Free dispensing download

Our range of dispensing equipment includes automatic, semi-automatic and robotic systems, hand held guns and all the consumables users are ever likely to need for their adhesives or other liquids like inks, coatings, greases or oils. So in order to help production engineers, we are offering a free download of 25 Top Dispensing Tips – an indispensable guide to the ins-and-outs of fluid dispensing, including equipment selection and techniques. We are offering a free sample kit including a selection of tips, barrels and other consumables – all featuring industry-standard fittings and total backward compatibility.

Our free download of 25 Top Dispensing Tips cover subjects such as the best type of dispensing tips to use for solder paste or conductive epoxies, dispensing of light sensitive materials, how to prevent dripping or backflow, how to increase accuracy and how to minimize clogging in the dispensing tip. There are also tips on low viscosity materials and micro-dispensing, right down to correct tip angles. Further information, along with a free download and kit may be accessed by visiting www.intertronics.co.uk/25toptips.

We are exhibiting in the south

We are exhibiting at the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics Exhibition in Farnborough on February 10-11, 2010. Our stand number is 118. Please come and see us!

New image for dispensing leaders

Congratulations to sales partner Fisnar Inc. Not only have they moved to new premises, but have undergone a bit of an image change. Here is their new logo - we like it.

FIP Gaskets - Cheaper than you think?

We have just added Technical Bulletin TB2009-14 to our articles page about using benchtop robotics to lay down liquid Form-in-Place gaskets.

Hand-held positive displacement dispensing

The Tridak Stepper Positive Displacement Pipette Dispenser offers contaminate-free dispensing in a simple to operate, hand-held pipette. The Stepper has a light-weight, ergonomic design and is constructed of aluminum for maximum durability. Users can dispense a wide variety of low-to-medium viscosity materials with gentle thumb pressure. This repetitive pipette is available in three sizes: 1ml, 3ml, and 5ml. The Stepper offers positive displacement dispensing in a range from 0.01ml to 1.00ml. Each Stepper pipette can dispense up to 100 shots from one fill. Shots dispensed from the Stepper are consistent from the first to the last shot.

The Stepper pipette utilizes a disposable silicone-free, medical-grade syringe as its fluid reservoir. The pipette is designed so that the fluid reservoir never comes in contact with the operator's hand, preventing adverse heat transfer which could influence the accuracy of the pipette. This design also eliminates fluid contamination because fluids never come in contact with the dispenser's mechanical parts. The Stepper's contaminate-free dispensing makes it an attractive dispenser for many medical and biological applications.

Need an answer to a dispensing problem?

This is one of a series of new advertisements which we will be using on websites and newsletters in the coming months.

Micro-dot dispensing in the palm of your hand

Quick, accurate, reliable dispensing of micro-dot quantities of adhesives, greases, inks and oils is now literally “at hand” with the Tridak Micro-Dot™.

The Micro-Dot™ dispenser is a brilliant little tool – it uses a standard 10ml syringe barrel filled with pretty much any liquid you like and is ideal for manual dispensing of small quantities in every area from medical device manufacture to electronic assemblies, laboratories, jewellery, optical fluids, repairs and marking. No compressed air is required, so it is fully portable.

We love it - it is light, versatile, robust and low cost! The Micro-Dot™ features a positive displacement thumb operated action with simple stroke adjustment for volume setting from about 0.003ml to 0.200ml enabling indefinite repetition with great accuracy, with a wide range of low-to-high viscosity fluids using standard 10ml syringe barrels and smooth flow tapered dispensing tips to suit individual situations. In operation the Micro-Dot is simplicity itself with a twist safety-interlock to prevent accidental activation by leaving the Micro-Dot’s plunger completely free until the syringe is fully rotated into position and secured into the dispenser’s body. The simple incremental piston advance then expels the liquid micro-dot exactly when and where required.

Hot-melt dispensing

The Thermadose® range of hot-melt adhesive dispensing systems encompass bench mounted tank-style controllers designed to handle pellet, brick and flake hot-melt adhesives in 12, 14 and 34 lb capacities as well as heavier duty 5 gallon and 55 gallon drums. These include a smooth easy-clean heating platen or an optional spiral-grid that increases the surface area and improves heating efficiency and control for high-flow and hard to melt materials. All models are also available in versions to apply non-adhesive substances requiring sterile conditions.

