Dispensing Device Piston Spindle Anti-Twist Lock Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental material dispensing devices often leave residual material and fail to indicate when the device is empty, making it difficult to use all the material efficiently and ensuring complete emptying.
Innovation Solution
A device with a piston and spindle that are rotatable relative to each other, featuring an anti-twist lock mechanism in one position and a threadable engagement in another, allowing for axial movement and rotation to ensure complete dispensing of dental material, minimizing residuals and indicating emptiness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the piston and spindle are continuously engaged during rotation, then the material can be dispensed, but residual material remains in the device and the user cannot recognize when it is empty
Solution Approach 1:
The device dynamically transitions between two operational states: a first state where the piston and spindle are anti-twist locked for material dispensing, and a second state where they are decoupled to allow relative rotation. This dynamic state change enables the user to recognize the empty state through tactile feedback when the piston can rotate independently of the spindle.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispensing operation occurs in periodic cycles: the piston and spindle are engaged for material dispensing, then disengaged to allow the piston to rotate freely as an indicator of material depletion. This periodic engagement and disengagement creates a rhythm of operation that signals the empty state to the user.
2Quantity of substance
If the piston and spindle are anti-twist locked during rotation, then complete material dispensing is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle is segmented into distinct functional sections: a first section that engages with the piston for anti-twist locking, a second section with external threads for axial movement, and a third section that rotates independently. This segmentation allows the anti-twist lock mechanism to be integrated without requiring a completely complex redesign of the entire spindle assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-twist lock function is merged with the material dispensing function by integrating the locking mechanism directly into the piston-spindle interface. The same structural elements that enable material dispensing also provide the anti-twist locking capability, eliminating the need for separate, additional components.
3Ease of operation
If the piston and spindle are decoupled for rotation, then the device can indicate emptiness, but the axial movement mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The threadable engagement between the spindle's second section and the piston serves multiple functions: it enables axial movement of the piston during dispensing, provides a mechanical interface for the anti-twist lock, and allows the piston to rotate independently when decoupled for empty state indication. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanisms.
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 device effectively minimizes residual material and allows users to recognize when the device is empty, ensuring that all material is used and providing a user-friendly, cost-effective solution for dispensing dental materials.
Implementation Method 1
The spindle and the container are (directly or indirectly) threadably engaged with one another. The thread engagement is such that - in the second axial position of the piston and the spindle - a rotation of the spindle and the container relative to each other causes the spindle to move axially relative to the container.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for dispensing a material has a container for holding the material, a piston movably arranged within the container and a spindle in cooperation with the piston. The device is configured such that the spindle and the container are rotatable relative to each other to move the piston for dispensing the material. The piston and the spindle are adapted to anti- twist lock against each other in a first axial position of the piston relative to spindle. And in a second axial position of the piston relative to spindle the anti-twist lock between the piston and the spindle is suspended. The device helps minimizing any residual dental material upon attempting to empty the device.