Nordson Corporation

Gregory J Gabryszewski

Paul S Frates

Benjamin J Bondeson

Peter J Petrecca

William S Blair, Jr

James W Keough

Laurence B Saidman

John M Raterman

Victor De Leeuw

Theodore M Hadzimihalis

Mark H Farley

Harold T Patterson, Jr

Mark Harrison Farley

A liquid dispensing system and methods including color-coded visual indicia to assist an operator in the proper selection of the components and in the configuration of those components in the system during setup, maintenance and diagnostics. Color-coded indicia is also provided to assist an operator in the proper selection of a solenoid for use in a particular application. Various components of the liquid dispensing system, such as the melter unit, controller, hoses, electrical cordsets and solenoid, include visually identifiable color-coded indicia on the surfaces of the components, such as color-coded rings, bands and characters, to assist the operator in the component selection and configuration processes.

Solenoid using color-coded visual indicia in a liquid dispensing system

Liquid dispensing system using color-coded visual indicia

Nozzle for dispensing adhesives and sealants

A platen for use with the heating and melting of thermoplastic material from bulk containers is disclosed. The platen includes channels having a channel depth that varies and increases to a maximum depth near the center of the platen.

Heated platen for liquefying thermoplastic materials

An apparatus for liquifying and supplying thermoplastic material including a melting hopper having a plurality of separately controlled heating zones. The hopper is formed of thin, rolled metal having a relatively low heat conductivity, such as carbon steel. Heaters are located along the length of the hopper and are separately controlled by way of thermostats or temperature sensors, such that the heat applied in a nonuniform manner to the thermoplastic material in the hopper during various stages of the melting and dispensing process.

Apparatus and method for liquifying thermoplastic material

A bulk adhesive handling system (10) having a hopper (16) and a lid (26) includes a vapor removal system (12) comprising a plurality of vent holes (40) formed in the side wall (42) of the hopper (16) of the system. The vent holes (40) are in communication with a venting plenum (44) surrounding the hopper (16), which is connected to a vacuum source (46). The vapor removal system (12) is adapted to withdraw gas from the hopper (16) when the lid (26) is in an open position and to withdraw air from an ambient source when the lid (26) is in a closed position.

Vapor removal system for bulk adhesive handling systems

Heated platen for liquifying thermoplastic materials

A melting grid, and melter unit provided with such a melting grid which achieves high melting rates and flow rates. The melting grid is generally formed with two intersecting sets of grid members with each set being formed from a plurality of grid members. The first set of grid members includes tapered, converging side surfaces extending up to a leading edge disposed at a height above the leading edges of the second set of grid members. The grid members of the second, lower set also have tapered or converging side surfaces extending toward a leading edge, however, these surfaces converge toward one another at a greater angle than the side surfaces of the higher set such that the higher level grid members of the first set have more gradual tapers than the lower level grid members of the second set.

High flow melting grid and melter unit

A hopper-type dispensing unit for receiving and melting a slug of thermoplastic material, such as hot melt adhesive. In a first embodiment a plurality of container supports formed of a material, such as steel, having a low heat conductivity extend inwardly from inner walls of the unit and radially inward of the opening in the inverted container to obstruct the path of the adhesive slug and cause a smooth, controlled descent. The steel supports are vertical members which extend upwardly from a melting grid of the unit to a point which allows a significant portion of the adhesive slug to remain in the apparatus when the container is empty. A plurality of heating fins are also provided about the inner periphery of the hopper and are generally disposed between the steel supports in the first embodiment. In a second embodiment the container supports are eliminated and the container is supported in another manner, leaving the fins as both slug descent control elements and supplemental heating elements.

Thermoplastic material melting apparatus

A hot melt adhesive dispensing apparatus (10) having a hopper (16) and a lid (26) includes an adhesive curing abatement system (12) comprising a plurality of gas jets (40) mounted proximate to the side wall (42) of the hopper (16). The gas jets (40) inject one of either an inert gas or dry air downwardly and inwardly into the hopper (16), thereby reducing the contact of moisture laden ambient air with moisture cure adhesive contained therein. The adhesive curing abatement system (12) may also include an exhaust system (50) to vacuum vapors generated by the moisture cure adhesive and the inert gas or dry air from the hopper (16) when the lid (26) is open and to bleed off any injected inert gas or dry air as well as vapors generated by the moisture cure adhesive when the lid (26) is closed.

Adhesive curing abatement system

A collection device (10) for gaseous emissions which comprises a collector body (20) having a hollow interior (33) and an inner wall (22) shaped to conform to a portion of the outer periphery of the open top (14) of a material supply container (12). The inner wall is formed with a number of inlet openings (40, 42) communicating with the collector body interior which are spaced from one another in a direction from one end of the collector body to the other. A deflector member or strake (46) is mounted to the inner wall of the collector body in the areas between adjacent inlet openings therein, and lips are mounted at the top (34) and bottom (35) of the collector body which extends outwardly therefrom substantially perpendicular to the inner wall of the collector body.

Collection device for gaseous emissions

A method and apparatus for dispensing droplets of molten thermoplastic adhesive onto a moving substrate comprises a spray device having a nozzle formed with a discharge outlet which ejects a continuous stream of molten thermoplastic adhesive. A stitcher device connected to a source of pressurized air is operative to supply intermittent, pulsed jets of atomizing air to air jet bores associated with the nozzle which discharge the pulsed air jets into contact with the exterior of the continuous stream of molten thermoplastic material with sufficient energy to shear well defined globules or droplets from the continuous stream and either allow such droplets to fall onto the substrate under the influence of gravity and due to the momentum of the stream in an essentially straight-line pattern, or to project such droplets onto the substrate to form an essentially random pattern of droplets.

Method and apparatus for dispensing droplets of molten thermoplastic

An apparatus for spraying droplets of molten thermoplastic adhesive comprises a spray device having a nozzle formed with a discharge outlet which ejects a continuous stream of molten thermoplastic adhesive. A stitcher device connected to a source of pressurized air is operative to supply intermittent, pulsed jets of atomizing air to air jet bores associated with the nozzle which discharge the pulsed air jets into contact with the exterior of the continuous stream of molten thermoplastic material forming well defined globules or droplets for deposition onto a substrate.

Apparatus for spraying droplets of hot melt adhesive

Apparatus for melting and pumping molten liquid material from a drum of material which is solid at room temperature and which includes a platen assembly having a top platen and a lower heating platen suspended from the top platen but movable vertically relative thereto. A flexible, expansible sealing element extends between the peripheral edges of the top platen and the lower heating platen so that when the platen assembly is lowered into the open top of a drum of solid material and contacts the top of the solid material, subsequent downward movement of the top platen is operable to move the top platen downwardly toward the heating platen and cause the expansible sealing element to expand radially outward into contact with the interior surface of the drum. When the platen assembly is lifted from the drum, the top platen moves away from the lower heating platen and thereby contracts the diameter of the expansible element so as to move it out of contact with the interior surface of the drum.

Growing community of inventors

Lithonia, GA, United States of America

Gregory J Gabryszewski