Multiple liquid mixed type applicator

Abstract

To provide an applicator that includes a static mixer mixed with a solution, and an application body for applying the mixed solution, which takes correspondence when solidification of the solution proceeds by interruption of a coating work.SOLUTION: A multiple liquid mixed type applicator includes a solution storage part 1 having a first storage pipe 1A storing a solution A and a second storage pipe 1B storing a solution B, and a piston 1b which is arranged in each of the storage pipes for pushing out each of the solutions forward from each of the storage pipes, and a nozzle part 2 for collecting the solutions discharged from each of the storage pipes by forward movement of each of the pistons, and guiding the solution to an applicator 5a arranged on the front end, wherein the nozzle part includes a static mixer 4 for mixing the collected solution, and the applicator 5a for applying the solution mixed by the static mixer to a part to be applied by a rotating ball, and the nozzle part 2 is detachably mounted on the solution storage part 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-liquid mixing type applicator that generates, for example, an adhesive by mixing a main agent with a curing agent or the like, and applies the adhesive to a coated portion by an applicator that rotates a ball.

Background Art

[0002] A two-liquid discharge container that can discharge two types of solutions quantitatively or at the same ratio has been proposed (Patent Document 1). According to this two-liquid discharge container, two container bodies containing solutions are respectively accommodated in a cover case, and by operating a rotation operation portion arranged at the rear portion of the cover case, each piston that moves forward in conjunction with the rotation operation portion causes the solutions accommodated in the respective container bodies to be pushed out.

[0003] Thereby, the respective solutions accommodated in the respective container bodies are discharged quantitatively or at the same ratio from the respective nozzles arranged at the front portion of the cover case. Therefore, by mixing and reacting the solutions discharged from the respective nozzles, it is possible to generate, for example, hair dyeing liquid, industrial adhesive, sealing material, medical adhesive, filler, etc. in the amount required by the user without leaving unreacted components.

[0004] Also, a ballpoint pen refill has been proposed in which aqueous inks of different colors are filled in layers or spirally along the longitudinal direction in an ink storage tube, and a static mixer is arranged between a ballpoint pen tip attached to the front end portion of the ink storage tube and the ink storage tube (Patent Documents 2 and 3).

[0005] According to this ballpoint pen refill, the aqueous inks of different colors in the ink storage tube are appropriately mixed by the static mixer and sent to the ballpoint pen tip side. Therefore, a pattern is formed by a plurality of inks of different colors in the light-transmissive ink receiving tube, and a drawing line can be drawn in a color different from any of the ink colors in the ink receiving tube, and it is described that an interesting water-based ballpoint pen refill is provided.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, the two-liquid discharge container disclosed in Patent Document 1 is intended to discharge a solution according to a predetermined ratio, and in the description of Patent Document 1, it does not have the function of mixing and applying two solutions. In addition, the water-based ballpoint pen refills disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are configured to appropriately mix water-based inks of different colors and send them to the ballpoint pen tip, and aim to provide an interesting water-based ballpoint pen refill that can draw a drawing line in a color different from any of the ink colors in the ink receiving tube.

[0008] On the other hand, this invention is made on the premise of handling a two-liquid mixed adhesive that promotes solidification by mixing a curing agent or the like with a main agent, for example, and has a static mixer that mixes a plurality of solutions and a function of applying the solution mixed thereby, and is characterized in that it focuses on the countermeasures when solidification progresses in the solution due to the interruption of the coating operation, and aims to provide a multi-liquid mixed coating tool.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The multi-liquid mixing type applicator according to the present invention, which is made to solve the above-described problems, includes at least a first storage tube for storing solution A, a second storage tube for storing solution B, and pistons disposed in the respective storage tubes for pushing out the respective solutions forward from the respective storage tubes. The solution storage unit further includes a nozzle unit that collects the solutions discharged from the respective storage tubes by the forward movement of the respective pistons and guides the solutions to an application body disposed at the front end. The nozzle unit is provided with a static mixer for mixing the collected solutions, and the application body for applying the solutions mixed by the static mixer to the application part by a rotating ball. The nozzle unit is detachably attached to the solution storage unit.

