Adhesive melter and method having predictive maintenance for exhaust air filter

摘要

An adhesive melter and a method for operating the melter enables predictive maintenance of an exhaust air filter used to remove pressurized air flow that delivers solid adhesive particulate from a fill system into the melter. To this end, the fill system repeatedly actuates to refill a receiving space, and a controller monitors a duration of each fill system cycle. When changes in a calculated average duration of a plurality of fill system cycles exceed a maintenance threshold, an alert is emitted at a user interface to prompt maintenance or replacement of the exhaust air filter before a complete shutdown of the fill system is caused by clogging of the exhaust air filter. Consequently, unplanned downtimes caused by clogged exhaust air filters in the adhesive melter can be minimized, regardless of any variable conditions occurring at the melter.

主权项

1. A method for operating an adhesive melter including a receiving space for solid adhesive particulate, a heater unit receiving the solid adhesive particulate from the receiving space, a fill system configured to refill the receiving space with solid adhesive particulate, and an exhaust air filter, the method comprising:
repeatedly actuating the fill system to perform a fill system cycle that refills the receiving space with the solid adhesive particulate delivered with a pressurized air flow into the receiving space, the pressurized air flow being exhausted from the receiving space through the exhaust air filter; melting the solid adhesive particulate received in the heater unit from the receiving space into melted adhesive; monitoring a duration of each of the fill system cycles; calculating an average duration for a plurality of the fill system cycles; detecting a change in the average duration for the fill system cycles; and emitting an alert if the detected change exceeds a maintenance threshold that is indicative of the exhaust air filter becoming clogged and requiring maintenance.