Prefilled needle cap semi-automatic assembly device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of pre-filled needle cap semi-automatic assembly device and method, device includes first material shake, second material shake and row board.First material shake is equipped with pre-filled elastomer placement groove, and second material shake is equipped with plastic shell placement groove.Working, first material shake with pre-filled elastomer is carried and second material shake with plastic shell is stacked up and down, so that they are aligned one by one in vertical direction, realize the batch accurate set of pre-filled elastomer and plastic shell.The combined components are then transferred to the placement groove of row board and arranged, ready for subsequent hot melt packaging.The application solves the problems of low efficiency, poor consistency and high labor intensity in the experimental stage through mechanized batch alignment and transfer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device manufacturing equipment technology, specifically a semi-automatic assembly device and method for pre-filled needle caps. Background Technology

[0002] The needle cap in a pre-filled syringe assembly is typically assembled from a pre-filled elastomer made of butyl rubber and a plastic shell. During the product development and testing phases, small-batch, multi-batch trial production is required. Currently, this assembly process mainly relies on manual labor; operators must pick up tiny pre-filled elastomers one by one, precisely place them into equally tiny plastic shells, and then manually place the assembly onto a heat-sealing tooling plate.

[0003] This purely manual operation method has significant drawbacks: First, the production efficiency is extremely low, failing to meet the efficiency requirements for sample preparation during the experimental stage; second, prolonged manual operation easily leads to fatigue, resulting in incorrect or missing components and poor product consistency; third, frequent manual placement requires high operational skills, is labor-intensive, and is prone to damaging precision parts or equipment due to improper force or misalignment. Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for a device specifically designed for the experimental stage that enables rapid, accurate, and batch assembly to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings of manual operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a semi-automatic assembly device and method for pre-filled needle caps, which can solve the problems of low efficiency, poor product consistency and high labor intensity in the experimental stage of pre-filled needle caps.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a semi-automatic assembly device for pre-filled needle caps, comprising a first material shaker and a second material shaker; The first material shaker is provided with a pre-filled elastomer placement groove for accommodating and orienting multiple pre-filled elastomers; The second material shaker has a plastic shell placement groove on its upper part for accommodating and orienting multiple plastic shells; The first material shaker carrying the pre-filled elastomer is stacked with the second material shaker carrying the plastic shell, and the first material shaker is located above the second material shaker. The pre-filled elastomer and the plastic shell are aligned one-to-one in the vertical direction. It also includes a slab, which has multiple material placement slots for arranging and placing the pre-fitted assemblies discharged by the second material shaker.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, an elastomer pushing mechanism is also included. The elastomer pushing mechanism is located above the first material shaker and is used to push the pre-filled elastomer away from the pre-filled elastomer placement groove and into the plastic shell in the plastic shell placement groove.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, one end of the plastic housing placement slot is open.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, one end of the material placement groove of the panel is provided with a discharge push rod, and the opening end of the plastic shell placement groove is aligned downward with the middle of the material placement groove. The fitted assembly falls into the material placement groove and is discharged one by one by the discharge push rod.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, one end of the material trough is provided with a hollow shell, and the unloading push rod is disposed through the hollow shell, with the pushing end of the unloading push rod located inside the material trough.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, a limiting plate is provided on the unloading push rod located in the hollow shell, and a spring is provided on the unloading push rod between the limiting plate and the end of the hollow shell away from the discharge plate.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the first material shaker is a liftable structure, and the second material shaker is a flip-over structure that can move laterally. The first material shaker is positioned directly above the second material shaker, and the second material shaker is positioned directly above the tray.

[0012] The semi-automatic assembly device and method for pre-filled needle caps provided by this invention, by adopting the above-described structure, has the following beneficial effects: (1) By setting the first material shaker and the second material shaker, multiple pre-filled elastomers and plastic shells can be accommodated and arranged at one time. By stacking and aligning the two, all parts can be aligned and nested instantly and in batches, transforming the original tedious manual assembly into an efficient batch operation, which is particularly suitable for the needs of rapid preparation of small batches of samples in the experimental stage; (2) Operators only need to complete simple actions such as loading and stacking of materials, without having to perform high-intensity, high-precision repetitive manual alignment operations, which reduces the dependence on the operator's proficiency and also greatly alleviates their visual and physical fatigue. (3) By setting up the mounting plate and unloading push rod, the pre-fitted assemblies can be automatically and neatly arranged and transferred to the material slot of the mounting plate to form a semi-automatic production line, which is ready for final packaging and greatly optimizes the overall production process in the experimental stage. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure during the process of pre-filling the elastomer and the plastic shell in this invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the pre-filled elastomer and plastic shell are fitted together in this invention.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the assembly of the present invention during unloading.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second material shaking structure of the present invention.

