Hygienic Coupling Sleeve for Controlled Gasket Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hygienic couplings in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries face challenges in achieving reliable, tight seals with controlled compression, preventing dust and dirt accumulation, and meeting European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) guidelines, particularly in ensuring pre-defined compression of exposed gaskets and avoiding metal-on-metal contact.
Innovation Solution
A hygienic coupling system comprising a conduit clamping and sealing system with a bearing element subdivided into three segments, including a back segment with an external thread for attachment, a middle segment for conduit reception, and a front segment for sealing, along with a hygienic sleeve system featuring a back gasket, front gasket, and hygienic cap, which provides seamless transitions and pre-defined compression, and includes a U-shaped insert and involute compression surfaces to prevent direct metal contact and ensure EHEDG compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional pipe connection is used, then the installation is simple, but the seal reliability and hygiene compliance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing element is divided into three functional segments (back segment for attachment, middle segment for conduit reception, front segment for sealing) to systematically address different requirements of reliability and hygiene compliance while maintaining manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A hygienic sleeve system with seamless construction is introduced as an intermediary component between the bearing element and the environment, preventing dust and dirt accumulation while ensuring EHEDG compliance without significantly increasing overall system complexity
2Reliability
If exposed gaskets are used without pre-defined compression, then the design is simple, but the EHEDG compliance is not met
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing element is pre-designed with integrated compression surfaces and geometric features that automatically provide pre-defined compression to exposed gaskets during assembly, ensuring EHEDG compliance is built into the structure rather than added as a separate control mechanism
3Reliability
If metal-on-metal contact is allowed, then the structure is simple, but the hygiene requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The hygienic sleeve system acts as an intermediary that completely covers and protects metal surfaces, preventing direct metal-on-metal contact and eliminating hygiene concerns associated with exposed metal surfaces while maintaining structural integrity
4Reliability
If a tight seal with controlled compression is achieved, then the seal reliability is improved, but the installation effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing element and hygienic sleeve system are pre-configured with aligned features, pre-defined compression surfaces, and guiding geometries that automatically ensure proper positioning and tight sealing during installation, reducing the need for complex adjustment procedures and lowering installation effort
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a conduit clamping and sealing system (100) that comprises a bearing element (102) as a main body, comprising a back segment (104) with an external back thread for attachment to a device or fastening to a box or enclosure, a middle segment (106) for receiving and sealing onto a conduit or tube, and guiding and / or aligning a hygienic sleeve system, and a front segment (108) for receiving a seal and a front nut to seal a connection between a conduit and the bearing element and fastening a hygienic sleeve system. The invention relates further to a hygienic sleeve system (200) comprising a back gasket (202), a front gasket (204), and a hygienic cap (206) for covering a surface of the bearing element (102), wherein the back gasket (202), the hygienic cap (206), and the front gasket (204) form a sleeve unit with seamless transitions and with pre-defined gasket compression, and to a hygienic coupling system (300) comprising such a conduit clamping and sealing system (100) and a hygienic sleeve system (200).