Cryogenic Flow Fittings With Metal-Detectable Plastic Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Devices for controlling cryogenic medium flow in the food sector face complexity in ensuring traceability due to the use of multiple materials, making it difficult to comply with legal requirements, especially when plastic components are involved.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating metallic additives into plastic elements, such as seals, allows for detection using metal-sensitive detectors, ensuring that damaged components can be identified and removed, thus simplifying compliance with traceability regulations by using metal-sensitive detectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple materials (metal and plastic) are used in the device components, then the functional requirements (elasticity, low-temperature resistance) are met, but the traceability verification becomes complex and difficult to comply with legal requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by incorporating metallic additives into plastic components to create a detectable composite material. This allows the plastic sealing elements to be identified by metal detectors while maintaining their original elastic and low-temperature-resistant properties, thus resolving the traceability verification complexity without compromising functional performance
2Reliability
If plastic components are used for sealing elements, then the elastic and low-temperature-resistant properties are achieved, but the detection and removal of damaged components becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses metallic additives in plastic components that create detectable properties similar to color changes. The metallic additives enable the plastic sealing elements to be detected by metal detectors, allowing damaged components to be easily identified and removed, thus resolving the detection difficulty while maintaining sealing performance
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 enables easy recognition and removal of damaged plastic components, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and maintaining the elastic and low-temperature-resistant properties of the plastic, thereby enhancing the hygiene and safety standards in food processing.
Implementation Method 1
The metallic additives allow plastic material originating from the device, in particular plastic elements such as seals, to be visualized using metal-sensitive detectors
Data Source
AI summary
A process for cooling products is known in which a cryogenic medium, for example liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, or liquid carbon dioxide, is metered directly into a container which contains the product. In the event of damage to a fitting which conducts the cryogenic medium, parts of the material of the fitting can reach the product. While this can be quickly ascertained by metal detectors when using metal materials, a comparable verification can only be carried out with difficulty when using plastic parts. According to the invention, plastic elements contained in the device, such as seals for example, are made of a plastic which is mixed with metal additives. In the event of damage, particles originating from the plastic elements can thus also be reliably detected by metal detectors.