Cassette unit for use in application systems for applying adhesive elements

Abstract

The invention relates to a cassette unit (10) for use in application systems for applying adhesive elements, comprising: i) a feed roller (12), ii) a receiving roller (14), iii) a dispensing edge (16), and iv) a web-shaped dispensing material tape (18), wherein the dispensing material tape (18) comprises a plurality of adhesive elements arranged on a web-shaped release material, wherein the dispensing material tape (18) is partially wound onto the feed roller (12) and attached at one end to the receiving roller (14), wherein the web-shaped release material is guided around the dispensing edge (16) between the feed roller (12) and the receiving roller (14) with respect to the web direction, and wherein, in front of the dispensing edge (16) with respect to the web direction, the web-shaped release material is guided around the receiving roller (14) or around the part of the web-shaped release material wound onto the receiving roller (14).so that the receiving roller (14) or the part of the web-shaped separation material wound on the receiving roller (14) acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape (18).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cassette unit for use in application systems for applying adhesive elements, a corresponding application system for applying adhesive elements and a method for operating such an application system.

[0002] The use of adhesive elements is an important component of many modern manufacturing processes. These adhesive elements are not only used to attach components to a substrate, but also, and especially, to seal openings in the substrate. Such openings are usually a result of the manufacturing process and represent potential weak points in the finished product, through which, for example, moisture or contaminants can penetrate. Using suitable, usually single-sided, adhesive elements to seal these openings in substrates offers a simple, time-saving, and cost-effective solution for closing them and preventing the unwanted ingress of contaminants. In the prior art, adhesive elements that are also referred to as die-cut parts due to their manufacturing process are already regularly used for this purpose.

[0003] In principle, it is conceivable to manually place the adhesive elements onto a substrate. However, with advancing automation and a continued interest in the most error-free and efficient processes possible, automated application devices have been developed for applying adhesive elements to a substrate. These application devices must meet a variety of requirements. In particular, they must enable reliable and reproducible application of adhesive elements to the substrates, ideally achieving a high throughput.

[0004] A group of application devices known from the prior art relies on adhesive elements provided in a separate dispenser assembly, spaced apart from the application device, being picked up by the application device and placed on the substrate. However, this design is regularly considered disadvantageous because it typically requires considerable installation space and usually necessitates a relatively large movement of the application elements back and forth between the dispenser unit and the substrate to be bonded, which is often perceived as inefficient. Such long guide paths increase the risk of misplacement, for example, due to slippage on the application element, and of contamination on the adhesive element, which can result in undesirable reductions in the achievable bond strength.

[0005] Against this background, application devices with an integrated dispenser for adhesive elements were designed in which the distances between the adhesive element supply and the application device are very small, so that both can be implemented, for example, as part of an end effector of a robot head. Among these application devices with an integrated dispenser for the adhesive elements, those configurations have proven particularly advantageous in which the corresponding application devices are supplied with refill cassettes, enabling rapid refilling of the application device with new adhesive elements.

[0006] A particularly efficient and advantageous application device with refill cassette is disclosed in DE 102022125422 A1.

[0007] This application device, known from the prior art, allows for the time- and cost-efficient replacement of the die-cutting reservoir, thus maximizing the operating time of the application device. Simultaneously, it minimizes the installation space required for the application device, while the previously emptied refill cassettes can be advantageously refilled, making the resulting process particularly sustainable. In particular, it minimizes the amount of separating liner that would otherwise need to be disposed of.

[0008] Despite the considerable advantages that can be achieved with the application device of DE 102022125422 A1, the inventors of the present invention have identified specific areas for development where further improvements would be desirable. A crucial aspect here is the design of the refill cassette. The greatest challenge is reliably guiding the web-shaped dispenser material tape, on which the adhesive elements are arranged, provided on the feed roller, through the dispensing area of ​​the cassette unit, where the adhesive elements can be separated, and then winding the web-shaped separating material, thus freed of adhesive elements, onto the receiving roller.This requires ensuring a particularly robust guide for the dispenser material belt inside the cassette unit, which allows the dispenser material belt to be guided safely and reliably through the refill cassette even under the mechanical stresses that occur during use.