[0010] In this case, preferably, the nozzle unit is rotatably fastened to the solution storage unit by a bayonet structure, so that the nozzle unit is detachably attached to the solution storage unit. The bayonet structure includes a plurality of claw portions intermittently formed along the circumference of the nozzle unit, and a plurality of locking portions formed on the solution storage unit side for locking the respective claw portions.

[0011] In addition, it is preferable that the nozzle unit is detachably attached to a first nozzle unit that houses the static mixer and a second nozzle unit that includes the application body by the above-described ball.

[0012] Further, the first nozzle unit constitutes a first cylindrical body and houses the static mixer in the axial center portion, and a male screw is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body. The second nozzle unit constitutes a second cylindrical body, and a female screw that screws into the male screw of the first cylindrical body is provided along the inner peripheral surface. A ball constituting the application body is rotatably held at the front end portion of the second cylindrical body. Preferably, the second nozzle unit is detachably attached to the first nozzle unit by screwing the female screw with respect to the male screw.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the multi-fluid mixing type applicator according to the present invention described above, the nozzle part is preferably detachably attached to the solution storage part by a bayonet structure. Therefore, when handling a two-component mixed adhesive such as a two-component mixed adhesive whose solidification is promoted by mixing solution A and solution B as the coating body, when the solidification of the solution progresses due to the interruption of the coating operation, the nozzle part is removed from the solution storage part, and by replacing it with a new nozzle part, the coating operation can be continued subsequently.

[0014] That is, according to the multi-fluid mixing type applicator according to the present invention, at the time of interruption or completion of the coating operation, the solution storage part containing solution A and solution B is not discarded, and by discarding the nozzle part and a small amount of solution filled in the nozzle part, it can be made reusable.

[0015] Further, for the above-described nozzle part, a configuration is adopted in which a second nozzle part provided with a coating body is detachably attached to a first nozzle part containing a static mixer, for example, by screw connection. Therefore, depending on the degree of progress of the solidification of the solution, the coating operation can be restarted by replacing only the second nozzle part provided with the coating body. According to this, it is possible to provide a multi-fluid mixing type applicator that can enjoy further cost advantages.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

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Figure 3

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Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] The multi-liquid mixing type applicator according to this invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below take as an example a multi-liquid mixing type applicator that generates a two-liquid mixing type adhesive by mixing a curing agent with a main agent, and applies this adhesive to a coated part with a rotating ball as an applicator. The overall configuration of this multi-liquid mixing type applicator is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. This multi-liquid mixing type applicator is provided with a solution container part 1 having a first storage tube 1A for storing solution A as the main agent and a second storage tube 1B for storing solution B as the curing agent. The first storage tube 1A and the second storage tube 1B that constitute the solution storage part 1 are integrally formed of a resin material with their tube axes parallel to each other with a partition wall 1a (see Fig. 2(C)) interposed therebetween at the central part.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2(C), pistons 1b are arranged in the tubes of the first storage tube 1A and the second storage tube 1B, one for each storage tube 1A, 1B. These pistons 1b are attached to the front end parts of plunger rods 1c. Then, the rear end parts of the respective plunger rods 1c are connected to a connecting body 1d, and each plunger rod 1c is formed in a U shape with the connecting body 1d bent to the central part. In this example, the piston 1b, the plunger rod 1c, and the connecting body 1d are integrally formed of a resin material.

[0019] Also, seal bodies 1e are respectively attached to the front surface sides of the respective pistons 1b, and the solution A and the solution B described above are stored in the solution storage spaces surrounded by the inner walls of the respective storage tubes 1A, 1B and the respective seal bodies 1e. Thereby, by the forward movement of the respective plunger rods 1c via the connecting body 1d, the solution A and the solution B in the first storage tube 1A and the second storage tube 1B are pushed out toward the front of the solution storage part 1 by the respective pistons 1b.

[0020] In the two-component mixed adhesive described above, the mixing volume ratio of the solution A as the main agent and the solution B as the curing agent is generally one-to-one. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inner diameters of the first storage tube 1A and the second storage tube 1B described above are made the same, and in order for the forward movement amounts of the respective pistons 1b to also be the same, a configuration in which the respective plunger rods 1c are connected by the connecting body 1d is adopted. However, when the mixing volume ratio of the two components changes, it is desirable to change the inner diameter ratio of the first storage tube 1A and the second storage tube 1B and adopt pistons 1b with different diameters corresponding to the respective storage tubes 1A, 1B.

