Application device with refilling cartridge

Abstract

The invention relates to an application device (10) for applying adhesive elements (12a, 12b), comprising: a) a cassette unit (14) comprising: a1) guide means comprising a supply roll (16) and a take-up roll (18); a2) an issuing area having a distribution edge (20); the invention relates to a cartridge unit (14) comprising a supply roll (16), a take-up roll (18), a dispensing edge (20), and a material web (22) comprising a plurality of adhesive elements (12a, 12b), the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) being arranged together with an adhesive layer on a web-shaped separation material, the cartridge unit (14) being designed such that the material web (22) arranged on the supply roll (16) can be guided to the take-up roll (18) via the dispensing edge (20), such that the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) are separated from the take-up roll (18). 12b) is separated from the separating material in the dispensing area and is dispensed from the cassette unit (14); and b) a base unit (24) comprising: b1) a cartridge container; b2) a transport element (26) having a surface of reduced adhesion; and b3) an application element (28), in which the base unit (24) is designed to receive the adhesive element (12a, 12b) arranged on the conveying element (26) using the application element (28) and to apply it to the substrate to be glued, in which the application device (10) is designed such that the adhesive element (12a, 12b) issued from the cassette unit (14) is transferred together with the adhesive layer to a reduced adhesion surface of the conveying element (26).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an application device for applying an adhesive element to a substrate to be glued, to a cassette unit and a base unit for a corresponding application device, and to a method for applying an adhesive element to a substrate to be glued using a corresponding application device. In addition, a method for loading a corresponding application device is disclosed.

[0002] The use of adhesive elements is an important component of many modern production methods today. In the latter, the corresponding adhesive element is not only used to fasten the assembly to the substrate, but also in particular for closing the opening in the substrate. Such openings exist in most cases due to the production environment and represent potential weaknesses in subsequent products, such as moisture or contaminants can pass through these openings. The use of suitable adhesive elements (which are sticky on one side in most cases) for closing the corresponding openings in the substrate represents a simple solution, which is effective in terms of time and cost, to close the corresponding openings and exclude any unintentional entry of contaminants, wherein such adhesive elements (which are also referred to as stamping blanks due to their production methods) are now routinely used for this purpose in the prior art.

[0003] In principle, it is conceivable to place the corresponding adhesive elements manually on the substrates. However, in the course of increasing automation and increasing interest in managing the process in a way that tends to be as error-free as possible and as efficient as possible, application devices that can be automated have been developed for applying the adhesive elements to the substrates to be adhesively bonded. Various requirements are set for the corresponding application devices. For example, the corresponding application devices must in particular be able to apply the adhesive elements to the substrates reliably and reproducibly, wherein a high productivity is desired.

[0004] A group of application devices known from the prior art is based on the idea that an adhesive element provided in a separate dispenser assembly spaced apart from the application device is picked up by the application device and placed on the substrate. However, this design embodiment is generally regarded as disadvantageous, since it usually requires a large amount of installation space and, in most cases, requires a relatively spacious movement of the application element when it is moved in a reciprocating manner between the dispenser unit and the substrate to be adhesively bonded, which is regarded as inefficient in many cases. The correspondingly long movement paths increase the risk of incorrect placement, for example due to displacement on the application element, and the risk of contamination on the adhesive element, which can lead to an undesirable degradation of the achievable bond strength.

[0005] In this context, application devices with integrated dispenser assemblies for adhesive elements have been designed, wherein the adhesive element is arranged at a very small distance from the application device so that both can be embodied as part of an end effector of, for example, a robot head.

[0006] In these application devices with integrated dispenser devices for adhesive elements, one of the greatest challenges is to provide adhesive elements, which in most cases are reliably provided on a strip-shaped separation layer by means of a roll, so that these adhesive elements can be reliably received and accurately applied by the actual application element of the application device. In practice, this represents a great challenge, for which reason in particular the concept of having a refilling box should be advantageously considered for supplying the corresponding application device so that the application device can be quickly filled with new adhesive elements. The reversible and non-destructive replacement capability of the adhesive element reservoir required for this makes it difficult to properly provide the adhesive elements provided on the strip-shaped separation layer with the actual application element, which itself is advantageously not part of the replaceable box. Therefore, in order to realize an advantageous application device that can supply adhesive elements with the help of a refilling box, a suitable mechanism is required for the interaction between the cassette unit and the base unit supporting the application element.

[0007] In order to solve this problem, a construction based on the so-called reciprocating dispensing edge concept has been proposed in particular. The box herein comprises a movable element which can be deployed from the box and retracted back into the box again for the purpose of guiding the strip-shaped separation layer out of the box and thus presenting the adhesive element arranged on the strip-shaped separation layer to an application element outside the box so that the adhesive element can be received by the application element and can finally be applied to the substrate.

[0008] Although positive results can be achieved in many cases by a corresponding construction with a reciprocating dispensing edge, the complexity associated with the implementation, in particular with regard to the design embodiment of the refilling box, is generally regarded as a disadvantage. Therefore, not only is an additional drive required to move the reciprocating dispensing edge, but in many cases, a highly complex guide assembly with a plurality of guide units, such as guide rollers, is also required, which sometimes also have to be designed as movable web tensioning elements in order to compensate for the periodic deformations of the strip-shaped separation material caused by the reciprocating dispensing edge. Therefore, the complexity associated with the production of the corresponding refilling boxes is relatively high, and in the case of consumption of the refilling boxes, relatively large amounts of waste are generated, unless these refilling boxes are filled again, which is difficult in many cases due to the complex construction.

[0009] Due to the high level of complexity associated with the corresponding configuration with reciprocating distribution edge, the concept of alternative solutions has been attempted. The concept of exemplary solutions is disclosed in EP 3569534 A1. The method adopted in EP 3569534 A1 is not disclosed in the context of the solution based on the refill box, and is not optimally applicable to this according to the viewpoint of the inventor. However, EP 3569534 A1 shows a solution without reciprocating distribution edge, wherein the stamping blank is transferred to the rotating suction belt via the fixed distribution edge instead, wherein the adhesive face points outwards. The adhesive element is maintained on the suction belt by vacuum by means of the non-adhesive side and is guided around the suction belt until they are located at the tip of the suction belt, from which they are glued and bonded in, for example, holes. In this solution, the suction belt therefore can be said to represent an application element, which will carry out the final attachment of the adhesive element to the substrate.

[0010] Although the solution disclosed in EP 3569534 A1 can simplify the construction of the dispenser assembly compared to the reciprocating dispensing edge, according to the inventor's point of view, the solution is still associated with significant disadvantages, which are obstacles to effective implementation in products with replaceable refill boxes. It is particularly disadvantageous that the adhesive element is firmly held on the rotating suction belt only by the suction function, so that a sufficient suction effect must always be ensured, especially in the case of a mobile application device. For this reason, a large investment in equipment is required, such as in the perforation of the suction belt and the device (such as a pump and hose system) required for generating a vacuum. Even in the case of a simple fixed (stationary, stationary) application device, the corresponding design embodiment with a suction belt cannot be abandoned, because, for reasons related to the structure, application can only be carried out for such adhesive elements arranged on the side walls of the suction belt, which requires a suction action in any case. Furthermore, in the solution of EP 3569534 A1, no singularization of the adhesive elements occurs when transferring them to the actual application element, since the actual application element is formed by a rotating suction belt. Unless the spacing between the adhesive elements on the strip-shaped separation material is chosen to be uneconomically large, this would result in a situation in which a plurality of consecutively arranged stamping blanks, whose adhesive layers are however already facing outwards and are therefore exposed, are sucked onto a suction belt exposed for the purpose of application. The application element itself is therefore provided with a sticky surface, which is not only unfavorable for handling purposes, so to speak, but also carries the risk that, before application, the adhesive faces of the openly arranged adhesive elements become contaminated with dust or other components and adversely affect the bond strength achievable during application.

[0011] A further disadvantage is considered in some cases to be that in order to ensure a continuous and error-free transfer of the adhesive element from the dispensing edge to the rotating suction belt, the mutual spacing of these two elements must not be changed. However, since at the same time a degree of complexity in construction comparable to the construction of a reciprocating dispensing edge is to be avoided, the arrangement of the dispensing edge relative to the stamping blank roll must also remain constant. However, if, as disclosed in EP 3569534 A1, the application is achieved by pressing the adhesive element sucked onto the suction belt onto the substrate, but the suction belt, the dispensing edge and the roll container are rigid relative to each other, this means that the suction belt as well as the dispensing edge and the stamping blank roll must be moved relative to the substrate in order to apply the adhesive element. This therefore means that for each application step, a relatively large block, i.e., for example, the entire end effector, must be completely moved, wherein in particular a stamping blank roll, which in most cases weighs several kilograms, must be moved, which in many cases is considered a disadvantageous aspect, especially in view of the increased awareness in terms of energy-saving operation.