[0009] In the cassette units known from DE 102022125422 A1, this was implemented, apart from the specific arrangement of the two rollers, using stationary deflection elements around which the web-shaped dispenser material tape can be guided in front of the dispensing edge before being wound onto the take-up reel behind the dispensing edge. The use of such stationary deflection elements, also known as deflection rails, is generally preferable to the use of rotating elements, such as deflection rollers. Firstly, such deflection rails are less susceptible to mechanical stress and, in most cases, more durable. Furthermore, it is important that the dispenser material tape is guided within the cassette unit with a sufficiently large radius of curvature so that the adhesive elements on the release material are not detached before reaching the dispensing edge.Corresponding gentle deflection angles can be achieved with appropriate deflection rails in a significantly more space-saving and component-saving manner than with rotatable guide rollers.

[0010] Despite the advantages associated with using such a guide rail, its implementation also has disadvantages. The need for a guide rail increases the manufacturing effort and material costs associated with producing the corresponding cassette units. Furthermore, guiding the dispenser material belt past the stationary guide rail generates frictional resistance, which counteracts the desired path guidance within the cassette unit. Additionally, there is a risk that material defects on the surface of the guide rail, such as protrusions or edges resulting from injection molding, could damage the separating material being guided by the rail.

[0011] The primary objective of the present invention was to eliminate or at least reduce the disadvantages of the prior art described above.

[0012] In particular, it was an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous cassette unit for use in application systems for the application of adhesive elements, the manufacture of which is possible in a more time- and cost-efficient manner, in particular with material savings compared to the prior art.

[0013] It was an objective of the present invention to ensure that the robustness of the specified cassette unit would not be impaired during subsequent operation and, ideally, would even be improved.

[0014] A further object of the present invention was that the cassette unit to be specified should be designed in such a way as to improve the durability of the cassette unit, in particular by further reducing the probability of damage to the web-shaped separation material guided in the cassette unit, so that in particular a higher number of recycling cycles for the emptied cassette unit is enabled and thus the advantageous economic and ecological effects of the use of the cassette unit should be further improved.

[0015] Furthermore, it was a desirable requirement that the specified cassette unit should make it possible to reduce the force required for guiding the material dispensing belt in the cassette unit and thus the required energy expenditure.

[0016] Furthermore, it was an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous application system which makes use of the specified cassette unit, as well as a corresponding method for applying adhesive elements.

[0017] The inventors of the present invention have now found that the problems described above can be solved, starting from the cassette units known from DE 102022125422 A1, if the use of deflection elements, in particular deflection rails, is largely dispensed with and instead the donor material web is guided directly around the receiving roller, which thereby acts as a deflection element as described in the claims.

[0018] This advantageous design makes it possible to significantly simplify the construction of corresponding cassette units and to considerably reduce the variety of parts required for their manufacture, as well as the complexity of the manufacturing process. This enables the production of the cassette units according to the invention in a significantly more time- and cost-efficient manner. Furthermore, the advantageous guiding of the dispenser material tape, which is still provided with adhesive elements, over the web-shaped release material already wound on the receiving reel for deflection, effectively reduces the risk of damage to the web-shaped release material that would result from production defects in any deflection elements.In particularly preferred embodiments, it is also possible to select the rotation direction of the receiving roller such that the tangential velocity vector coincides with the path direction of the dispenser material belt. Instead of a braking effect due to friction of the web-shaped separating material against any deflection rail, this results synergistically in an additional conveying effect and reduced friction, since the dispenser material belt is deflected by a component that is already rotating at the appropriate speed in the desired direction, without the need for an additional complex rotating guide element. This reduces the required installation space and the energy required for operation.

[0019] The aforementioned problems are thus solved by the subject matter of the invention as defined in the claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the following descriptions.

[0020] Such embodiments, which are hereinafter referred to as preferred, are combined in particularly preferred embodiments with features of other embodiments referred to as preferred. Combinations of two or more of the embodiments referred to below as particularly preferred are therefore especially preferred. Also preferred are embodiments in which a feature of one embodiment, referred to as preferred to any degree, is combined with one or more further features of other embodiments, which are referred to as preferred to any degree. Features of preferred application systems and methods result from the features of preferred cassette units.

[0021] Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the exemplary embodiments.

[0022] The invention shall accordingly have two or more, preferably three or more, most preferably four or more, of the preferred features of the invention disclosed below, which are also realized in the exemplary embodiments.