[0021] At the front end of the above-described solution storage unit 1, a nozzle unit 2 is detachably attached to the solution storage unit 1 by a bayonet structure 3. The bayonet structure 3 will be described later based on FIGS. 3 to 6 and the like. Also, inside the nozzle unit 2, there is a static mixer 4 for mixing the solution A and solution B that are extruded from the respective storage tubes 1A and 1B and gathered together, and a coating body 5a for coating the coated portion with the solution (adhesive) mixed by this static mixer 4 by means of a rotating ball. The detailed configurations of the nozzle unit 2 and the coating body 5a will be described later based on FIGS. 6 to 8 and the like, and the static mixer 4 will be described later based on FIG. 9.

[0022] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the single-component configuration of the solution storage unit 1 with the above-described piston 1b and nozzle unit 2 removed. At the front end of this solution storage unit 1, a joint surface 1f to which the rear end of the nozzle unit 2 is joined by the above-described bayonet structure 3 is formed in a state perpendicular to the axis. In the central portion of this joint surface 1f, a solution discharge pipe 1g is formed so as to project in the axial direction. From this solution discharge pipe 1g, the solution A and solution B that are extruded from the respective storage tubes 1A and 1B and gathered together are discharged.

[0023] Also, a pair of locking portions 1h that stand up from both outer sides of the solution discharge pipe 1g and are bent into an L shape toward the solution discharge pipe 1g with the solution discharge pipe 1g at the center are integrally formed with the solution storage unit 1. This pair of locking portions 1h bent into an L shape constitutes one of the fastening means of the nozzle unit 2 by the above-described bayonet structure 3.

[0024] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the overall configuration of the nozzle unit 2. This nozzle unit 2 includes a first nozzle unit 2A formed by a first cylindrical body and a second nozzle unit 2B formed by a second cylindrical body that covers the outer peripheral surface of the first nozzle unit 2A and is detachably attached. And at the rear end of the first nozzle part 2A, a flange part 2k (see Fig. 7) is integrally formed with a pair of claw parts 2a and the like that constitute the other part of the fastening means of the nozzle part 2 by the bayonet structure 3 described above. Also, inside the first nozzle part 2A, a static mixer 4, which will be described later, is accommodated and arranged. Furthermore, on the front end side of the first nozzle part 2A, the outer diameter is slightly reduced and a male thread 2c is provided.

[0025] On the other hand, an internal thread 2g (see Fig. 7) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second nozzle part 2B. This internal thread 2g is screwed and threadedly coupled to the male thread 2c of the first nozzle part 2A, and the second nozzle part 2B is detachably attached to the first nozzle part 2A. Also, a protrusion is integrally formed at the center of the front end of the second nozzle part 2B, and an axial pressure inlet 2h (see Fig. 7) is provided on this protrusion. A ball holder 5 formed of a short-axis-shaped pipe material is attached by being press-fitted into this pressure inlet 2h. And at the conical tip of the ball holder 5, an application body 5a for applying a solution (adhesive) to the application part by a rotating ball is held. Note that the first nozzle part 2A and the second nozzle part 2B described above are each formed of a resin material, and the ball holder 5 press-fitted and attached to the second nozzle part 2B and the ball as the application body 5a are preferably formed of a metal material.

[0026] Fig. 8 shows the single-component configuration of the first nozzle part 2A. At the rear end of the first nozzle part 2A, the above-described flange part 2k is integrally formed with the first nozzle part 2A, and a contact surface 2i that is flat is formed on the back side of this flange part 2k. By this contact surface 2i contacting the joint surface 1f of the solution storage part 1 described above, the nozzle part 2 is bayonet-coupled. Also, on the front surface of the flange part 2k, the pair of claw parts 2a described above are formed so as to be axially symmetric, and a thick part 2b is formed so as to be axially symmetric between the pair of claw parts 2a along the circumference.

