Air Masking Nozzle

Abstract

A nozzle dispenses a material, such as an adhesive, primer, paint, or other coating, through a dispensing port on to a substrate. The spray pattern provided by the nozzle defines, at least in part, an application pattern of the material on to the substrate. An air mask port integral with the nozzle or a separate nozzle expels a mask stream of pressurized gas. The mask stream projects toward the substrate to aid in limiting an application of the material beyond an application line on the substrate. The air-mask port and the dispensing port may be moved relative to the substrate and/or the application line such that the mask stream provides a barrier to the material being applied.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of applying material from a nozzle, the method comprising:
 positioning the nozzle relative to a substrate to which material is to be applied from a dispensing port of the nozzle;   dispensing the material from the dispensing port, wherein a dispensing axis extends through the dispensing port in a direction the material is dispensed;   concurrent to dispensing the material from the dispensing port, discharging gas from an air-mask port, wherein a masking axis extends through the air-mask port in a direction the gas is discharged toward the substrate;   an alignment axis extends through the dispensing port and the air-mask port; and   while dispensing the material and discharging the gas, moving the nozzle along an application line of the substrate such that the dispensing axis intersects with the masking axis within 5 cm of a substrate application surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein positioning the nozzle and moving of the nozzle is performed by a multi-axis robotic arm controlled by a computing device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising determining a location of the application line relative to the substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein determining the location of the application line comprises capturing an image of the substrate with a vision system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein determining the location of the application line comprises retrieving a data file associated with the substrate. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a portion of an article of footwear. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is non-planar. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the material is one selected from an adhesive, a primer, a coating, paint, and a dye. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a second nozzle is comprised of the air-mask port, the second nozzle is different from the nozzle. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising adjusting a position or orientation of the second nozzle. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein dispensing the material is achieved, at least in part, by propelling the material by a pressurized gas discharged from the dispensing port. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the air-mask port has a smaller cross sectional area in a horizontal plane than a cross-sectional area of the dispensing port in the horizontal plane. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the air-mask port is on a first side of the application line and the dispensing port is on a second side of the application line during the moving of the nozzle along the application line. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dispensing port is maintained within an offset distance range from the substrate during the moving of the nozzle along the application line. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the alignment axis is maintained perpendicular to the application line during the moving of the nozzle along the application line. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nozzle further comprises a physical mask that extends from the nozzle toward the substrate. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising directing an air stream at a primary surface of the physical mask to clean the primary surface. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising activating a second air-mask port that expels a gas stream that is offset from and parallel to the dispensing axis. 
     
     
         19 . A nozzle comprising:
 a dispensing port positioned on the nozzle and effective to dispense a material by a pressurized fluid stream through the nozzle at the dispensing port; and   an air-mask port, the air-mask port peripherally positioned on the nozzle relative to the dispensing port and effective to expel a pressurized fluid stream through the nozzle at the air-mask port, wherein a cross-section area of the air-mask port in a horizontal plane is less than a cross-sectional area of the dispensing port in the horizontal plane.   
     
     
         20 . The nozzle of  claim 19 , wherein the air-mask port is peripherally offset from the dispensing port by a distance of at least a width of the dispensing port as measured across an alignment axis extending between the air-mask port and the dispensing port. 
     
     
         21 . A material dispensing system, comprising:
 a first nozzle having a dispensing port positioned on the first nozzle and effective to dispense a material by a pressurized fluid stream through the first nozzle at the dispensing port, the first nozzle having a dispensing axis extends through the dispensing port in a direction the material is dispensed; and   a second nozzle having an air-mask port, the air-mask effective to expel a pressurized fluid stream through the second nozzle at the air-mask port, wherein a masking axis extends through the air-mask port in a direction the gas is discharged, wherein the dispensing axis and the masking axis intersect at a distance greater than 5 cm from the dispensing port.