Delivery Head Closure With Bottom-Up Sealing for Dye Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing machine closing devices for fluid products, such as dyes for paints, face issues with detachment of dye drops during movement, ineffective sealing due to force transmission inefficiencies, uneven clamping, and adjustment difficulties, leading to reduced effectiveness in preventing dye hardening.
Innovation Solution
A closing device that uses a single actuator to control the movement of the closing element in a longitudinal direction and rotation around a parallel axis, ensuring a bottom-up engagement and uniform compression of the seal, preventing drop detachment and enhancing isolation with a higher closing force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the closing element moves in a transverse direction to close the delivery head, then the delivery head is closed to prevent dye hardening, but the dye drops may detach from the nozzles and the seal effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The closing element transitions from transverse movement to longitudinal movement along the delivery head axis, changing the dimension of approach. This allows the closing element to engage the delivery head from the bottom upward, preventing dye drop detachment while maintaining effective sealing through axial compression of the gasket.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of closing the delivery head from the top or side, the closing element approaches from the opposite direction (bottom-up along the axis), inverting the conventional closing approach. This inversion eliminates dye drop detachment and improves seal effectiveness by uniformly compressing the gasket from below.
2Reliability
If a gasket is used to improve the seal between the closing element and delivery head, then the isolation quality is improved, but the clamping force may be uneven and clearances may form
Solution Approach 1:
The closing element moves along the longitudinal axis of the delivery head rather than in transverse direction, enabling uniform axial compression of the gasket. This dimensional change ensures even distribution of clamping force across the entire gasket surface, eliminating clearances and improving seal reliability.
3Device complexity
If a single actuator controls both translation and rotation of the closing element, then the device complexity is reduced, but the control mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is designed to perform two functions (translation and rotation) in a sequential manner within a single stroke. The cam mechanism converts single actuator motion into a combined movement pattern where the closing element first translates along the axis, then rotates to engage the delivery head, reducing the number of actuators while maintaining operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing operation is divided into periodic phases within a single actuator stroke: first the translation phase moves the closing element into position, then the rotation phase engages the delivery head. This periodic action allows one actuator to perform multiple functions sequentially, reducing device complexity while maintaining productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for closing a delivery head of a dispensing machine for delivering fluid products includes a stationary support, a drive shaft, which rotates with respect to the stationary support around a vertical axis, and can be moved with respect to the stationary support along the same vertical axis, a cup-shaped closing element carried at the distal end of an arm fixed to a lower end of the drive shaft, and a screw and nut mechanism which controls a translation of the closing element in the direction of the longitudinal axis and a rotation movement to the longitudinal axis using a single actuator.