APPLICATION DEVICE FOR THE APPLICATION OF WEB-SHAPED ADHESIVE ELEMENTS

Abstract

Application devices for the application of web-shaped adhesive elements are disclosed and comprise a first reel receptacle configured such that an adhesive tape reel filled with a web-shaped adhesive element may be arranged rotatably in the first reel receptacle The application devices further comprise a rotatable pre-feed roller and a rotatable application roller, wherein a lateral surface of the application roller has a depression running along the circumferential direction, wherein a web-shaped adhesive element may be guided via the pre-feed roller to the application roller, wherein the application roller and the pre-feed roller are coupled to a first coupling mechanism such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of the pre-feed roller.

Claims

1. An application device for the application of web-shaped adhesive elements, the application device comprising: i) a first reel receptacle, wherein the first reel receptacle configured such that an adhesive tape reel filled with a web-shaped adhesive element can be arranged rotatably in the first reel receptacle, ii) a rotatable pre-feed roller, and iii) a rotatable application roller, wherein a lateral surface of the application roller has a depression running along the circumferential direction, wherein the application device is configured such that a web-shaped adhesive element provided by an adhesive tape reel arranged in the first reel receptacle can be guided via the pre-feed roller to the application roller, wherein the application roller and the pre-feed roller are coupled by a first coupling mechanism, such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of the pre-feed roller.

2. The application device of claim 1, wherein the application device is a manual applicator.

3. The application device of claim 1, further comprising: iv. a) a rotatable take-up reel, or iv. b) a second reel receptacle, wherein the second reel receptacle is configured such that a take-up reel can be arranged rotatably in the second reel receptacle, wherein the application device is configured to enable a web-shaped release material separated from a web-shaped adhesive element guided in the application device to be wound up on the take-up reel.

4. The application device of claim 3, wherein the application roller and the take-up reel are coupled by a second coupling mechanism, such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of the take-up reel.

5. The application device of claim 1, wherein the application roller and the first reel receptacle are coupled by a third coupling mechanism, such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of an adhesive tape reel arranged in the first reel receptacle.

6. The application device of claim 1, further comprising: v) a rotatable counter roller, wherein the counter roller, together with the pre-feed roller, forms a roller nip arranged between the counter roller and the pre-feed roller, wherein the application device is configured to enable the web-shaped adhesive element guided in the application device to be passed through the roller nip to the application roller.

7. The application device of claim 6, wherein the counter roller is spring-mounted, such that the roller nip can be widened against the spring force of the spring mounting, and/or such that the counter roller exerts a predetermined contact pressure against the pre-feed roller on the web-shaped adhesive element guided in the roller nip.

8. The application device of claim 1, wherein the application roller and the counter roller are coupled by a fourth coupling mechanism, such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of the counter roller.

9. The application device of claim 1, further comprising: vi) a parting device, wherein the parting device is configured to part the web-shaped adhesive element guided in the application device upstream of the application roller in relation to the web path in the application device.

10. The application device of claim 1, wherein the first coupling mechanism, the second coupling mechanism, the third coupling mechanism, and/or the fourth coupling mechanism are based on positive coupling.

11. The application device of claim 10, wherein the first coupling mechanism, the second coupling mechanism, the third coupling mechanism, and/or the fourth coupling mechanism are based on a wheel mechanism.

12. The application device of claim 1, wherein the application roller and the pre-feed roller are coupled such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of the pre-feed roller in the opposite direction of rotation.

13. The application device of claim 1, wherein the application roller and the take-up reel are coupled such that rotation of the application roller brings about rotation of the take-up reel in the opposite direction of rotation.

14. The application device of claim 1, wherein the application roller comprises an encircling friction element above and/or below the encircling depression along the axial direction.

15. A method for applying web-shaped adhesive elements by means of the an application device of claim 1, the method comprising: a) providing the adhesive tape reel, filled with a wound-up web-shaped adhesive element, in the first reel receptacle of the application device, b) arranging a free end portion of the web-shaped adhesive element in the application device, such that the web-shaped adhesive element runs between the application roller and the adhesive tape reel in such that, in relation to the web path in the application device, the web-shaped adhesive element is guided between the application roller and the adhesive tape reel via the pre-feed roller, and c) applying the web-shaped adhesive element to a substrate to be bonded, wherein, during application, the web-shaped adhesive element is guided through the encircling depression of the application roller, wherein, during application, the application roller is rolled over the substrate to be bonded, wherein the rotation of the application roller by the first coupling mechanism brings about rotation of the pre-feed roller, and wherein, in relation to the web path in the application device, the rotation of the pre-feed roller brought about by the first coupling mechanism conveys the web-shaped adhesive element in the direction of the application roller.

Description

[0090] The invention and preferred embodiments of the invention are explained and described in greater detail below with reference to the appended figures. In the drawings:

[0091] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an application device according to the invention in a first preferred embodiment;

[0092] FIG. 2 shows the application device according to the invention from FIG. 1 in a schematic illustration of the rear view;

[0093] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of the application of a web-shaped adhesive element to a substrate by means of the application roller of an application device according to the invention in a side view;

[0094] FIG. 4 shows a schematic front view of the application roller from FIG. 3 during the application of a web-shaped adhesive element to a substrate;

[0095] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a preferred application device according to the invention in a second preferred embodiment; and

[0096] FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustration of the rear view of the application device according to the invention from FIG. 5.

[0097] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of an application device 10 according to the invention during the execution of the method according to the invention.