Crossover configurations for constant product flow are offered either as 55/5 gallon or 55/55 gallon configurations with simple to learn controls. When coupled to a range of heavy-duty heated accessories, the tank controller becomes part of a system that can be manually configured, for example, with a hand-gun or interfaced to a robot for fully automatic operation. Each hot-melt tank controller consists of a heated melt tank with an integral heat grid. Tanks are coated with an approved food contact material.

Ergonomic and lightweight balanced dispensing guns have an integrated hanger for suspension hook up and incorporate hot-melt dispensing nozzles for fitting to applicator valves, manifolds and flow heads for swirl assemblies and pattern nozzles.

Electric and air operated applicator valve heads are designed for mounted installation and feature a fast “snap” function solenoid valve with precise needle-and-seat action which produces a clean cut-off to preventing drips, e.g. when using edge dispensing manifold applicators - commonly used in corrugated or folded carton applications to dispense hot-melt in either horizontal or vertical modes. Accessories are available for angled dispensing.

Thermadose® hot-melt pail pump systems are available in 5 gallon and 55 gallon models. Connection is via hoses which incorporate a PTFE core, a reinforced stainless steel braid and high temperature insulation, with a durable polyester braid cover for abrasion resistance. These heated hoses are both electrically and mechanically attached to hot melt controllers via easy access front connector.

HOT! Hot melt dispensing

Sales partners I&J Fisnar have announced an exciting range of dispensing systems for hot melt adhesives and other thermoplastic systems. The Thermadose range includes bench mounted “tank” style Hot Melt Controllers which are designed to handle pellet, brick and flake adhesives in 12, 14 and 34 lb capacities. Accessories include high grade heated hoses, hand dispensing guns, tip sealing applicator valves, and swirl, shot and bead nozzles.

Bench or floor systems can be simply integrated to any of our dispensing robots.

Download the Thermadose brochure - pdf format (4,634Kb).

Fast gaskets

We are pleased to introduce a new tack-free, soft gasket material from sales partner DYMAX for sealing fuel cells, appliance housings, and critical electronic assemblies and devices. DYMAX Light Weld® GA-140 is a UV/Visible light-curable form-in-place (FIP) and cure-in-place (CIP) gasket developed for applications requiring low compression set, tack-free surface and durable, reliable sealing. It is a soft gasket material with high adhesion to plastics which provides a barrier to prevent absorption or penetration of air, dust, moisture, liquids and gaseous substances.

DYMAX GA-140 can be dispensed into intricate and complex configurations with the benefit of in-line curing which allows for increased production speed, greater output, lower processing costs, and reduced inventories. It is a silicone-free, one-part resin requiring no mixing, with low out-gassing, cures in seconds and with a viscosity that allows for varying bead heights. It conforms to intricate channels or recesses and has excellent tear resistance for serviceable and limited-service applications.

Experience across many industries confirms that the FIP gaskets cure completely in seconds even in 6mm thick beads. This eliminates the racking, stacking, waiting and un-racking as required with traditional FIP gaskets. Light-curing FIP gaskets offer the ultimate in gasket design flexibility - designed for flat flanges or wide shallow grooves, permanent FIP gaskets can eliminate the delay experienced with slow-curing resins as well as the design, inventory and labour expense associated with pre-cut gaskets.

DYMAX GA-140 FIP Gasket being applied on a domestic iron

New advertisements

An instant classic

We are pleased to announce a significant new range of professional grade cyanoacrylate “instant” adhesives - superior quality, high purity single part adhesives which have numerous applications in all aspects of high technology, high performance assembly. Curing at room temperature in seconds, they provide excellent bond strength on a wide range of similar and dissimilar substrates including rubber, plastics, metal, wood, leather, ceramics, ferrites, stone, cork, glass, composites and paper. The range includes surface-insensitive, fast cure and low odour, low blooming formulations. Cyanoacrylate adhesives (CA’s) are known generically as “superglues” or “instant adhesives” and are extensively used in all manner of industrial applications, but often little understood and may be of extremely variable quality.