[0023] The invention relates to a cassette unit for use in application systems for applying adhesive elements, comprising: i) a feed roller, ii) a receiving roller, iii) a dispensing edge, and iv) a web-shaped dispensing material tape, wherein the dispensing material tape comprises a plurality of adhesive elements arranged on a web-shaped release material, wherein the dispenser material tape is partially wound on the feed roller and attached at one end to the receiving roller, wherein the web-shaped separating material is guided around the dispenser edge between the feed roller and the receiving roller with respect to the web direction, wherein the web-shaped separating material is guided around the receiving roller or around the part of the web-shaped separating material wound on the receiving roller in front of the dispenser edge with respect to the web direction, so that the receiving roller or the part of the web-shaped separating material wound on the receiving roller acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape.

[0024] Application systems for applying adhesive elements, as well as cassette units suitable for use in such application systems, are generally known from the prior art, in particular from DE 102022125422 A1, so that reference can be made to the prior art with regard to many basic principles.

[0025] The basic principle of the cassette unit according to the invention, in accordance with the prior art, is based on the fact that the filled cassette unit comprises a dispenser material tape containing the adhesive elements to be applied in the subsequent application process. These adhesive elements are arranged on a web-like release material within the dispenser material tape. In its initial state, this web-like dispenser material tape is largely wound onto the feed roller and is attached at one end to the receiving roller, allowing it to be transferred from one roller to the other. During this transfer, the dispenser material tape passes over a so-called dispensing edge, where the tape, or rather its web-like release material, is deflected so sharply that, due to their inherent stiffness, the adhesive elements are detached from the web-like release material and dispensed from the cassette unit as they pass over the dispensing edge.It is therefore a cassette unit according to the invention, wherein the cassette unit is arranged so that a dispenser material tape provided on the receiving roller, which comprises a plurality of adhesive elements arranged on the web-shaped second separating material, can be guided over the dispensing edge to the feed roller in such a way that the adhesive elements can be separated from the separating material at the dispensing edge and dispensed from the cassette unit.

[0026] A cassette unit according to the invention is preferred, wherein the cassette unit is a refillable cassette unit. Additionally or alternatively, a cassette unit according to the invention is preferred, wherein the feed roller and the receiving roller in the cassette unit are designed as undriven rollers, so that they can be driven by the drive units of an application device.

[0027] A cassette unit according to the invention is generally preferred, wherein the cassette unit comprises a housing, preferably a plastic housing, wherein the housing comprises a dispensing opening in the area of ​​the dispensing edge.

[0028] It can be seen as an advantage of the cassette units according to the invention that they can, in principle, be operated with the same components, with regard to the adhesive elements used and the dispenser material tape, as are known from the prior art, so that no adaptation of the existing manufacturing processes is necessary. A cassette unit according to the invention is preferred in which the adhesive elements are die-cut parts. A cassette unit according to the invention is also preferred, either additionally or alternatively, in which the adhesive elements comprise a carrier layer and an adhesive layer connected thereto, wherein the adhesive elements with the adhesive layer are arranged on the first release material. A cassette unit according to the invention is again preferred, either additionally or alternatively, in which the adhesive elements are pressure-sensitive adhesive elements, and / or wherein the adhesive layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive compound, the adhesive layer preferably consisting of a pressure-sensitive adhesive compound.A cassette unit according to the invention is particularly preferred, wherein the carrier layer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, cyclic olefin copolymers, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyethersulfone, and polyimide, preferably from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the carrier layer preferably consists of these materials. A cassette unit according to the invention is also particularly preferred, or alternatively, wherein the side of the adhesive elements facing away from the adhesive layer is formed by the carrier layer.

[0029] A cassette unit according to the invention is also preferred, either additionally or alternatively, wherein the web-shaped release material is a liner. A cassette unit according to the invention is particularly preferred in that the web-shaped release material is coated on the side facing the adhesive elements with a release layer, preferably with a silicone release layer, wherein the silicone release layer is preferably produced by crosslinking a crosslinkable silicone system comprising one or more polysiloxanes.

