Fluid-Tight Conduit Closure with Pre-Compression Severing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for forming a fluid-tight separating closure of a conduit with a sleeve surrounding the conduit do not ensure adequate process safety, particularly in aseptic and sterile environments, as they may introduce contaminants during the severing process.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the steps of providing a conduit with a sleeve, positioning it between a die and a stamp, compressing the sleeve to form a closure, and severing the closure in a compressed region using a severing tool, where the contact line between the severing tool and the sleeve is shorter than the obtained severing edge, ensuring a fluid-tight seal and minimizing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sleeve is severed using a conventional cutting tool that contacts the entire sleeve surface, then the severing process is simple and fast, but contaminants can be introduced into the conduit and fluid can leak during the severing process
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is formed by compressing the sleeve between a die and stamp before the severing operation. This preliminary closure formation ensures that the conduit is sealed prior to cutting, preventing contaminant introduction and fluid leakage during the subsequent severing process. The closure formation is completed in advance, so when the blade contacts the sleeve, no fluid can escape or contaminants enter.
Solution Approach 2:
The severing process is divided into two distinct phases: first forming a closure by compression, then severing with a blade that contacts only a portion of the sleeve surface. The contact line is specifically limited to be shorter than the sleeve circumference, segmenting the contact area to minimize contamination risk while maintaining severing effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a blade contacts the entire sleeve surface during severing, then the cutting is more stable, but the risk of contamination and fluid leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The severing blade is designed to contact only a local portion of the sleeve surface rather than the entire circumference. The contact line is specifically controlled to be shorter than the sleeve circumference, creating a localized cutting zone. This local quality approach maintains sufficient cutting stability while minimizing the area through which contaminants could enter or fluid could leak.
3Reliability
If the closure is formed before severing, then process safety is improved, but the overall process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The closure formation and severing operations are merged into a single integrated device and process sequence. The die and stamp that form the closure are positioned in conjunction with the severing blade, allowing both operations to be performed in close succession without significant intermediate steps. This merging maintains the safety benefit of pre-closure formation while minimizing the time penalty through operational integration.
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 method achieves enhanced process safety by ensuring that the severing process only occurs after a fluid-tight closure is formed, preventing the introduction of contaminants and minimizing the risk of fluid leakage during the severing process.
Implementation Method 1
compressing of the sleeve by a relative movement between the die and the stamp in order to form a closure
Implementation Method 2
severing of the closure in a compressed region by a severing tool
Data Source
Figure 1a~1f
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
Method for the forming of a fluid-tight separating closure of a conduit (1) involving the following steps: - providing of a conduit (1) with a sleeve (2), - positioning of the conduit (1) with the sleeve (2) between a die (3) and a stamp (4), - compressing of the sleeve (2) by a relative movement between the die (3) and the stamp (4) in order to form a closure (5); - severing of the closure (5) in a compressed region (6) by a severing tool (7) such that a contact line (8) between the severing tool (7) and the sleeve (2) during severing is shorter than an obtained severing edge (9) of the sleeve (2).