[0012] The main object of the present invention is to eliminate or at least minimize the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

[0013] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to specify an advantageous application device for applying an adhesive element to substrates to be adhesively bonded, which enables a reliable and efficient application of the adhesive element in terms of time and cost.

[0014] The application device to be described in detail herein can be embodied with a replaceable refill cartridge and still ensure a reliable supply of the adhesive element from the refill cartridge to the application element. Against this background, the object of the invention is to be able to operate the application device to be described in detail using a cartridge unit which will have a particularly simple design in terms of construction and can therefore be produced in a particularly time-efficient and cost-effective manner.

[0015] One object of the invention is to provide an application device which should be suitable for applying adhesive elements of different sizes without requiring structural modifications and which should also allow an ideally dense arrangement of the adhesive elements on the material web for supply without having an adverse effect on the application accuracy.

[0016] Furthermore, it was an object of the invention that the application device be capable of being operated with a cartridge unit which is particularly effectively suitable for refilling.

[0017] A further object of the invention is to provide an application device which should be able to be operated in an ideally energy-saving manner, wherein it should ideally be avoided that the cassette unit is inevitably moved together with the material roll for the final application process.

[0018] Furthermore, it is an object of the invention that the application device provided in a simple design embodiment should be able to be implemented even without complex devices for generating a vacuum for temporary fixing of the adhesive element, as is known from, for example, suction belts. In this context, it is a further object of the invention that, if a vacuum-based fixing is still utilized, a secondary fastening mechanism should also advantageously be provided which can at least partially compensate for potential fluctuations in the strength of the vacuum-based fixing.

[0019] Furthermore, it is an object of the invention that the application device provided should guide the adhesive element in such a way that the adhesive layer of the adhesive element which is provided for adhesive bonding to the substrate remains free from contamination for as long as possible.

[0020] It is a further object of the invention to provide a cassette unit for use in a provisional application device, and a corresponding base unit for the provisional application device.

[0021] Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for applying an adhesive element to substrates to be adhesively bonded using a defined application device.

[0022] Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a method for supplying a set application device.

[0023] The inventors of the present invention have now discovered that the above-mentioned object can be achieved when an application device for applying an adhesive element to a substrate to be glued is provided, wherein a cassette unit is arranged in a cassette container of a base unit, and when the adhesive element arranged on the material strip is guided to the dispensing edge in the cassette unit, the adhesive element is separated from the separation material and transferred with the adhesive layer facing downward to a conveying element of the base unit, which has a surface with reduced adhesion, so that the adhesive element located on the conveying element by means of the adhesive layer can be received from the conveying element by the application element of the base unit and applied to the substrate, as defined in the claim.

[0024] The above mentioned objects are therefore achieved by the subject matter of the invention as defined in the claims. Preferred design embodiments according to the invention result from the dependent claims and the following explanation.

[0025] The embodiments designated as preferred below are combined in particularly preferred embodiments with features of other embodiments designated as preferred. Therefore, particularly preferred are combinations of two or more embodiments designated as particularly preferred below. Also preferred are embodiments in which features of one embodiment designated as preferred to a certain extent are combined with one or more other features of other embodiments designated as preferred to a certain extent. The features of the preferred cassette unit, base unit and method are derived from the features of the preferred application device.

[0026] The invention relates to an application device for applying an adhesive element to substrates to be adhesively bonded, comprising:

[0027] a) Cassette type unit, comprising:

[0028] a1) a guide assembly, the guide assembly comprising a supply roll and a take-up roll,

[0029] a2) a discharge area having a dispensing edge, and

[0030] a3) a material strip comprising a plurality of adhesive elements having a carrier layer and an adhesive layer connected to the carrier layer, wherein the adhesive elements having the adhesive layer are arranged on a strip-shaped release material,

[0031] wherein the cassette unit is configured such that the material strip disposed on the supply roll can be guided by the dispensing edge to the take-up roll so that the adhesive element is separated from the separating material in the discharge area and discharged from the cassette unit,

[0032] b) Base unit, comprising:

[0033] b1) a box-type container, the box-type container being used to contain the box-type unit,

[0034] b2) a conveying element having a surface with reduced adhesion, and

[0035] b3) application element,

[0036] wherein the base unit is configured to receive the adhesive element disposed on the conveying element by the applying element and to apply the adhesive element to the substrate to be bonded, and

[0037] wherein the cassette unit is arranged in the cassette container so as to be replaceable in a reversible and non-destructive manner, wherein the application device is configured such that the adhesive element with the adhesive layer discharged from the cassette unit is transferred to the surface with reduced adhesion of the conveying element, so that the transferred adhesive element can be received by the application element from the surface with reduced adhesion of the conveying element and applied to the substrate to be bonded.

[0038] The application device according to the invention serves to apply an adhesive element to a substrate to be adhesively bonded, wherein the application device is particularly suitable for applying so-called stamped blanks in the field of automobile assembly. The application device according to the invention can be integrated in many ways into existing assembly lines, in which the adhesive element has to be applied to a substrate. For example, a largely stationary application device is conceivable, in which, for example, in the context of a "pick and place" concept, the application element merely receives the adhesive element provided by a cassette unit and places it on the substrate.

[0039] However, according to the inventors, a design embodiment of the application device according to the invention, in which the latter is implemented as a so-called end effector, will be preferred for most cases. According to the understanding of a person skilled in the art, an end effector is an executing and / or final element of an automated mobile unit, such as a robot arm. In other words, in the field of robotics, the end effector is the last component of a mobile chain, which in most cases is set to execute execution rules predefined by an external control device, optionally in combination with the automated mobile unit to which they are fastened. Therefore, preference is given to an application device according to the invention, in which the application device is an end effector for an automated mobile unit, preferably a robot arm. Likewise preference is given to an application device according to the invention, in which the application device is arranged on an automated mobile unit, preferably a robot arm.

[0040] The person skilled in the art understands that the application device according to the invention comprises a plurality of automated or automatable components, in particular for moving conveying elements or application elements, and for guiding the material strip onto the dispensing edge, for example by driving a roll in a cassette unit. It is fundamentally possible here that such control, for example in conjunction with the control of the automated moving unit, is performed by an external control device. However, according to the inventors, it is advantageous when the application device according to the invention also comprises an internal electronic data processing device, which can perform the control of one or more of these components. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the application device comprises an electronic data processing device for controlling the application device, which electronic data processing device is preferably a component of the base unit.

[0041] The application device according to the invention firstly comprises a cassette unit, which can also be referred to as a refill cassette. The task of the cassette unit in the application device according to the invention is to provide the adhesive element to be applied to the application element of the base unit, wherein the skilled person understands that the cassette unit and the base unit of the application device according to the invention are conceived so that the cassette unit can be reversibly and replaceably inserted into the cassette container of the base unit in a non-destructive manner, which, according to the inventor's view, can be achieved in particular by a magnetic connection. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferred, in which the cassette unit is arranged in the cassette container so as to be reversible and releasable in a non-destructive manner by means of a magnetic connection mechanism.

[0042] In a particularly preferred embodiment, wireless communication between the cassette unit and the base unit is possible, for example by means of a corresponding transmitter / receiver system, in particular by means of an RFID, in order to verify the connection established between the cassette unit and the base unit. Advantageously, further data can also be exchanged by means of the wireless communication connection, for example the size of the adhesive element guided in the cassette unit, so that, for example, an application element of the base unit suitable for the size of the adhesive element can be selected for the application, or the speed control of the conveying element can be adapted to the target singulation effect. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the application device comprises a wireless communication system, preferably an RFID system, the electronic communication unit of the latter being arranged in the cassette unit and in the base unit, wherein the application device is set to control the application device according to operating parameters provided by the cassette unit via the wireless communication system, wherein the wireless communication system is preferably used to check the presence of the cassette unit in the base unit and / or to send the operating parameters of the cassette unit to the electronic data processing device of the application device.

[0043] In the cassette unit, a separate adhesive element as part of a material strip is arranged on the strip-shaped separating material by means of its adhesive layer so that the carrier layer of the adhesive element points outwards. The adhesive element will be described in more detail below. However, at this point, priority is first given to the construction of the cassette unit (i.e. the refill box).

[0044] The central element of the cassette unit is a guide assembly in which the material strip is guided and which comprises a so-called supply reel and a take-up reel. In the unconsumed state, the supply reel comprises a wound material strip on which an adhesive element is arranged, while the take-up reel is used only to receive the strip-like separation material after the adhesive element has been separated from the strip-like separation material. According to the understanding of a person skilled in the art, when carrying out the method according to the invention, or when operating an application device according to the invention, the strip-like separation material is thus continuously unwound from the supply reel, separated from the adhesive element in the discharge area, and subsequently wound on the take-up reel, so that a practically completely consumed cassette unit will in most cases comprise a strip-like separation material which, except for a potential residual amount still connected to the supply reel, is essentially completely wound on the take-up reel. In other words, this is an application device according to the invention, in which the cassette unit is set to wind the strip-like separation material separated from the adhesive element on the take-up reel.

