Follower Plate Venting With Porous Plug for Paste Barrel Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing barrel follower plate devices face challenges in sealing and evacuating air from containers with paste-like liquids, leading to risks of material splashing, loss, and user safety issues during the process of changing barrels, as conventional venting methods can introduce air into the system and result in uncontrolled discharge of materials.
Innovation Solution
A barrel follower plate device with a seal around its periphery and an open-pored porous component that allows air evacuation through a vacuum pump, preventing air from entering the system and minimizing material loss, featuring a labyrinth seal that prevents paste-like liquids from penetrating and a replaceable porous component to maintain functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional venting arrangements (drill holes with manual closure or ball valves) are used to discharge air during barrel follower plate insertion, then air can be vented from the container, but material may be sprayed through the venting arrangement causing safety risks and material loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous plug inserted into the vent hole that allows air to pass through its porous structure while blocking paste-like material. The porous material's pore size is specifically selected to permit gas molecules to pass while preventing larger material particles from penetrating, thus enabling air venting without material loss or spraying hazards
Solution Approach 2:
The porous plug acts as an intermediary element between the venting requirement and material containment. It mediates the conflicting needs of air discharge and material prevention by providing a selective barrier that allows gas transmission while blocking liquid material, resolving the contradiction between effective air venting and material loss prevention
2Object-affected harmful factors
If manual venting arrangements are used, then air can be discharged, but user safety is compromised due to risk of sudden follower plate dropping or material splashing
Solution Approach 1:
The porous plug provides automatic, passive air venting without requiring manual operation. Air automatically passes through the porous structure during follower plate insertion, eliminating the need for users to manually open/close vent valves, thereby removing the safety risks associated with manual venting operations while continuously managing air pressure
3Loss of substance
If the porous component is made highly effective at blocking material, then material loss is minimized, but air evacuation capability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the porous plug's parameters, specifically its pore size and porosity, to achieve the optimal balance between material blocking and air venting. The pore dimensions are carefully selected to be small enough to prevent material penetration while large enough to allow efficient air passage, resolving the contradiction between material loss prevention and air evacuation efficiency
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 device ensures controlled and safe operation by evacuating air from the container, preventing material loss and user risk, allowing for reliable and cost-effective barrel changes without material loss or safety hazards, and enabling fully automatic retraction and extension of the barrel follower plate.
Implementation Method 1
The porous component 22 lets through air extracted by the vacuum pump 16
Implementation Method 2
air extracted by the vacuum pump 16
Implementation Method 3
air extracted by the vacuum pump 16
Implementation Method 4
air extracted by the vacuum pump 16
Implementation Method 5
a seal 8 which is arranged around a periphery of the device 2 and is adapted to be insertable into the cylindrical inner contour of a container 4 so as to form a seal around the periphery of the container
Data Source
AI summary
A follower plate device for sealing and evacuating a container that has a cylindrical inner contour and contains a particularly paste-like liquid. The device comprises a seal arranged on a periphery of the device and designed so as to be able to be inserted into the cylindrical inner contour of the container such that it seals around the periphery, and marking the boundary between an outer side of the device and an inner side of the device, and a line extending through from the inner side to the outer side of the follower plate device, arranged on the outer side for connecting to a line connection leading further to an evacuation pump. The follower plate device further comprises a replaceable open-pored porous component through which the line is guided.