[0030] The essential aspect of the invention is that, unlike in DE 102022125422 A1, the deflection of the dispenser material tape does not require a stationary deflection rail or other separate guide elements, but rather the web-shaped separating material is guided around the receiving roller or around the portion of the web-shaped separating material already placed on the receiving roller. In other words, it is a cassette unit according to the invention, wherein the web-shaped separating material, relative to the web direction in front of the dispensing edge, is guided around the receiving roller or around the portion of the web-shaped separating material wound on the receiving roller in such a way that it contacts the receiving roller or the portion of the web-shaped separating material wound on the receiving roller.

[0031] The foregoing definition, that the web-shaped release material is guided around the receiving roller or the portion of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller, takes into account the fact that, in the fully filled initial state of the cassette unit according to the invention, the receiving roller may not yet be completely wrapped by the web-shaped release material, so that the web-shaped release material guided around the receiving roller actually contacts the roller core. However, as the adhesive elements are dispensed, the receiving roller is filled with web-shaped release material, which can then contact the dispenser material tape.

[0032] Building on this idea, it is at least theoretically conceivable that different parts of the receiving roller could serve to guide the dispenser material belt and wind the web-like separating material. For example, the belt could, at least theoretically, be guided over a front or rear section of the receiving roller, while the web-like separating material would be wound onto a separate second section, so that the dispenser material belt is guided over the roller core throughout the entire emptying process of the cassette unit. However, the inventors consider this theoretical design less desirable because the height of the receiving roller would have to be increased, thus increasing the space requirement.Furthermore, it would be necessary to deflect the dispenser material belt laterally at least once from the original guide plane between the redirection and winding of the web-shaped separating material, so that the interaction with the receiving roller takes place on two different sections, which in turn would increase the complexity of the cassette unit, so that, in the inventors' estimation, such designs will be more suitable for special applications.

[0033] The advantageous design according to the invention makes it possible, in preferred embodiments, to essentially eliminate the need for additional deflection or guide elements. This optimizes the time and cost efficiency of manufacturing the corresponding cassette units, reduces material requirements, and, in particular, achieves a significant weight reduction, which is especially beneficial for use in application systems designed as end effectors of industrial robots. In light of the foregoing, those skilled in the art will understand that it is particularly preferred to exploit the possibility of reducing the number of deflection or guide elements offered by the invention by ensuring that the cassette unit relies as little as possible on these elements.Even though it would theoretically be possible to provide additional guide rollers, which may even be advantageous for certain high-performance applications, it is preferred for essentially all embodiments if no further deflection elements are provided beyond the deflection at the receiving roller or the dispensing edge, and if, to reduce the number of parts and friction in the system, the number of other guide elements that contact the dispensing material belt is also minimized. A cassette unit according to the invention is therefore preferred, wherein the cassette unit does not include any further deflection elements for deflecting the dispensing material belt that deflect the dispensing material belt by more than 30° relative to the web direction between the feed roller and the dispensing edge, and in particular, no deflection rails.Preferably, or alternatively, a cassette unit according to the invention is used, wherein the cassette unit does not include any further guide elements for guiding the dispenser material belt that contact the dispenser material belt with respect to the web direction between the feed roller and the dispensing edge, in particular no deflection rails.

[0034] A major advantage of the cassette unit design according to the invention is that, by using the feed roller as a deflection element, it is possible to guide the dispenser material tape to the dispensing edge in a particularly space-efficient manner, without causing an excessively sharp deflection that could lead to premature detachment of the adhesive elements from the web-like release material, which is therefore to be avoided. The inventors have succeeded in identifying particularly advantageous dimensions for the core of the most common adhesive elements for the feed roller and the receiving roller, with which particularly advantageous cassette units according to the invention can be obtained.A cassette unit according to the invention is preferred, wherein the feed roller, without the dispenser material tape, has a roller diameter DZ in the range of 10 to 30 cm, preferably in the range of 12 to 25 cm, and particularly preferably in the range of 14 to 20 cm. Additionally or alternatively, a cassette unit according to the invention is preferred, wherein the receiving roller, without the web-shaped separating material, has a roller diameter DA in the range of 5 to 30 cm, preferably in the range of 7 to 25 cm, and particularly preferably in the range of 14 to 20 cm.

