Device for applying a viscous material

Abstract

An apparatus for applying a viscous material, comprising a bell having a circumferential mounting rim, and a feed line, wherein the material is conveyable via a conveying element through the feed line into the bell, wherein the bell can be transported with the mounting rim, in a direction of mounting, over a protruding element, in particular a rivet head, of a component, in order to encase the element with the material, wherein in the region of the bell or the feed line a metering member is provided, wherein in the course of an application process a flow of the material can be influenced by the metering member.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying a viscous material, comprising: a bell having a circumferential mounting rim; and a feed line, wherein the material is conveyable via a conveying means through the feed line into the bell, wherein the bell can be transported with the mounting rim, in a direction of mounting, over a protruding element of a component, in order to encase the element with the material, wherein a metering member is provided in, on, or adjacent to the bell or the feed line, wherein the metering member is configured to influence a flow of the material during an application process, and wherein the bell can be lifted away from the element and the metering member is configured to retract the material after the bell is lifted away from the element.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metering member is arranged on a branch of the feed line.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metering member comprises a movable metering piston.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metering piston is movable in such a way that it can be driven by an actuator.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metering piston, in at least one position, terminates substantially flush with a wall of the feed line and/or of the bell.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metering piston is movable in such a way that it can be driven by an actuator in two directions.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the bell has been lifted off the element, a retraction of the material is realized by the metering member.

8. A method for applying a viscous material to a protruding element of a component by the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising: filling of the bell with the viscous material, so that the element is encased, wherein, at least in part, advancement of the viscous material is realized by the metering member; and removing the bell from the element.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: retraction of the material by the metering member in the course of removal of the bell from the element, in order to facilitate a separation of a thread of the viscous material.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protruding element of a component comprises a rivet head.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metering member is arranged on a branch of the feed line just before an entry of the feed line into the bell.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Below, an illustrative embodiment is described and is explained in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

(2) FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an apparatus according to various embodiments,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the apparatus from FIG. 1, from the side,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematized sectional view of the apparatus from FIG. 1 in four consecutive steps a to d of an application process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for applying a viscous material in the form of a sealant to rivet heads of structural components of aircraft.

(6) The apparatus is configured in its entirety on an end effector of a robot arm. A front end is formed by a bell 1, which can be loaded with the viscous material 3 via a feed line 2. A conveying means 9 (not represented) is provided on the end effector upstream of the feed line 2 and can convey the viscous material from a reservoir into the feed line.

(7) In the present case, the bell 1 and the feed line 2 form a nozzle body 4 as the structural unit, wherein the nozzle body 4, as an exchangeable module, is connectable at an interface 5 to a compressible receptacle 6 for length compensation. On the opposite side of the receptacle 6 is found a flange 7 for connection to the further end effector.

(8) The bell is movable with a mounting rim 8 over a protruding element 9 in the form of a rivet head of a component 9a in order to enable the application of the material 3.

(9) Just before the feed line 2 joins the bell 1, a branch 10 of the feed line 2 is provided. In the branch 10, a metering piston 11 of a metering member 12 is sealingly guided. The metering piston 11 is advanceable and retractable by means of an, in the present case, pneumatic actuator 13 of the metering member 12.

(10) A front end of the metering piston 11 is concave and beveled in shape, so that, in one position of the metering piston, it forms a flush inner wall with the rest of the feed line 2. This promotes a full exchange, in the course of the material conveyance, of the material 3 present before the metering piston 11.

(11) The functioning of various embodiments is explained in greater detail on the basis of the schematically represented sequences in FIG. 3:

(12) Initially the metering piston 11 is in a retracted position and the bell 1 is partially filled with viscous material 3. The bell 1 is slipped over the rivet head 9 by means of the robot arm in a direction of mounting, until the mounting rim 8 rests on the component 9a (Diagram a in FIG. 3).

(13) After this, the metering piston 11 is pushed by means of the actuator 12 forward in the direction of the bell 1, whereby the bell 1 is completely filled with material 3 and the rivet head 9 is completely encased with material 3 (Diagram b in FIG. 3).

(14) Subsequently, the bell 1 is moved counter to the direction of mounting, by a defined distance, away from the rivet head 9, wherein initially still further material 3 is additionally introduced by the conveying means (Diagram c in FIG. 3).

(15) Finally, the metering piston 11 is moved back again into the retracted position, while a lateral and/or circular movement of the bell 1 is realized in order to effect a separation of the material or of a material thread. Through this retraction of the metering piston 11, material is also withdrawn from the bell into the region of the feed line, as is indicated schematically by a resulting cavity 14 in the bell 1. This promotes, in total, a clean separation of the material thread and reduces soiling of an outer wall of the bell with excess material 3.

(16) Finally, the apparatus is moved over the next rivet head and the above-described sequence is repeated.