Disposable Mixing Head for Viscous Component Metering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mixing and dosing devices for highly viscous components face challenges with volumetric dosing, complex maintenance requirements, and inefficiencies in cleaning due to high-pressure flushing, leading to heavy and cumbersome equipment with high maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A mixing and dosing device utilizing disposable components with volumetric dosing technology, featuring a mixing head with a detachable rotor and outlet valve, and an expansion element to maintain retention pressure, allowing for simple process control and maintenance-free operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If high-pressure water purging is used to clean the mixing head, then the mixing head can be cleaned, but the cleaning is insufficient and requires extensive disassembly and chemical or mechanical cleaning several times a day
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing head is designed as a disposable component that is replaced rather than cleaned. This eliminates the cleaning operation entirely and ensures consistent performance without contamination from previous use, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing head is extracted as a separate, replaceable component from the dosing unit. This allows the mixing head to be easily removed and replaced without disassembling other parts of the system, making the replacement process simple and efficient while ensuring complete cleaning through disposal.
2Stress or pressure
If a complex material circulation system with gear pumps and pressure sensors is used to ensure supply pressure, then the mixing head receives adequate pressure, but the device weight increases to approximately 10 to 15 kg
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing head is designed as a lightweight disposable component without complex pressure control mechanisms. The dosing unit provides the necessary pressure control, allowing the mixing head to be much lighter while still receiving adequate supply pressure for operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into two functional parts: a reusable dosing unit that contains the pressure control mechanisms and a lightweight disposable mixing head. This segmentation allows the heavy components to be separated from the mixing head, significantly reducing its weight while maintaining adequate supply pressure through the dosing unit's control systems.
3Ease of operation
If a complex material circulation system with multiple components is used, then the mixing process can be controlled, but the device requires high maintenance due to numerous maintenance-intensive components
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing head is designed as a disposable component that is replaced rather than maintained. This eliminates all maintenance requirements for the mixing head while the dosing unit, which contains the control systems, is designed for easy servicing with standardized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates maintenance-intensive components (located in the reusable dosing unit) from the disposable mixing head. This segmentation allows the mixing head to be simple and maintenance-free, while the dosing unit contains all necessary control components that can be serviced independently.
4Device complexity
If volumetric metering technology is not used and pressure-time control is used instead, then the mixing head can be simpler, but the process control becomes more complex with numerous control and monitoring parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing head is designed as a simple disposable component without volumetric metering mechanisms. The dosing unit provides precise volumetric or gravimetric metering control, simplifying the mixing head structure while maintaining accurate process control through the dosing unit's measurement systems.
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 solution enables reliable, low-maintenance, and efficient mixing and dosing of highly viscous components with reduced equipment weight and simplified process control, eliminating the need for high-pressure flushing and chemical cleaners.
Implementation Method 1
The rotor shears and mixes the two supplied components by means of a rotational movement
Implementation Method 2
The expansion element generates a retention pressure that must be overcome for the two-component mixture
Implementation Method 3
the rotor being detachably connected to a drive shaft of the drive unit via a mechanical interface
Implementation Method 4
The mixing head is designed as a disposable assembly and can be detachably connected to the dosing unit via a connection adapter
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a mixing and metering device (1) for two components which are liquid to highly viscous, comprising a volumetric metering unit (7), a mixing head (20), and a drive (10). The metering unit (7) has a first connection (7.1) for a first component and a second connection (7.2) for a second component, and the mixing head (20) comprises a mixing chamber (22) which receives a rotor (24) and an outlet valve (30). The rotor (24) is releasably connected to a drive shaft (16) of the drive (10) via a mechanical interface. The invention also relates to a method for mixing and metering two components which are liquid to highly viscous using such a mixing and metering device (1). The mixing head (20) is designed as a disposable assembly and can be releasably connected to the metering unit (7) via a connection adapter (9).