TWO-COMPONENT DISPENSING TOOL WITH CARTRIDGE REPLACEMENT MECHANISM

Abstract

 A two-part adhesive dispensing system is coupled to a robot arm and mixes a first adhesive component stored in a first cartridge and a second adhesive component stored in a second cartridge. The dispensing system is moved to specific locations and a plunger unit is actuated to deposit the mixed adhesive on parts. When the cartridges are depleted, they are replaced by moving the two-part adhesive dispensing system to a cartridge feeding system. The depleted cartridges are removed and a feeder mechanism is used to insert replacement cartridges into the adhesive dispensing system.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Two-component adhesives are also known as reactive adhesives or structural adhesives. They are characterized by the fact that they cure not because of water evaporation or exposure to a substance such as a solvent, but because of a chemical reaction between the two components of the adhesive. It is essential for the two required components to be dosed in the correct mixing ratio and for them to be evenly mixed to create a homogeneous mixture. The two-component adhesive is preferably solvent-free.

[0002] FIG. 1 illustrates an existing two-component adhesive cartridge dispenser 171 and mixing nozzle 107. The adhesive dispenser 171 includes two cylinders 155, 157 and two pistons 159, 161 coupled to a plunger 169. A first adhesive component is stored in the first cylinder 155 and a second adhesive component is stored in the second cylinder 157. The inlet 165 of the mixing nozzle 107 is screwed onto an outlet 143 of the adhesive dispenser 171. When the plunger 169 is pressed into the cylinders 155, 157, the pistons 159, 161 compress the two adhesive components driving them through the outlet 143 and into the mixing nozzle 107. The mixing nozzle 107 has internal mixing features which can mix the two adhesive components together before the mixed adhesive exits the mixing nozzle 107. The mixing of the two adhesive components will result in a chemical reaction and the mixture will begin to harden.

[0003] In industrial or commercial two-component adhesive dispenser systems, larger volumes of adhesive components can be necessary for assembly line applications. However, a problem with these known systems is that the cylinders 155, 157 must be replaced each time they are emptied. In automated manufacturing systems, a robot determines that the pistons 159, 161 are fully inserted into the cylinders 155, 157 and the cylinders 155, 157 are empty and must be replaced. The replacement of the cylinders 155, 157 has been a manual process which can be very time consuming. What is needed is an improved system for replacing the cylinders 155, 157 in order to improve efficiency and minimize the down time of an adhesive system used in a production process.

SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure is directed towards a two-component adhesive dispenser which includes an automated system for simultaneously replacing the two component storage cylinders. The two-component dispenser system can comprise a cartridge housing for two cylindrical cartridges, the first holding a first component and the second holding a second component. The two-component dispenser system can also include a plunger unit having a plunger actuator coupled to a pair of plungers that compress the first and second cylindrical cartridges independently but simultaneously. The compression causes a first component to flow from the first cartridge and a second component to flow from the second cartridge into a mixing block where the components are mixed and emitted from a nozzle. The two-component adhesive dispenser can be used with a robotic arm to place a mixed liquid adhesive on parts that are being assembled. The robot can position the nozzle and deposit the mixed adhesive in the desired locations. When the dispenser system is emitting the adhesive components, the cartridge housing holds the component cartridges in a functional position aligned with the plungers. The flow of the adhesive from the nozzle stops when the plunger movement stops and the cylindrical cartridges are no longer compressed. The robotic arm can be moved to the next target location and the adhesive emission process is repeated until the adhesive components are depleted.

[0005] When the components are depleted from the cartridges, the dispenser system can perform a process for replacing the empty cartridges with replacement full cartridges. The robotic arm moves the adhesive dispenser to a cartridge replacement mechanism which removes the depleted cartridges and installs new filled replacement cartridges. In order to replace the cartridges, the plungers can be removed from the cartridge housing. A housing actuator can rotate the cartridge housing about a hinge so that the depleted component cartridges can be removed and replaced. The cartridge removal mechanism can be a simple mechanism which ejects the cartridge such as an actuator which pulls the cartridges from the cartridge housing or a compressed gas mechanism which can blow the depleted cartridges out of the cartridge housing.

