Filling Valve Shutter End Wall Design for Dripping Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filling valves for pourable products, such as milk and yoghurt, face challenges in precision and cleanliness due to dripping and adhesion issues, particularly at high operating speeds, leading to waste and compromised cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
The filling valve employs a tubular body with a variable section channel and a shutter mechanism featuring a magnetic actuator and a unique end wall with a concave and raised area, which enhances adhesion and prevents dripping by sealing the pourable product effectively, ensuring precise filling and reduced waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional shutter mechanism is used to control product flow, then the filling valve can dose the pourable product, but dripping and adhesion issues occur leading to reduced cleanliness and precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful dripping and adhesion effects by introducing a dedicated cleaning circuit that removes excess product from the shutter and flow channel. This separate cleaning function is extracted from the main filling function, allowing the shutter mechanism to focus on precise dosing while the cleaning circuit handles contamination removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cleaning circuit as an intermediary system between the shutter mechanism and the receptacle. This intermediary cleaning circuit uses a cleaning nozzle and fluid delivery system to mediate the removal of excess product, preventing direct contact between drippings and the filling zone, thus maintaining cleanliness without interfering with the primary dosing function.
2Productivity
If the carousel operates at high speed to increase productivity, then more receptacles can be filled per unit time, but dripping and adhesion issues worsen compromising cleanliness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a cleaning circuit that proactively removes excess product before it can cause dripping or adhesion problems. The cleaning nozzle is positioned to preemptively clear the shutter and flow channel surfaces, preventing contamination accumulation even at high operating speeds where product dynamics are more challenging.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning circuit operates continuously or in synchronized intervals with the carousel rotation, ensuring that the shutter mechanism remains clean throughout the high-speed filling operation. This continuous cleaning action maintains filling precision and cleanliness without interrupting the high-productivity workflow of the carousel system.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the shutter completely closes the flow channel to prevent dripping, then cleanliness improves, but filling precision may be compromised due to restricted flow control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flow control function into two distinct components: the shutter mechanism that controls the main product flow for precise dosing, and the cleaning circuit that separately handles excess product removal. This segmentation allows the shutter to optimize for filling precision with partial closure, while the cleaning circuit independently manages dripping prevention through targeted cleaning actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning circuit acts as an intermediary between the shutter's flow control action and the final product deposition. It mediates by removing excess product that escapes the shutter's control, thereby preventing dripping without requiring the shutter to completely close and restrict the main flow channel, thus preserving filling precision.
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 significantly reduces dripping and adhesion issues, maintaining precision and cleanliness during the filling process, even with viscous products like milk and yoghurt, by utilizing a magnetic actuator and a specially designed end wall that promotes adhesion and prevents drop formation on the carousel.
Implementation Method 1
actuator means for moving the shutter inside of the flow channel defined by the tubular body
Implementation Method 2
end wall comprising a concave area and a raised area, such to define a central area of the end wall; the raised area being convex with respect to the flow direction and arranged in the central area of the end wall
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention refers to a filling valve (5) configured to fill receptacles (2) with a pourable product and comprising: a flow channel (11) having a longitudinal axis (B) and defining an outlet opening (9) configured to feed the pourable product to a respective receptacle (2); and a valvular element (12) axially engaging the channel (11) and axially movable between an open position, where said valvular element (12) enables a flow of the pourable product towards the outlet opening (9), and a closed position, where the valvular element prevents the flow of the pourable product towards the outlet opening (9); the valvular element (12) comprises: an interaction portion (18) configured to cooperate in contact with the channel (11) when the valvular element (12) is in the closed position; and an axial end wall (19) arranged downstream of the interaction portion (18), with respect to a flow direction (D) of the pourable product inside the channel (11); the end wall (19) comprises at least a concavity change.