One-Piece Dispenser Head With Dual-Plastic Injection Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing heads for pharmaceutical and cosmetic media have complex and costly assembly processes due to numerous individual components, which complicates manufacturing and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing head designed as a one-piece component produced from two plastics with different properties, where the actuating handle and return spring are integrated as a single part, using a harder plastic for structural elements and a softer plastic like TPE for elastic properties, simplifying assembly and providing a soft-touch surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple individual components are assembled during manufacturing, then functional requirements can be met, but assembly complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating handle and return spring are merged into a single integrated component produced by injection molding. This eliminates the need for separate assembly of these parts, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining all necessary functions. The integrated design allows the component to be manufactured as one piece, directly addressing the contradiction between functional requirements and assembly simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated actuating handle and return spring component performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the actuating mechanism for dispensing, incorporates the return spring for resetting, and creates a soft-touch surface for user comfort. This multi-functionality reduces the total number of components needed while meeting diverse functional requirements.
2Strength
If a harder plastic is used for structural elements, then mechanical strength is improved, but user comfort and soft-touch surface are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The injection molded component incorporates regions of different material properties within the same part. The structural elements require hardness and strength, while the user-contact surfaces are designed with softer characteristics for comfort. This local differentiation of material properties allows both structural strength and user comfort to be optimized simultaneously in different areas of the same component.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated component effectively creates a composite structure through injection molding, combining harder plastic for structural integrity with softer plastic regions for user comfort. This composite approach allows the single component to exhibit different mechanical properties in different locations, resolving the contradiction between strength and comfort.
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 integrated design reduces assembly complexity, enhances manufacturing efficiency, and provides a pleasant user experience through a soft-touch surface, while minimizing contact points for improved sealing and reduced risk of liquid leakage.
Implementation Method 1
a return spring (92), which serves the purpose of resetting the actuating handle (80) into its initial position (FIG. 3)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an applicator head to be coupled to a reservoir. An applicator head (10; 210) for coupling to a reservoir (8) is known for the purpose of applying liquid or paste-like media from the reservoir (8), comprising a housing (20) with a coupling device (40) for coupling to the reservoir (8), an inlet opening (22) facing said reservoir (8), and an applicator opening (32) for discharging the medium into a surrounding atmosphere, a conveyor device (26, 70) for conveying the medium from the inlet opening (22) to the applicator opening (32), and an actuating handle (80) which can be moved manually with regard to the housing (20) in order to actuate the conveyor device (26, 70). According to a key aspect of this document, the housing (20) is produced as a single-piece injection-moulded part consisting of at least two plastics that have different properties, the coupling device (40) consisting of a first of the two plastics, and a sealing ring (52) which surrounds the inlet opening (22) and is arranged, following coupling of the reservoir (8) to the applicator head (10; 210), so as to lie thereupon in a sealing manner, and/or an aerating valve (54) that has a pressure-dependent opening aperture (54a) through which ambient air can flow from the surrounding atmosphere and into the reservoir (8), consisting of the second of the two plastics.