ITI has raised the standard in bead applicator technology over the past 3 years. Standard applicators sport 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. These features combined with Red Lion heating systems, PID pressure, and ITI exclusive PID flow controls running on an Allen Bradley PLC yield the most consistent gram weights in the bead applicator industry. These controls work so well many companies 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 then the 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 automatic height adjustment for various part thicknesses and 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. In particularly cold climates, manifold heaters can be added to the standard inlet, header, and pump-station heaters. Since each manifold is individually controlled, 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 available.