[0045] Between unwinding from the supply roll and winding on the take-up roll, the material band is guided to the distribution edge, which occurs in the sub-area of ​​the cassette unit, which is called the discharge area in the context of the present invention. The conception of the distribution edge is well known to the technician in the adhesive bonding field. The material band with a band-shaped band-shaped separation material and the adhesive element arranged thereon is supplied to the distribution edge, wherein the band-shaped separation material at the end of the distribution edge is sharply guided around the distribution edge. Because the inherent rigidity of the adhesive element is greater than the adhesion on the band-shaped separation material, the adhesive element can not follow this movement of the separation material, but the material band is guided to the distribution edge more and more, and the adhesive element is just continuously released from the separation material.

[0046] The corresponding area of ​​the cassette unit is here currently referred to as the discharge area, since the adhesive element which has been separated from the strip-shaped separation material in this way is now discharged from the cassette unit and transferred for further processing in the base unit, while the strip-shaped separation material which has now been released from the adhesive element is guided forward in the direction of the take-up roll and correspondingly remains in the cassette unit.

[0047] It can be considered that the advantage of the application device according to the present invention is that the application device is very flexible in terms of the design and implementation of the dispensing edge, so that the person skilled in the art can use components known from the prior art and realize the function of separating the adhesive element from the strip-shaped separation material. Preferably, for example, the application device according to the present invention, wherein the dispensing edge is a knife edge. In order to reduce potential friction losses and thus minimize the required motor output, preferably a rounded dispensing edge is used. Additionally or alternatively, preferably, the application device according to the present invention, wherein the cassette unit is set to guide the material strip arranged on the supply roll to the dispensing edge, so that the strip-shaped separation material is deflected by 90° or more at the end of the dispensing edge. The person skilled in the art understands that the actual deflection angle will depend on the design and implementation of the dispensing edge in practice, so that even a deflection angle of, for example, 150° or more can be achieved.

[0048] However, in this context, the person skilled in the art understands that, with a view to advantageously avoiding a reciprocating dispensing edge and the associated structural design, a design embodiment in which the dispensing edge is essentially in a fixed position is particularly preferred, since a particularly simple construction which advantageously fully satisfies the function can be achieved in this way. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is particularly preferred for essentially all design embodiments in which the dispensing edge is immovable in the cassette unit and / or in which the dispensing edge is arranged at a fixed position in the cassette unit.

[0049] According to the above explanation, it is clear to the skilled person that the material strip initially arranged on the supply roll must be guided along the dispensing edge in the direction of the take-up roll, or guided beyond the dispensing edge. For this reason, it is fundamentally conceivable to provide a separate drive unit in the cassette unit, which can drive the supply roll and / or the take-up roll so that the desired guidance of the material strip can be achieved. However, in this context, the inventor proposes that equipping the cassette unit with a drive unit in this way, especially when considering the energy source required for it, can lead to a significant increase in the construction complexity in the design embodiment of the cassette unit, which adversely affects the efficiency in terms of time and cost in the production of the cassette unit and the desired material requirements. In order to circumvent this problem, the inventor proposes that if a corresponding drive unit is provided in the base unit, the roll of the cassette unit can be alternatively implemented as a non-driven roll, which can be engaged in the corresponding engagement recess of the roll by a suitable connecting element when the cassette unit is inserted into the cassette container of the base unit, so that the guide assembly of the cassette unit can be driven by the drive unit of the base unit, so that the functional and structural requirements of the cassette unit can be advantageously significantly reduced. The advantage that can be considered in this article is that the mutually engaged connecting elements and the engaging recess enable the cassette unit to be additionally stabilized in the cassette container of the base unit. Preferably, the application device according to the present invention, wherein the supply roll and the take-up roll in the cassette unit are implemented as non-driven rolls. In this case, the application device according to the present invention is preferably, wherein the base unit includes a drive unit for driving the guide assembly of the cassette unit. Particularly preferably, in this article, the application device according to the present invention, wherein the supply roll and / or the take-up roll, preferably the supply roll and the take-up roll, include a centrally structured engaging recess, wherein the centrally structured engaging recess preferably has a toothed structure. Therefore, it is also particularly preferred that the application device according to the present invention, wherein the drive unit includes one or more connecting elements, which are arranged in the area of ​​the cassette container and are set to engage in the engaging recess of the supply roll and / or the take-up roll and produce a shape-fitting connection, which shape-fitting connection enables the guide assembly to be driven by the drive unit. In other words, it is therefore particularly preferred that the application device according to the present invention, wherein the cassette unit is arranged in the cassette container, so that the connecting element of the drive unit engages in the engaging recess of the supply roll and / or the take-up roll in a shape-fitting manner, so that the guide assembly can be driven by the drive unit. In principle, the connection element is not restricted in its design embodiment. However, according to the inventors, a connection element having an at least partially movable element is particularly suitable, for example a foldable clamp or clamping device based on a movable ball element, by means of which a form fit between the connection element and the roll can be achieved by displacing the movable element.As a result, for example, the cassette unit can be inserted in a particularly simple manner into the base unit in the initial position of the movable element and then the engagement of the connecting element is only produced in the engagement recess which is required for actuation by moving the movable element.

[0050] Regardless of the positioning of the drive unit for guiding the strip, it is particularly advantageous according to the inventors that in an implementation according to the invention the required guiding of the material strip in the cassette unit can already be effectively performed simply by arranging the rolls in such a way that the material strip can be guided exclusively with a few fixed deflection elements, so that no complex structure of a movable guiding device, in particular no positionally variable web tensioning element, is required to achieve the required guiding of the material strip. An application device according to the invention is preferred in which the guiding assembly does not include any additional movable guiding means, in particular no additional guiding rollers and / or movable web tensioning elements.

[0051] At least in theory, the cassette unit can be implemented as an open cassette unit, wherein the supply roll, the take-up roll and the distribution edge are placed on, for example, a simple carrier plate. However, the inventor believes that this is not only disadvantageous from an aesthetic point of view. On the contrary, in these design embodiments, the adhesive element is at least partially placed in an open manner, wherein the adhesive layer can also be accessible at least in the peripheral area. Considering the contamination of the stamping blank, or also considering the drying of the stamping blank, this can be considered disadvantageous. According to the viewpoint of the inventor, for this reason, it is advantageous to provide a shell, in which the main components of the cassette unit are arranged, so that the main components of the cassette unit are at least partially protected from environmental (such as light) influences. Considering the handling and storage capacity of the refill box, the corresponding design embodiment has been proven to be advantageous in many cases. Since the application element of the base unit must receive the adhesive element, the design embodiment of the cassette unit with a shell means that the shell includes a corresponding discharge opening in the region of the discharge area in most cases, by means of which the adhesive element separated from the strip-shaped separation material can be discharged from the shell. An application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the cassette unit comprises a housing in which the guide arrangement and the dispensing edge are arranged, wherein the housing comprises a discharge opening in the discharge region, wherein the cassette unit is configured to discharge the adhesive element through the discharge opening.

[0052] An advantage of the application device according to the invention can be considered that the latter is suitable for applying a wide range of different adhesive elements. Since this is highly relevant in practice, it is particularly important to apply so-called punched blanks, in particular punched blanks with a diameter in the range of 10 mm to 80 mm, preferably in the range of 20 mm to 60 mm, wherein these are adhesive elements which can be obtained, for example, by punching the adhesive element out of a relatively large adhesive unit, wherein the adhesive unit comprises an adhesive layer and a carrier layer arranged on the adhesive layer, from which the adhesive layer or carrier layer of the adhesive element is produced after the punching process. Therefore, preference is given to application devices according to the invention in which the adhesive element is a punched blank.

[0053] The skilled person understands that the above definition means that the adhesive element comprises at least one carrier layer and at least one adhesive layer, so that multi-layered structures of the adhesive element are also conceivable. In particular, adhesive elements with multi-layer carrier layers can also be used accordingly.

[0054] In the method according to the invention, the adhesive element applied by the application device according to the invention will in the vast majority of cases be a pressure-sensitive adhesive element, i.e. an adhesive element having permanent adhesive properties due to the adhesive layer of the pressure-sensitive adhesive mass. The corresponding pressure-sensitive adhesive element advantageously has inherent viscosity without any additional curing step and can be applied to the substrate particularly easily, wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive element produces its adhesive force without the need for an additional curing step. As a further advantage, the pressure-sensitive adhesive element can also be removed again in a relatively simpler manner, however, if necessary, for example in order to subsequently correct the fitting of an incorrectly applied pressure-sensitive adhesive element. Preferably, the application device according to the invention is a pressure-sensitive adhesive element. Also preferably, the application device according to the invention is a pressure-sensitive adhesive element, wherein the adhesive layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive mass, wherein the adhesive layer preferably consists of a pressure-sensitive adhesive mass.