[0006] The robot arm can position the cartridge housing to be aligned with the cartridge feeding system which can store many component cartridges. The first replacement cartridges are filled with the first component and the second replacement cartridges are filled with the second component. The cartridge feeding system can include a storage structure with two cartridge slots which are slightly wider than the diameters of the cartridges. A feeder mechanism can move a first and second replacement cartridge into alignment with the cartridge housing. A pusher actuator can push the first and second replacement cartridges into the cartridge housing. Once the replacement cartridges are in place, the housing actuator can rotate the cartridge housing back into the functional position. The process can be repeated and the robot arm can continue to deposit the mixed adhesives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a manually actuated two-component adhesive dispenser and a mixing nozzle.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a two-component adhesive dispenser.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side cross section view of the two-component adhesive dispenser.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side cross section view of the two-component adhesive dispenser with the cartridge holder housing rotated into a cartridge replacement position.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cross section view of the two-component adhesive dispenser with the component cartridges in the holder housing rotated into a functional position.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side cross section view of a two-component adhesive dispenser with the cartridge housing in the functional position and pistons fully inserted into the cartridges.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side cross section view of the two-component adhesive dispenser with sealed component cartridges and a seal puncture mechanism with the cartridge holder housing rotated into a cartridge replacement position.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side cross section view of the two-component adhesive dispenser with sealed component cartridges punctured by the seal puncture mechanism with the cartridge holder housing rotated into a functional position.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate front views of a component cartridge feeding system.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate side views of a component cartridge feeding system with a two-component adhesive dispenser.

FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of two-component mixing unit components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] The present disclosure is directed towards a two-component adhesive dispensing system. Two-component structural adhesives are the preferred solution for applications in which very high strengths are expected or required by the adhesive joints. These structural adhesives are primarily used to join high-strength materials such as bare, coated, painted or pre-treated metals, and composite materials such as glass-reinforced plastics (GRP + SMC) or carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (aramid, carbon, CFC) to either the same material or a different type of metal/composite material, and to other solid materials such as ceramics or glass materials. Gluing is also widely used in robotized manufacturing processes. Two-component adhesives have been used in various applications including: lightweight construction, vehicle construction (cars, railway vehicles, aircraft), mechanical engineering apparatus, housing construction, medical technology, electrical and electronic goods production, component assembly bonding, and technical consumer goods (e.g., household appliances).

[0009] Two-component adhesives require the two adhesive components to be mixed in a mixing process. In addition to manual or mechanical dosing and mixing, working from double-chamber cartridges (side-by-side cartridges), has proven to be a successful technique. In these cartridges, the two components are stored in separate cylindrical containers that keep the two liquid components separate from each other prior to use. The two liquid adhesive components can be mixed in various volume ratios such as: 1:1, 2:1, 10:1 or any other ratio of parts by volume, depending on the adhesive recipe.

[0010] In a 1:1 mix ratio embodiment, the two components are pressed in equal quantities through a static mixer (mixing nozzle) by suitable dispenser guns which can be manual, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or another drive method. In a 1:1 mix ratio, the diameter of the cartridge cylinders can be equal. Different mixture ratios can be achieved with different diameter cartridge cylinders. The mixture is then immediately applied to the objects to be bonded together. Once the adhesive is applied, the parts need to be held together during the time required for the adhesive to cure.

[0011] The present disclosure provides improvements to the conventional two-component adhesive static mixers, used in robotized production lines for gluing applications. Although the disclosure has been described as being used with two-component adhesives, in other embodiments the system can be used to mix different kinds of liquids in different fields of technology, for example: paint, active chemicals, etc. The present disclosure can also be used in a plurality of automatic two-component adhesives application systems, like: surface application (gluing of panels, windshields), adhesive injection (gluing of pre-assembled bushings). The glue can be applied directly to the surface or injected into other desired locations.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the two-part adhesive dispensing system. In the illustrated embodiment, the system has a first cylindrical cartridge holder 126 and a second cylindrical cartridge holder 128. Cylindrical cartridges which hold a first adhesive component and a second adhesive component are placed in their respective cylindrical cartridge holder.