[0017] In the figure: First material shaker 1, pre-filled elastomer placement groove 101, second material shaker 2, plastic shell placement groove 201, pre-filled elastomer 3, plastic shell 4, elastomer pushing mechanism 5, plate 6, material placement groove 7, hollow shell 8, unloading push rod 9, limit plate 10, spring 11. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Example 1: like Figure 1-4 In this embodiment, the core of the pre-filled needle cap semi-automatic assembly device lies in the three-stage coordination of the first material shaker 1, the second material shaker 2, and the plate 6 to achieve the batch and precise assembly and transfer of the pre-filled elastomer 3 and the plastic shell 4.

[0019] The first material hopper 1 is an inverted trapezoidal structure with multiple parallel pre-filled elastomer placement grooves 101 (or a single strip groove) machined on its bottom surface. The shape of the groove matches the shape of the pre-filled elastomer 3 for its orientation and arrangement. The second material hopper 2 is also an inverted trapezoidal structure, located below the first material hopper 1, and has multiple plastic shell placement grooves 201 corresponding one-to-one with the pre-filled elastomer placement grooves 101 (or a single strip groove). The plastic shell placement grooves 201 are used to accommodate and position the plastic shells 4, and one end of each groove is open to allow for the discharge of the assembly.

[0020] The first material shaker 1 can be vertically raised and lowered relative to the second material shaker 2 through a simple guide column and linear bearing mechanism (not shown in the figure). The second material shaker 2 can be horizontally moved through a slider and slide rail mechanism (not shown in the figure), and can be rotated 90° around a pivot at one end to facilitate subsequent unloading operations.

[0021] The tray 6 is located below the second material shaker 2, and a material placement trough 7 is provided on it to receive and arrange the assembled parts that have been fitted together.

[0022] Above the first material shaker 1, an elastomer pushing mechanism 5 is provided. This mechanism can be a push plate driven by a cylinder, with a push rod at its lower end corresponding to the pre-filled elastomer placement groove 101. When the cylinder is activated, the push rod can simultaneously push multiple pre-filled elastomers 3 downwards away from their placement groove 101.

[0023] The aforementioned elastomer pushing mechanism 5 mainly ensures smooth discharge of the pre-filled elastomer 3 in the pre-filled elastomer placement groove 101. Alternatively, a vibration mechanism can be used to achieve the downward discharge of the pre-filled elastomer 3 by vibrating the first material shaker 1.

[0024] A hollow housing 8 is provided at one end of the material placement trough 7 of the tray 6. A discharge push rod 9 is disposed through the hollow housing 8, with its pushing end located inside the material placement trough 7. A limiting plate 10 is fixedly provided on the discharge push rod 9 located inside the hollow housing 8. A spring 11 is sleeved on the rod body of the discharge push rod 9 between the limiting plate 10 and the end of the hollow housing 8 away from the tray 6.

[0025] Example 2: This embodiment describes in detail the method and process of semi-automatic assembly of pre-filled needle caps using the above-described device.

[0026] First, perform the initial material loading: Operators or automated feeding equipment pour or place a certain quantity of pre-filled elastomer 3 (usually butyl rubber) into or place into the pre-filled elastomer placement slot 101 of the first material shaker 1. Because the shape of the slot matches the elastomer, they will self-orient. Similarly, plastic shells 4 are placed into the plastic shell placement slot 201 of the second material shaker 2. This step can prepare multiple pre-filled material shakers offline, enabling cyclical operation and further improving efficiency.

[0027] Next, alignment and assembly are performed: The first material shaker 1 is driven to descend by a corresponding drive device, so that its lower surface is close to (or even in contact with) the upper surface of the second material shaker 2. At this time, each pre-filled elastomer placement slot 101 on the first material shaker 1 is precisely aligned with the corresponding plastic shell placement slot 201 on the second material shaker 2.

[0028] When the elastomer pushing mechanism 5 is activated, its driving source (such as a cylinder) is activated, pushing the push plate downward. The push plate can be equipped with ejector pins with a diameter smaller than the cavity diameter of the pre-filled elastomer 3. By relying on the action of the ejector pins on all the inner cavities of the pre-filled elastomer 3, they are neatly pushed away from the pre-filled elastomer placement groove 101.

[0029] Under the combined action of thrust and gravity, the pre-filled elastomer 3 falls vertically and is precisely embedded in the corresponding plastic shell 4 in the lower plastic shell placement slot 201, completing the assembly of a batch.

[0030] If a vibration-assisted material dropping method is adopted, the vibrator is activated at this step to make the elastomer vibrate and fall.

[0031] Finally, the material is transferred and unloaded. The first material is shaken up and returns to its initial position.

