Elliptic Biopharma Flow Port for Cleaner Leak-Resistant Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical devices used for storing and transporting biopharmaceutical fluids face challenges in maintaining cleanliness and preventing contamination during the manufacturing process, leading to potential fluid leakage and increased manufacturing scrap rates.
Innovation Solution
A biopharmaceutical flow port system featuring an elliptic body with a hose barb and a flow passage, designed to reduce contamination by minimizing human contact with raw materials and improving seal quality through a ribbed outer surface and aligned tabs, which enhances the alignment and positioning of the flow port during manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional flow ports are used during manufacturing, then human contact with raw materials is necessary for assembly, but this increases contamination risk and manufacturing scrap rates
Solution Approach 1:
The flow port is pre-assembled with the conduit attached to the hose barb before the sealing operation. This preliminary assembly allows the entire flow port assembly to be inserted into the container in a single automated motion, eliminating the need for human contact during the sealing process and reducing contamination risk.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional flow ports with sharp transitions are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but seal quality deteriorates and fluid leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow port incorporates rounded transitions instead of sharp corners at critical sealing surfaces. This curvature design improves seal quality by distributing stress more evenly and preventing fluid leakage, while the overall simple geometry maintains ease of manufacture through standard molding processes.
3Manufacturing precision
If alignment tabs are added to the flow port, then positioning precision during manufacturing improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow port is divided into functional segments: the body, the hose barb, and alignment tabs. This segmentation allows each feature to serve its specific purpose - the tabs provide precise positioning during assembly while the body and barb handle fluid flow - without requiring complex integration of all features into a single monolithic structure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the hose barb and elliptic body are separate components, then assembly flexibility is higher, but assembly time increases and contamination risk rises
Solution Approach 1:
The hose barb and elliptic body are merged into a single integrally formed component. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate assembly steps between these parts, reducing both assembly time and the risk of contamination from additional handling operations, while maintaining the functional adaptability of the hose barb connection.
Data Source
AI summary
A biopharmaceutical flow port, a biopharmaceutical liquid container assembly, and a method for manufacturing the biopharmaceutical flow port and the biopharmaceutical liquid container assembly are described. The biopharmaceutical flow port includes a hose barb coupled to an elliptic body. The hose barb includes a bore. The elliptic body includes a flow passage, a first edge, and a second edge. The flow passage is fluidly coupled to the bore. The first edge extends from the elliptic body away from the flow passage in a first direction and the second edge extends from the elliptic body away from the flow passage in a second direction opposite the first direction. The biopharmaceutical liquid container assembly includes a biopharmaceutical liquid container with an opening and the biopharmaceutical flow port coupled to the biopharmaceutical liquid container within the opening and in fluid communication with a volume of the biopharmaceutical liquid container.