide (29) has one or more additional axial through-openings, through which medium of the medium channel (20) can flow in the direction of the valve seat (22).

24. The valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide member which is connected to the closure member (25) in a rotationally secure manner is the guide member of the second guide (30).

25. The valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide member which is connected to the closure member (25) in a rotationally secure manner is located or arranged on the armature portion (33) in a rotationally secure manner with abutment against the armature portion (33).

26. The valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the particularly cap-like guide member is made from high-grade steel, in particular from high-grade steel 1.4112 or a high-grade steel with comparable properties.

27. The valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed sliding bearing bush completely or partially comprises a copper alloy with or without aluminum, such as aluminum bronze, or in that the fixed sliding bearing bush completely or partially comprises steel or high-grade steel.

28. The valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed sliding bearing bush has a carrier layer or back layer made from steel or high-grade steel and a running layer made from a polymer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Additional features of the present invention will be appreciated from the appended patent claims, the following description of preferred embodiments and the appended drawings, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of a valve arrangement having a plurality of valves according to the invention which are arranged on a distributor member of a valve arrangement,

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a section through the valve arrangement along the line of section II-II in FIG. 1,

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a section through an individual valve of the valve arrangement,

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a section through the valve along the line of section IV-IV in FIG. 3,

[0048] FIG. 5 shows a partial view of FIG. 3 as an enlarged illustration with a spacer piece with a first thickness,

[0049] FIG. 6 shows the partial view of FIG. 5 with a spacer piece with a second thickness, and

[0050] FIG. 7 shows a section similar to FIG. 3 through an alternative embodiment of an individual valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] A valve 10 according to the invention is shown in the present embodiment as part of a valve arrangement 11. However, this does not have to be the case. Similarly, the invention also comprises individual valves.

[0052] In this case, this is a valve arrangement 11 with which a fluid medium, such as, for example, adhesive (hot melt adhesive or cold adhesive) can be applied to substrates, for instance, to blanks for cigarette packets or the like. However, such a valve arrangement 11 can naturally also be used for other substrates.

[0053] In a manner known per se, a plurality of individual valves 10 are arranged on the valve arrangement 11, in the present case five valves 10. More specifically, the individual valves 10 are fixed to a common distributor member 12 of the valve arrangement 10, to which distributor member 12 the fluid medium is supplied via a supply line 13 from a medium source which is not shown.

[0054] In this case, the supply line 13, for example, a hose, opens into a medium inlet 14 of the valve member 12 which is connected to medium channels 15 which are arranged in the distributor member 12 in a fluid-conducting manner and to which the individual valves 10 are each connected so that the fluid medium is supplied to them via the medium channels 15.

[0055] Each valve 10 has in the present case a nozzle 16 which is arranged on the distributor member 12, in particular on the lower side thereof, and via which, that is, via a discharge opening 17 thereof, the fluid medium is discharged onto the substrate.

[0056] The discharge opening 17 of the nozzle 16 is located in this case at the end of a nozzle channel 18 which again adjoins a medium channel 19 in the distributor member 12 in an upstream direction, to which channel fluid medium is supplied in portions from a medium channel 20 which is arranged in a housing 21 of the valve 10.

[0057] The fluid medium is supplied to this medium channel 20 of the valve 10 from the medium channel 15, which is accordingly arranged upstream, of the distributor member 12 via inlet openings 36 which open into the medium channel 20.

[0058] In order to discharge the fluid medium in portions from the medium channel 20 of the valve 10 into the medium channel 19 of the distributor member, the valve 10 has an elongate closure member 25 which can be moved axially back and forth and which can be moved in the medium channel 20 and which, in a closed position, closes a discharge opening 23 which is connected to the medium channel 20 of the valve 10, cf. FIGS. 3-6, and releases it in an open position (not shown).

[0059] The discharge opening 23 is part of a valve seat 22 of the valve 10 with a particularly (circular) ring-like abutment face or sealing face in the present case for a closure piece 24 which forms a first end of the closure member 25.

[0060] In the closed position of the closure member 25, this first end or this closure piece 24 abuts in a sealing manner against the valve seat 22 or the abutment face thereof.

[0061] In the open position of the closure member 21, it or the closure piece 24 lifts off the valve seat 22, in the present case in a downward direction, and releases the discharge opening 23 in this case.

[0062] The closure member 25 extends in the housing 21 of the valve 10 from the end thereof formed by the closure piece 24 through the medium channel 20 and through an internal space 27, which is surrounded by a coil 28 of an electromagnet 26, as far as a region at the other side of the coil 28.

[0063] The closure member 25 is radially supported in the housing 21 by means of a first guide 29, which is arranged adjacent to the valve seat 22 in the medium channel 20, and a second guide 30, which is arranged at the other side of the coil 28, so that it can carry out (only) axial back and forth movements.