[0013] The first plunger 159 and the second plunger 161 are coupled to a drive mechanism which controls the movements of the first plunger 159 and the second plunger 161. In this embodiment, the first plunger 159 and the second plunger 161 are mounted on the ends of plunger rods 181 that are coupled to a carriage 185. The carriage 185 can have a threaded hole which engages a threaded rod 183 that is rotated by a motor 187. When the motor 187 rotates the threaded rod 183, it moves the carriage 185, plunger rods 181 and plungers 159, 161. The first plunger 159 moves axially into the first cylindrical cartridge holder 126 and the second plunger 161 moves axially into the second cylindrical cartridge holder 128. When the plungers 159, 161 are pressed into the cartridges, the first and second adhesive components are forced from the cartridges through tubing 131 into a static mixer 191. The first and second liquid components are mixed in the static mixer 191 and can be further mixed in the nozzle 107. The mixed adhesive components are then emitted from the end of the nozzle 107.

[0014] The two-part adhesive dispensing system can be attached to a robotic arm 202 which positions the mixing nozzle 107 to deposit the mixed adhesive on a specific surface of a product. Once the nozzle is properly positioned, the drive mechanism 163 can be actuated. During the adhesive dispensing cycle, the drive mechanism 163 can be actuated to move the first plunger 159 to compress the first adhesive component in the first cylinder 155 and drive the first adhesive component into the mixing nozzle 107 through the first adhesive component tubing 131. The drive mechanism 163 also moves the second plunger 159 to compress the second adhesive component in the second cylinder 157 and drive the second adhesive component into the mixing nozzle 107 through the second adhesive component tubing 131. After the required volume of adhesives are emitted from the mixing nozzle 107, the drive mechanism can stop the movement of the plungers 159, 161 to stop the flow of the adhesive through the mixing block 191 and the mixing nozzle 107. The robotic arm 202 can relocate the mixing nozzle 107 and the process can be repeated.

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the two-part adhesive dispensing system. The first cylindrical cartridge holder 126 and the second cylindrical cartridge holder 128 are in a movable cartridge housing 205 which is coupled to a hinge 207. The cartridge housing 205 can be coupled to a housing actuator 201 which controls the rotational position of the housing 205. In an embodiment, cartridge position sensors 209 can detect the positions of cartridges in the first cylindrical cartridge holder 126 and the second cylindrical cartridge holder 128. The cartridge position sensors 209 can coupled to a control unit.

[0016] In FIG. 3, the cartridge housing 205 is shown in a functional position with the first cartridge holder (not shown in side view) aligned with the first plunger (not shown in side view) and the second cartridge holder 128 aligned with the second plunger 161. In this functional position, actuator 201 is extended and the adhesive components can be mixed and emitted from the nozzle 107 as discussed above.

[0017] Once the adhesive component cartridges are depleted, they must be removed and replaced. FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional side view of the two-component dispensing system with the cartridge housing 205 in the replacement position where used cartridges can be removed and then the new first cartridge can be inserted into the first cartridge holder (now shown in side view) and the new second cartridge 129 can be inserted into the second cartridge holder 128. In order to move the cartridge housing 205 into the replacement position, the actuator 201 is retracted which causes the cartridge housing 205 to rotate upward about the hinge 207. The distal end of the housing 205 is moved out of alignment and the used cartridges can be removed from the distal end of the housing 205 and replacement cylindrical cartridges filled with the two adhesive components can be inserted into the housing 205.

[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates the first cartridge (not shown in side view) and second cartridge 129 inserted into housing 205 and the housing actuator 201 expanded which causes the housing 205 to rotate about the hinge 207 into a functional position. In the functional position, front tips 130 of the cartridges 129 form a seal with tubing inlets 132 and the rear ends of the cartridges 129 are aligned with the plungers 161. The tubing inlets 132 can have a center hole and a conical outer surface. The outer diameter of the tubing inlets 132 at the tip can be smaller than the inner diameter of the front tips 130 of the cartridges 127, 129. Liquid tight seals can be formed by the compression of the front tips 130 against the conical tubing inlets 132. The adhesive components will flow through the tubing 131 and these adhesive component liquids will not leak from this connection.