[0055] According to the understanding of those skilled in the art, a pressure-sensitive adhesive block is an adhesive block with a pressure-sensitive adhesive property, i.e., it forms a property of lasting adhesion with a substrate even under relatively weak applied pressure. The corresponding pressure-sensitive adhesive elements are usually permanently inherently tacky at room temperature, which means that they have a certain viscosity and touch viscosity, so that they wet the surface of the substrate even under a small applied pressure. Without wishing to be bound by this theory, it is often assumed that the pressure-sensitive adhesive block can be regarded as a fluid with an extremely high viscosity of an elastic component, which therefore has a characteristic viscoelastic property, which causes the above-mentioned lasting inherent viscosity and pressure-sensitive adhesive bonding ability. It is assumed that for the corresponding pressure-sensitive adhesive block, both mechanical deformations are caused in the process of viscous flow and in the development of elastic restoring force. The involved viscous flow is used to obtain adhesion, and the involved elastic restoring force is particularly necessary for realizing cohesion. The relationship between rheology and pressure-sensitive adhesive properties is known in the prior art and is described, for example, in "Satas, Handbook of Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Technology", 3rd edition, (1999), pages 153 to 203. The extent of the elastic and viscous components is typically characterized using the storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G"), which can be determined via dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), for example using a rheometer, as disclosed, for example, in WO 2015 / 189323. In the context of the present invention, an adhesive mass is preferably understood to have pressure-sensitive adhesive properties and thus has a strength of 100% elasticity at a temperature of 23°C. 0 Up to 10 1 rad / s, G' and G" are each at least partially within 10 3 Up to 10 7 When it is within the range of Pa, it is a pressure-sensitive adhesive block.

[0056] It can be considered that the advantage of the application device according to the present invention is that the adhesive block used in the adhesive layer of the latter is very flexible in terms of chemical composition, so that basically all adhesive blocks known to those skilled in the art can be used and those skilled in the art basically select a suitable adhesive block based on the corresponding application requirements.

[0057] In addition to the adhesive layer, the adhesive element arranged on the strip-shaped separation material also includes a carrier layer. In the context of the present invention, the term carrier layer should be understood in a broad and functional sense, so that even relatively thin coatings, such as paints with a paint coating, should also be understood as carrier layers. Those skilled in the art specifically understand that the carrier layer in the context of the present invention mainly has the task of reducing the viscosity of the side of the adhesive element away from the adhesive side in most cases, or ideally completely eliminates the viscosity. This is particularly used for the following purposes: the adhesive element transferred to the conveying element when the adhesive layer is facing downward can be effectively received on the non-adhesive carrier layer by the application element, and no adhesive bonding to the application element occurs. According to the viewpoint of the inventor, in practice, it is advantageous to have at least one temporary coating, which reduces the viscosity in the application element joint area at least at the time point of application. However, in most cases, the adhesive element will have a permanent carrier layer, which is substantially permanently non-tacky, so that after the adhesive element is applied on the substrate, it is advantageous to permanently retain a surface with as little viscosity as possible. In this context, the person skilled in the art understands that, although it is at least theoretically conceivable to use an adhesive element that is adhesive on both sides, i.e. an adhesive element that has an adhesive layer on both sides of the carrier layer, such process management is clearly less preferred with regard to clean handling of the application process. Therefore, for most cases, an application device according to the invention is preferred in which the side of the adhesive element facing away from the adhesive layer is formed by the carrier layer.

[0058] An advantage of the application device according to the invention can be considered that the carrier layer can be made of typical materials used for corresponding carrier layers in the field of adhesive technology. In this context, an application device according to the invention is used in which the carrier layer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, cycloolefin copolymers, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyether sulfone, and polyimide, preferably selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the carrier layer preferably consists of these materials.

[0059] For example, so-called liners can be used as strip-shaped separating material, in a material strip on which the adhesive element is arranged. However, in terms of functionality, any strip-shaped material with a surface with reduced adhesion can be used, wherein the explanations disclosed below regarding the surface with reduced adhesion of the conveying element apply in an analogous manner with respect to the surface with reduced adhesion, wherein the required degree of reduction can additionally be adapted to the chemical properties of the adhesive mass and the structural design embodiment of the dispensing edge in order to ensure effective separation of the adhesive element from the separating material. Particular preference is given to strip-shaped separating material which has a so-called siliconization and thus has a surface with reduced adhesion.

[0060] Preference is given to application devices according to the invention, in which the strip-shaped release material is a material with a surface having reduced adhesion, such as a liner. Particular preference is given to application devices according to the invention, in which the strip-shaped release material is coated on the side facing the adhesive element with a release layer, preferably with a silicone release layer, wherein the silicone release layer can preferably be produced by crosslinking a crosslinkable silicone system comprising one or more polysiloxanes.

[0061] The advantageous design embodiment of the application device according to the invention with a replaceable refilling cassette advantageously allows the use of relatively short material strips without any undue restrictions in terms of the efficiency of the process management, since the emptied material strip can be replaced quickly and efficiently, so that the loss in efficiency compared to very long material strips is only slight. On the other hand, however, due to the short material strip, in particular with regard to the weight of the cassette unit and correspondingly also with regard to the weight of the application device according to the invention, operating advantages are achieved, which have an advantageous effect in particular when the latter is used as an end effector. In this context, an application device according to the invention is preferred, in which the strip-shaped separation material has a length in the range from 30 to 300 m, preferably in the range from 40 to 250 m, particularly preferably in the range from 50 to 200 m. Additionally or alternatively, an application device according to the invention is preferred, in which the supply roll has a diameter of 500 mm or less, preferably 450 mm or less, particularly preferably 420 mm or less.

[0062] In the application device according to the present invention, the adhesive element discharged from the cassette unit is transferred to a conveying element with the adhesive layer downward, from which the adhesive element can subsequently be received by the application element. Therefore, the conveying element is used for the purpose of guiding the adhesive element from the discharge area of ​​the cassette unit to the container area, in which the application element can receive the adhesive element. According to the inventor's point of view, it is theoretically possible to envision a very large number of different design embodiments of the conveying element, for example, it is also possible to envision a design embodiment that can be specifically discontinuously operated and utilize, for example, a movable slide, on which the adhesive element is transferred to the edge of the distribution, and the movable slide is subsequently displaced in the direction of the application element. However, according to the inventor's point of view, for substantially all embodiments, it is preferred to use a solution of a continuously operable conveying element, which can be implemented in particular as a rotating conveyor belt. The corresponding conveyor belt allows reliable and precisely controllable conveying of the adhesive element, and can also be arranged in a fixed position in the base unit in particular, so that the sources of failure during the transfer of the adhesive element from the cassette unit can be reduced. For essentially all embodiments, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the conveying element comprises a rotating conveyor belt. Additionally or alternatively, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the conveying element is arranged in a fixed position in the base unit. For the purpose of receiving the adhesive elements by the application element in an ideally precise and controlled manner, it is advantageous, according to the inventors, for many types of application elements to be set for discontinuous operation in use regardless of the continuous operability of the rotating conveyor belt, so that the conveyed adhesive elements are fixed while being picked up by the application element. However, there are also such design embodiments in which a largely continuous conveying can be advantageous, for example when the adhesive elements are to be transferred from the conveying element to a continuously operating application element, for example in the form of an application roller.

[0063] The skilled person understands that conventional rotating conveyor belts, which can be used, for example, for devices according to EP 3569534 A1, are not directly suitable for the application device according to the invention. The reason for this is that, contrary to the teachings of the prior art, the adhesive element is transferred to the conveying element with the adhesive layer facing downwards. Without further measures, the adhesive element will therefore in many cases completely or partially adhere to the conveying element and in many cases will no longer be able to be effectively received by the application element, at least not without the risk that adhesive residues remain on the conveying element and the adhesive layer of the adhesive element to be applied is correspondingly damaged. In addition, in this case, the requirements set for the application element or the adhesive strength achievable with the application element will also increase significantly when receiving the adhesive element.

[0064] For this purpose, a conveying element is used in the application device according to the invention, the surface of which is designed in such a way that the adhesive element, or the adhesive layer of the adhesive element, exhibits reduced adhesion relative to the surface. A person skilled in the art who is aware of the present invention can easily implement corresponding design embodiments, since he is familiar with the concept of surfaces with reduced adhesion from many other areas of adhesive technology, where this concept is often used, for example, in the context of typical pads.

[0065] In practice, it is difficult to set absolute values ​​for the forces and the desired degree of adhesion reduction. The tolerable adhesion between the adhesive element and the adhesion-reduced surface of the conveying element depends essentially on the physicochemical properties of the adhesive mass used, in particular its cohesion, and on the bond strength that the application element can temporarily generate relative to the carrier layer of the adhesive element.

