Sealer Lid Supply Membrane Seal for Hygienic Working Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing can sealers lack a clear separation between the working space and the environment, compromising hygiene and cleanliness during the sealing process.
Innovation Solution
A sealer design with a lid supply that includes a first section within a housing, a second section outside the housing, and a seal between the two sections to create a hygienic working space, using a lid clamp that can be expanded to hold the lid stack and ensure sealing, and a treatment device for enhanced hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the lid supply passes through the housing without a seal, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the working space cannot be clearly separated from the environment, compromising hygiene
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flexible seal (membrane) that closes the opening in the housing through which the lid supply passes. This membrane allows the lid supply to move while maintaining the seal, thus preventing contamination from the environment while keeping the structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal acts as an intermediary element between the clean working space and the less clean environment. It mediates the passage of the lid supply while preventing harmful factors (contamination) from entering the working space, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and hygiene protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a seal is added to separate the working space from the environment, then hygiene is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible membrane seal instead of a rigid sealing mechanism. This thin film structure provides effective contamination prevention while adding minimal complexity to the device. The membrane can deform to accommodate the movement of the lid supply without requiring complex actuation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed to automatically adapt to the movement of the lid supply without requiring additional control systems. The flexible membrane self-adjusts to maintain the seal during operation, reducing the need for complex control mechanisms and minimizing device complexity while still achieving effective contamination prevention.
3Ease of operation
If the working space is not separated from the environment, then cleaning is easier and more accessible, but hygiene and sterility cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane seal creates a physical barrier that maintains hygiene in the working space while allowing for cleaning operations. The membrane can be designed to accommodate cleaning tools and procedures while preventing environmental contamination during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal divides the housing into two distinct zones: a clean working space and an environment zone. This segmentation allows for different cleaning protocols and maintenance procedures for each zone, maintaining hygiene in the working space while providing accessible cleaning paths.
Data Source
AI summary
A sealer for sealing a container includes a working space, the container capable of being sealed with a lid from a plurality of lids in the working space, a housing surrounding the working space, and a lid supply configured to supply the plurality of the lids in a lid stack to the working space. The lid supply includes a first section which is arranged in the working space in such a way that the first section is surrounded by the housing, and a second section arranged outside the housing, and the lid supply comprising a seal arranged between the first section and the second section in such a way that the first section is capable of being sealed off from the second section.