Tool for smoothing paste-like masses

Abstract

The invention relates to a tool (1) for working, in particular deforming and / or smoothing, a paste-like, sticky mass, comprising a chamber (2), wherein one wall (5) thereof, forming the front side (7) of the tool (1), is designed for the passage of gas supplied to the chamber (2). The wall (5) can be porous or perforated. When the tool (1) approaches a paste-like mass, a gas film is formed between the paste-like mass and the front side (7) of the tool (1), preventing the paste-like mass from adhering to the tool (1).

Description

[0001] TOOL FOR SMOOTHING PASTY MATERIALS

[0002] The invention relates to a tool for smoothing pasty (plastic) masses, wherein these masses are in particular not only pasty but also sticky.

[0003] To smooth pasty masses, tools are needed that are designed so that the mass to be smoothed does not adhere to the tool, or only to an insignificant extent, when the tool is used.

[0004] If the pasty mass adheres to the tool, there is a risk that the intended smoothing or deformation of the pasty mass cannot be successfully carried out because the pasty mass adheres to the tool.

[0005] The problem of smoothing pasty materials also arises in the production of insulating glass, where, as a final step, sealant is applied to the outwardly open edge joint of the insulating glass blank – the edge joint is bounded by two glass panes and a spacer positioned between them – for example, by injection from a nozzle. The sealant applied from a nozzle to the edge joint of the insulating glass blank is pasty and highly adhesive, as it must adhere to both the spacer and the glass panes. This problem also arises with insulating glass blanks that have two or more edge joints.

[0006] Particularly in the area of ​​corners of I insulating glass blanks, the problem often arises that the outer surface of the sealing compound is not smooth, but protrudes beyond the outer circumference of the I insulating glass blank.

[0007] To address the problem in the manufacture of insulating glass, it was proposed to use so-called "scraping plates" (DE 34 08 688 A), which are placed on the outside edge of an insulating glass blank with sealant inside and then peeled off again perpendicular to the surface area of ​​the insulating glass blank.

[0008] Another method for smoothing sealant applied to the edge joint, particularly in the corner area of ​​insulating glass units, is known from AT 395 710 B. This method uses foam-covered smoothing rollers that are moved around the corner of the insulating glass unit. To prevent sealant from adhering to the smoothing rollers, they can be moistened with a liquid, such as water. The presence of water is particularly problematic when sealing triple-glazed units because it can impair the quality of the seal (secondary gasket).

[0009] In AT 514 796 Bl, it is proposed that for processing (flattening or smoothing) pasty, sticky masses, a tool should be used which, at least in the areas that come into contact with the mass to be processed, consists of a meltable sublimable material, in particular ice.

[0010] Further state of the art can be found in DE 40 33 403 Al, US 5, 650,029 A and US 2014 / 0251525 Al.

[0011] Some of the known suggestions are not very practical, and some are not sufficiently effective to prevent the pasty, sticky mass from adhering to a tool.

[0012] The invention is based on the objective of proposing a tool that solves the problem of sticky, pasty mass adhering to a smoothing tool. This objective is achieved with a tool that has the features of claim 1.

[0013] Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the tool according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0014] Since, when using the tool according to the invention, a gas cushion (air cushion) is formed between the front side, i.e., the side of a wall of the tool facing the pasty mass, and the surface of the pasty mass facing the tool by the escaping gas (air), it is effectively prevented that sticky mass adheres to the tool, in particular to its front side facing the sticky, pasty mass.

[0015] For example, sealing compound can be successfully smoothed and there is no risk of sealing compound being pulled out of an edge joint of an insulating glass blank because the sealing compound sticks to the tool.

[0016] The pressure of the gas (air) exiting through the front of the tool can be selected so that a very thin - film-like - gas cushion (air cushion) is formed, so that the goal of smoothing or deforming the pasty mass with the help of the tool is achieved without pasty and sticky mass adhering to the tool.

[0017] In a practical embodiment of the tool according to the invention, the tool may have a chamber with a supply opening for gas (air) flowing out through the front of the chamber. The working surface of the tool, i.e., the front surface that is brought close to the pasty mass for processing, is designed with openings for the escape of gas. These openings can be perforations (multiple holes) or pores. Pores are present when the wall of the chamber forming the front surface consists of a porous material with open pores, for example, a porous sintered material.

[0018] For example, the holes of the perforation, or the pores, have a diameter of 1–22 pm. The diameter of the holes of the perforation, or the size of the pores, is, for example, 2 pm.

[0019] In particular, consideration is being given to forming the wall of the chamber, through the front of which the gas escapes, from metal or plastic, whereby in particular sintered stainless steel or a plastic such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) can be used to form a porous body with open pores.

[0020] The working surface (front side) of the tool, facing the pasty, sticky mass, can be flat or profiled as desired. For example, the working surface (front side) can have a shallowly curved rib to form a concave groove when applying sealant to the edge joint of an insulating glass unit.

[0021] The working surface (front side) of the tool can also be angled, so that the tool can be used to deform sealing compound in corner areas of an insulating glass blank in such a way that the compound does not protrude beyond the edge of the insulating glass pane in the area of ​​corners and / or is formed with a concave groove.

[0022] The working surface of the tool can also be concavely curved if sealing compound is to be processed (smoothed) in convexly curved areas of the circumference of an insulating glass unit. Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments shown in the drawings. The drawings show:

[0023] Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of a tool according to the invention.