[0066] In practice, the choice of the adhesive mass used in the adhesive layer will in most cases depend on the application requirements, which are set for the adhesive strength in relation to the substrate to be bonded. A person skilled in the art who has identified an adhesive mass suitable for interaction with the substrate can then appropriately select a material of the conveying element or a coating of the conveying element relative to which the respective adhesive mass exhibits a sufficiently low adhesiveness so that the adhesive element can be received by the application element. In this context, the inventors propose that the adhesion of the adhesive element relative to the surface with reduced adhesion is advantageously set relative to the adhesion of the adhesive element to the substrate to be bonded and / or relative to the connection strength that the respective application element can form relative to the adhesive element while receiving the adhesive element, since these interactions should all be greater than the adhesion of the adhesive element to the conveying element in order to achieve this purpose. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferably provided in which the surface with reduced adhesion is designed so that the adhesion of the adhesive element to the surface with reduced adhesion is smaller than the adhesion of the adhesive element to the substrate to be bonded, preferably smaller by 80% or more, particularly preferably smaller by 90% or more, most particularly preferably smaller by 95% or more. Additionally or alternatively, an application device according to the present invention is preferred, wherein the surface with reduced adhesion is designed such that when the adhesive element is received by the application element, the adhesion of the adhesive element to the surface with reduced adhesion is smaller than the connection strength between the application element and the adhesive element, preferably smaller by 80% or more, particularly preferably smaller by 90% or more, most particularly preferably smaller by 95% or more.

[0067] In particular, when the position of the adhesive element on the conveying element is also influenced by the use of guide elements and / or stop elements, as disclosed below, a particularly significant reduction in adhesion is preferably provided in order to allow easy displacement of the adhesive element on the surface with reduced adhesion.

[0068] In order to obtain a surface with reduced adhesion, according to the inventors, a coating of the surface of the conveyor element with a siliconized treatment (as is also used, for example, in many pads) is particularly suitable. Particular preference is given to an application device according to the invention, in which the surface with reduced adhesion is coated with a release layer, preferably with a silicone release layer, wherein the silicone release layer can preferably be produced by crosslinking a crosslinkable silicone system comprising one or more polysiloxanes.

[0069] It can be considered an advantage of the method according to the invention that the adhesive element is applied to the conveying element in a manner that the adhesive layer is downward, and therefore at least residual adhesive is still present despite the reduced adhesion surface caused by the tackiness of the adhesive layer. In particular, in the case of a fixed application device according to the invention, which is not moved through the space as part of a robot arm, it is advantageously possible in many cases to omit the provision of an additional fixing mechanism for the adhesive element on the conveying element, such as a suction function, in particular in combination with the fact that the application element finally performs the final application step. By abandoning such a suction function on the conveying element, the complexity in terms of the equipment can be advantageously significantly reduced, because, for example, it is not necessary to provide a pump or corresponding fluid lines. In particular for largely fixed applications, an application device according to the invention is preferred, in which the conveying element is not set to additionally fix the adhesive element arranged on the surface of the conveying element by a vacuum acting through perforations in the surface of the conveying element. In this context, an application device according to the invention is also preferred, in which the conveying element does not include any suction function for fixing the adhesive element on the surface of the conveying element. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferred, in which the conveying element does not include any device for generating a vacuum.

[0070] Despite the above-mentioned possibility of designing the application device according to the invention in a particularly simple structural manner, it is still preferred, in the opinion of the inventors, for most applications to provide the application device according to the invention with a corresponding suction function on the conveying element, as can be realized, for example, with a suction belt. The reason for this is that, in particular when used on the end effector of a robot arm that may move violently, forces can act that may lead to the adhesive elements being released despite the fact that these adhesive elements adhere to the conveying element by means of the adhesive layer, because this adhesion is indeed intentionally reduced due to the surface with reduced adhesion. However, in this case, synergistic advantages are also achieved, because at least in the absence of strong acceleration forces, even in the case of output fluctuations or temporary failure of the suction function, the strength of the suction function can be reduced due to the additional adhesive effect, and / or the adhesive element can still be fixed to the surface of the conveying element and prevented from falling off. Particularly preferred is an application device according to the invention, in which the conveying element is provided to additionally fix the adhesive element arranged on the surface of the conveying element by a vacuum acting through perforations in the surface of the conveying element. Accordingly, particularly preferred is an application device according to the invention, in which the conveying element comprises a suction function for fixing the adhesive element on the surface of the conveying element. Therefore, particularly preferred are also application devices according to the invention in which the conveying element comprises means for generating a vacuum.

[0071] As already mentioned above, in most cases, discontinuous operation of the conveying unit is preferred. The person skilled in the art understands that even in such discontinuous operation, the conveying speed of the conveying element should in some way be matched to the guide speed of the material strip in the guide assembly. Against this background, the inventors propose that two different kinds of process management are particularly suitable for this purpose. In a first design embodiment, the conveying speed can essentially correspond to the guide speed in the guide assembly, as a result of which in most cases a particularly good transfer from the dispensing edge to the conveying element can be guaranteed and when a continuously operating conveying element is used, an ideal continuous replenishment additionally becomes possible. In this case, an application device according to the invention is preferred, in which the conveying element is set to convey the adhesive elements discharged by the cassette unit away from the cassette unit in the application device, wherein the conveying speed v relative to the cassette unit is 1 / 2 of the conveying speed v. F The guide speed v of the deviating material strip in the guide assembly M Preferably 10% or less, particularly preferably 5% or less, very particularly preferably 1% or less, wherein the conveying speed v F Particularly preferably, it is not less than the guide speed v of the material web in the guide assembly. M .

[0072] However, the inventors have found that, when these adhesive elements are arranged on the material strip for the purpose of optimizing the use of space, singulation of the adhesive elements on the conveying element can advantageously take place due to the speed difference between the material strip and the conveying element. For example, round stamping blanks can be arranged on the material strip in a manner similar to the densest stacking, so that an ideally large number of adhesive elements per area unit of the material strip can be achieved. In these cases, singulation of the adhesive elements is desired in most cases in order to be able to achieve greater precision when receiving the adhesive elements. Different speeds are likewise advantageous when the conveying element has to bridge relatively large distances to the application element and, in terms of process management, it is desirable, for example, that only one adhesive element is located on the conveying unit at any given time. Therefore, for many cases an application device according to the invention is preferred in which the conveying speed v of the conveying element is 1.5 V. F Greater than the guiding speed v of the material strip in the guiding assembly M , wherein the conveying speed of the conveying element is preferably at least 2*v M or greater, particularly preferably at least 3*v M or greater, most preferably at least 4*v M or greater, particularly preferably at least 5*v M or larger.

[0073] It can be considered an advantage of the application device according to the invention that the latter is very flexible with regard to the application element used for the final application, so that rollers or the like can also be used, for example, wherein taking into account the practical implementation in most cases, the requirement will be that the application element should be configured so as to be able to form a reversibly and non-destructively releasable connection with the adhesive element. In order to realize this function of the application element in such a way that the application element is configured to form a reversibly and non-destructively releasable connection with the adhesive element, the person skilled in the art can make use of various solutions known from the prior art.

[0074] The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described device of the application element enables a reversible and non-destructively releasable connection to be formed with the adhesive element, without the need to disconnect the connection by eliminating the connecting force, which can be achieved, for example, when the magnetic field is switched off in the case of a magnetic connection or by switching off the suction function. On the other hand, it is also possible in practice and often even particularly effective if the reversible and non-destructive stripping is carried out in opposition to the forces that caused the connection. In this process, it is particularly useful that the adhesion of the adhesive element to the substrate is in many cases significantly greater than the forces that caused the connection to the application element, so that, for example, when the application element is guided away from the substrate, the connection can take place against a vacuum with a suction effect.

[0075] A reversibly and non-destructively releasable connection can be established, at least in theory, for example, by means of a magnetic component, which interacts, for example, with a magnetic carrier layer of an adhesive element, or in theory also by means of a suction cup or a pressure-sensitive adhesive block. However, due to the high reliability, simple construction and longevity of such a solution, it is particularly preferred to use a vacuum-based suction solution.

