Abstract: An apparatus for applying viscous material to workpieces has at least two material outlets. A needle valve is assigned to each material outlet, the valve needle of which being able to close the respective material outlet on a valve seat. Each valve needle is assigned a cylinder, in the piston chamber of which a piston is movable by pressure applied by a fluid, and which cylinder has a piston rod for impingement on the respective valve needle, the piston rod being connected to the piston, being guided out of the piston chamber on an end face facing the valve seats and extending longitudinally. The cylinders are arranged one behind the other longitudinally and the piston rod of at least one of the cylinders is guided in a sealed manner through the piston chamber of at least one further cylinder arranged closer on the valve seats.

Abstract: In a method for assembling a needle valve having a housing, at least one valve needle longitudinally displaceably guided in the housing in a first spatial direction, and at least one valve seat plate, the plate for each needle has a valve seat associated with the needle, at which seat an outlet opening for a fluid can be closed and opened by back and forth movement of the relevant needle. In a first step the plate is fastened to the housing by a fastener such that it has limited movement with respect to the housing. In a second step each needle is set into a back and forth movement in which it is alternatingly placed onto and lifted up from the associated seat. In a third step the plate is fixed on the housing while the at least one needle moves back and forth.

Abstract: Methods and devices for controlling a mechanical joining or forming process, in particular friction drilling in thin-walled materials, apply several reverse pulses acting on a process parameter to bring the course of an actual curve of the parameter more into line with the course of a predetermined nominal curve of the process parameter. The number and length of the reverse pulses and the length of the intervals between the pulses are determined as a function of at least one immediately detectable variable associated with the process parameter.

Abstract: A method removes a follower plate of a device for transporting viscous material out of a barrel-like container. The device has the follower plate for closing the container, which is open at the top and has a container base and a container casing extending upwards from the base, the follower plate being movable toward and away from the base. A force measuring sensor measures a force exerted by a container onto a placement surface; the controller switches the ventilation mode to the lifting mode if the force exerted by the container onto the placement surface exceeds a first target force value; and the controller switches the lifting mode to the ventilation mode if the force exerted by the container onto the placement surface falls below a second target force value, and/or the at least one sensor measures the position of the container relative to a stationary point.

Abstract: A device for applying a viscous material to workpieces includes a housing, an application channel extending in the housing up to an outlet opening, and a needle valve for opening and closing the application channel at a valve seat. An actuating element is mounted in the housing for rotation about a rotational axis extending parallel to a longitudinal direction in which the valve needle of the needle valve is movable relative to the housing. The actuating element has, in the radial lateral surface thereof, a guide groove extending circumferentially all around and curved in the axial direction in which at least one pin extending in the radial direction engages. The valve needle is connected to the actuating element or the at least one pin so that rotation of the actuating element about the rotational axis causes movement of the valve needle relative to the housing in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying viscous material from a container having a base and an upwardly-extending shell includes: a follower plate movable towards and away from the base adjacent to the shell inner surface facing the interior and having an outlet and at least one deaeration and/or aeration opening; a deaerator for sucking air through the deaeration opening(s) and/or an aerator for introducing compressed air through the aeration opening(s); a lifting/lowering device for lifting/lowering the plate; a control for alternately controlling the lifting/lowering device in a movement mode and the deaerator or aerator in a deaeration or aeration mode, the lifting/lowering device having at least one vertical holding rod connected to a plate upper side, the plate being vertically movable in a limited manner relative to the rod; and a sensor for detecting and transmitting to the control upper and lower end plate positions relative to the rod.

Abstract: A device for applying viscous material to workpieces includes a rotary lance in a holder apparatus and rotatable about a longitudinally-extending rotation axis, the lance having at least one material outlet. A needle valve associated with each material outlet has a longitudinally-extending valve needle used to close each material outlet on a valve seat. Each valve needle has an associated cylinder with a plunger chamber in which a plunger is movable by pressure applied by a fluid, the valve needle being permanently connected to the plunger. A tappet is connected to each plunger, the tappet, at its upper end facing away from the at least one valve seat, being sealingly guided out of the associated plunger chamber. The rotary lance has a measuring element which can be acted upon by the tappet and moved longitudinally; and the holder apparatus has a sensor for determining the measuring element position.

Abstract: An apparatus for applying viscous material to workpieces has at least two material outlets. A needle valve is assigned to each material outlet, the valve needle of which being able to close the respective material outlet on a valve seat. Each valve needle is assigned a cylinder, in the piston chamber of which a piston is movable by pressure applied by a fluid, and which cylinder has a piston rod for impingement on the respective valve needle, the piston rod being connected to the piston, being guided out of the piston chamber on an end face facing the valve seats and extending longitudinally. The cylinders are arranged one behind the other longitudinally and the piston rod of at least one of the cylinders is guided in a sealed manner through the piston chamber of at least one further cylinder arranged closer on the valve seats.

Abstract: A method and a device are provided for simplifying a flow-hole screw process, in which the difference between a process parameter and its smoothed value is employed as a criterion for changing said process parameter or another process parameter in order in particular to be able to determine the changeover point between hole forming and thread forming.

Abstract: A method and device are provided for simplifying a flow-drill screwing process. Based on work performed during the process, a process variable E is formed. This variable is compared to analogously formed comparison values in order to be able to determine the proper or faulty running of the process.

Abstract: A magazine for storing elements which each have a shaft and a head. The magazine includes a cylinder defining a shell surface in which is formed a helical-shaped groove. The shaft of each element to be stored can be inserted into the groove while the head of each element protrudes outward radially over the groove. The head of each element can be impacted in the peripheral direction by a suitable carrier in order to move the elements through the groove one after the other to an outlet end of the groove where the elements are ejected individually.