[0035] In the course of developing the present invention, the inventors found that for optimal performance, it is advisable to design the diameters of the core rollers of the feed roller and the receiving roller to be as similar as possible. The use of essentially identical core rollers is particularly preferred, as this advantageously results in excellent deflection angles at the feed roller and the dispensing edge in a space-saving arrangement, enabling particularly reliable operation. A cassette unit according to the invention is therefore preferred, wherein the receiving roller, without the web-shaped separating material, has a roller diameter DA in the range of 0.4*DZ to 1.6*DZ, preferably in the range of 0.6*DZ to 1.4*DZ, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.8*DZ to 1.2*DZ, where DZ is the roller diameter of the feed roller without the dispensing material strip.

[0036] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the cassette units according to the invention arises especially when the direction of rotation of the receiving roller, which occurs when winding the web-shaped separation material, is selected such that the rotational speed vector on the outside of the feed roller coincides with the web direction vector of the dispenser material belt guided around the feed roller. Advantageously, the rotation used to wind the web-shaped separation material thus simultaneously conveys the dispenser material belt, which also advantageously occurs at essentially the same speed, so that frictional movements can be almost completely avoided and thus particularly gentle and low-friction operation of the cassette unit according to the invention is possible.A cassette unit according to the invention is therefore preferred, wherein the cassette unit is designed such that the rotation of the receiving roller for winding up the web-shaped separating material freed from adhesive elements at the dispensing edge is such that the direction of rotation in the contact area with the guided web-shaped separating material coincides with the conveying direction of the web-shaped separating material.

[0037] The cassette unit according to the invention can be inserted into an application system as known from DE102022125422A1, whereby it can be seen as a major advantage of the invention that the advantageous cassette units according to the invention can be used without having to make any design changes to the existing application devices.

[0038] The invention also relates to an application system for applying adhesive elements, comprising: I) an application device, II) a cassette holder with at least one drive unit, III) a cassette unit according to the invention arranged in the cassette holder, wherein the application system is set up to use the drive unit to guide the dispenser material belt through the cassette unit arranged in the cassette holder, so that the dispenser material belt is guided around the receiving roller or around the part of the web-shaped separating material wound on the receiving roller in front of the dispensing edge. is guided so that the receiving roller or the part of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape, and so that the dispenser material tape is subsequently guided around the dispensing edge in such a way that the adhesive elements are separated from the release material and dispensed from the cassette unit.

[0039] Preferred application systems are based on designs that have already proven to be particularly efficient in the prior art.

[0040] A preferred example is an application system according to the invention, wherein the drive unit is an electric motor.

[0041] Preferably, or alternatively, an application system according to the invention is further comprised, wherein the application system further comprises: IV) a transfer unit comprising a circulating conveyor belt with an adhesion-reduced surface, wherein the transfer unit preferably comprises a transfer dispensing edge.

[0042] Preferably, an application system according to the invention is additionally or alternatively used, wherein the transfer unit is preferably arranged such that the adhesive elements dispensed from the cassette unit can be transferred directly to the transfer unit.

[0043] A preferred application system according to the invention is also, or alternatively, preferred, wherein the application device comprises a motion unit and a receiving unit arranged on the motion unit, the receiving unit being configured to form a reversibly and non-destructively detachable connection with a carrier layer of the adhesive elements. A preferred application system according to the invention is further preferred, wherein the receiving unit comprises one or more controllable suction grippers, and wherein the application device preferably comprises one or more vacuum pumps connected to the suction grippers. A preferred application system according to the invention is further preferred, or alternatively, wherein the motion unit comprises a piston arrangement with a cylinder and a piston movable in the cylinder, and wherein the motion unit preferably comprises a rotation device for rotating the piston arrangement.

