Die plate and method of mounting it

A plate member (310), which may be a die plate or a shim, is adapted to be used within a fluid material dispensing system, such as, for example, a system for dispensing or distributing adhesives upon substrates. The member (310) is provided with a plurality of apertures equally spaced along the longitudinal extent thereof. The apertures comprise a plurality of through-bores (320) for respectively receiving a plurality of fasteners, which are adapted to secure the plate member to a support structure, for example, an adhesive manifold or the like. In addition to the through-bores (320), milled slots (328) are also provided within the plate member (310). The milled slots connect the through-bores to a free edge portion (330) of the plate member. In this manner, when the plate member (310) is to be removed from the support structure so as to be replaced with a new or different plate member, the fasteners need only be untightened, but not removed from the support structure, the plate member (310) can be slidably removed from the support structure, a new plate member (310) can be slidably mounted upon the support structure, and the fasteners are then re-tightened. The process of simply untightening the fasteners but not having to completely remove the same from the support structure, and then re-tightening the fasteners, saves considerable operating time and eliminates tedious work for operator personnel.