ADHESIVE APPLICATOR HEAD

Abstract

An adhesive applicator head, having a heated block (1) to which an adhesive feed (2) is connected; linked to the heated block (1) is a nozzle (4) determining an outlet for the laminar projection of the adhesive to be applied from the heated block (1), where the nozzle (4) has a body (6) and a cover (7) between which there is a space (8) leading to an adhesive outlet groove (9); with regard to the space (8), and externally, there being a plate (10) covering the groove (9), the plate (10) being displaceable between different attachment positions of the plate (10) to the nozzle (4) determining variable lengths of laminar adhesive outlet through the groove (9).

Claims

1. An adhesive applicator head, comprising a heated block (1) to which an adhesive feed (2) is connected; linked to said heated block (1) is a nozzle (4) determining an outlet for the laminar projection of the adhesive to be applied from the heated block (1), wherein the nozzle (4) comprises a body (6) and a cover (7) between which there is a space (8) leading to an adhesive outlet groove (9); with regard to said space (8), and externally, there being a plate (10) covering the groove (9), the plate (10) being displaceable between different attachment positions of the plate (10) to the nozzle (4) determining variable lengths of laminar adhesive outlet through the groove (9).

2. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein the plate (10) covers the groove (9) by means of a sealing gasket (11).

3. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein the plate (10) incorporates a sheet (12) that enters the space (8) in such a way that it guides the plate (10) in its displacement.

4. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is arranged at one end of the plate (10) such that it limits the adhesive outlet width through the groove (9).

5. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein the plate (10) is attached to the body (6) of the nozzle (4) by means of screws (14), which can be handled externally to free the displacement of said plate (10) between different attachment positions.

6. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein the plate (10) comprises a groove (25) for attachment thereof with the screws (14) so that it can be attached in selected width positions of the groove (9).

7. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein it comprises drive means for displacing the plate (10).

8. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 4, wherein the plate (10) incorporates a knob (15) for handling the displacement thereof.

9. The adhesive applicator head, according to claim 1, wherein the space (8) has, at one end of the groove (9) corresponding to a maximum outlet length of the adhesive through the groove (9), an area (16) with a greater width of separation between the body (6) and the cover (7) than the rest of the length of said space (8).

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the adhesive applicator head object of the invention from the rear view.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the head from the front view with the cover of the nozzle exploded to show the space between the nozzle body and the cover.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a front view of the adhesive applicator head, without the cover of the adhesive outlet nozzle, which shows the space between the nozzle body and the cover through which the adhesive is distributed via communication holes with the heated block, for the adhesive outlet through the groove.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the adhesive outlet nozzle of the applicator head according to the invention.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a top view of the head without the plate, which shows the groove and the area of greater width in detail for better clarity.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the adhesive applicator head for a bottle labelling function, in which the stack of labels and the bottle can be seen as they are brought closer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] The object of the invention relates to an adhesive applicator head, for use in processes such as, for example, bottle labelling, without this use being limiting, the head comprising a heated block (1), to which a feed (2) of the adhesive to be applied is connected and, for the illustrative example, it further comprises a pressurised air supply duct (3) to lead the adhesive to the outside according to the desired pressure. Linked to said heated block (1) is a nozzle (4), which determines an outlet for the laminar projection of the adhesive to be applied.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle (4) comprises a body (6) and a cover (7), the cover (7) being able to be attached by means of screws (17), leaving a space (8) between them, which leads to a groove (9) which is what determines the outlet of the adhesive for its application in laminar form. On the outside of said nozzle (4) and arranged with regard to the space (8), a plate (10) is incorporated which comprises a sheet (12) that can be fit into the space (8) so that an adhesive outlet length is set between said sheet (12) and a limiting portion (13) of the nozzle body (6). The sheet (12) being able to be removed and attached to the plate (10) by means of screws, and also acting as a retainer fora sealing gasket (11) comprised in the plate (10) which provides greater sealing to the closure of the passage of adhesive to the outside.

[0035] The plate (10) is secured to the body (6) of the nozzle (4) by means of screws (14), which can be handled externally, so that by loosening said screws (14) the plate (10) can move between different positions that determine variable widths of laminar adhesive outlet through the groove (9). The movement of the plate is guided by a groove (25), which may be a plurality of grooves in the shape of elongated holes, through which the plate is attached with the screws (14), by the very fit of the support of the plate (10) on the body (6) of the nozzle (4) or by the guidance of the sheet (12) in the groove (9). Threaded holes exist in different longitudinal situations, for screwing the aforementioned screws (14) in the different width varying positions of the laminar adhesive outlet through the groove (9) for the application, so that secure attachment of the plate (10) can be established by means of the screws (14) in all the positions.

