Dual-spring all-plastic vacuum pump for unified recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pump heads with metal springs complicate recycling processes, as they require separate handling from plastic components, leading to inefficiencies in recycling operations.
Innovation Solution
A dual-spring all-plastic vacuum pump design replaces metal springs with plastic one-way and reset springs, allowing for unified recycling by integrating these components within an accommodating cavity and utilizing a discharging member and limiting cover to manage material discharge and reset functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal spring is used in the pump head, then the pumping function and reliability are improved, but the recycling process becomes complex and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by replacing the metal spring with a plastic spring that matches the material composition of the pump head body. This creates a homogeneous structure where all components are made of the same plastic material, enabling unified recycling processing without separation requirements, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining pumping reliability and simplifying recycling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the spring from metal to plastic, fundamentally altering the compositional parameter while maintaining the functional parameter of spring elasticity. This parameter change allows the spring to fulfill its mechanical function while being compatible with plastic recycling processes, eliminating the need for separate metal recycling streams.
2Strength
If metal springs are used in the pump head, then the mechanical strength and durability are improved, but the recycling efficiency deteriorates due to separate handling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By making the spring homogeneous with the pump head body through using the same plastic material, the patent eliminates material differentiation that would require separate handling. This homogeneity allows both components to be processed together in recycling operations, significantly improving recycling efficiency while the plastic spring maintains sufficient mechanical strength for pump operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts a disposable plastic spring that can be easily replaced and recycled with the pump head body. This approach prioritizes recycling efficiency over long-term durability, accepting that the spring may have a shorter service life but enabling high-volume, efficient recycling operations that offset the reduced individual component lifespan.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a metal spring is used, then the structural stability is improved, but the recyclability deteriorates as the pump head and bottle body must be recycled separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves homogeneity by constructing both the spring and pump head body from the same plastic material. This material uniformity provides structural stability through consistent mechanical properties while simultaneously enabling unified recyclability, as the homogeneous plastic components can be processed together without separation, thus resolving the contradiction between structural stability and recyclability.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic spring serves multiple functions: it provides the necessary mechanical elasticity for pump operation, maintains structural stability, and enables unified recycling with the pump head body. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the spring both structurally adequate and universally recyclable with other plastic components.
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 unified recycling of the pump head by replacing metal springs with plastic alternatives, enhancing recycling efficiency and stability through the use of a discharging tube, positioning cover, and reset spring configuration.
Implementation Method 1
The plastic one-way spring is clamped between the base and the limiting cover. Two opposite ends of the plastic one-way spring are a fixed end and a stressed end respectively. Pressing of the pressing head is configured to push the discharging member to compress the plastic one-way spring.
Implementation Method 2
The plastic reset spring is clamped between the discharging member and the limiting cover. After the pressing head is released, the plastic reset spring pushes the discharging member to move to the initial position.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure discloses a dual-spring all-plastic vacuum pump which includes a base and a pressing head. A feeding hole is formed in a bottom of the base, an accommodating cavity is defined by assembly of the pressing head and the base, the feeding hole is in communication with the accommodating cavity, and a limiting cover, a plastic one-way spring, a discharging member and a plastic reset spring are disposed in the accommodating cavity. The limiting cover surrounds the feeding hole, a guide hole in a top of the limiting cover is in communication with an interior of the limiting cover, the plastic one-way spring is clamped between the base and the limiting cover, a fixed end of the plastic one-way spring is in connection and communication with the feeding hole, a stressed end of the plastic one-way spring is in communication with the guide hole, and the fixed end and the stress are opposite. The discharging member is disposed between the pressing head and the limiting cover, the discharging member penetrates through the guide hole and is in communication with the stressed end, and the discharging member is configured to receive materials to the pressing head for output. The plastic reset spring is clamped between the discharging member and the limiting cover. Pressing of the pressing head is configured to push the discharging member to compress the plastic one-way spring. By means of the solution, a metal spring is replaced with a plastic spring, and the problem that an existing pump head is inconvenient to directly recycle is practically solved.