All-Plastic Pump Head for Unified Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pump heads with metal springs are inconvenient to recycle together with the plastic bottle body, due to the material incompatibility and separate recycling requirements.
Innovation Solution
An all-plastic pump design that replaces the metal spring with a plastic spring, allowing for a fully recyclable pump head. The design includes an outer cover, a tubular plastic spring, an inner cover, and a pressing head, where the plastic spring surrounds a conveying hole and is supported by rods connected to a baffle, enabling the pump to open and close while facilitating recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal spring is used in the pump head, then the pump head can achieve reliable opening and closing function, but the pump head cannot be recycled together with the plastic bottle body due to material incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The metal spring component is extracted and removed from the pump head system. The patent replaces the metal spring with a plastic spring, thereby eliminating the metal component that prevented recycling and allowing the entire pump head to be recycled with the plastic bottle body.
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameter of the spring is changed from metal to plastic. This material substitution maintains the spring's functional properties (elasticity, opening and closing capability) while changing its chemical composition to be compatible with plastic recycling processes, enabling unified recycling of the pump head and bottle body.
2Ease of operation
If the pump head and bottle body are made of different materials (metal spring in plastic pump head), then the pump head can function properly, but they need to be recycled separately which causes great trouble
Solution Approach 1:
The pump head and bottle body are merged into a single recyclable unit by making the pump head entirely from plastic materials. The plastic spring, inner cover, outer cover, and pressing head are all made of plastic, allowing the entire assembly to be recycled together with the plastic bottle body as one homogeneous material stream, thereby simplifying the recycling process.
3Device complexity
If a metal spring is used to achieve the opening and closing function, then the pump head can be compact and functional, but it creates material incompatibility issues for recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The pump head components are made homogeneous in material composition, specifically using plastic for all components including the spring mechanism. This material homogeneity ensures that the entire pump head assembly can be recycled together with the plastic bottle body without requiring separation, thereby improving recycling compatibility while maintaining structural functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The all-plastic pump head can be efficiently recycled as a single unit, overcoming the recycling challenges posed by metal components, while maintaining functionality and ensuring environmental sustainability.
Implementation Method 1
The plastic spring is disposed in the accessory cavity, and the plastic spring is in a tubular shape. Pressing of the pressing head is configured to push the pressing sheet to urge the plastic spring so as to separate the baffle and the stop tube from each other.
Data Source
AI summary
An all-plastic pump comprising an outer cover, a plastic spring, an inner cover and a pressing head. The pump includes an accessory cavity in the outer cover, with a conveying hole. A tubular plastic spring is positioned within the cavity, surrounding the conveying hole. Supporting rods are arranged circumferentially on an inner wall of the plastic spring's port, with one end of the rods connected to a baffle. The inner cover surrounds the plastic spring, and a stop tube is inserted through the supporting rods, with its port sealing against the baffle. The pressing head, mounted in a pressable manner, includes a discharging hole, pressing sheet, and conveying tube. When pressed, the pressing sheet compresses the plastic spring, causing separation between the baffle and stop tube, allowing fluid discharge.