Overmolded Double-Door Flange Seal for Faster Watertight Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of double-door transfer systems is complex and time-consuming due to the delicate operation of sealing components, which increases production costs and risks leakage, especially in controlled environments like clean rooms.
Innovation Solution
A subassembly for a double-door transfer system featuring a flange with a pre-made groove for overmolding the seal, eliminating the need for assembly and reducing the risk of improper sealing, with options for the flange being molded onto the joint or vice versa, and using materials like thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers for enhanced anchoring and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the seal is assembled separately into the flange groove, then the seal can be installed, but the assembly process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is integrated directly into the flange structure through overmolding, combining two previously separate components (flange and seal) into a single unified part. This eliminates the separate assembly step and reduces production time while maintaining sealing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is pre-formed and attached to the flange during the molding process itself, rather than being installed separately afterward. This preliminary integration of the seal into the flange structure streamlines the manufacturing process and reduces assembly complexity.
2Reliability
If the seal is assembled separately into the flange groove, then the seal can be installed, but the risk of incorrect assembly and leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the seal directly into the flange through overmolding, the invention eliminates the separate assembly operation that carries risk of incorrect installation. The unified structure ensures proper seal positioning and contact, reducing leakage risks while simplifying the overall device structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If the heel is received in the flange groove during assembly, then the seal is installed, but the heel can bend during assembly making the process delicate
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is pre-attached to the flange during the molding process before any assembly operations occur. This preliminary integration prevents the heel from being handled or bent during subsequent assembly operations, as it is already securely positioned in its final location through the overmolded structure.
4Productivity
If the seal is installed separately into the flange, then the seal can be replaced, but the manufacturing time and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flange and seal are manufactured as a single integrated component through overmolding, eliminating the separate assembly step. This merging of components significantly reduces manufacturing time and increases production efficiency, while the modular design still allows for replacement of the entire flange-seal assembly if needed.
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
This approach simplifies manufacturing, reduces production time, minimizes leakage risks, and ensures reliable sealing, even in clean room conditions, by integrating the seal directly into the flange through overmolding, thus enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the double-door transfer system.
Implementation Method 1
the subassembly being manufactured at least in part by overmolding
Implementation Method 2
the groove has through-holes in its base through which the gasket material can flow, ensuring improved gasket adhesion to the flange
Implementation Method 3
an O-ring is press-fitted onto the radially inner wall of the flange groove prior to assembly, which further improves the seal between the flange and the O-ring
Implementation Method 4
the gasket or the flange being a part overmolded on the flange or the gasket respectively
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Subassembly for a double-door watertight connection system between two enclosed volumes, said system comprising two flanges capable of being joined together, and two doors each normally closing an opening delimited by a flange, said subassembly comprising a flange (120) and a gasket (138), said gasket (138) being intended to ensure a watertight contact between the flange (120) and the gasket (138), between the gasket (138) and the other flange of the connection system and between the gasket (138) and the door (124) closing the opening of said flange, the flange (120) comprising a groove (140) and the gasket (138) being a part overmolded on the flange (120) and being received partly in the groove (140).