[0076] According to the present inventors, it is particularly preferred to include an application element comprising a piston assembly having a suction clamp arranged on a displaceable piston, because the adhesive element can be particularly accurately and effectively applied with these application elements. In this case, the application element is oriented toward the conveying element, and the controllable suction clamp is lowered onto the conveying element by the displaceable piston so that the adhesive element located thereon on the carrier layer is contacted by the suction clamp, and a connection is established in a reversible and non-destructive manner. By displacing the piston again, before the application movement of the adhesive layer contacting the substrate, the adhesive element can be lifted from the conveying element by the mobile unit and oriented in the direction of the substrate so that the connection between the adhesive element and the application element can be disassembled. Accordingly, it is preferred to apply the device according to the present invention, wherein the application element comprises a mobile unit and a receiving unit arranged on the mobile unit, wherein the receiving unit is set to form a reversibly and non-destructively peelable connection with the carrier layer of the adhesive element. It is particularly preferred in this article to apply the device according to the present invention, wherein the socket unit comprises one or more controllable suction clamps, wherein the application device preferably comprises one or more vacuum pumps connected to the suction clamp. Additionally or alternatively, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the displacement unit comprises a piston assembly having a cylinder and a piston displaceable in the cylinder, wherein the displacement unit preferably comprises a rotation device for rotating the piston assembly, wherein the axis of rotation preferably extends substantially parallel to the surface of the conveying element.

[0077] In a particularly preferred design embodiment, the application element can be embodied as a rotatable application element, which comprises corresponding displaceable pistons and suction grippers on both sides. In this way, the application element can be rotated about the rotation axis after receiving the first adhesive element so that the received adhesive element is oriented in the direction of the substrate, onto which the adhesive element can be pressed by displacing the piston. At the same time, a further displaceable piston with a corresponding suction gripper on the rear side of the application element is ready to receive a further adhesive element for the next application.

[0078] In a preferred alternative embodiment, due to the different sizes of the suction grippers at the respective ends of the mobile unit, it is allowed to apply adhesive elements of different geometries and / or different sizes. If two different cassette units with adhesive elements of different diameters are to be inserted into the cassette container of the application device according to the invention, for example, in this embodiment, the application of adhesive elements of different sizes can be carried out, because the containers of the two suction grippers are selected so as to correspond to two different diameters of the adhesive element. This produces an application device according to the invention, by means of which adhesive elements of different sizes can be accurately applied in a particularly effective manner without requiring any changes to the application element. Particularly preferred is an application device according to the invention, wherein the application element comprises two or more receiving units, wherein the receiving units preferably have different sizes. Based on this concept, it is also preferred to apply a device according to the invention, wherein the application element comprises 3 or more, preferably 4 or more, particularly preferably 5 or more receiving units, wherein the receiving units preferably have different sizes.

[0079] As mentioned above, in order to ensure that the adhesive element is reliably transferred to the conveying element at the dispensing edge, it is advantageous to choose a spacing between these elements that is not too large. Against this background, the inventors have succeeded in setting a spacing that is particularly suitable for this purpose. Particularly preferred is an application device according to the invention, in which the cassette unit is arranged in the base unit so that the spacing between the end of the dispensing edge pointing to the conveying element and the conveying element is 0.3*LK or less, preferably 0.2*LK or less, particularly preferably 0.1*LK or less, most particularly preferably 0.05*LK or less, where LK is the average length of the adhesive element in the web direction of the material web. Additionally or alternatively preferred is an application device according to the invention, in which the cassette unit is arranged in the base unit so that the spacing between the end of the dispensing edge pointing to the conveying element and the conveying element is 10 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or less, particularly preferably 6 mm or less, most particularly preferably 4 mm or less.

[0080] In order to facilitate the ideal and reliable transfer of the discharged adhesive element to the conveying element, the inventors propose that a contact pressure roller can also be provided in the transfer area, by means of which the adhesive element can be additionally guided when being transferred to the conveying element and can be pressed onto the conveying element. According to the inventors, this design embodiment is particularly advantageous when the conveying element does not have a suction function and the adhesion of the adhesive element is only used to fix the latter. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the application device includes one or more contact pressure rollers, preferably as part of a base unit, wherein the one or more contact pressure rollers are arranged opposite to the surface of the conveying element and are set to press the adhesive element discharged by the cassette unit onto the surface of the conveying element in order to improve adhesion.

[0081] In particular for applications requiring a high degree of precision, it may be advantageous to verify the correct positioning of the adhesive element on the conveying element before said adhesive element is received by the application element. The inventors propose that, for this purpose, the application device according to the invention may be equipped with a sensor unit, for example an optical sensor, which can detect the correct placement of the adhesive element on the surface of the conveying element. Therefore, preference is given to an application device according to the invention, wherein the application device comprises one or more sensor units, preferably as part of a base unit, wherein the one or more sensor units are configured to detect the position of the adhesive element on the surface of the conveying element, wherein the control of the application element preferably takes place in dependence on the data recorded by the one or more sensor units.

[0082] In addition to or as an alternative to providing a detection unit, the inventors propose that, in order to ensure that the adhesive element on the conveying element is supplied to the application element reliably and accurately positioned, a guiding element, in particular a baffle, for example in the form of a V-shape with an open bottom, or in the form of two mutually offset guiding elements, can also be provided. The reduced-adhesion surface of the conveying element advantageously ensures that in many cases a displacement of the adhesive element on the surface of the conveying element is possible, so that in particular the position of the adhesive element transversely to its movement direction (i.e. the conveying direction of the conveying element) can be adjusted. If the conveying element is implemented as a vacuum-based fixation, the displacement of the adhesive element on the surface of the conveying element by the guiding element can be assisted by an area in which the contact pressure applied by the suction function is reduced. Preferably, an application device according to the invention comprises one or more guiding elements, preferably as part of a base unit, wherein the one or more guiding elements are configured to adjust the position of the adhesive element arranged on the conveying element.

[0083] In addition, in addition to or as an alternative to repositioning the adhesive element by means of a guide element, the inventors propose to provide a stop element for fixing the position of the adhesive element at a predetermined position of the conveying element on the application device, which stop element can be said to act as a stopper and fix the adhesive element before the adhesive element is received by the application element. The stop element here can be additionally set to also reposition the adhesive element transversely to the conveying direction, so that advantageously no separate guide element is required. Specifically, the repositioning and fixing of the adhesive element can be carried out in a simple manner by means of a surface with reduced adhesion of the conveying element, because the stop element blocks any movement of the adhesive element in the moving direction of the conveying element at a predetermined position. When a person skilled in the art envisions the application device according to the present invention in a manner in which the adhesive element can be relatively easily displaced on a surface with reduced adhesion, it is advantageously possible to fix the position of the adhesive element even when the conveyor belt continues to run and / or runs forward, so that the adhesive element moves on a surface with reduced adhesion in the opposite direction of the conveying direction. The inventors propose that the conveying direction of the conveying element can be reversed, for example after the position of the adhesive element has been fixed by the stop element, even briefly, in order to deflect the adhesive element from the stop element and achieve greater precision when receiving the adhesive element by the application element, or to prevent the stop element from being contaminated by adhesive lumps. Therefore, an application device according to the invention is preferred, wherein the application device comprises a stop element, preferably as part of a base unit, wherein the stop element is provided for fixing the position of the adhesive element arranged on the conveying element in the conveying direction of the conveying element, so that when the conveying element is moved, the adhesive element moves relative to the surface with reduced adhesion.

[0084] From the above explanations, the skilled person understands that the present invention also relates to a cassette unit particularly suitable for use with the application device according to the invention and a complementary base unit for accommodating the preferred cassette unit.

[0085] The invention therefore also relates to a cassette unit for an application device according to the invention, comprising:

[0086] a1) a guide assembly, the guide assembly comprising a supply roll and a take-up roll,

[0087] a2) a discharge area having a dispensing edge,

[0088] a3) a material strip comprising a plurality of adhesive elements having a carrier layer and an adhesive layer connected to the carrier layer, wherein the adhesive elements are arranged on the strip-shaped release material by means of the adhesive layer,

[0089] wherein the cassette unit is configured such that the material strip disposed on the supply roll can be guided over the dispensing edge to the take-up roll so that the adhesive element is separated from the separating material in the discharge area and is discharged from the cassette unit,

[0090] wherein the supply reel and the take-up reel in the cassette unit are embodied as non-driven reels, wherein the supply reel and / or the take-up reel comprises a centrally structured engagement recess,

[0091] Wherein, the box-type unit is configured so that when the box-type unit is arranged in the box-type container of the base unit, a shape-fitting connection can be generated by engaging one or more connecting elements of the driving unit of the base unit in the engaging recesses of the supply roll and / or the taking-up roll, and the shape-fitting connection enables the guide assembly to be driven by the driving unit.

[0092] The invention therefore also relates to a base unit for an application device according to the invention, comprising:

[0093] b1) a box-type container, the box-type container being used to receive the box-type unit,

[0094] b2) a conveying element having a surface with reduced adhesion, and

[0095] b3) application element,

[0096] The base unit is configured to receive the adhesive element disposed on the conveying element by the applying element and to apply the adhesive element to the substrates to be bonded.