[0019] Before the pistons 159, 161 are inserted, the carriage 185 is on one end of the threaded rod 183 and the plunger rods 181 are fully retracted. The robot arm 202 can position the adhesive dispensing system with the nozzle 107 positioned adjacent to areas of parts where the adhesive is to be deposited. The motor 187 is actuated and the plungers 159, 161 are pressed into the cartridges 127, 129 and the adhesive is deposited. FIG. 6 illustrates the plungers 159, 161 and plunger rods 181 fully inserted into the cartridges 127, 129. The carriage 185 is moved to the opposite end of the threaded rod 183.

[0020] In other embodiments, different component cartridge sealing mechanisms can be used. With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the tubing inlets 221 can have a center hole and a sharp conical outer surface which can puncture a seal 331 on the front tips 130 of the cartridges 127, 129. The seal 331 can help to keep the adhesive components in the cartridges 127, 129 while in storage until they are ready to be used by the two-part dispensing system. FIG. 7 illustrates a cartridge holder housing 205 in the rotated position, with a cartridge 129 inserted in the cartridge holder 128 and the seal 331 is intact. FIG. 8 illustrates the housing 205 in the functional position, with the seal 331 punctured by the sharp conical outer surface 221 of the tubing inlet. The inward force of the seal 331 material against the outer conical outer surface 221 of the tubing inlet creates a liquid tight seal. All of the adhesive components will flow through the tubing 131 and these adhesive component liquids will not leak from this connection.

[0021] FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate front views of cartridges 127, 129 stored in slots 337, 339 in a storage structure 301. The slots 337, 339 can be a little wider than the outer diameters of the cartridges 127, 129 which can move downward due to gravitational forces or pushed by the spring, depending on embodiment. In order to increase the storage capacity, the slots 337, 339 can curve in a serpentine manner through the storage structure 301. A feeding mechanism 305 can be mounted to the bottom of the slots 337, 339. The feeding mechanism 305 can have two adjacent recesses 347, 349 formed in a convex cylindrical outer surface. The feeding mechanism 305 can rotate about an axel 306 and the position of the feeding mechanism can be controlled by a feeder actuator 309. FIG. 9 illustrates the feeding mechanism 305 rotated to a position in which recess 347 is aligned with slot 337 allowing a first cartridge 127 to fall into recess 347, and a second cartridge 129 falls into recess 349 which is aligned with slot 339. FIG. 10 illustrates the feeding mechanism 305 rotated so that the first cartridge 127 in recess 347 and the second cartridge 129 in recess 349 are in an upper position over the axel 306 and away from the storage structure 301. From this upper position, the cartridges 127, 129 are removed from the feeding mechanism 305 and fed into the cartridge housing 205. Once the cartridges 127, 129 are removed, the feeding mechanism 305 can be rotated back to a position with the recess 347 aligned with the slot 337 and the recess 349 aligned with the slot 339.

[0022] FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate side views of the cartridge feeding mechanism 305. The robot arm 202 has moved the two-part adhesive dispensing system next to the feeding mechanism 305. FIG. 11 illustrates the cartridge holder housing 205 in a rotated position with the cartridge holders 126, 128 in alignment with the new cartridges 127, 129 in the feeding mechanism 305. A push mechanism can include a push actuator 307 coupled to push rods 311 and cartridge pushers 309. FIG. 12 illustrates the push rods 311 and cartridge pushers 309 extended away from the push actuator 307. The cartridge pusher 309 has moved the cartridge 129 fully into the cartridge holder 128. Once the new cartridges 127, 129 are moved from the feeding mechanism 305, the cartridge holder housing 205 can be rotated into the active position and the robot arm 205 can move the two-part adhesive dispensing system to a part where the adhesive is required. The described cartridge replacement process can be repeated when the new cartridges 127, 129 are depleted.

[0023] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of the two-part dispensing system. All motors and actuators can be controlled by a controller and all sensors can transmit sensor data to the controller. In a basic example, the motor 187 is coupled to an encoder 189, which can detect the rotational position of the motor 187 which can be used to track the position of the carriage 185. The control unit 203 can receive control signals and cause the motor driver 403 to rotate the motor 187 to the desired position based upon the encoder 189 sensor data feedback. In an embodiment, the control unit 203 can also control a valve terminal 411 which can open to allow the mixed adhesive to flow out of the nozzle and close to prevent the flow of the adhesive out of the nozzle.

