APPARATUS FOR APPLYING VISCOUS MATERIAL

Abstract

An apparatus for applying viscous material to workpieces has at least two material outlets. A needle valve is assigned to each material outlet, the valve needle of which being able to close the respective material outlet on a valve seat. Each valve needle is assigned a cylinder, in the piston chamber of which a piston is movable by pressure applied by a fluid, and which cylinder has a piston rod for impingement on the respective valve needle, the piston rod being connected to the piston, being guided out of the piston chamber on an end face facing the valve seats and extending longitudinally. The cylinders are arranged one behind the other longitudinally and the piston rod of at least one of the cylinders is guided in a sealed manner through the piston chamber of at least one further cylinder arranged closer on the valve seats.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying viscous material to workpieces, having at least two material outlets, wherein a needle valve is assigned to each material outlet, by means of the valve needle (14) of which the corresponding material outlet can be closed off at a valve seat, and wherein a cylinder (16a, 16b, 16c) is assigned to each valve needle (14), in the piston chamber (18) of which cylinder a piston (20) can be moved by means of a fluid, by applying pressure, and which piston has a piston rod (24) that is connected with the piston (20), is passed through out of the piston chamber (18) at an end face (22) that faces the valve seats, and extends in a longitudinal direction (26), for applying force to the corresponding valve needle (14), wherein the cylinders (16a, 16b, 16c) are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction (26), and wherein the piston rod (24) of at least one of the cylinders (16b, 16c) is passed through the piston chamber (18) of at least one further cylinder (16a, 16b) arranged closer to the valve seats in a sealed off manner.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the piston rod (24) of each cylinder (16b, 16c) is passed through the piston chamber of each cylinder (16a, 16b) arranged closer to the valve seats in a sealed off manner.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cross-sections of the cylinders (16a, 16b, 16c) are congruent.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the pistons (20) is connected with a further piston rod (30), which is passed out of the corresponding piston chamber (18) from a rear side (28) that faces away from the valve seats, and which is passed through the piston chamber (18) of every further cylinder (16b, 16c) arranged farther away from the valve seats in a sealed off manner.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each further piston rod (30) has a force applied to it by means of a reset element (32) supported on a counter-bearing (34), against the reset force of which they can be moved when the corresponding valve needle (14) is lifted off the valve seat.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the piston rods (24) and, if applicable, at least a part of the further piston rods (30) is eccentrically connected with the corresponding piston (20).

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one piston (20) and preferably every piston (20) is produced, at least in part, from ferromagnetic material, or is firmly connected with a ferromagnetic element, and a magnetic sensor is assigned to the cylinder (16a, 16b, 16c) in question, so as to determine the position of the corresponding piston (20) in the piston chamber (18).

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each piston (20) comprises a non-ferromagnetic material, and wherein the corresponding ferromagnetic element is a band that runs around the piston (20) or is embedded into it.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the needle valves are accommodated in a housing and can rotate jointly around a longitudinal center axis (12) that runs in the longitudinal direction (26), and wherein a rotary passage is provided for feed of material through a mantle of the housing, to the corresponding material outlet.

Description

[0017] In FIG. 1a, b, c, only those parts of an apparatus for applying viscous material are shown that are essential for an understanding of the invention. In the case of the exemplary embodiment shown, this apparatus 10 is configured as a rotary lance, which is accommodated in a housing, not shown, so as to rotate about its longitudinal center axis 12. The rotary lance has three needle valves, wherein a valve needle 14 is shown only for one of the needle valves. Not shown are the valve seats on which the valve needles 14 sit, so as to block a material outlet, in each instance. In this regard, three material outlets are provided, corresponding to the number of needle valves, to which outlets viscous material is supplied, in each instance, by way of a rotary passage, through the housing, which material can exit from the material outlet by means of opening the needle valves. Each material outlet opens into an application nozzle, not shown in the drawing, wherein the rotary lance has three different application nozzles in the present case, so as to be able to achieve different application geometries of the viscous material, without having to perform a nozzle replacement.

