Bag Extraction Assembly with Sealed Transfer Chamber
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors is to minimize the risk of contamination during the extraction of contents from bags, particularly when transferring from a higher contamination environment to a lower contamination environment, while ensuring the content is not exposed to environments with lower contamination classes than its processing environment.
Innovation Solution
An extraction assembly with a separation wall and a gripper system that maintains the bag's end mouth sealed until it opens into a cleaner environment, allowing controlled transfer of the content into a second environment with a higher contamination class, thus minimizing exposure to less clean areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the content is extracted from the bag in the higher contamination class environment, then the bag surface is exposed to potential contamination, but the content remains protected; however, if extracted in the lower contamination class environment, then the content is exposed to potential contamination
Solution Approach 1:
A transfer chamber is introduced as an intermediary space between the first environment (higher contamination class) and the second environment (lower contamination class). The content is transferred through this intermediate chamber via a transfer opening, allowing the bag to open in the cleaner environment without direct exposure of the content to contaminated areas. This mediator space enables controlled transition while maintaining contamination barriers.
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction system is divided into distinct spatial zones: a first environment with higher contamination class, a transfer chamber with controlled access, and a second environment with lower contamination class. Each zone has defined boundaries and controlled openings, segmenting the contamination pathways and allowing independent control of each space's contamination level.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the bag is opened in the lower contamination class environment, then the content is protected from contamination, but the bag surface accumulates particles from the cleaner environment; however, opening in the higher contamination class environment exposes the content to contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The critical operation of opening the bag is extracted from the higher contamination class environment and performed specifically in the lower contamination class environment (second environment). The transfer chamber enables the bag opening action to occur in the cleaner space, removing the harmful exposure of content to contaminants while isolating the particle accumulation issue to only the bag exterior surface in the clean environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag serves as a disposable protective barrier that can be opened in the clean environment. After serving its protective function during transfer, the bag is discarded, and any particle accumulation on its exterior in the clean environment does not affect the already-protected content. The bag's short operational life allows it to bear the burden of particle accumulation without compromising content integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
An extraction assembly for extracting content from a bag, said bag having an end mouth formed by two opposing flaps, comprising a separation wall which separates a first environment and a second environment at different contamination classes and which is provided with an opening communicating the first environment and the second environment, closing partitions at the opening movable between a closing position and an opening position, and a gripper to keep closed said flaps and wherein each closing partition has coupling elements to couple with a gripper, wherein said gripper and said coupling elements include a retention device, the spacing apart of partitions causing opening of the jaws and the opening of the end mouth and the communicating of the inside of the bag and of the content with said second environment through said opening.