[0097] The invention further relates to a method for applying an adhesive element to substrates to be adhesively bonded by means of an application device according to the invention, comprising the following method steps:

[0098] i) producing or providing the substrates to be bonded,

[0099] ii) guiding the material strip provided on the supply roll onto the dispensing edge in the guide assembly for separating the adhesive element from the strip-shaped separating material and discharging the adhesive element from the cassette unit,

[0100] iii) transferring the discharged adhesive element with the adhesive layer to the adhesion-reduced surface of the conveying element,

[0101] iv) receiving the transferred adhesive element by the application element, while forming a reversibly and non-destructively peelable connection between the application element and the carrier layer of the transferred adhesive element, and

[0102] v) applying the received adhesive element to the substrate to be adhesively bonded and detaching the connection between the application element and the carrier layer of the applied adhesive element.

[0103] Preference is given here to a method according to the invention in which the position of the adhesive element arranged on the conveyor element is adjusted by one or more guide elements before the reception in method step iv).

[0104] Preference is given to the method according to the invention, wherein the substrate to be adhesively bonded is a vehicle component. Also preferred is the method according to the invention, wherein the substrate to be adhesively bonded comprises a recess, wherein the adhesive element is applied so as to at least partially, preferably substantially completely, close the recess, preferably in a fluid-tight manner.

[0105] Finally, a method for supplying an application device according to the invention is disclosed, comprising the following method steps:

[0106] x) retrieving the first cartridge unit, which is reversibly and non-destructively replaceably arranged in a cartridge container of the base unit,

[0107] y) inserting a second cassette unit into said cassette receptacle of said base unit, and

[0108] z) refurbishing said first cassette by replacing said supply reel and said take-up reel therein with a replacement supply reel and a replacement take-up reel so as to obtain a refurbished cassette.

[0109] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained and described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0110] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application device according to the invention in a preferred embodiment is shown in a side view, wherein the housing of the cassette unit is transparent;

[0111] Figure 2 Shown in perspective Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application device according to the invention, wherein the housing of the cassette unit is closed; and

[0112] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of a material web and a part of a conveyor element of an application device according to the invention in a preferred embodiment is shown in a top view.

[0113] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application device 10 according to the invention is shown in side view for applying adhesive elements 12a, 12b to substrates to be adhesively bonded, wherein the housing of the cassette unit 14 is transparent so that the interior of the cassette unit 14 is easily visible. Figure 1 In the example shown, the application device 10 is designed as an end effector which can be fastened to a robot arm, for example.

[0114] The application device 10 comprises a cassette unit 14, in the housing of which a fixed dispensing edge 20 and a guide assembly having a supply roll 16 and a take-up roll 18 are arranged. The dispensing edge 20, which is designed as a knife edge, is arranged here at the discharge opening of the housing in the discharge area of ​​the cassette unit 14, which marks the point of the cassette unit 14 at which the adhesive element 12a-b is transferred to the base unit 24. The cassette unit 14 also comprises a material strip 22 having a plurality of adhesive elements 12a-b, which is arranged on the strip-shaped separation material by its adhesive layer, so that the carrier layer of the adhesive element 12a-b is away from the strip-shaped separation material. The material strip 22 is tensioned in the guide assembly between the supply roll 16 (on which the material strip is initially arranged) and the take-up roll 18 (on which the strip-shaped separation material is continuously wound).

[0115] The cassette unit 14 is arranged in a cassette container of a base unit 24 of the application device 10, which is arranged to accommodate the cassette unit 14, into which the cassette unit 14 can be inserted in a reversible and non-destructively replaceable manner. Figure 1 In the example shown this is aided by a magnetic connection mechanism. As a result, a consumed cartridge unit 14 can be retrieved in order to resupply the application device 10 with the material web 22 and replaced by a filled cartridge unit 14 .

[0116] The base unit 24 comprises a drive unit for driving the guide assembly, which has two connecting elements 32a, 32b and an electronic data processing device (not shown) for controlling the application device 10, in particular the drive unit. The drive unit is used to drive the guide assembly of the cassette unit 14, which in the example shown per se is designed in each case without a dedicated drive. For the necessary force transmission, the supply reel 16 and the take-up reel 18 each have a centrally structured engagement recess 30a, 30b, which has a toothed structure so that they can produce a form-fitting connection with complementary connecting elements 32a-b of the drive unit, by which the guide assembly can be driven.

[0117] Furthermore, the base unit 24 comprises an application element 28 and a conveying element 26, which is in a fixed position and has a surface with reduced adhesion coated with a silicone release layer. The conveying element 26 is designed as a rotating conveyor belt and is arranged in the base unit 24 in such a way in the example shown that the spacing between the end of the dispensing edge 20 facing the conveying element 26 and the conveying element 26 is about 3 mm. Starting from the basic arrangement shown, the base unit 24 can also have a sensor unit for detecting the position of the adhesive elements 12a-b on the surface of the conveying element 26, and a guide element (not shown) for adjusting the position of the adhesive elements 12a-b arranged on the conveying element 26.

[0118] In the example shown, the application element 28 comprises a rotatable movable unit having a piston assembly on both sides, the piston assembly having a cylinder and a piston displaceable in the cylinder. In addition, the application element 28 comprises a controllable suction gripper arranged on the movable unit in each case on both sides.

[0119] Figure 2 Shown in perspective Figure 1 The application device 10 is shown in which the housing of the cassette unit 14 is closed.

[0120] The application device 10 shown is particularly suitable for the method according to the invention for applying adhesive elements 12a-b to substrates to be glued, such as vehicle components, so that holes and other recesses in the latter are glued in an ideally fluid-tight manner. To this end, the cassette unit 14 is first equipped with a material strip 22 so that the latter can be unrolled from a supply roll 16 in a guide assembly. Subsequently, the cassette unit 14 can be inserted into the cassette container of the base unit 24 in such a way that the connecting elements 32a-b of the drive unit of the base unit 24 can engage in the toothed engagement recesses 30a, 30b of the supply roll 16 and the take-up roll 18, wherein the connecting elements 32a-b in the example shown are provided with a movable element, by means of which a form fit is established.

[0121] The automated moving unit displaces the application device 10 used as an end effector to its target position close to the recess to be bonded in the substrate. By activating the drive unit by means of an electronic data processing device, the supply roll 16 and the take-up roll 18 begin to rotate, so that the material strip 22 with the adhesive elements 12a-b is unwound from the supply roll 16 and guided to the take-up roll 18 on the dispensing edge 20.

[0122] The strip-shaped release material coated with a silicone release layer on the side facing the adhesive element 12a-b is deflected at the end of the dispensing edge 20 and guided forward to the take-up reel 18 to be wound there. The deflection angle here is at least 90°, but in the illustrated arrangement the deflection angle depends on the diameter of the take-up reel 18 and increases for take-up reels of larger diameter. During the deflection, the adhesive element 12a-b, which is embodied as a punched blank, for example, is separated from the strip-shaped release material of the material strip 22 at the end of the dispensing edge 20 and is transferred to the reduced-adhesion surface of the conveying element 26 by the conveying movement of the material strip 22, so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the adhesive element 12a-b is placed on the reduced-adhesion surface of the conveying element 26 and the carrier layer of the adhesive element 12a-b faces upward in the direction of contact with the application element 28.

[0123] The adhesive elements 12 a - b thus discharged from the cassette unit 14 are conveyed by the conveying element 26 away from the cassette unit 14 towards the application element 28 , wherein the conveying speed v of the conveying element 26 relative to the cassette unit 14 is φ 1. F For example, the guide speed v of the material web 22 in the guide assembly M at least twice as much.

[0124] Figure 3 It is visualized how, when transferring the adhesive elements 12a from the material strip 22 to the conveying element 26, individualization of the adhesive elements 12a-b is achieved in a corresponding process management with a leading conveying element 26 in such a way that the adhesive elements 12b conveyed in the conveying direction on the reduced adhesion surface have a greater mutual spacing than the adhesive elements 12a guided on the material strip 22 and previously arranged in the most densely packed manner.

[0125] exist Figures 1 to 3 In the example shown, the adhesion of the adhesive elements 12a-b to the surface with reduced adhesion is significantly less than the adhesion of the adhesive elements 12a-b to the substrate to be adhesively bonded, or less than the strength of the connection between the application element 28 and the adhesive elements 12a-b after receiving the adhesive elements 12a-b. Figure 3 In the example shown, the absolute value of the adhesion is chosen to be so low that a displacement of the adhesive elements 12a-b relative to the surface with reduced adhesion is possible without damaging the adhesive layer.

[0126] exist Figures 1 to 3 In the example shown, the adhesive elements 12 a - b arranged on the surface of the conveyor element 26 are additionally fixed by a vacuum which acts via a plurality of perforations 36 in the surface of the conveyor element 26 which is embodied as a suction belt.