[0064] In this case, the first guide 29 has a guide member 29a which extends transversely axially along the medium channel 20 and which has a guide member portion 29b which is arranged in a transversely axial plane and in which a central guide member through-opening 29c (which extends axially) through which the closure member 25 extends is located.

[0065] The guide member portion 29b further has additional through-openings 29d (at the periphery) through which medium can flow along the guide member portion 29b or the guide member 29a.

[0066] The second guide 30 has, similarly to the first guide 29, a guide member 30a which is cap-like in this instance and which extends transversely axially and in this case is in the form of a guide sleeve, and which has a guide member portion 30b which is arranged in a transversely axial plane and in which a central (axially extending) guide member through-opening 30c, through which the closure member 25 extends, is located.

[0067] The closing force on the closure member 25 is applied by a pressure spring 32 which is arranged at the other side of the medium channel 20 and which is supported, on the one hand, on a support face 34 of the housing 21 and which, on the other hand, presses against a plate-like portion 35 of the closure member 25.

[0068] The opening force is generated by the electromagnet 26, the core or armature of which forms an armature portion 33 which is in the form of a metal component and which is connected in a rotationally secure manner to the closure member 25. In specific terms, the closure member 25 is guided through a central hole of the armature portion 33 and, cf. above, through the guide through-opening 30c of the cap-like guide member 30a. The cap-like guide member 30a is positioned on the armature portion 33 with abutment against the armature portion 33 and is secured at that location by means of a nut 51 which is screwed onto a terminal thread portion 48 of the closure member 25.

[0069] The second guide 30 further has a hollow-cylindrical wall 49a, which is formed by the housing 21 of the valve 10, of a hollow-cylindrical recess 49 inside the housing 21, which wall surrounds the guide member 30a, in particular a cylindrical guide member face 30d thereof, with little spacing. During the axial back and forth movements, which are brought about by the electromagnet 26, of the closure member 25, the guide member 30a and consequently also the closure member 25, which is connected thereto in a rotationally secure manner, is then guided radially through the or along the hollow-cylindrical wall 49.

[0070] The medium channel 20 is delimited at the end thereof facing away from the valve seat 22 by a wall 37 which extends in a transversely axial plane. The closure member 25 is guided out of the medium channel 20 through a through-opening 38 in this wall 37.

[0071] In order to seal the region between the closure member 25 and the wall 37 which surrounds the closure member 25, a bellows 39 made of metal is provided.

[0072] To this end, the bellows 39 is connected, on the one hand, in a fluid-tight manner to the wall 37 which surrounds the through-opening 38, that is to say, in this case (laser) welded. In this case, the wall 37 is part of a bellows receiving member 43, which is arranged in the housing 21, for the bellows 39.

[0073] In specific terms, a first part-piece, that is to say, a first hollow-cylindrical end piece 40 of the bellows 39, is connected at the outer side to a corresponding circumferential (axial) connection face 41 which surrounds the through-opening 38 radially and which extends coaxially relative to the end piece 40.

[0074] On the other hand, the bellows 39 is connected in a fluid-tight manner to the bellows 39. In specific terms, a second part-piece, that is to say, a second hollow-cylindrical end piece 42, of the bellows 39 is connected to a particularly circumferential outer face of the closure member 25, particularly also (laser) welded. The bellows 39 is accordingly also moved thereby during each opening and closing movement of the closure member 25.

[0075] As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the bellows 39 covers or surrounds a particularly rod-shaped part-piece of the closure member 25 in this case, which part-piece extends in the medium channel 20 as far as a location in the through-opening 38 or the closure member 25/the part-piece thereof is arranged inside the bellows 29.

[0076] Now, it is particularly important, as already mentioned in the introduction, that production-related longitudinal tolerances in the (axial) longitudinal dimension of the bellows 39 can lead to high, undesirable forces, which reduce the service-life thereof, being able to be introduced into the bellows 39 during operation of the valve 10 if they lead in the shown installation situation to the bellows 39 being pretensioned in an undesirably powerful manner.

[0077] In order to prevent this, this deviation is completely or partially compensated for.

[0078] To this end, a compensation means 44, which influences the relative axial position between the bellows 39 and the valve seat 22, is provided.

[0079] In the present case, this is a spacer piece 45 which is constructed in an annular manner in this case or is in the form of a spacer disk.

[0080] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the respective spacer piece 45 is arranged between a particularly circumferential support face or bearing face 46 (which is arranged in a transversely axial plane) of the housing 21, on which the bellows receiving member 43 is supported (axially in this case) and the bellows receiving member 43, in this case a support face 47, which is opposite the support face 46 of the housing 21, of the bellows receiving member 43.

