ITI has raised the standard in bead applicator
technology over the past 11 years. Standard applicators utilize pulsation
dampeners and a constant glue recirculation feature, which together
yield a more uniform flow by accurately controlling the viscosity and pressure of the glue. The combination of these features operating from an Allen Bradley PLC along with Red Lion heating
systems, PID pressure, and ITI exclusive PID flow controls, yields the most consistent gram weights in the bead
applicator industry. The competent functionality of these controls has led many companies to choose
to retrofit their older applicators to the ITI control system. The water
spray system is easily adjusted to give the correct glue/water ratio.
Water and glue output are preset and adjustable for each of the three
standard application speeds.
Bead Applicators come in moving-head gravity
conveyor, and stationary-head live conveyor configurations. For
customers who wish to offload their laminates to the side rather than
the at end of the applicator, air-bearing tables are also available in lieu
of conveyors. Moving-head applicators are precisely controlled on a
rack and pinion drive. As an option, glue start/stop points can be
controlled to within one-half inch. Glue manifolds are available with an automatic height adjustment for various part thicknesses, as well as an
automatic nozzle wiping tray. Manifolds come in a choice of ½” or ¼”
spacing and a variety of lengths to accommodate variances in part widths. For machines operating in particularly cold climates, manifold heaters can be added to
the standard inlet, header, and pump-station heaters. Since each
manifold is controlled individually, the program recipe can shut
manifolds off or on automatically for parts incorporating cutouts or
varying widths. Each of these options was developed per customer
request, and further customization is also available.