[0018] For activation of the valve needles 14, each of them has a cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c assigned to it, in the piston chamber 18 of which a piston 20 is accommodated so as to move back and forth. A piston rod 24 that is firmly connected with the corresponding piston 20 passes out of the end face 22 of each of the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c, which face faces the valve seats, and this rod extends parallel to the longitudinal center axis 12 in its longitudinal direction 26, and makes a transition into the valve needle 14 toward its end. A further piston rod 30 passes out of the rear side 28 of each cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c, which side faces away from the valve seats, and this rod extends toward a reset element in the form of a pressure spring 32 and is supported on the latter, which spring in turn is supported on a counter-bearing 34 that is firmly connected with the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c. The force of the pressure springs 32 presses the further piston rods 30 and thereby also the pistons 20, the piston rods 24, and the valve needles 14 onto the valve seats, while lifting of the valve needles 14 from the valve seats takes place by means of introducing compressed air into the piston chamber 18 of the corresponding cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c.

[0019] The cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c have identical dimensions and are arranged in a row, in other words one behind the other in the longitudinal direction 26. The piston rods 24 and the further piston rods 30 are each connected with the pistons 20 eccentrically, in other words at a distance from the longitudinal center axis 12. Because of the arrangement of the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c in a row, the further piston rod 30 of the cylinder 16a arranged closest to the valve seats is passed through the two cylinders 16b, 16c arranged farther away from the valve seats, sealed off by means of sliding seals. In the same manner, the piston rod 24 of the cylinder 16b that is arranged in the center, is passed through the piston chamber 18 of the cylinder 16a that is arranged closer to the valve seats in a sealed off manner, while its further piston rod 30 is passed through the piston chamber 18 of the cylinder 16c, which is arranged farther away from the valve seats in a sealed off manner. The piston rod 24 of the cylinder 16c arranged farthest away from the valve seats, in contrast, is passed through the piston chamber 18 of the center cylinder 16b and the piston chamber 18 of the cylinder 16a arranged closest to the valve seats in a sealed off manner. Furthermore, the piston rods 24 and the further piston rods 30 are passed through the pistons 20 of the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c, the piston chambers 18 of which they are passed through.

[0020] FIG. 1c shows a view from below, counter to the longitudinal direction 26. There it is shown how the valve needles 14 are arranged at equal angular distances from one another and at the same distance from the longitudinal center axis 12.

[0021] Furthermore, two compressed air connections 38 are shown for each cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c, namely a compressed air connection for feed and a compressed air connection for discharge of compressed air in each instance. The compressed air connections 38 extend all the way to a distributor plate 40, where they open into intermediate channels 42 that run radially, which in turn open into compressed air channels 44 that extend axially to the corresponding cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c.

[0022] The arrangement of the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c in a row allows monitoring of the position of the pistons 20 in the piston chamber 18 of the corresponding cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c, and thereby also monitoring of the position of the valve needles 14 with respect to the corresponding valve seat. For this purpose, each piston 20 is provided with a band of ferromagnetic material that runs around it and is moved along with it, but is not shown in any detail in the drawing. Each cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c has a magnetic sensor assigned to it, which can detect the position of the ferromagnetic band. Because of the arrangement of the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c in a row, detection of the position of the ferromagnetic band is reliably possible, even when the apparatus 10 is being rotated about the longitudinal center axis 12.

[0023] In summary, the following should be stated: The invention relates to an apparatus 10 for applying viscous material to workpieces, having at least two material outlets, wherein a needle valve is assigned to each material outlet, by means of the valve needle 14 of which the corresponding material outlet can be closed off at a valve seat, and wherein a cylinder 16a, 16b, 16c is assigned to each valve needle 14, in the piston chamber 18 of which cylinder a piston 20 can be moved by means of a fluid, by applying pressure, and which piston has a piston rod 24 that is connected with the piston 20, is passed through out of the piston chamber 18 at an end face 22 that faces the valve seats, and extends in a longitudinal direction 26, for applying force to the corresponding valve needle 14. According to the invention, it is provided that the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction 26, and that the piston rod 24 of at least one of the cylinders 16b, 16c is passed through the piston chamber 18 of at least one further cylinder 16a, 16b arranged closer to the valve seats in a sealed off manner. Furthermore, it is practical if the cross-sections of the cylinders 16a, 16b, 16c mutually overlap, in the sense that their projections on one another overlap.