AN AUTOMATED-SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING ADHESIVES

Adhesives and sealants have been used in numerous manufacturing applications as well as for structural bonding. However, to ensure the process integrity for reliable structural adhesive joints, the use of robots and automated systems is essential. A system is described in which a robot and automated dispensing system are coupled together with a single-axis table to ensure repeatable processing. A workpiece may be carried on the single-axis table. A special purpose vision system (consisting of a laser line of light and a camera) has been designed to inspect the height and width of the bead, whilst being dispensed, in an attempt to modify the bead parameters on-line to ensure that the bead stays within the desired range.