Clean Room Capper with Integrated Magnetic Drive
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cappers for containers, particularly in clean rooms, have complex and expensive designs due to large magnetic couplings required for torque transmission, which complicates the ejection mechanism and increases contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
A capper design where the capping head is connected to the electric motor's rotor, allowing direct force transmission from the stator's magnetic field, reducing the need for large magnetic couplings and enabling a compact, stable clean room separation element that supports a short ejector rod, thus simplifying the ejection mechanism and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a large magnetic coupling is used to transmit torque from the motor to the capping head, then the necessary forces can be transmitted, but the ejector rod becomes long and requires expensive support structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the magnetic coupling from the clean room environment by positioning the stator outside and only the rotor inside. This eliminates the need for large magnetic couplings spanning the clean room boundary, allowing for a compact ejector rod design that is supported directly by the clean room separation element without requiring long support structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the clean room separation element with the support structure for the ejector rod. The separation element serves dual functions: maintaining the clean room barrier and providing structural support for the ejector rod, thereby eliminating the need for separate, expensive support structures
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the capping head is separated from the motor by a large magnetic coupling, then the motor can be placed outside the clean room, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the magnetic coupling system into two parts: the stator positioned outside the clean room and the rotor integrated with the capping head inside the clean room. This segmentation allows the motor to remain outside the clean room environment while maintaining a compact magnetic coupling design that does not require large dimensions or complex support structures
Solution Approach 2:
The clean room separation element is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the barrier maintaining the clean room environment, provides structural support for the ejector rod, and serves as the mounting surface for the rotor. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity and manufacturing cost by eliminating the need for separate components
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
This design results in a more cost-effective, stable, and contamination-resistant capper that can be used in clean rooms, ensuring efficient ejection of container caps without additional sealing means, while maintaining a hermetically sealed environment.
Implementation Method 1
a stator (7) of an electric motor (5) generates a magnetic field which acts through a clean room separation element (9) to move a rotor (6)
Implementation Method 2
the torque of a motor, which is arranged outside a clean room, is transmitted without contact by means of a magnetic coupling to a capping head inside the clean room
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The closer (1) has a locking head (4) acting in a clean room (3), and an ejector (8) for ejecting a container closure (11) from the head. An electromotor (5) is provided with a rotor (6) and a stator (7). A clean room separation element (9) is formed between the rotor and the stator. The ejector comprises two ends (8a, 8b), and is connected with the separation element at one of the ends. The ejector is designed as a guide of the rotor and/or the head. A fuse element (10) is firmly or releasably connected to the ejector, and formed as a mechanical stopper for a lower stop position of the head. An independent claim is also included for a method for closing a container with a closer.