[0036] At the rear end, the plate (10) incorporates a knob (15), with which the handling of said plate (10) is facilitated for the displacement thereof between the different adjustment positions of the width of laminar adhesive outlet for the application. This embodiment is preferred for the purposes of reduced economic formation of the applicator head, but it does not rule out other solutions such as drive means for displacing the plate (10) in the form of, for example, a spindle, a rack and pinion mechanism, an engine, etc., which enables the plate (10) to be displaced with greater pressure and/or less effort.

[0037] Thus, for the operation of the adhesive applicator head, said head will be attached by means of a mounting flange (21) and connected to the power supply by means of a connection tube (20). As shown in FIG. 6, the stack of labels (19) is placed on the nozzle (4) so that once the adhesive is applied, the label is deposited on the bottle (18).

[0038] The adhesive is supplied from the feed (2) to the heated block (1) circulating through an adhesive distribution duct (23). As shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive is diverted by a duct towards the adhesive outlet through the body (6) of the nozzle (4). This channeling can be direct or preferably controlled by injector modules (5), enabling the passage of adhesive to be controlled and intermittent applications to be carried out. In the event of having injector modules (5) like the preferred example, the opening thereof is controlled by means of the action of a pressurised air duct (3) to which pressure is applied in order to open the injector module (5) that will enable optimal outlet of the adhesive.

[0039] In the event that a faster outlet is desired, the injector module (5) coinciding with the end with the smallest width of the groove (9) will be acted upon. The injector module (5) closest to the end with the largest width of the groove (9) will be used when there is a desire to pull all the adhesive through the space (8) until it exits through the groove (9) according to the set width, so that there is no adhesive residue in the space (8) that could dry out and block the adhesive outlet.

[0040] Once the plate (10) is attached according to the required width of the label or produced product, said width can be easily adjusted when the labels (19) abut in their support against the plate (10).

[0041] To set the width of the groove (9), the sheet (12) is arranged on the plate (10) which enables the applied width to be reduced a size smaller than that of the label. This reduction in width depends on the size of the free wing of the sheet (12) outside the plate (10) in the area of the groove (9). If the products require different reductions, said sheet (12) can be changed by releasing the attachment elements of the same to the plate (10), which are preferably screwed elements.

[0042] Thus, when necessary, the adhesive will be injected into the nozzle (6), from the heated body (1) through outlet holes (24) and will be distributed for its outlet through the space (8) as shown in FIG. 3, to lead to the groove (9).

[0043] For the preferred embodiment of a head application in a labelling machine, at this moment the bottle (18), which already has a previous application of adhesive, comes in contact with one to end of the label (19), affixing the same to the bottle (18), and with the rotating displacement of the bottle (18) and with the adhesive already applied by the head on the other end of the label, the complete affixing of the label on the bottle (18) will take place.

[0044] Preferably, the electrical resistor (22) of the heated block (1) is located close to the drive of the adhesive, as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, both in its circulation through the adhesive distribution conduct (23) and in its distribution to the nozzle (4), the adhesive is kept in optimal temperature conditions. Preferably, the heated block (1) has a temperature control probe to enable perfect adjustment.

[0045] Furthermore, the plate (10) with the sheet (12) is removed for cleaning and maintenance tasks in such a way that the screws (14) are released very simply and quickly. Subsequent repositioning is more delicate due to the fine adjustment of thickness between the groove (9) and the sheet (12) that prevents adhesive leaks during operation. To facilitate this process and avoid having to act on the cover (7) of its fastening on the body (6) of the nozzle (4), an area (16) of greater width than the rest of said space (8) is envisaged at the rear end of the space (8) to facilitate the reinsertion of the sheet (12).

[0046] Another advantage of the design object of the invention is that the very plate (10), together with the width limiting sheet (12), can be used as a cleaning element for the entire width of the groove (9) without having to act and disassemble the nozzle cover (7). Complete disassembly will only be required if more complex maintenance is to be carried out.

[0047] As mentioned above, the fastening of the cover (7) of the nozzle (4) is established by securing with screws (17), so that by releasing said screws (17) the cover (7) can also be removed to clean the space (8) and the adhesive outlet and distribution area with the outlet holes (24) if necessary.

[0048] In this way, the adhesive applicator head results in a simple structural embodiment, with an advantageous functionality for adjusting the laminar outlet width of the adhesive to be applied and for cleaning the adjustment elements of said outlet, leaving the adhesive application outlet in an arrangement that, in bottle (18) labelling applications, enables the bottles (18) to be labelled to be positioned in contact with the plate (10), facilitating adjustment to adjust the laminar adhesive outlet width according to the labels to be affixed.