[0024] It can be desirable to have additional sensors 162, 163, 164 which can provide additional information for controlling the two-part dispensing system components. For example, the fully inserted and fully retracted positions of the drive mechanism relative to the component cartridges can be detected by sensors. More specifically, with reference to FIG. 2, carriage position sensors 162, 163 can be used to detect the fully inserted and fully retracted positions of the plungers 159, 161 in the cartridges. When the carriage 185 is fully retracted and the plungers 159, 161 are removed from the cylindrical cartridges, the retracted position sensor 162 can be actuated. When the plungers 159, 161 are fully inserted into the cylindrical cartridges 127, 129, the end position sensor 162 can be actuated. When either of the position sensors 162, 163 is actuated, the control unit 203 can stop further rotation of the threaded rod 183 by the motor 187 to prevent further movement of the carriage 185 which can result in damage.

[0025] As discussed above with reference to FIG. 3, sensors 209 coupled to the control unit can detect the positions of cartridges in the first cylindrical cartridge holder 126 and the second cylindrical cartridge holder 128. The control unit can prevent the housing actuator 201 from moving the cartridge housing 205 into the functional position if the cartridges are not fully inserted. The control unit can also prevent replacement cartridges from being inserted into the first cylindrical cartridge holder 126 and the second cylindrical cartridge holder 128 if the used cartridges are still present and not fully removed.

[0026] During normal operations, the control unit 203 can coordinate the emission of the adhesive from the nozzle 107 with the positioning of the robot arm 202. When the nozzle 107 is properly positioned, the control unit 203 can cause the two-part adhesive to be emitted through the nozzle 107 and prevent adhesive flow when the nozzle 107 is being moved. The adhesive can be deposited on parts until the position sensor 163 is actuated. When the plungers 159, 161 are fully inserted and the cylindrical cartridges 127, 129 are empty, the carriage 185 actuates the sensor 163. The control unit 203 can respond to this sensor 163 signal by performing a cartridge replacement process. The control unit 203 can control the motor 187 to reverse the rotation of the threaded rod 183 to retract the plungers 159, 161 from the cylindrical cartridges 127, 129. The robotic arm 202 can simultaneously (or sequentially) relocate the two-part dispensing system in a cartridge replacement station. As shown in FIGS. 11-12 the fully retracted carriage actuates a carriage position sensor and the control unit 203 will know that the plungers 159, 161 are completely separated from the empty cylindrical cartridges 127, 129 which can be removed and replaced. The controller 203 can cause the housing actuator 201 to rotate the cartridge housing 205 into the replacement position. The control unit 203 can cause feeding mechanism 305 to rotate new cartridges 127, 129 into alignment with the cartridge holders 126, 128 and then actuate the push actuator 307 to place the new cartridges 127, 129 into the cartridge holders 126, 128. The controller 203 can then cause the housing actuator 201 to rotate the cartridge housing 205 into the functional position. The robot arm 202 can subsequently move the two-part adhesive dispensing system to the next adhesive deposition location.

[0027] The automated component cartridge replacement system solves the problem of manually replacing the cartridges by an operator. Human involvement is not required to replace the cartridges anymore. The disclosure also decreases the average manual operation time for the operation on the production line, which leads to reduced overall production time and lowers the cost of the production (same as product). Thus, the disclosure will increase production line effectiveness and decrease production costs by elimination of the human involvement and automatization of the glue cartridge replacement.

