Zenith Pumps Provide Precision Dispensing in Hot-Melt Adhesive Applications
Adhesives have become an increasingly popular method for joining various substrates together. They offer better stress distribution, superior fatigue resistance, and greater strength over traditional bonding methods. However, one of the most common concerns for adhesive users is uneven spraying or dispensing. This can cause excessive material waste and increased manufacturing costs. To address this issue, the pump of choice for dispensing hot-melt adhesives is typically a positive-displacement gear pump.
Challenge
Hot-melt adhesives present several challenges when it comes to pumping accuracy. The viscosity of hot-melt adhesives is generally about 500 poise with operating temperatures ranging from 300°F to 400°F. Pump accuracy is critical when dispensing precise amounts of adhesive to a specified area. Reciprocating pumps, such as diaphragm or piston pumps, produce a flow that varies in both pressure and volume. To compensate, additional adhesive must be applied to sufficiently coat the target areas. This leads to over spraying and over dispensing, which causes excessive material waste and increased manufacturing costs.
Solution
To address these challenges, Zenith offers precision metering pumps that provide pulseless metered flow to an applicator while generating the necessary pressure to meet system requirements. These pumps are high-precision and can pump high-viscosity fluids while operating at high temperatures. They offer several benefits over other types of pumps, including precise, consistent flow, increased throughput, and improved quality.
One of the major benefits of precision metering pumps is precise, consistent flow. A typical hot-melt adhesive machine includes a melter with the capacity for mounting one to four pumps. By installing a precision metering pump to each mount, the hot-melt adhesive can be accurately metered to the applicators. The result is a precise, smooth and consistent flow, which virtually eliminates costly over spraying, over dispensing, and wasted material.
Another benefit of precision metering pumps is increased throughput. To increase throughput while minimizing operating, manufacturing, and maintenance costs, a planetary metering pump can be mounted directly to the applicator and fed by a low-cost transfer pump. Up to 32 metered streams are available from a single pump, greatly increasing throughput.
Finally, manufacturers and users of adhesive dispensing machinery can improve quality and reduce waste with the use of Zenith precision metering pumps. Throughput can be maximized while minimizing the size, complexity, and maintenance of existing or new adhesive machinery.
Conclusion
Precision metering pumps offer several benefits over other types of pumps when it comes to dispensing hot-melt adhesives. They provide precise, consistent flow, increased throughput, and improved quality. These pumps can help manufacturers and users of adhesive dispensing machinery to reduce waste and increase efficiency. Zenith offers a range of precision metering pumps to meet the needs of various hot-melt adhesive applications.
