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Diverse automation and manual metering, mixing, and dispensing options are necessary to suit a variety of industrial applications.
Manufacturers are demanding increasingly robust and cost-effective solutions when facing challenges in bonding, potting, and form- in-place gaskets. As a result, two-part fluids are increasingly being specified to provide higher quality, consistency and endurance.
The concern for quality and performance during the working life of a product extends not only to durable goods, but also to consumer products that have a life expectancy of just a few years-and where competition is fierce. As a result, plural compound fluids that can provide superior controlled performance are being selected by many industrial sectors.
The diversity of industrial use requires a similarly broad range of automation options. An automated meter/ mix solution will consider the necessary output and fluid characteristics. Dispensing the final mixed fluid will take into account positioning accuracy, flow rate, volume consistency, repeatability and the appropriate safety precautions.
By nature, two-part fluids require an automated process whenever possible. They need to be carefully mixed following the manufacturer's recommendations; any deviation will result in probable catastrophic failure or degradation of the product's integrity and performance over its intended life. If an automated solution is considered too costly, or its relevancy is in question, the manual meter/mix of the fluid is no less critical than the conditions applied with an automated system.
LOW-VOLUME MANUAL METER/MIX OPERATIONS
At a minimum, low-volume manual mixing of fluids should be limited to prefilled and separated cartridge or burst-bag kits that can adequately mix the fluid components. Two-part cartridges are preferred, as they use an internal mixing rod and blending head that thoroughly mix the two components in the correct ratio. The mixed fluid can be dispensed directly from the cartridge using a manual gun or a time-shot dispensing system.
Burst-bag kits separating the two fluid components require a careful manual mixing process, and any instructions that are provided with the kit should be strictly followed. Once the two components are mixed, the fluid is poured into a cartridge or syringe, and dispensed using a time-shot dispense system. This is a less favorable method than using a cartridge kit, as air can be introduced in the pouring process.
LOW- AND MODERATE-VOLUME METER/MIX AUTOMATION