[0044] Beyond the application device design known from the prior art, a particularly advantageous embodiment arises when using cassette units according to the invention if the application system is capable of determining the radius of the feed roller and / or the receiving roller. It is fundamentally conceivable to calculate the radius of one roller using the known radius of the other roller and the total quantity of web-shaped separating material or dispenser material tape. Such a determination of the radius can be carried out, in particular, with radially spaced, non-contact distance sensors, for example, ultrasound-based distance sensors, which can deduce the radius of the roller and thus the fill level from the distance measured to the circumferential surface of the roller.This knowledge makes it possible to deduce the rotational speed acting at the outer edge from the number of revolutions of the respective roller, thereby enabling the rotation of the rollers to be coordinated in such a way as to ensure optimal web guidance of the web-shaped separation material with uniform winding and unwinding, thus ensuring a particularly advantageous interaction between the rotating receiving roller and the dispenser material belt guided around it. A preferred application system according to the invention comprises means for determining the radius of the feed roller and / or the radius of the receiving roller, preferably both the radius of the feed roller and the radius of the receiving roller, preferably as part of the application device.A particularly preferred application system according to the invention is one in which the application system is configured to guide the dispenser material tape through the cassette unit arranged in the cassette holder as a function of the radius of the feed roller and / or the radius of the receiving roller, preferably the radius of both the feed roller and the receiving roller, preferably to maintain a predetermined web speed. A particularly preferred additional or alternative application system according to the invention is one in which the means for determining the radius are selected from the group consisting of optical image acquisition devices and non-contact distance sensors, preferably non-contact distance sensors, and particularly preferably ultrasound-based distance sensors.

[0045] The invention also relates to a method for operating an application system according to the invention, comprising the following method steps: a) Guiding the dispenser material tape through the cassette unit arranged in the cassette receptacle, wherein the dispenser material tape is guided around the receiving roller or around the part of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller in front of the dispensing edge, so that the receiving roller or the part of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape, and wherein the dispenser material tape is guided around the dispensing edge in such a way that the adhesive elements are separated from the release material and dispensed from the cassette unit, and b) applying the adhesive elements dispensed from the cassette unit with the application device.

[0046] A preferred method according to the invention is wherein the receiving roller for winding up the release material freed from adhesive elements at the dispensing edge is rotated in such a way that the direction of rotation in the contact area with the guided release material coincides with the conveying direction of the release material.

[0047] A preferred method according to the invention is additionally or alternatively used, wherein the guiding of the dispenser material belt through the cassette unit arranged in the cassette holder is dependent on the radius of the feed roller and / or the radius of the receiving roller, preferably the radius of the feed roller and the radius of the receiving roller, preferably to maintain a predetermined web speed.

[0048] The invention and preferred embodiments of the invention are explained and described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures. These figures show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a cassette unit according to the invention in a preferred embodiment in the filled state; and Fig. 2 a schematic representation of a cassette unit according to the invention in a preferred embodiment in the filled state.

[0049] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the main components of a cassette unit 10 according to the invention in a preferred embodiment, as it may be in the filled state. The essential components shown are those which can be installed in a housing in later use, as is known, for example, from DE 102022125422 A1.

[0050] The cassette unit 10 comprises a feed roller 12 and a receiving roller 14, which in the example shown are designed with a roller core having a diameter of approximately 17.9 cm. In the Fig. 1It can be seen that the feed roller 12 is filled with a dispenser material tape 18, which comprises a classic separating liner as a web-shaped separating material, on which a large number of die-cut pieces are arranged as adhesive elements, which are connected to the web-shaped separating material via their adhesive layer.

[0051] The web-shaped dispensing material strip 18 is attached at its end to the receiving roller 14 in such a way that it is guided between the feed roller 12 and the receiving roller 14 over a dispensing edge 16. At the dispensing edge 16, the web-shaped separating material is deflected so sharply that the intrinsic stiffness of the die-cut pieces causes them to detach from the web-shaped separating material and be ejected at the dispensing edge 16. For the sake of clarity, the Fig. 1The adhesive elements are not visualized. For better clarity, the web-shaped dispenser material strip 18, which still includes adhesive elements, is provided with a darker hatching up to the dispensing edge 16 than after the dispensing edge 16. Due to the different hatching of the dispenser material strip 18 before and after the dispensing edge 16, it is possible to see in Fig. 1 It is clearly evident that the web-shaped separating material is guided around the receiving roller 14, which acts as a deflecting element, and that the cassette unit 10 is designed such that the direction of rotation of the receiving roller 14 in the contact area with the dispenser material tape 18 points in the same direction as the web guiding direction.

