Compact heater assembly for a hot melt applicator

Claim 1

A heater assembly for a hot melt adhesive applicator comprising: a heating block made of material having a relatively high thermal conductivity, said heating block having a melting chamber with an inlet and an outlet, said melting chamber having a generally truncated conical shape tapering toward said outlet along a central reference axis; and a pair of elongated spaced apart, electric heating elements thermally coupled to said heating block and disposed along opposite sides of said melting chamber, said heating elements having respective longitudinal axes generally lying in a common plane that extends toward said outlet at an angle in the range of about 1 degree to about 16 degrees relative to said reference axis, wherein said heating elements each have a generally conical external configuration, wherein said heat block has a pair of spaced apart compartments for receiving said elements, each of said compartments having a generally conical shape complemental to said configuration of said heating elements, wherein said heating elements each have a rear end portion which extends along said plane, and wherein a reference line extending between said rear end portions and along said plane passes outside of said melting chamber.