APPLICATOR WHEEL FOR FILLING CAVITIES WITH METERED AMOUNTS OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL

摘要

A machine (10) and process function to fill cavities (16) with metered amounts of particulate material is disclosed. An applicator wheel 18 includes a series of equally spaced apart peripheral pockets (24) each having a perforated bottom wall (32), and a vacuum manifold (34) inside the wheel includes a vacuum chamber 38 for supplying vacuum to the perforated bottom walls of the pockets as the wheel rotates. Particulate material (20) from a filling chamber (26) of such material outside the wheel is withdrawn into the pockets by the vacuum chamber. A downstream vacuum relief (48) on the vacuum manifold functions to discharge particulate material from the pockets into the cavities at a predetermined discharge location on the wheel. Adjustment structure (52, 54) is connected to rotatably adjust the position of the vacuum manifold within the applicator wheel to thereby advance or retard the discharge location depending upon the speed of the machine.