[0032] The second material shaker 2, which carries the assembled components, aligns the components with the material placement groove 7 on the alignment plate 6 via a horizontal moving mechanism.

[0033] The flipping mechanism of the second material shaker 2 rotates it by a certain angle (e.g., 90°), so that the opening end of the plastic housing placement groove 201 is vertically downward and aligned with the material placement groove 7 on the plate 6.

[0034] Under the influence of gravity, the assembly slides out of the groove of the second material shaker 2 and falls into the material placement groove 7 of the tray 6. Due to the long groove and the stacking of multiple assemblies, some assemblies do not fall completely into the designated position.

[0035] By operating the unloading push rod 9, the external driving force pushes the unloading push rod 9 to move into the plate 6. Its front end pushes the assembly in the material placement groove 7, causing it to move along the groove to the precise predetermined position and ensuring that all assemblies are arranged neatly.

[0036] At this point, all the assembled semi-finished products are neatly arranged on tray 6. The operator can remove the entire tray 6, or transport it as a whole to the downstream hot melt packaging equipment for final processing via a conveyor mechanism.

[0037] Through the above-mentioned device and method, the present invention realizes semi-automated, batch, and high-precision assembly of pre-filled needle caps in the experimental stage, effectively overcoming many drawbacks of purely manual operation.

Claims

1. A semi-automatic assembly device for pre-filled needle caps, characterized in that: It includes the first hopper (1) and the second hopper (2); The first hopper (1) is provided with a pre-filled elastomer placement groove (101) for accommodating and orienting multiple pre-filled elastomers (3). The second hopper (2) has a plastic shell placement slot (201) on its upper part for accommodating and orienting multiple plastic shells (4). The first hopper (1) containing the pre-filled elastomer (3) is stacked with the second hopper (2) containing the plastic shell (4), and the first hopper (1) is located above the second hopper (2). The pre-filled elastomer (3) and the plastic shell (4) are aligned one-to-one in the vertical direction. It also includes a rack (6), which has multiple material placement grooves (7) for arranging and placing the assembled parts discharged from the second hopper (2); The second hopper (2) is a tilting structure that can move laterally; One end of the plastic housing placement slot (201) is open; The first hopper (1) is a liftable structure; The material placement groove (7) of the plate (6) is provided with a material unloading push rod (9) at one end. After the assembly is put in place, the opening end of the plastic shell placement groove (201) is aligned downwards with the middle of the material placement groove (7). The assembled parts fall into the material placement groove (7) and are pushed one by one into the material placement groove (7) by the material unloading push rod (9). It also includes an elastomer pushing mechanism (5), which is located above the first hopper (1) and is used to push the pre-filled elastomer (3) away from the pre-filled elastomer placement groove (101) and into the plastic shell (4) in the plastic shell placement groove (201).

2. The semi-automatic assembly device for pre-filled needle caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material trough (7) has a hollow shell (8) at one end, and the unloading push rod (9) is set through the hollow shell (8), with the pushing end of the unloading push rod (9) located inside the material trough (7).

3. The semi-automatic assembly device for pre-filled needle caps according to claim 2, characterized in that: A limiting plate (10) is provided on the unloading push rod (9) located in the hollow shell (8), and a spring (11) is provided on the unloading push rod (9) between the limiting plate (10) and one end of the hollow shell (8) away from the plate (6).

4. The semi-automatic assembly device for pre-filled needle caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hopper (1) is positioned directly above the second hopper (2), and the second hopper (2) is positioned directly above the rack (6).

5. A semi-automatic assembly method for pre-filled needle caps based on the device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: S1. Place multiple pre-filled elastomers (3) into the pre-filled elastomer placement slot (101) of the first hopper (1), and then place multiple plastic shells (4) into the plastic shell placement slot (201) of the second hopper (2); S2. Move the first hopper (1) carrying the pre-filled elastomer (3) above the second hopper (2) carrying the plastic shell (4) and stack them together, ensuring that each pre-filled elastomer (3) is vertically aligned with the corresponding plastic shell (4); S3. The pre-filled elastomer (3) is removed from the pre-filled elastomer placement slot (101) of the first hopper (1) and falls into the corresponding plastic shell (4) below to complete the fitting assembly. S4. Turn the second hopper (2) over so that the opening end of the plastic shell placement groove (201) on the second hopper (2) faces down and is aligned with the material placement groove (7) on the rack (6); S5. The assembled components in the second hopper (2) fall into the material trough (7) of the plate (6), and the components are pushed one by one into the material trough (7) by the unloading push rod (9).

6. The semi-automatic assembly method for pre-filled needle caps according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S3, the pre-filled elastomer (3) is pushed away from the pre-filled elastomer placement groove (101) by driving the elastomer pushing mechanism (5) set above the first hopper (1).

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