Fluid Atomizer Segmentation for Injection Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and complexity of producing atomizers with suitable performance characteristics, particularly due to tight dimensional tolerances, have hindered their widespread and economical production.
Innovation Solution
A fluid atomizer design featuring a body with a fluidicly communicative interior cavity, including an entry passageway, a cylindrical chamber, a tapered portion, and tangentially extending feeder passageways, optimized for efficient atomization, along with an injection mold configuration for cost-effective mass production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional atomizer designs are used to achieve suitable performance characteristics, then atomization performance is improved, but production cost increases and manufacturing complexity increases due to tight dimensional tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The atomizer body is divided into two separate components: an upper body portion and a lower body portion. Each portion is manufactured independently using injection molding, allowing for easier fabrication without tight tolerances across the entire device. The components are then joined together to form the complete atomizer, achieving the desired performance without the manufacturing difficulties of producing a single complex piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper and lower body portions are joined together through bonding (such as ultrasonic welding or adhesive bonding) to form a complete atomizer assembly. This merging of separately manufactured components achieves the functional integration of a single complex atomizer while avoiding the manufacturing difficulties and high costs associated with producing one tightly-toleranced piece.
2Reliability
If traditional atomizer designs are used to achieve suitable performance characteristics, then atomization performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The atomizer is segmented into an upper body portion containing the entry passageway and a lower body portion containing the chamber and exit passageway. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process for each individual component while maintaining the complex internal flow paths needed for performance atomization. Each portion can be designed and manufactured independently with less complex tooling requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If tight dimensional tolerances are applied to achieve suitable atomization performance, then droplet size and spray pattern are improved, but manufacturing difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the atomizer into upper and lower body portions manufactured separately, the dimensional tolerance requirements are distributed across two components rather than one. Injection molding of each portion can achieve the necessary precision more easily than machining or forming a single complex piece, reducing overall manufacturing difficulty while maintaining the tight tolerances needed for proper droplet formation and spray pattern.
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 design achieves superior atomizing performance compared to prior art atomizers, enabling efficient and economical production of atomizers suitable for various applications, including evaporative cooling, while reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
swirling the fluid within the fluid swirling chamber of the fluid atomizer body
Data Source
AI summary
Representative embodiments provide for corresponding fluid atomizer bodies, each generally defining a fluidicly communicative interior cavity. The interior cavity is typically defined by an entry passageway portion, a chamber portion, a plurality of feeder passageways that are tangentially disposed to and fluidly coupled with the chamber portion, and an exit passageway portion fluidly coupled to the chamber portion. In one embodiment, an upper body portion and a lower body portion are bonded together to define a complete fluid atomizer body. Another embodiment provides for producing one or more fluid atomizer bodies by a way of injection molding. A method provides for spraying or sputtering atomized droplets of an electrically non-conductive coolant onto an electrical apparatus using one or more fluid atomizer bodies.