Our adhere cyanoacrylate single component systems are fast and easy to use, requiring no mixing or heating, and parts being bonded do not need clamping. They are solvent free. They achieve high tensile and shear strengths. Their high quality formulation and manufacture ensures excellent manufacturing repeatability and high stability – facilitating long shelf life for highly efficient production line use. The range includes a rubber toughened “flexible formulation”, an activator for even faster cures, and a primer which facilitates bonding of difficult to bond plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene or silicone rubber – even PTFE.

While cyanoacrylates are ubiquitous adhesives we believe they are often taken for granted. It is our aim to raise-the-game of instant adhesives in manufacturing processes. To this end we are also strongly focused on dispensing technologies, whether through 20 or 50 gram integral pin cap HDPE bottles or 500 gram bottles for pressure pot and automated application. We score by offering a complementary complete range of compatible automatic, semi-automatic and manual dispensing systems in-house.

FREE dispensing poster - get yours now!

We have just had delivered from the printers a new colour A3 glossy colour poster which shows all the standard dispensing consumable products we sell - things like dispensing barrels and tips or needles.

This was designed to be any easy reference for part numbers and sizes. If you ask for a copy, then you can stick it up on the wall next to your desk - everyone here has!

Popular valve

The IJF CV629 Cartridge Dispensing Valve is rapidly becoming one of our favourites. It is a pneumatically operated valve designed for precision dispensing of all types of fluids, such as solvents, oils, silicones, glues, UV adhesives, inks, etc. Shot sizes may be fine tuned by the adjustment screw at the top of the valve; so we can recommend it for applications where smaller, micro deposits are required.

Weighing only 135g, the CV629 Cartridge Dispensing Valve is one of the few valves that can be comfortably held in the hand without stress, and so is ideal for manual operations where an operator needs to apply frequent dispensing deposits. The CV629 features aligned air/material inlets, so we can put them close together when ganged up. Maintenance is easy - the seals are in a replaceable cartridge. It can handle a wide range of material viscosities at up to 300psi pressure, and that includes silicones. The valve is also recommended for integration in an automated system, or simple dispensing robot, where the quick-change one-piece cartridge seal ensures minimal maintenance and reduced down time.

Diaphragm valve for UV materials

Dispensing of UV adhesives is a subject close to our hearts, so we are pleased to introduce the new IJF DV509-UV-LF Diaphragm Dispensing Valve. This diaphragm valve comes from the same world leading stable at I&J Fisnar as the pneumatic controller which makes this such an easy to use package, especially for UV curing resins. The valve’s high cycling rate of 200 per minute makes it ideal for automated systems in all industries.

The IJF DV509-UV-LF has been specifically constructed to provide shielding from outside light and to reduce metal contact, which can sometimes cause UV resin to gel. The diaphragm itself is opened by pneumatic solenoid and is positively closed by a return spring, thus ensuring precision of operation. Construction of the valve includes a wetted chamber compatible with the flow of low to medium viscosity UV materials which can otherwise prove difficult.

Bucking the robot trend

The latest survey of robot sales in the UK produced by British Automation and Robot Association (BARA), based at the University of Warwick, reveals UK small businesses are failing to exploit a significant fall in price of industrial robots at a time when US figures are showing record sales of robots to US small businesses.

The BARA/ University of Warwick survey shows continuing trend for robot prices to fall. Despite this, robot sales in the UK in 2005 were static with very few sales to small companies. By contrast data collected in the US is showing record robot sales with an overall 30% growth in robot sales and in particular major growth in sales to small businesses.

Dr Ken Young chairman of BARA says:

It seems strange to me that our culture drives us to work hard rather than to adopt technologies that allow us to work smart. It appears to me that we forget what we are trying to do (make money) and think that while we are working hard we will somehow be OK. Unfortunately the rest of the world doesn't play to those rules.

Our benchtop dispensing robots start at under £4,000.00. Our sales are growing. This means that most of our customers work smart. If Dr Young's comments apply to even some of the rest of our customer base, then perhaps we could sell even more. I hope so!