[0081] Accordingly, the axial position of the bellows 39 is thereby influenced, in FIGS. 5 and 6 it is increased by the thickness of the spacer piece 45 with respect to a standard position without any such spacer piece 45, or the relative position is changed between the bellows 39, on the one hand, and the valve seat 21, on the other hand, that is to say, the relative spacing thereof is increased. As a result of the respective spacer piece 45, a respective production-related deviation of the actual length (shown in the Figures) of the bellows 39 from a desired length is compensated for.

[0082] As can be seen, in FIG. 6 the spacer piece 45 is selected to be thicker or the axial dimension thereof is selected to be greater than in the spacer piece 45 in FIG. 5 because the actual length of the bellows 39 which is used in FIG. 6 deviates in a correspondingly more powerful manner from a corresponding desired length than in the bellows 39 which is used in FIG. 5.

[0083] In this case, however, there may additionally be provision for adapting the individual components to each other so that the bellows 39 is fitted in the valve with a desired pretensioning (which is substantially smaller in comparison with the above-mentioned undesirable pretensioning) so that in the shown closed position of the closure member 25 the bellows 39 applies to the closure member 25 an opening force which is directed counter to the closing force of the pressure spring 32 in order to support the subsequent opening movement which is brought about by the electromagnet 26, and so that the bellows 39 applies to the closure member 25 in the open position of the closure member 25 a closing force which is directed counter to the opening force of the electromagnet 26 in order to support the subsequent closing movement which is brought about by the pressure spring 32 if the opening force of the electromagnet 26 is dispensed with.

[0084] FIG. 7 shows an alternative to the individual valve 10 which is shown in particular in FIGS. 3-6. Identical components are indicated with the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 3-6.

[0085] As can be seen, the individual valve 10 of FIG. 7 differs only in the region of the second guide 30 of the closure member 25. This second guide 30 additionally has a fixed sliding bearing bush 50 which is hollow-cylindrical in this case and which is located in the hollow-cylindrical recess 49. The guide member 30a is located during the axial back and forth movements of the closure member 25 with sliding abutment against the sliding bearing bush 50 inside the bush, where applicable using a suitable lubricant or sliding means.

[0086] It has been shown that the use of such a sliding bearing bush 50 allows particularly long service-lives of the valve 10 or particularly many axial back and forth movements of the closure member 25 before substantial wear occurs.

[0087] The guide member 30a may preferably be made of high-grade steel, particularly from high-grade steel 1.4112 or a high-grade steel with comparable properties.

[0088] The fixed sliding bearing bush 50 may completely or partially comprise a copper alloy with or without aluminum, such as, for example, aluminum bronze, or completely or partially comprise steel or high-grade steel.

[0089] It is also conceivable for the fixed sliding bearing bush 50 to have a (an external) carrier layer or back layer made from steel or high-grade steel and a running layer (which is internal and which is directed toward the guide member 30a) and which is made from a polymer. In this case, it is also conceivable for additional layers to be located between the back layer and the polymer layer, such as, for example, a bronze layer (where applicable made from sinter bronze).

[0090] Finally, FIG. 7 further shows a removable cover portion 52, via which the recess 49 and the components arranged therein are accessible.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0091] 10 Valve [0092] 11 Valve arrangement [0093] 12 Distributor member [0094] 13 Supply line to distributor member [0095] 14 Medium inlet of distributor member [0096] 15 Medium channel of distributor member [0097] 16 Nozzle [0098] 17 Discharge opening of nozzle [0099] 18 Nozzle channel [0100] 19 Medium channel of distributor member [0101] 20 Medium channel of valve [0102] 21 Housing [0103] 22 Valve seat [0104] 23 Discharge opening of valve seat [0105] 24 Closure piece [0106] 25 Closure member [0107] 26 Electromagnet [0108] 27 Internal coil space [0109] 28 Coil [0110] 29 First guide [0111] 29a Guide member [0112] 29b Guide member portion [0113] 29c Guide member through-opening [0114] 29d Through-openings for medium [0115] 30 Second guide [0116] 30a Guide member [0117] 30b Guide member portion [0118] 30c Guide member through-opening [0119] 30d Cylindrical guide member face [0120] 32 Pressure spring [0121] 33 Metal component [0122] 34 Support face [0123] 35 Plate-like portion [0124] 36 Inlet openings in medium channel [0125] 37 Wall of bellows receiving member [0126] 38 Through-opening [0127] 39 Bellows [0128] 40 First end piece of bellows [0129] 41 Axial connection face of through-opening [0130] 42 Second end piece of bellows [0131] 43 Bellows receiving member [0132] 44 Compensation means [0133] 45 Spacer piece [0134] 46 Support face of housing [0135] 47 Support face of bellows receiving member [0136] 48 Thread portion [0137] 49 Hollow-cylindrical recess [0138] 49a Hollow-cylindrical wall [0139] 50 Sliding bearing bush [0140] 51 Nut