Valve arrangement for applying fluid media to surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035167-B2
Application number	US-201515112440-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2015
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A valve arrangement for applying fluid media, in particular glue, to surfaces, comprising a plurality of individual modules detachably connected to form a row, wherein in the row and between the adjacent individual modules is respectively formed a dividing plane, in which the respectively adjacent individual modules bear one against another, and at least one dividing plane is assigned a heating member for warming the valve arrangement, preferably a plurality of or all dividing planes are respectively assigned a heating member, which is seated in appropriate, mutually opposing receptacles, arranged to both sides of the dividing plane, of the two adjacent individual modules, and cooperates in such a way with those walls of the individual modules which delimit the receptacles that relative movements of the two individual modules in at least one spatial direction are limited or prevented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve arrangement for applying fluid media to surfaces, comprising a plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) detachably connected to form a row, wherein at least one dividing plane ( 13 ) is formed between adjacent modules of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ), and the adjacent modules of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) bear one against another; wherein the at least one dividing plane ( 13 ) is assigned a heating member ( 17 ) for warming the valve arrangement ( 10 ), the heating member being seated in mutually opposing receptacles ( 46 ), arranged to both sides of the at least one dividing plane ( 13 ), of the adjacent modules of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ), and cooperates in such a way with walls ( 46 a ) of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) which delimit the receptacles ( 46 ) and that limit or prevent relative movement of the adjacent modules of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) in at least one spatial direction; wherein at least one of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) respectively possesses a main body ( 19 ) having a main medium duct ( 20 ) that extends in a longitudinal direction of the valve arrangement ( 10 ) and connects to the corresponding main medium duct ( 20 ) of the main body ( 19 ) of an adjacent module of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ); and wherein the at least one of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) respectively possesses a cable duct ( 25 ), extending in the longitudinal direction of the valve arrangement ( 10 ), for power cables and for control cables, wherein the cable duct connects to a corresponding cable duct of the main body ( 19 ) of an adjoining module of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ).

2. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heating member ( 17 ) has a cylindrical peripheral surface ( 41 ), which lies opposite and bears against cylindrical inner surfaces formed by the mutually opposing receptacles ( 46 ) of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ).

3. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a respective one of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) possesses a solenoid valve unit ( 14 ), detachably fastened to a mounting surface ( 24 ) of the main body ( 19 ), the solenoid valve unit ( 14 ) having a metering opening ( 15 ) for the discharge of the medium.

4. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the heating member ( 17 ) is of elongate configuration and extends perpendicularly to a longitudinal extent of the valve arrangement ( 10 ).

5. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the main body ( 19 ) of the respective one of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) with the valve unit ( 14 ) has a branch medium duct ( 22 ), which runs perpendicularly to the main medium duct ( 20 ), connects to the main medium duct ( 20 ), and leads to the valve unit ( 14 ).

6. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the ratio of a width of the main body ( 19 ) of the respective individual module ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) with the valve unit ( 14 ) to the width of a housing of the valve unit ( 14 ) disposed on the respective individual module ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) amounts to no more than the value 2.

7. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the main body ( 19 ) of the respective individual module ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) with the valve unit ( 14 ) has a branch cable duct ( 50 ), which runs perpendicularly to the cable duct ( 25 ), connects to the cable duct ( 25 ), and leads to the valve unit ( 14 ).

8. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the ratio of a width of the main body ( 19 ) of the respective one of the individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) with the valve unit ( 14 ) to the width of a housing of the valve unit ( 14 ) disposed on the respective one of the individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) amounts to no more than the value 1.6.

9. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein respectively at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) are screwed together by at least three connecting screws ( 45 ), which run at an equal distance to the main medium duct ( 20 ) of the main body ( 19 ) of one of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ), and parallel to the one of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ), and at a respectively equal angular distance to one another, and extend through corresponding bores ( 28 ) in the main body ( 19 ) of the one of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ), which the connecting screws are screwed respectively into an associated internal thread ( 32 ) of a threaded piece ( 31 ) respectively screwed into the main body ( 19 ) of another of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ).

10. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 9 , wherein a screw head ( 52 ) of a respective one of the at least three connecting screws ( 45 ) within the bore ( 28 ) of the one of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) bears against a bearing surface of a separate hollow-cylindrical spacer ( 51 ) disposed within the bore ( 28 ), the hollow-cylindrical spacer is in turn supported against an annular bearing surface within the bore ( 28 ), the bearing surface runs perpendicularly to a longitudinal center axis of the bore ( 28 ), wherein a material from which the hollow-cylindrical spacer ( 51 ) is produced has a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than a material from which the main bodies ( 19 ) of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) are produced.

11. The valve arrangement as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the material from which the hollow cylindrical spacer ( 51 ) is produced is steel and the material from which the main bodies ( 19 ) of the at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) are produced is aluminum.

12. A valve arrangement for applying fluid media to surfaces, comprising a plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) detachably connected in a longitudinal direction of the valve arrangement ( 10 ) to form a row, wherein at least one dividing plane ( 13 ) is formed between adjacent modules of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ), and the adjacent modules of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) bear one against another; wherein the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) respectively possess a metering opening ( 15 ), disposed on the same side of the valve arrangement ( 10 ), for the discharge of the medium; wherein the metering openings ( 15 ) of at least two of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) are disposed on an imaginary common straight line running in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the valve arrangement ( 10 ); wherein the metering opening ( 15 ) at least of another of the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) is arranged at a distance to the imaginary common straight line; and wherein the plurality of individual modules ( 11 . 1 - 11 . 11 ) with the metering opening ( 15 ) respectively have a valve unit ( 14 ) with a housing ( 35 ), the metering opening ( 15 ) being integrated in the valve unit, and a main body ( 19 ) with a mounting surface ( 24 ) to which the housing ( 35 ) of the valve unit ( 14 ) is fastened, and in that a mounting surface ( 24 ) of the main body

Assignees

• Focke & Co

Inventors

• Walter Jan-Christian
• Stegen Marc-Daniel
• Neuhaus Nils

Classifications

• B05C5/0225 Primary

  characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet (B05C5/0258, B05C5/0275 take precedence; supply valves upstream the coating head B05C11/1036) · CPC title

• B05C11/1042

  provided with means for heating or cooling the liquid or other fluent material in the supplying means upstream of the applying apparatus · CPC title

• B05C3/005

  incorporating means for heating or cooling the liquid or other fluent material (B05C11/1042 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05C5/0279 Primary

  independently, e.g. individually, flow controlled · CPC title

• B05C5/001

  incorporating means for heating or cooling the liquid or other fluent material (B05C11/1042 takes precedence) · CPC title