Dental Capsule with Separable Valve for Low-Force Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental capsules for mixing and dispensing dental materials require high forces for activation, are costly, and lack precision in liquid dosage, making them difficult to use and manufacture efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A capsule design featuring a cartridge with a separable valve and piston system that allows for easy activation with low forces, precise liquid control, and a tamper-evident closure, enabling manual operation and cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional dental capsule design is used, then the capsule can store and dispense dental material, but high forces are required for activation making it difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid container is segmented into a cartridge with a piston that can move independently within the sealed cartridge. This segmentation allows the liquid to be pressurized and dispensed through a valve mechanism without requiring high forces to break through a sealed capsule wall, thereby reducing activation force while maintaining dispensing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A valve mechanism acts as an intermediary between the piston and the external environment. The valve controls liquid discharge from the cartridge, allowing the piston to pressurize and dispense liquid through a controlled opening rather than requiring direct high-force breakthrough of a sealed container, thus reducing the activation force needed.
2Measurement precision
If a traditional dental capsule design is used, then the capsule can mix powder and liquid, but precise liquid dosage control is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional mechanical mixing system is replaced with a controlled dispensing system where a piston moves within a sealed cartridge to precisely control liquid dosage. The piston's linear movement allows for precise metering of liquid volume, and the liquid is dispensed through a valve mechanism that enables accurate dosage control, replacing imprecise manual mixing with a controlled mechanical dispensing system.
3Ease of manufacture
If a traditional dental capsule design is used, then the capsule can be manufactured, but production costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is nested within the cartridge, and the cartridge is sealed to form the liquid container. This nested structure consolidates multiple components (liquid reservoir, piston, valve mechanism) into a compact integrated unit that is easier to manufacture as a single assembly. The cartridge itself serves as both the liquid container and the housing for the piston mechanism, reducing the number of separate parts and simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule with its integrated cartridge and piston system is designed as a disposable unit. The entire assembly including the liquid container, piston, and valve mechanism can be manufactured as a single-use component that is discarded after one application. This approach reduces manufacturing complexity by eliminating the need for complex reusable mechanisms and allows for cost-effective production through simple, standardized designs that can be mass-produced.
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 capsule provides a reliable, easy-to-use, and cost-effective solution for mixing and dispensing dental materials with precise liquid control, ensuring accurate mixing ratios and preventing anaerobic polymerization by allowing controlled air diffusion.
Implementation Method 1
The piston is arranged for pressurizing the liquid toward the front opening
Implementation Method 2
The front foil and the cartridge in at least a partial area of the circumferential path are separably sealed with each other. The cartridge and the front foil thus define an openable valve through that circumferential path.
Implementation Method 3
preventing anaerobic polymerization by allowing controlled air diffusion
Data Source
AI summary
A capsule for mixing and dispensing a dental material which has a capsule body and a cavity extending into the capsule body. The cavity is closed by a liquid container. The liquid container has a cartridge forming a channel that extends between a front opening and a rear opening of the cartridge. Further the cartridge has a front foil closing the front opening and a rear foil closing the rear opening. The front foil is attached at the cartridge along a closed path circumferentially around the front opening. The front foil and the cartridge in at least a partial area of the circumferential path are separably sealed with each other, thus defining an openable valve through that path. The capsule has further a piston received in the channel of the cartridge and arranged such that the liquid is enclosed in the cartridge between the front foil and the piston. The capsule facilitates the preparation of a two-component dental material.