[0024] Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the tool according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a tool according to the invention ,

[0025] Fig. 4 shows a tool associated with a sealing nozzle, and Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of Fig. 4 with the tool pivoted.

[0026] A tool 1 according to the invention, intended for processing pasty, sticky masses, has a chamber 2 into the interior 3 of which pressurized gas, in particular air, can be supplied via a connection 4. A wall 5 of the chamber 2 is designed such that – as shown in Fig. 1 by arrows –

[0027] 6 symbolizes - gas can escape from the interior 3 of chamber 2.

[0028] For this purpose, perforating holes (drill holes) are provided in wall 5.

[0029] In another embodiment, the wall 5 consists of a porous material, the pores of which are open-pored, allowing gas from the interior 3 of the chamber 2 to escape through the wall 5.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, gas escapes through the front face 7 of the wall 5, so that as soon as the tool 1 approaches a mass (not shown), a gas cushion (air cushion) forms between the mass and the front face 7 of the wall 5 of the chamber 2. The gas cushion prevents the mass from being forced out at the front.

[0031] 7 of the wall 5 adheres when the tool 1 is used to smooth a pasty, sticky mass. This gas cushion can be made thin by appropriately adjusting the pressure at which the gas is supplied to the interior 3 of the chamber 2, so that the gas cushion can form a gas film.

[0032] If wall 5 is porous, wall 5 can be made of a porous sintered material, for example (stainless) steel or a plastic (e.g. PTFE).

[0033] If 5 perforation-forming holes (bores) are provided in the wall, these can have a diameter of 1 - 22 pm.

[0034] The open pores in the wall 5 made of porous material can have a diameter of 1 - 22 pm.

[0035] The front side 7 of the wall 5, i.e. the side of the tool 1 forming an effective surface of the tool 1, which is brought close to the pasty mass, is flat in a simple embodiment (Fig. 1).

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, a rib 8 can be provided in the front 7 of the wall 5 so that the tool 1 can be used to create a concave groove in the outside of a sealing compound applied to an edge joint of an insulating glass blank.

[0037] If the tool 1 according to the invention is to be used for deforming sealing compound in the corner area of ​​an insulating glass blank, an embodiment is recommended in which the front 7 of the tool has two surface areas 9 that are at an angle to each other (Fig. 3).

[0038] The front surface 7 (the working surface of the tool 1) of the wall 5 can in itself have any shape chosen according to the use of the tool 1. For example, a front surface 7 of the wall 5 that is concave in one direction is considered when sealing compound is to be smoothed in the area of ​​convexly curved sections of insulating glass panes.

[0039] Fig. 4 shows how the tool 1 can be associated with a sealing nozzle 10, which is arranged on a sealing head 11. Sealing compound is introduced from the sealing nozzle 10 as a secondary seal into the edge joint 12 of an insulating glass blank 13, whereby a relative movement between the sealing nozzle 10 and the insulating glass blank 13 is carried out by moving the sealing nozzle 10 and / or the insulating glass blank 13.

[0040] In the situation shown in Fig. 4, the sealing nozzle 10 is located in the region of a corner of the insulating glass blank 13 at the beginning of a section of the edge joint 12. The tool 1, with its front surface 7 forming the working area, rests against the insulating glass blank 13 next to the corner and covers the edge joint 12 there. When sealing compound is introduced into the edge joint 12, the tool 1 prevents the sealing compound from escaping from the area of ​​the edge joint 12 adjacent to the corner. As soon as the sealing nozzle 10 moves along the edge joint 12, the tool 1 pivots into the position shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the tool 1 does not impede the relative movement between the insulating glass blank 13 and the sealing nozzle 10.

[0041] If, in individual cases, a pasty mass adheres to the tool 1 according to the invention, the pasty mass can simply be wiped away.

[0042] An advantage of the tool according to the invention is that the presence of a release agent (water) is unnecessary. In summary, an embodiment of the invention can be described as follows:

[0043] A tool 1 for processing, in particular deforming and / or smoothing, a pasty, sticky mass has a chamber 2, one wall 5 of which, forming the front face 7 of the tool 1, is designed to allow the passage of gas supplied from the chamber 2. The wall 5 can be porous or perforated. When the tool 1 is brought close to a pasty mass, a gas film forms between the pasty mass and the front face 7 of the tool 1, which prevents the pasty mass from adhering to the tool 1.

Claims

Claims:

1. Tool (1) for processing pasty, sticky masses, characterized by a front side (7) of a wall (5) facing the pasty mass, and by openings provided in the wall (5), wherein the wall (5) is pressurized with gas, for example air.

2. Tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the wall (5) is part of a chamber (2) to which a connection (4) is intended for introducing pressurized gas into the chamber (2).

3. Tool according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the openings in the wall (5) are bores.

4. Tool according to claim 3, characterized in that the bores have a diameter of 1 - 22 pm.

5. Tool according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the openings are pores in a porous material forming the wall (5).

6. Tool according to claim 5, characterized in that the porous material is a porous sintered material.

7. Tool according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the pores are in particular open pores having a size of 1 - 22 pm.

8. Tool according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the front side (7) of the wall (5) of the tool (1) facing the pasty, sticky mass is flat.

9. Tool according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least one protrusion is provided in the front side (7) of the wall (5) which is to face the pasty, sticky mass.

10. Tool according to claim 9, characterized in that the elevation is a convexly curved rib (8).

11. Tool according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the front side (7) of the wall (5) facing the pasty mass has two surface areas (9) that are at an angle to each other, in particular at a right angle.

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