Interchangeable Valve for Glass Machine with Beveled Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing glass making machine valve systems, the bottom valves are difficult to access for maintenance or replacement due to the location of their mounting screws, which complicates the process.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a single touch interchangeable valve system with beveled projections and recesses on the valve body and base, along with a C-shaped clamp and block configuration, allows for secure attachment and easy removal of valves using an Allen key, facilitating maintenance and replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If mounting screws are used to secure valves to the valve block base, then the valves are firmly attached and secure, but the bottom valves become difficult to access for maintenance or replacement due to the location of the mounting screws
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into separate components: a valve body with projections and a base with corresponding recesses. This segmentation allows the valve to be attached securely through the interlocking projections and recesses, while also enabling easy removal by simply disengaging the projections from the recesses, thus improving accessibility for maintenance without compromising attachment strength
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using screws that require access from the bottom side of the valve block, the attachment mechanism is inverted to use projections on the valve body that insert into recesses in the base. This inversion allows attachment to be accomplished from the top side, making maintenance accessible without requiring bottom access
2Reliability
If four mounting screws are employed to secure each valve, then the valve attachment is secure and reliable, but the complexity of the valve assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple screw attachment functions are merged into a single projection-recess interlocking mechanism. The valve body projections simultaneously perform the attachment, alignment, and securing functions that previously required four separate mounting screws, thus maintaining attachment reliability while significantly reducing assembly complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting screws are extracted from the design and replaced with integrated projections on the valve body. This extraction eliminates the need for separate fastening components while maintaining the reliability of the attachment through the precision-fit projection-recess interface
Data Source
AI summary
An air valve manifold (20) to be used with a glass making machine includes a base (24) and a valve (22) including a valve body attached to the base (24). The valve body includes a first projection (42) on a front of the valve body and an opposing second projection (44) on an opposing rear of the valve body. A first attachment feature (50) is secured to the front of the base to retain at least a portion of the first projection (42) of the valve body. A second attachment feature (52) is secured to the base to retain at least a portion of the opposing second projection (44) of the valve body.