[0027] When the pair of thick portions 2b abuts against the locking portion 1h when the nozzle portion 2 is bayonet-coupled to the solution storage portion 1, it functions as a stopper that restricts the relative rotation range of the nozzle portion 2 with respect to the solution storage portion 1 to about 90 degrees. In addition, the flange portion 2k integrally formed with the first nozzle portion 2A has two opposing linear sides formed in a parallel state, and both end sides in the longitudinal direction orthogonal to these two sides form an arc shape. As a result, the flange portion 2k has the same shape as the joint surface 1f of the solution storage portion 1 (see Fig. 4(A)) in a plan view.

[0028] Further, in the first nozzle portion 2A, a series of shaft holes whose inner diameter gradually decreases in a stepped manner from the rear end portion to the front end portion are formed in the axial center portion. As shown in Fig. 8(D), these shaft holes constitute the guide hole 2d, the mixer housing portion 2e, and the solution discharge hole 2f. The solution discharge pipe 1g of the solution storage portion 1 is relatively inserted into the guide hole 2d, so that alignment during bayonet coupling can be performed, and it can contribute to smoothly performing the rotation fastening operation of the nozzle portion 2. Further, a static mixer 4 is inserted and arranged in the mixer housing portion 2e, and the solution discharge hole 2f functions to send out the solution (adhesive) mixed by the static mixer 4 to the side of the coating body 5 by the ball.

[0029] Fig. 3 sequentially shows the operations when removing the nozzle portion 2 from the state where the nozzle portion 2 is attached to the solution storage portion 1 by the above-described bayonet coupling. First, Fig. 3(A) shows a state where a pair of claw portions 2a on the nozzle portion 2 side are locked to a pair of locking portions 1h formed in an L shape on the solution storage portion 1 side, and the nozzle portion 2 is attached to the solution storage portion 1. Note that the state shown in Fig. 3(A) shows a state in the middle of removing the nozzle portion 2 from the solution storage portion 1 by rotating the nozzle portion 2 counterclockwise by about 45 degrees with respect to the solution storage portion 1.

[0030] Figure 3(B) shows the state where the nozzle part 2 is rotated counterclockwise by about 90 degrees. In this state, the two opposing linear sides of the flange part 2k (see FIGS. 7 and 8) formed on the nozzle part 2 can pass inside the pair of locking parts 1h of the solution storage part 1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the nozzle part 2 can be removed axially from the solution storage part 1.

[0031] When attaching the nozzle part 2 to the solution storage part 1, an operation reverse to the above-described operation is to be performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 3(B), with the flange part 2k of the nozzle part 2 in contact with the solution storage part 1 side, by rotating the nozzle part 2 clockwise by about 90 degrees, the claw part 2a formed on the flange part 2k enters inside the locking part 1h formed on the solution storage part 1, and the nozzle part 2 can be bayonet-coupled to the solution storage part 1 as shown in FIG. 1. At this time, the thick part 2b formed on the flange part 2k abuts against the locking part 1h formed on the solution storage part 1 in the rotation direction, and a clockwise rotation of the nozzle part 2 by 90 degrees or more is blocked.

[0032] FIG. 9 shows the single-piece configuration of the static mixer 4. This static mixer 4 is housed in the mixer housing part 2e of the first nozzle part 2A described above and functions to appropriately mix the solution A and the solution B sent from the solution storage part 1. The static mixer 4 shown in the illustrated example has a three-stage configuration in which the first element 4a, the second element 4b, and the third element 4c are arranged in order from the rear end part toward the front end part, that is, along the flow direction of the solution A and the solution B.

[0033] Each element is formed in a shape obtained by twisting a rectangular plate body by 180 degrees. The central second element 4b is a left element with a counterclockwise twist direction, and the first element 4a and the third element 4c on both sides constitute right elements with a clockwise twist direction. And the end sides of the plate bodies constituting each element are connected in a state where they cross in a cross shape. As a result, every time the static mixer 4 passes through one element, it divides the solution A and the solution B into two parts, while applying a conversion and inversion operation to the solution, and acts to appropriately mix the solution. Therefore, the static mixer 4 can adjust the degree of mixing of the solution by selecting the number of elements.

[0034] Then, the solution mixed by the static mixer 4 is sent to the ball holder 5 at the front end of the second nozzle part 2B, and the solution is further subjected to a mixing action by the coating body 5a with the ball, and can be applied to the part to be coated.

