Collapsible Cartridge Piston with Flexible Compression Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collapsible cartridges result in significant waste and high storage and shipping costs due to their large volume and space requirements, especially when used in two-component systems for materials like adhesives and paints.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible piston system with a rigid and flexible portion design that reduces the volume of the cartridge by compressing the walls during filling and dispensing, allowing for efficient storage and shipping while minimizing waste by expelling air and excess material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional prefilled cartridges are used, then the material is ready for immediate dispensing, but substantial waste results both with regard to volume and to mass
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the filling operation from the transportation and storage phase, separating the cartridge body (transported empty) from the material filling (added at point of use). This allows the cartridge to be prepared immediately before dispensing without having contained waste material during transport and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge is prepared in advance (transported to the user) in an empty state, and the filling action is performed preliminarily right before dispensing begins. This preliminary filling eliminates the need to transport and store pre-filled cartridges, reducing waste while maintaining readiness.
2Weight of moving object
If unfilled cartridges are transported to media manufacturers, then transport weight is reduced, but storage and shipping space requirements remain relatively large
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge transitions from a static empty container during transport to a dynamic filled state at the point of use. The flexible cartridge body is designed to be collapsible, allowing it to be compressed as material is dispensed, maximizing the use of storage space and reducing the volume occupied during shipping.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the cartridge changes from empty (low weight, large volume) to filled (higher weight, compressed volume). The flexible material allows the cartridge to adapt its volume parameter based on its content state, optimizing both transport weight and storage space utilization.
3Volume of stationary object
If the cartridge is collapsed during dispensing, then storage and shipping space is reduced, but air entrapment prevents complete collapsing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts air from the cartridge system during the filling and dispensing process. By actively removing air pockets as material is filled and dispensed, the cartridge can collapse completely without air entrapment preventing full compression, thus achieving both space reduction and reliable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling mechanism acts as an intermediary that simultaneously performs two functions: filling the cartridge with material and expelling air. This dual action ensures that air is removed during the filling process, allowing complete collapsing during dispensing without compromising reliability.
4Strength
If a rigid piston is used, then structural strength is maintained, but the piston cannot compress the cartridge walls to reduce volume
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is segmented into multiple functional zones: a rigid front portion for maintaining structural strength and pushing material, and a flexible rear portion for compressing the cartridge walls. This segmentation allows different parts of the piston to perform different functions simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between strength and volume reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the piston have different mechanical properties - the front portion is rigid to maintain strength and push material effectively, while the rear portion is flexible to enable cartridge wall compression. This local differentiation of material properties allows the single piston to fulfill both contradictory requirements.
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 system reduces the space needed for storage and shipping, minimizes waste, and enhances the dispensing efficiency by removing excess air and material, thereby lowering costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible portion (44) is caused to radially expand when being compressed in the longitudinal direction (L) so as to compress the collapsible cartridge wall (18a) between the radial outer surface (74) of the flexible portion (44) and the inner surface (40) of the support cartridge (12a)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A piston for a collapsible cartridge for dispensing a material, the piston includes a rigid portion and a flexible portion. The rigid portion has a first diameter, a first end and a second end. The first end is configured to be disposed in a material dispensing direction. The flexible portion has a second diameter less than the first diameter, a first end disposed in the material dispensing direction and a second end disposed in an opposite direction. The flexible portion is disposed on the first end of the rigid portion such that the second end of the flexible portion is disposed to face the first end of the rigid portion. The flexible portion is configured to radially expand and longitudinally compress upon a force applied to the first end of the flexible portion to compress the collapsible cartridge between the flexible portion and an interior surface of a support cartridge.