Activator means for pre-applied adhesives

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9528032-B2
Application number	US-201414550984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2014
Priority date	Sep 1, 2004
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

An activator means for use in activating or re-activating adhesive and sealant compositions that have been pre-applied to a bonding surface prior to mating said bonding surface said means having a plurality of features for directly acting upon the pre-applied composition.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of activating a pre-applied adhesive on the surface of a substrate wherein said pre-applied adhesive is present as a band or pattern of a defined width and length whose length-wise dimension corresponds to the orientation of a bond line to be farmed when mating the surface having the activated pre-applied adhesive to another surface or to another portion of the same surface, said method comprising the steps of:
effecting engagement between an activator means and the pre-applied adhesive on the substrate surface and
effecting movement of one relative to the other along the length of the pre-applied adhesive band or pattern while maintaining engagement between the activator means and the pre-applied adhesive and the pro-applied adhesive and the substrate surface for at least the length of the desired bond line,
wherein the activator means comprises an activator body and at least one activator face attached to, integrated into or forming a part of a surface of the activator body and opposing the substrate surface to which the pre-applied adhesive is applied, said activator face characterized as having (i) a centerline axis and, perpendicular thereto, a transverse axis, said centerline axis being parallel to and aligned with the desired bond line and (ii) a plurality of projections extending from the surface thereof, which projections are (a) adapted to engage and mobilize the pre-applied adhesive on the substrate as the one moves relative to the other and (b) aligned in such a way as to deposit or leave the adhesive in an activated state in a predetermined pattern or configuration and at a predetermined location on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-applied adhesive is a thermoplastic adhesive and the activator means further comprises or is in a heat transfer relationship with a heating means and the method further comprises effecting a heat transfer between the activator face and the thermoplastic adhesive.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-applied adhesive is an encapsulated adhesive wherein the projections fracture the microcapsules containing the adhesive components and the relative movement along the bond line creates sufficient flow and intermixing within the adhesive mass to effect activation thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the activator means further comprises (a) vibrating means or (b) reciprocating or oscillating means for effecting reciprocating or oscillating movement to the activator means along the transverse axis or (c) both (a) and (b) and the method further comprises effecting said vibration and/or reciprocation or oscillation motion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the projections are in a staggered relationship when viewed in the direction parallel to the centerline axis.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the projections or at least a majority of the projections effectively overlap when viewing the activator face along its surface in the direction parallel to the centerline axis.

7. The method of claim 5 where less than all of the projections effectively overlap when viewing the activator face along its surface in the direction of the centerline axis thereby evidencing one or more linear unobstructed pathways across the surface of the activator face, said one or more pathways being between at least two projections and parallel to the centerline axis and the activator apparatus further comprises or has associated therewith reciprocating or oscillating means for effecting reciprocating or oscillating movement to the activator body along the transverse axis as the substrate is moving past the activator means.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the projections are selected from linear dams and ridges, chevrons, herringbones, inverted “V” shaped or crescent shaped dams or ridges, pyramids, hemispheres, hemispheroids, and cylinders and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the projections include at least one linear projection or at least one projection having linear extensions posterior to one or more other substantially non-linear projections wherein said at least one linear projection or linear extension is neither perpendicular to nor parallel to the centerline axis.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the substantially non-linear projections are selected from the group consisting of inverted crescents, small inverted “V”s, hemispheres, hemispheroids, pyramids and cylinders.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the projections is a linear projection or a projection having linear extensions or arms and said at least one linear projection or linear extension is neither perpendicular to nor parallel to the centerline axis.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the linear projection or extension is set at an angle relative to the centerline axis, which angle is from about 20° to about 70°.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the activator face has at least one linear projection or linear extension or arm and at least one recess immediately forward of and extending along at least a portion of the length of the at least one linear projection or linear extension or arm.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the projections are aligned in a plurality of rows, each row parallel to the transverse axis and spaced along the centerline axis wherein at least some of the projections in one row are staggered relative to the projections in another row.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the activator face further includes one or more elements defining one or more channels posterior to the projections.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein one or more of the elements defining the channels have anterior portions which also serve as projections lifting and directing the mobilized adhesive material into the channel.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the depth and width of the channel(s) are predetermined to extrude a bead(s) of activated adhesive of a desired width and height.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the projections are selected from the group consisting of linear projections, diversionary projections and splitters and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the projections include at least one linear projection, a plurality of diversionary projections and at least one splitter.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the projections on the activator face is a linear projection perpendicular to the centerline axis or parallel to the centerline axis and the activator means further comprises a reciprocating, oscillating, or vibration means for imparting reciprocation, oscillation or vibration to the activator face along the transverse axis and the method further comprises effecting said reciprocation, oscillation and/or vibration.

Assignees

• Appvion Inc
• Encapsys Llc

Inventors

• Lazar John Mackay
• Schwantes Todd Arlin
• Lidington Frederick Edward Charles

Classifications

• B05D3/12

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B32B2037/1269

  multi-component adhesive · CPC title

• Y10T428/24479

  including variation in thickness · CPC title

• B01J13/02

  Making microcapsules or microballoons {(for medical preparations A61K9/50)} · CPC title

• B32B37/12

  characterised by using adhesives · CPC title