Abstract: A method monitors a device for applying an at least two-component viscous material to workpieces, including a metering unit having a number of metering valves corresponding with the number of viscous material components, and a static mixer detachably secured to the metering unit for component blending. The static mixer has a material inlet facing the metering unit and a material outlet facing away from the metering unit. Each metering valve has a supply channel sealingly connectable to a valve seat for supplying the respective component to the static mixer. A number of material applications are carried out consecutively, each having an identical predetermined time between start and end of the application. During the applications, between the start and the end, at predetermined times, the pressure in at least one supply channel is measured by a pressure sensor and preferably measured in all supply channels by a respective pressure sensor.

Abstract: A method produces a battery arrangement which has a battery tray having a tray bottom and a battery received in the battery tray, wherein the battery lies on the battery tray at support points spanning a support plane and wherein, before the battery is inserted into the battery tray, a thermal compound is applied to the tray bottom and/or to the battery bottom in order to fill, at least in part, a gap between a battery bottom facing the tray bottom and the tray bottom. Before the thermal compound is applied, a distance between the tray bottom and the support plane is determined at least at first measurement points and the thermal compound is applied to the tray bottom and/or the battery bottom in a quantity which is dependent on the determined distances between the tray bottom and the support plane.

Abstract: An application nozzle for applying a viscous material to workpieces has a nozzle body, through which an application duct extends from a material inlet to a material outlet. The nozzle body has, in a first spatial direction, a width greater than a thickness in a second spatial direction perpendicular to the first direction. The application channel widens towards the outlet in the first direction. A nozzle holder has a main body and two clamping plates. A material feed duct extends through the main body, leading into the inlet at a feed opening. The clamping plates, bearing on opposite nozzle body side faces, fix the nozzle body releasably to the main body. The clamping plates are separate components fixed releasably to the main body and the nozzle body, and/or the nozzle body has two nozzle plates bearing flat against one another, with at least one duct portion between the nozzle plates.

Abstract: A metering valve has a closing member and a valve seat. The closing member is movable between a closed position on the valve seat sealing a material outlet, and an open position raised above the valve seat leaving the outlet clear. An actuating element rigidly connected to the closing member is arranged between first and second piezo-actuators at a distance from the first piezo-actuator in the closed position less than the maximum length change of the first piezo-actuator, or lies loosely thereon and at a distance from the second piezo-actuator longer than the maximum length change of the first piezo-actuator. The actuating element in the open position is arranged at a distance from the second piezo-actuator less than the maximum length change of the second piezo-actuator, or lies loosely thereon and at a distance from the first piezo-actuator greater than the maximum length change of the second piezo-actuator.

Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for detecting connecting elements, in particular friction drilling screws, in mechanical joining and forming processes in which an error event in the process was identified. The method includes moving a carrier component for the connecting element toward a workpiece to determine a contact point of the connecting element on the workpiece. This feeding step is carried out as a next method step after the error event is detected and ascertains whether the contact point is detected within a predefined permissible tolerance in order to determine whether the connecting element is still located in a feed head.

Abstract: A method for conveying viscous material out of a barrel-like container open towards the top and having a bottom and a circumferential wall extending from bottom to top, uses a device having a follower plate for closing the container. The plate has a circumferential wiper ring having a radially outwardly protruding contact portion for contacting an inner container wall face facing the plate. A variable pressing force can be applied to press the contact portion against the inner face. The plate, following a decreasing material level and resting on the material surface, is moved bottomward, and, after the container is emptied, is moved away from the bottom, and the contact portion is pressed sealingly against the inner face while the plate moves bottomward. The sealing effect between the wiper ring and the container wall is suspended during plate movement away from the bottom by reducing the pressing force.

Abstract: A metering valve for viscous materials has a housing, a material channel extending in the housing and opening into material outlet openings, and a number of valve pins, which are movably mounted in the housing, the number corresponding to the number of material outlet openings, wherein a valve seat is associated with each valve pin and each valve pin is movable between a closed position, in which it sits on the valve seat associated with it and closes one of the material outlet openings, and an open position, in which the material outlet opening concerned is exposed. The valve pins are produced from carbide and are guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner through feed-through openings in a guide block arranged at a distance from the valve seats, wherein the guide block is produced from carbide, at least on the inner surfaces of the feed-through openings facing the valve pins.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for applying a viscous material to a workpiece, in particular for applying an adhesive or sealing material to a motor vehicle body component, comprising: an application nozzle (14) with a material outlet opening (20); and a nozzle support (16) that supports the application nozzle (14), on which nozzle support the application nozzle (14) is releasably attached, wherein an application channel (18) extends through the nozzle support (16) and the application nozzle (14) up to the material outlet opening (20). According to the invention, the nozzle support (16) and the application nozzle (14) each have a connection part (22, 24), wherein a first connection part (22) is inserted into a second connection part (24) and is encircled thereby, and the connection parts (22, 24) can be moved relative to each other in a limited extent from a starting position against the restoring force of an elastic restoring element (38).

Abstract: A metering valve has a closing member and a valve seat. The closing member is movable between a closed position on the valve seat sealing a material outlet, and an open position raised above the valve seat leaving the outlet clear. An actuating element rigidly connected to the closing member is arranged between first and second piezo-actuators at a distance from the first piezo-actuator in the closed position less than the maximum length change of the first piezo-actuator, or lies loosely thereon and at a distance from the second piezo-actuator longer than the maximum length change of the first piezo-actuator. The actuating element in the open position is arranged at a distance from the second piezo-actuator less than the maximum length change of the second piezo-actuator, or lies loosely thereon and at a distance from the first piezo-actuator greater than the maximum length change of the second piezo-actuator.