[0028] The present disclosure, in various embodiments, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present disclosure after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various embodiments, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and/or reducing cost of implementation. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

Claims

1. A two-component dispenser system comprising:

a cartridge housing having a first cylindrical cartridge holder for holding a first cylindrical cartridge containing a first component and a second cylindrical cartridge holder for a second cylindrical cartridge containing a second component;

a plunger unit having a plunger actuator coupled to a first plunger for compressing the first cylindrical cartridge and a second plunger for compressing the second cylindrical cartridge;

a hinge coupled to the cartridge housing wherein the cartridge housing rotates about the hinge between an operating position where the first plunger is aligned with the first cylindrical cartridge holder and the second plunger is aligned with the second cylindrical cartridge holder and a cartridge replacement position where the first plunger is out of alignment with the first cylindrical cartridge holder and the second plunger is out of alignment with the second cylindrical cartridge holder wherein the first cylindrical cartridge and the second cylindrical cartridge are replaced while the cartridge housing is in the cartridge replacement position;

a mixing block having a first component inlet coupled to the first cylindrical cartridge and a second component inlet coupled to the second cylindrical cartridge and internal passageways which connect the first component inlet and the second component inlet to a mixing block outlet; and

a nozzle attached to the mixing block outlet.

2. The two-component dispenser system of claim 1 further comprising:
a housing actuator which rotates the cartridge housing about the hinge between the operating position and the cartridge replacement position.

3. The two-component dispenser system of claim 2 wherein cartridge position sensors detect positions of the first cartridges in the first cartridge holder and positions of the second cartridges in the second cartridge holder.

4. The two-component dispenser system of claim 3 further comprising:
a control unit coupled to the cartridge position sensors and the housing actuator wherein the control unit prevents the housing actuator from rotating the cartridge housing into the operating position when the first cartridge is not fully inserted into the first cartridge holder or the second cartridge is not fully inserted into the second cartridge holder.

5. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim further comprising:
a first spike portion of the first component inlet which punctures a first seal on the first cylindrical cartridge when the cartridge housing rotates into the operating position and a second spike portion of the second component inlet which punctures a second seal on the second cylindrical cartridge when the cartridge housing rotates into the operating position.

6. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim wherein the plunger actuator includes a motor coupled to a threaded rod which rotates a carriage and plunger rods which are coupled to the first plunger and the second plunger.

7. The two-component dispenser system of claim 6 further comprising:

a first sensor for detecting a fully retracted position of the first plunger;

a second sensor for detecting a fully inserted position of the first plunger; and

a control unit in communication with the first sensor, the second sensor and the plunger unit wherein the control unit prevents further retraction of the first plunger when the first sensor is actuated and the control unit prevents further insertion of the first plunger when the second sensor is actuated.

8. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim further comprising:
a control unit for controlling the plunger actuator wherein the control unit causes the first plunger to compress the first cylindrical cartridge and the second plunger to compress the second cylindrical cartridge so that the first component is mixed with the second component in the mixing block and exits the nozzle.

9. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim further comprising:

a control unit for controlling the plunger actuator wherein the control unit causes the first plunger to retract the first plunger from the first cylindrical cartridge and the second plunger from the second cylindrical cartridge when the first cylindrical cartridge and the second cylindrical cartridge are replaced; and

a cartridge removal actuator which removes the first cylindrical cartridge and the second cylindrical cartridge from the cartridge housing.

10. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim wherein the first component is a first portion of an adhesive and the second component is a second portion of the adhesive.

11. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim further comprising:
a robot arm coupled to the nozzle for controlling a position of the nozzle.

12. The two-component dispenser system of any preceding claim further comprising:
a cartridge replacement station comprising:

a cartridge storage structure which stores a plurality of the first cylindrical cartridges holding the first component and a plurality of the second cylindrical cartridges holding the second component; and

a feeding mechanism which simultaneously moves the first cylindrical cartridges into alignment with the first cartridge holder and the second cylindrical cartridges from the cartridge storage structure into alignment with the second cartridge holder when the cartridge housing is in the cartridge replacement station.

13. The two-component dispenser system of claim 12 wherein the feeding mechanism has a first recess in a cylindrical surface of the feeding mechanism for holding the first cylindrical cartridges and a second recess in the cylindrical surface for holding the second cylindrical cartridges.

14. The two-component dispenser system of claim 12 wherein the feeding mechanism is mounted on an axle and the feeding mechanism is coupled to a feeder actuator which rotates the feeding mechanism around the axle.

15. The two-component dispenser system of claim 12 wherein the cartridge station further comprises a push actuator which moves the first cylindrical cartridge from the feeding mechanism into the first cartridge holder and the second cylindrical cartridge from the feeding mechanism into the second cartridge holder.

Drawing