Apparatus for dispensing adhesive with embedded balls

• US 4,997,354 A
• Filed: 06/30/1989
• Issued: 03/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: W R Grace & Company - CONN (WR Grace & Company)
• Original Assignee: W R Grace & Company - CONN (WR Grace & Company)
• Inventors: Delbeck, Jean-William, Schleicher, Anton M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoag, Willard E.
• Application Number:
  US07/373,558
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 425/126.1, 425/113, 425/114, 425/308, 425/113, 425/114, 425/126.1, 264/167, 264/172, 156/109, 118/308, 118/309, 118/310, 221/145, 222/263, 222/264, 222/96
• US Class Current: 425/114
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 5/00 Adhesive processes in general; Adhesive processes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. relating to primers
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66304 Discrete spacing elements, e.g. for evacuated glazing units
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66328 of rubber, plastics or similar materials E06B3/66314, E06B3/66323 and E06B3/66342 take precedence; transparent materials E06B3/66333
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/67326 Assembling spacer elements with the panes

Abstract

The invention apparatus comprises a duct that supplies balls to a lateral outlet tube. The outlet tube feeds laterally to a sealant applicator nozzle. An impact plunger pushes the balls successively into sealant in the applicator nozzle. The nozzle extrudes sealant containing balls as spacers, useful in bonding two flat elements, spaced apart by the balls.

Claims

1. Apparatus for preparing a sealant of circular cross-section containing balls uniformly spaced and embedded therein, said apparatus comprising an applicator nozzle of circular cross-section for supplying and applying the sealant, a ball supply device with a supply duct for supplying the balls, with an outlet tube which is connected at an angle to the supply duct and by a means of an opening issues laterally into the applicator nozzle and with an impact plunger which is moveable into the outlet tube by the end remote from the applicator nozzle, in which the inside diameter of the applicator nozzle, the supply duct, and the outlet tube each being each being larger than the plunger and the external diameter of the plunger being smaller than the diameter of the balls.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outlet tube is connected at an angle to the applicator nozzle.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the impact plunger has a pneumatic cylinder driving means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the impact plunger has a pneumatic cylinder driving means.