Aseptic Dosing Device with Isolated Sealing Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for dosing and filling powdered materials into containers are not suitable for aseptic conditions due to non-isolated dosing chambers and complex cleaning processes, allowing particles and media to contaminate the filling area.
Innovation Solution
The dosing device is designed with a bearing device and sealing ring arrangement that prevents media access, using a shaft sealing ring to ensure tightness and employing sterilizable materials for aseptic operation, with a structural unit that can be easily sterilized and connected to the reservoir.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the metering chambers are sealed off from the outer circumference of the metering wheel, then the dosing function is improved, but the ingress of particles or media into the metering chambers cannot be prevented due to the non-isolated design
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two distinct zones: a sterile product-carrying area and a non-sterile bearing device area. The metering wheel with metering chambers is isolated in the sterile zone, while the bearing device is positioned in the non-sterile zone, preventing contamination while maintaining dosing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing device is introduced as an intermediary element between the sterile metering chamber area and the non-sterile bearing device area. This sealing device prevents the ingress of particles or media from the bearing device into the metering chambers, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and contamination prevention.
2Productivity
If the metering wheel rotates incrementally with metering chambers contacting the material container, then the dosing function is improved, but the end face between the metering wheel and storage container is not media-tight
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing device is extracted and positioned in a separate non-sterile area below the material container, away from the sterile metering chamber zone. This extraction allows the end face between the metering wheel and storage container to be designed as media-tight while maintaining the incremental rotation dosing function.
3Ease of manufacture
If the dosing device components are separated for assembly, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the cleaning and sterilization process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The metering wheel, metering chambers, and associated dosing components are merged into a single integrated sterile unit that can be sterilized as one component. This merging simplifies the sterilization process while the overall device remains modular for ease of manufacture and assembly.
4Device complexity
If the bearing device is positioned close to the metering chambers for compact design, then the device complexity is reduced, but the risk of particle or media ingress into the product-carrying area increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different zones of the device are assigned different quality requirements: the metering chamber area maintains sterile conditions with media-tight sealing, while the bearing device area is positioned in a non-sterile zone. The sealing device creates a local barrier that allows compact positioning while preventing contamination.
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 solution effectively prevents contamination during aseptic filling operations, simplifying the cleaning and sterilization process, ensuring the product-carrying area remains isolated from potential contaminants, and allowing for efficient and reliable aseptic filling.
Implementation Method 1
The dispensing of the material from the material container into the respective metering chamber is assisted by a vacuum applied via a bore in the metering chamber
Implementation Method 2
After the metering wheel rotates 180° relative to the material container, the material is dispensed from the metering chamber into a container located below the metering chamber by gravity
Implementation Method 3
a sealing device is arranged between the bearing device and the at least one dosing chamber, which is designed to seal the ingress of media or particles from the area of the bearing device into the area of the dosing chamber
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (10) for dosing and filling powdery filling material into containers (1), having: a reserve container (13) for the filling material; a dosing device (20), which is gradually rotatable about a rotation axis (40) and which has at least one dosing chamber (52) for receiving a target quantity of filling material, wherein the dosing device (20) is movable at least between a first position, for transferring filling material from the reserve container (13) into the dosing chamber (52), and a second position, for dispensing the filling material from the dosing chamber (52) into the container (1); and at least one bore (31, 32, 33) for guiding compressed air into the region of the dosing chamber (52) in the second position.