[0127] In order to improve the positioning accuracy of the adhesive elements 12a-b on the conveying element 26, the sensor unit of the base unit 24 can detect the position of the adhesive elements 12a-b on the surface of the conveying element 26. Subsequently, for example, with the help of the guide element of the base unit 24, the desired position of the adhesive elements 12a-b on the conveying element 26 can be adjusted or corrected according to the position data thus determined, so that the adhesive elements 12a-b guided on the conveying element 26 can be received particularly accurately by one of the two suction grippers of the application element 28, such as Figure 1 As shown. Figure 3 As shown, the stop element 34 can further improve the positioning accuracy of the adhesive element 12b guided on the conveying element 26, in particular when the adhesive element 12b is received by the application element 28, because the stop element blocks the adhesive element 12b from being conveyed on the conveying element 26 in the conveying direction at a predetermined position.

[0128] In order to receive the adhesive element 12a-b, in the process a vacuum is generated by a vacuum pump between a suction gripper of the application element 28 and the adhesive element 12a-b to be applied, so that a reversibly and non-destructively peelable connection is produced between the carrier layer of the adhesive element 12a-b and the suction gripper. For example, by rotating the suction gripper about a rotation axis extending essentially parallel to the surface of the conveying element 26, the adhesive element 12a-b can be applied with the aid of the adhesive layer to a substrate to be glued and extending above the conveying element 26, for example, wherein the adhesive element 12a-b is pressed onto the substrate by the suction gripper. Figure 1 In the example shown, application can in principle be carried out at any position along the radius of the circle of the suction gripper, wherein application is carried out starting from an angle of 0° when the adhesive element 12a-b is received by the application element 28, in particular at an alignment angle in the range from 90° to 270°. In most cases, the reversibly and non-destructively releasable connection between the suction gripper and the adhesive element 12a-b will be released by the movement of the application device 10, for example, because the adhesion of the adhesive element 12a-b to the substrate is greater than the force acting due to the vacuum.

[0129] Reference numerals list

[0130] 10 Application device

[0131] 12a-b Adhesive element

[0132] 14 Cassette Units

[0133] 16 Supply Volume

[0134] 18 Collect the coupon

[0135] 20 Distribution Edge

[0136] 22 Material tape

[0137] 24 Base Unit

[0138] 26 Conveying elements

[0139] 28 Application elements

[0140] 30a-b engagement recess

[0141] 32a-b Connecting element

[0142] 34 Stop element

[0143] 36 Piercing

[0144] v M Material belt guiding speed

[0145] v F Conveying speed of conveying element

Claims

1. An application device (10) for applying an adhesive element (12a, 12b) to a substrate to be adhesively bonded, comprising: a) a cassette unit (14), comprising: a1) a guide assembly comprising a supply roll (16) and a take-up roll (18), a2) a discharge area having a dispensing edge (20), and a3) a material strip (22), the material strip (22) comprising a plurality of adhesive elements (12a, 12b), the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) having a carrier layer and an adhesive layer connected to the carrier layer, wherein the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) having the adhesive layer are arranged on a strip-shaped separating material, wherein the cassette unit (14) is configured such that the material strip (22) provided on the supply roll (16) can be guided via the dispensing edge (20) to the take-up roll (18) so that the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) are separated from the separating material in the discharge area and discharged from the cassette unit (14), b) a base unit (24), comprising: b1) a box-type container, the box-type container being used to accommodate the box-type unit (14), b2) a conveying element (26) having a surface with reduced adhesion, and b3) application element (28), wherein the base unit (24) is configured to receive the adhesive element (12a, 12b) disposed on the conveying element (26) by the applying element (28) and to apply the adhesive element to the substrate to be bonded, and The cassette unit (14) is arranged in the cassette container so as to be replaceable in a reversible and non-destructive manner, and the application device (10) is configured so that the adhesive element (12a, 12b) having the adhesive layer discharged from the cassette unit (14) is transferred to the surface with reduced adhesion of the conveying element (26), so that the transferred adhesive element (12a, 12b) can be received by the application element (28) from the surface with reduced adhesion of the conveying element (26) and applied to the substrate to be bonded.

2. The application device (10) according to claim 1, wherein: The conveying element (26) is configured to additionally fix the adhesive element (12a, 12b) arranged on the surface of the conveying element (26) by means of a vacuum acting through perforations (36) in the surface of the conveying element (26).

3. The application device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The conveying element (26) comprises a rotating conveyor belt.

4. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The adhesion-reducing surface is coated with a release layer, preferably a silicone release layer.

5. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The reduced-adhesion surface is designed such that when the adhesive element (12a, 12b) is received by the application element (28), the adhesion of the adhesive element (12a, 12b) to the reduced-adhesion surface is 80% or more less than the connection strength between the application element (28) and the adhesive element (12a, 12b).

6. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The application device (10) comprises one or more contact pressure rollers, wherein the one or more contact pressure rollers are arranged opposite to the surface of the conveying element (26) and are configured to press the adhesive element (12a, 12b) discharged from the cassette unit (14) against the surface of the conveying element (26) in order to improve adhesion.

7. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The application device comprises one or more sensor units, wherein the one or more sensor units are configured to detect the position of the adhesive element (12a, 12b) on the surface of the conveyor element (26).

8. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The application device (10) comprises one or more guide elements, wherein the one or more guide elements are configured to adjust the position of the adhesive element (12a, 12b) arranged on the conveying element (26), and / or wherein the application device (10) comprises a stop element (34), wherein the stop element (34) is configured to fix the position of the adhesive element (12a, 12b) arranged on the conveying element (26) along the conveying direction of the conveying element (26), so that during the movement of the conveying element (26), the adhesive element (12a, 12b) moves relative to the surface with reduced adhesion.

9. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The supply reel (16) and / or the take-up reel (18), preferably the supply reel (16) and the take-up reel (18), comprise a central structured engagement recess (30a, 30b).

10. The application device (10) according to claim 9, wherein: The base unit (24) comprises a drive unit for driving the guide assembly of the cassette unit (14), wherein the drive unit comprises one or more connecting elements (32a, 32b), which are arranged in the area of ​​the cassette container and are designed to engage in the engaging recesses (30a, 30b) of the supply roll (16) and / or the take-up roll (18) and produce a form-fitting connection.

11. The application device (10) according to claim 10, wherein: The cassette unit (14) is arranged in the cassette container so that the connecting elements (32a, 32b) of the drive unit are engaged in the engaging recesses (30a, 30b) of the supply roll (16) and / or the take-up roll (18) in a form-fitting manner, so that the guide assembly can be driven by the drive unit.

12. The application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The dispensing edge (20) is arranged in a fixed position in the cassette unit (14).

13. A cassette unit (14) for an application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising: a1) a guide assembly comprising a supply roll (16) and a take-up roll (18), a2) a discharge area having a dispensing edge (20), and a3) a material strip (22), the material strip (22) comprising a plurality of adhesive elements (12a, 12b), the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) having a carrier layer and an adhesive layer connected to the carrier layer, wherein the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) having the adhesive layer are arranged on a strip-shaped separating material, wherein the cassette unit (14) is configured such that the material strip (22) provided on the supply roll (16) can be guided via the dispensing edge (20) to the take-up roll (18) so that the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) are separated from the separating material in the discharge area and discharged from the cassette unit (14), wherein the supply reel (16) and the take-up reel (18) in the cassette unit (14) are implemented as non-driven reels, wherein the supply reel (16) and / or the take-up reel (18) comprises a centrally structured engagement recess, Wherein, the box-type unit (14) is configured so that when the box-type unit (14) is arranged in the box-type container of the base unit (24), a shape-fitting connection can be produced by engaging one or more connecting elements of the drive unit of the base unit (24) in the engaging recesses of the supply roll (16) and / or the collection roll (18), and the shape-fitting connection enables the guide assembly to be driven by the drive unit.

14. A base unit (24) for an application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising: b1) a box-like container, the box-like container being used to accommodate the box-like unit (14), b2) a conveying element (26) having a surface with reduced adhesion, and b3) application element (28), The base unit (24) is configured to receive the adhesive element (12a, 12b) disposed on the conveying element (26) by the applying element (28) and to apply the adhesive element to a substrate to be bonded.

15. Method for applying an adhesive element (12a, 12b) to substrates to be adhesively bonded by means of an application device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising the following method steps: i) producing or providing the substrates to be bonded, ii) guiding the material strip (22) provided on the supply roll (16) onto the dispensing edge (20) in the guide assembly to separate the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) from the strip-shaped separating material and to discharge the adhesive elements (12a, 12b) from the cassette unit (14), iii) transferring the discharged adhesive element (12a, 12b) with the adhesive layer to the adhesion-reducing surface of the conveying element (26), iv) receiving the transferred adhesive element (12a, 12b) by the application element (28), while forming a reversibly and non-destructively peelable connection between the application element (28) and the carrier layer of the transferred adhesive element (12a, 12b), and v) applying the received adhesive element (12a, 12b) to the substrate to be adhesively bonded and detaching the connection between the application element (28) and the carrier layer of the applied adhesive element (12a, 12b).

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