[0098] The application device 10 according to the invention comprises a first reel receptacle 14, which is embodied as a mandrel, on which an adhesive tape reel 16 is arranged in a reversible and nondestructively exchangeable manner, such that the said reel is rotatable. The adhesive tape reel 16 comprises a web-shaped adhesive element 12, on the outer side of which in the radial direction a release liner is arranged as a web-shaped release material 32. The joint material web of the web-shaped adhesive element 12 and the web-shaped release material 32 is guided through a roller nip 40, which is formed between a pre-feed roller 18 and a spring-mounted counter roller 38 arranged opposite.

[0099] Arranged downstream of the roller nip 40 in the web direction is a parting device 44, which is embodied as a cutting device in the example shown, wherein the cutting edge is about 20% wider than the width of the web-shaped adhesive element 12 transversely to the web direction. Downstream of the parting device 44 in the web direction, the material web is guided over a knife edge, at which the web-shaped release material 32 is deflected by more than 90 and is pulled off the web-shaped adhesive element 12. After being removed, the web-shaped release material 32 is guided to a take-up reel 28 and wound up there.

[0100] The take-up reel 28 is mounted rotatably on a second reel receptacle 30, which is likewise embodied as a mandrel. As soon as the take-up reel 28 is completely filled with wound-up web-shaped release material 32, it can be removed from the application device 10 and exchanged for an empty take-up reel 28. Downstream of the knife edge in the application device 10, the web-shaped adhesive element 12 freed from the web-shaped release material 32 is guided to the application roller 20, via which the web-shaped adhesive element 12 is then rolled onto a substrate 48.

[0101] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the pre-feed roller 18, the counter roller 38, the first reel receptacle 14 and the second reel receptacle 30 are each coupled to one another kinematically in such a way that rotation of the application roller 20 is in each case converted into rotation of the other rotatable elements. The web-shaped adhesive element 12 is thereby conveyed gently through the application device 10 to the application roller 20, while the web-shaped release material 32 is simultaneously wound up.

[0102] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the rear side of the application device 10 from FIG. 1. The counter discs of the application roller 20, of the pre-feed roller 18, of the first reel receptacle 14, of the second reel receptacle 30 and of the counter roller 38, which are firmly connected to the respective rotation axis, are each shown with hatching. In the example in FIG. 2, the first coupling mechanism 26 and the second coupling mechanism 34 are configured as a common overall coupling mechanism, whereas the third coupling mechanism 36 and the fourth coupling mechanism 42 are likewise embodied as a separate overall coupling mechanism. In the example shown, all the coupling mechanisms are implemented exclusively by non-positive belt transmissions, wherein the use of crossed belt routing in the first coupling mechanism 26 has the effect that the pre-feed roller 18 and the take-up reel 28 have an inverted direction of rotation relative to the application roller 20.

[0103] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a rotatable application roller 20 during the application of a web-shaped adhesive element 12 to a substrate 48. The front view of this construction is shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 illustrates that the applied web-shaped adhesive element 12 is guided in the encircling depression 24 of the application roller 20. Respective encircling friction elements 46a, 46b, which are embodied as rubber rings, are arranged on both sides of the encircling depression 24. The encircling friction elements 46a, 46b form the edge of the encircling depression 24, which also extends into the lateral surface 22. During the application of the web-shaped adhesive element 12 to a substrate 48, the friction elements 46a, 46b make contact with its surface and prevent the web-shaped adhesive element 12 guided in the encircling depression 24 from being excessively compressed.

[0104] FIGS. 5 and 6 show an application device 10 according to the invention in a particularly preferred configuration. In this particularly preferred configuration, the application roller 20 is coupled to the pre-feed roller 18 and the take-up reel 28, which is of non-exchangeable design, wherein the first coupling mechanism 26 and the second coupling mechanism 34 are embodied as an overall coupling mechanism. For the overall coupling mechanism, reliance is here placed in the first instance on a positive coupling with the application roller 20 in the form of a gearwheel transmission, by means of which the direction of rotation is inverted. After transfer, the rotation is transmitted by a toothed belt to an intermediate roller, which is positioned in the rear part of the application device 10 and is, in turn, coupled on the front side of the application device, via corresponding toothed belts, to the pre-feed roller 18 and the take-up reel 28. In the illustrative application device 10 in FIGS. 5 and 6, the spring-mounted counter roller 38 is driven as little as the adhesive tape reel 16.

[0105] Using application devices according to the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or FIGS. 5 and 6, it is possible to apply even particularly pressure-and strain-sensitive adhesive tapes, especially those with foamed adhesive compounds and passivated surfaces, reliably and reproducibly with a high quality. During application, the configuration of the application roller 20 allows advantageously small curve radii and, by virtue of the encircling friction elements 46a, 46b embodied as rubber rings, allows reliable and slip-resistant contacting of the substrate 48 to be bonded.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0106] 10 application device [0107] 12 web-shaped adhesive element [0108] 14 first reel receptacle [0109] 16 adhesive tape reel [0110] 18 pre-feed roller [0111] 20 application roller [0112] 22 lateral surface [0113] 24 encircling depression [0114] 26 first coupling mechanism [0115] 28 take-up reel [0116] 30 second reel receptacle [0117] 32 web-shaped release element [0118] 34 second coupling mechanism [0119] 36 third coupling mechanism [0120] 38 counter roller [0121] 40 roller nip [0122] 42 fourth coupling mechanism [0123] 44 parting device [0124] 46a-b encircling friction element [0125] 48 substrate