Quick slip die plate and method of mounting and removing the same

A plate member, which may be a die plate or a shim, which is adapted to be used within a fluid material dispensing system, such as, for example, a system for dispensing or distributing adhesives upon substrates, is provided with a plurality of apertures equally spaced along the longitudinal extent thereof. The apertures comprise a plurality of throughbores 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, milled slots are also provided within the plate member, the milled slots connecting the through-bores to a free edge portion of the plate member. In this manner, when the plate member is to be removed from the support structure so as to be replace with a new or different plate member, the fasteners need only be untightened, but not removed from the support structure, the plate member can be slidably removed from the support structure, a new plate member 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.