[0052] Fig. 2 shows the same cassette unit 10, which is also in the Fig. 1This is shown, however, at a later point in the inventive method, namely when the die-cut pieces contained in the cassette unit 10 have already been largely dispensed. In this state, only a small part of the dispensing material strip 18 is still arranged on the feed roller 12, so that a correspondingly large part of the web-shaped separating material is wound on the receiving roller 14, the radius of which increases accordingly. In the Fig. 2It is clearly evident that, even with an increasing diameter of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller 14, an advantageously smooth deflection of the web-shaped dispenser material tape 18 takes place, and the receiving roller 14 can be advantageously positioned so that even with a largely full filling level at the dispensing edge 16, a sharp deflection of the web-shaped release material can still be achieved in order to ensure efficient dispensing of the adhesive elements from the cassette unit 10. Reference symbol list

[0053] 10 Cassette unit 12 Feed roller 14 Pick-up roller 16 Dispensing edge 18 Dispensing material belt

Claims

1. Cassette unit (10) for use in application systems for applying adhesive elements, comprising: i) a feed roller (12), ii) a receiving roller (14), iii) a dispensing edge (16), and iv) a web-shaped dispensing material strip (18), wherein the dispensing material strip (18) comprises a plurality of adhesive elements arranged on a web-shaped release material, wherein the dispensing material strip (18) is partially wound on the feed roller (12) and attached at one end to the receiving roller (14), wherein the web-shaped release material is guided around the dispensing edge (16) between the feed roller (12) and the receiving roller (14) with respect to the web direction, and wherein, in front of the dispensing edge (16) with respect to the web direction, the web-shaped release material is guided around the receiving roller (14) or around the portion of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller (14), respectively.so that the receiving roller (14) or the part of the web-shaped separation material wound on the receiving roller (14) acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape (18).

2. Cassette unit (10) according to claim 1, wherein the cassette unit (10) does not include any further deflecting elements for deflecting the dispenser material belt (18) by more than 30° with respect to the web direction between the feed roller (12) and the dispensing edge (16).

3. Cassette unit (10) according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the cassette unit (10) does not include any further guide elements for guiding the dispenser material belt (18) that contact the dispenser material belt (18) with respect to the web direction between the feed roller (12) and the dispensing edge (16).

4. Cassette unit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the feed roller (12) without the dispenser material belt (18) has a roller diameter DZ in the range of 10 to 30 cm.

5. Cassette unit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receiving roller (14) without the web-shaped separating material has a roller diameter D A in the range of 5 to 30 cm.

6. Cassette unit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the receiving roller (14) without the web-shaped separating material has a roller diameter D A in the range of 0.4*D Z up to 1.6*Dz, where D Z the roller diameter of the feed roller (12) without the dispenser material belt.

7. Cassette unit (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cassette unit (10) is designed such that the receiving roller (14) is rotated to wind up the web-shaped separating material freed from adhesive elements at the dispensing edge (16) in such a way that the direction of rotation in the contact area with the guided web-shaped separating material coincides with the conveying direction of the web-shaped separating material.

8. Application system for applying adhesive elements, comprising: I) an application device, II) a cassette holder with at least one drive unit, III) a cassette unit (10) arranged in the cassette holder according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the application system is configured to use the drive unit to guide the dispenser material tape (18) through the cassette unit (10) arranged in the cassette holder, so that the dispenser material tape (18) is guided around the receiving roller (14) or around the portion of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller (14) in front of the dispensing edge (16), so that the receiving roller (14) or the portion of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller (14) acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape (18), and so that the dispenser material tape (18) is subsequently guided around the dispensing edge (16).that the adhesive elements are separated from the release material and dispensed from the cassette unit (10).

9. Application system according to claim 8, wherein the application system comprises means for determining the radius of the feed roller (12) and / or the radius of the receiving roller (14).

10. Method for operating an application system according to one of claims 8 or 9, comprising the method steps: a) guiding the dispenser material tape (18) through the cassette unit (10) arranged in the cassette receptacle, wherein the dispenser material tape (18) is guided around the receiving roller (14) or around the part of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller (14) in front of the dispensing edge (16), so that the receiving roller (14) or the part of the web-shaped release material wound on the receiving roller (14) acts as a deflecting element for deflecting the dispenser material tape (18), and wherein the dispenser material tape (18) is guided around the dispensing edge (16) in such a way that the adhesive elements are separated from the release material and dispensed from the cassette unit (10), and b) applying the adhesive elements dispensed from the cassette unit (10) with the application device.

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