Interchangeable Nozzle Sealing via Frustoconical Bore
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid dispensing modules face issues with nozzle interchangeability due to misalignment and wear between the needle tip and valve seat, leading to leakage when changing nozzles with different orifice diameters, requiring replacement of the entire module.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a nozzle with a frustoconical bore and a valve seat positioned in the liquid passageway, along with a locating element for predictable alignment, and a valve element with enhanced surface hardness and finish to reduce wear, allowing for interchangeable nozzles without significant leakage risk across different dispensing modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the nozzle is made interchangeable with different orifice diameters, then the adaptability and versatility of the dispensing module is improved, but leakage occurs due to misalignment and wear between the needle tip and valve seat
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into three distinct components: the needle tip with sealing surface, the valve seat in the nozzle, and the frustoconical bore providing mechanical alignment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the needle tip can be hardened to resist wear, the valve seat provides a precise sealing surface, and the frustoconical bore ensures consistent alignment when the nozzle is attached to different dispensing modules, thereby maintaining sealing reliability across interchangeable nozzles
Solution Approach 2:
The needle tip is treated with enhanced surface hardness through hardening processes, fundamentally changing the material parameter to resist wear and erosion. This parameter change ensures that the sealing surface maintains its integrity and geometric precision over many dispensing cycles, preventing leakage even when the nozzle is repeatedly attached and detached from different dispensing modules
2Manufacturing precision
If the needle tip and valve seat are manufactured with tight dimensional tolerances to ensure proper sealing, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the cost and complexity of the dispensing module increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into three distinct components: the needle tip with sealing surface, the valve seat in the nozzle, and the frustoconical bore providing mechanical alignment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the needle tip can be hardened to resist wear, the valve seat provides a precise sealing surface, and the frustoconical bore ensures consistent alignment when the nozzle is attached to different dispensing modules, thereby maintaining sealing reliability across interchangeable nozzles
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle assembly, including the valve seat, is designed as a replaceable component rather than a permanent part of the dispensing module. When wear or damage occurs, the entire nozzle can be replaced without replacing the expensive dispensing module body and valve mechanism. This approach treats the nozzle as a consumable component that protects the more valuable permanent components from wear
Data Source
AI summary
A dispensing module having a dispenser body having a liquid passageway, a valve element movably mounted within the liquid passageway, and a nozzle removably coupled with the dispenser body. The nozzle has a valve seat contacted by a tip of the valve element for modulating liquid flow through the liquid passageway. The tip may be made of a harder material than the valve seat and may have a surface finish characterized by an Ra less than or equal to about 32 microinches. The tip may have a compound angle provided by contiguous frustoconical surfaces of differing included angles in which one frustoconical surface contacts the valve seat. The nozzle is configured to be attached to the dispenser body so that the valve seat and a sealing surface of the valve element tip form a circular line of contact when among multiple different nozzles and dispenser bodies.