Functional element

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for attaching functional elements, e.g. composed of metal, to a component, in particular to a component comprising fiber-reinforced plastic, while using a setting head, wherein the functional element has a contact surface provided with adhesive and wherein the adhesive can be supplied to the setting head in individual depots adapted to the functional elements on a carrier band is characterized in that the functional elements are taken over by a guide device and are each pressable to an adhesive depot and are subsequently guidable with the adhering adhesive depots and separately from the carrier band in the setting head to the setting position in front of a setting die.

1 . An apparatus for attaching functional elements to a component while using a setting head, wherein the functional element has a contact surface provided with adhesive and wherein the adhesive is suppliable to the setting head in individual depots adapted to the functional elements on a carrier band,
 wherein the functional elements are taken over by a guide device and are each pressable to an adhesive depot and are subsequently guidable with the adhering adhesive depots and separately from the carrier band in the setting head to the setting position in front of a setting die.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the functional elements are composed of metal.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the component comprises fiber-reinforced plastic.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the carrier band is present in the form of a band carrying the adhesive depots and covered by removable protective film and wound up to form a roll.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the guide device comprises a rotatable wheel that has receivers for the functional elements and that takes over the functional elements from a guide track.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the guide device comprises a revolving conveyor that has receivers for the functional elements and that takes over the functional elements from a guide track of a supply device.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 5 ,
 wherein the guide track is formed by a guide passage or by a guide tube or by a guide rail.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the functional elements are suppliable to the guide device in rows next to one another.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the carrier band with the adhesive depots is covered in front of the setting head by a cover band removable from the adhesive.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 9 ,
 wherein the cover band is separable from the carrier band via a deflection roller.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 10 ,
 wherein the deflection roller is arranged above the carrier band, beneath a supply device guiding the functional elements to the guide device, and is arranged on the inflow side of a mouth piece having the guide device.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the carrier band can be led off to the bottom about a deflection roller that is located in a cut-out of a mouth piece comprising the guide device.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 12 ,
 wherein the deflection roller is arranged such that the functional elements are movable tangentially to the surface of the deflection roller of the carrier band directly on a guide rail of the mouth piece.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein at least one of the adhesive depots and the carrier band is configured such that the adhesive depots adhere less strongly to the carrier band than to the functional elements.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein a mouth piece of the supply device is releasably connected to the setting head by means of a movable latching nose.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein the apparatus is adapted either to push a functional element immediately into the die channel of the setting head or only to bring it into a waiting position in front of the die channel after the application of the adhesive to said functional element.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 ,
 wherein a flushing system is integrated in the setting head to flush adhesive residues out of the setting head as required.   
     
     
         18 . A method for attaching functional elements to a component while using a setting head, wherein the functional element has a contact surface provided with adhesive and wherein the adhesive is supplied to the setting head in individual depots adapted to the functional elements on a carrier band,
 wherein the functional elements are delivered by a supply device to a guide device and are each pressed to an adhesive depot in the guide device, and are subsequently guided with the adhering adhesive depots and separately from the carrier band in the setting head into a setting position in front of a setting die.   
     
     
         19 . The method in accordance with  claim 18 ,
 wherein the guide device comprises a rotatable wheel that presses the functional elements to the adhesive depots.   
     
     
         20 . The method in accordance with  claim 18 ,
 wherein the carrier band is led off to the bottom about a deflection roller that is located in a cut-out of a mouth piece comprising the guide device.   
     
     
         21 . The method in accordance with  claim 20 ,
 wherein the deflection roller is arranged such that the functional elements are moved tangentially to the surface of the deflection roller of the carrier band or of the rotatable wheel directly on a guide rail of the mouth piece.   
     
     
         22 . The method in accordance with  claim 18 ,
 wherein the carrier band with the adhesive depots is covered in front of the setting head by a cover band that is removable from the adhesive and that is pulled off the carrier band via a deflection roller.