[0035] Examples of the two-component mixed solution used in this multi-liquid mixed coating tool include acrylic adhesives, epoxy adhesives, urethane adhesives, and the like. And it is preferable to add a photosensitizer, a photocurable component, and a photopolymerization accelerator as adhesive components. For example, when an epoxy-based adhesive is adopted, an epoxy compound is used as the main agent (solution A), and a curing agent for epoxy compound (photosensitizer) is added as the curing agent (solution B). As a more specific example, as the main agent (solution A), a solution obtained by mixing 50 parts of an epoxy resin varnish and 50 parts of a photocurable epoxy resin varnish is used, and as the curing agent (solution B), a solution obtained by adding 3 parts of allyl cyanonium hexafluorophosphate as a photosensitizer to 100 parts of a liquid polysulfide composition and dissolving it is used.

[0036] According to the multi-liquid mixed coating tool according to the present invention described above, the entire nozzle part 2 can be removed from the solution storage part 1 by releasing the bayonet connection. Therefore, when dealing with a two-component mixed adhesive or the like in which solidification is promoted by mixing solution A and solution B as a coating body, when the solution solidifies due to the interruption of the coating operation, the entire nozzle part 2 can be removed from the solution storage part and a new nozzle part can be replaced, so that the coating operation can be continued subsequently. In addition, with the nozzle part 2 attached to the solution storage part 1, the second nozzle part 2B can be removed from the first nozzle part 2A by unscrewing. According to this, depending on the degree of progress of the solidification of the solution, it becomes possible to resume the coating operation by replacing the entire nozzle part 2 or only the second nozzle part 2B.

[0037] Although not shown, the multi-liquid mixed type applicator described above is preferably used by being attached to a gun-type operating instrument having a handle equipped with an operation lever. According to this, while holding the handle provided on the operating instrument and operating the operation lever, the plunger rod 1c described above can be moved forward, so that the coating operation can be facilitated.

[0038] In addition, in the multi-liquid mixed type applicator according to the present invention, in addition to the example of mixing two liquids shown in the embodiment, it can also be adopted when mixing and applying three or more liquids. In this case, a configuration is adopted in which the tube axes of the respective storage tubes for storing each solution are arranged in parallel, and the pistons described above are arranged in the respective storage tubes. Furthermore, the multi-liquid mixed type applicator according to the present invention can also be suitably used for applying multi-liquid mixed type adhesives other than the adhesives described above.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0039] 1 Solution storage part 1A First storage tube 1B Second storage tube 1a Partition wall 1b Piston 1c Plunger rod 1d Connector 1e Sealing body 1f Joint surface 1g Solution discharge tube 1h Locking part 2 Nozzle part 2A First nozzle part (first cylindrical body) 2B Second nozzle part (second cylindrical body) 2a Claw part 2b Thick part (stopper) 2c Male thread 2d Guide hole 2e Mixer housing part 2f Solution outlet hole 2g Female thread 2h Pressure inlet 2i Contact surface 2k Flange part 3 Bayonet structure 4 Static mixer 4a First element (right element) 4b Second element (left element) 4c Third element (right element) 5 Ball holder 5a Coating body (ball)

Claims

1. A solution storage unit comprising at least a first storage tube for storing solution A and a second storage tube for storing solution B, and pistons disposed in the respective storage tubes for pushing out the respective solutions forward from the respective storage tubes; a nozzle unit that combines the solutions discharged from the respective storage tubes by the forward movement of the respective pistons and guides the solutions to an application body disposed at the front end; the nozzle unit is provided with a static mixer for mixing the combined solutions and an application body for applying the solutions mixed by the static mixer to the application part by a rotating ball, and the nozzle unit is detachably attached to the solution storage unit. A multi-liquid mixing type applicator characterized by this.

2. The nozzle unit is detachably attached to the solution storage unit by being rotationally fastened to the solution storage unit by a bayonet structure, the bayonet structure includes a plurality of claw portions intermittently formed along the circumference of the nozzle unit, The multi-liquid mixing type applicator according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of locking portions formed on the solution storage unit side for locking the respective claw portions.

Images