Delayed Pierce Sealed Container Piercing Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Blow-fill-seal droppers produced with a single-piece piercing cap result in inconsistent dosage delivery due to uncontrolled aperture diameter and surface area, and the insertion method increases cycle time and complexity while requiring higher sterility control.
Innovation Solution
A sealed liquid container with a self-contained piercing tip that functions as a metered dropper, comprising a bottle, base, and cap, where the base permanently attaches to the bottle and the piercer locks onto the base after piercing, allowing for precise control over aperture size and sterility during assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a single-piece piercing cap is used to create the aperture, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the aperture diameter and surface area are uncontrolled resulting in inconsistent dosage delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing cap is divided into separate components: a piercing member with a controlled aperture and a cap body. The piercing member includes a needle tip for piercing and a precisely controlled aperture at its base, separating the piercing function from the dosing function. This segmentation allows independent optimization of aperture precision while maintaining manageable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The aperture is pre-formed in the piercing member before the piercing action occurs. This preliminary creation of the precise aperture ensures consistent dosage delivery from the start, eliminating the need for post-piercing aperture formation and ensuring dosing accuracy is built into the piercing component itself.
2Manufacturing precision
If the insertion method is used to assemble dropper-tip/cap combination, then dosage accuracy is improved, but cycle time increases and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing member and dropper tip are combined into a single integrated component that performs both piercing and dosing functions. This merger eliminates the need for separate insertion of dropper-tip and cap components, reducing assembly steps while maintaining precise dosage delivery through the pre-formed aperture in the piercing member.
Solution Approach 2:
The piercing member serves multiple functions: it pierces the container seal, provides a precisely controlled aperture for dosing, and acts as the dropper tip itself. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate components and assembly steps, improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining dosage precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If the insertion method is used to assemble components, then dosage accuracy is achieved, but sterility control requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing member is pre-sterilized and sealed in a sterile barrier until the moment of use. The piercing action itself creates a sterile pathway through the container seal, and the pre-formed aperture in the piercing member maintains sterility by preventing contamination during the piercing process, eliminating the need for complex sterility maintenance during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The piercing member is extracted from its sterile packaging and introduced into the container in a controlled manner that maintains sterility. By separating the sterile piercing component from non-sterile external environments until the moment of piercing, the design minimizes sterility control requirements while ensuring dosage precision through the protected aperture.
Data Source
AI summary
A sealed liquid container with a bottle, base, piercer, and cap. The bottle is a blow-fill-seal container with a body, dispensing head connected to the body by a neck, and a fluid chamber. The base has a socket that accepts the dispensing head and permanently attaches to the bottle by one or more fingers extending radially into the socket and under the shoulder of the dispensing head. A keying mechanism prevents the base from rotating on the bottle. The piercer has an axially-extending, sharpened, hollow tube. In shipping mode, the piercer is turned onto the base until the tube tip is touching the dispensing head. To use, the piercer is turned until the tube tip penetrates the dispensing head into the fluid chamber, and the piercer locking mechanism is engaged to prevent removal of the piercer. A cap turns onto the piercer.