Molded Fluid Coupler Sealing Without Parting Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid couplers in cooling systems are prone to leakage due to parting lines on sealing surfaces, which compromise the reliability and complexity of fluid connections, and occupy valuable space near heat-generating components.
Innovation Solution
The development of rotatable fluid couplers with a continuous external surface and internal bore, featuring a piston and ribs that eliminate parting lines on sealing surfaces through innovative molding or casting techniques, allowing for higher compression of seals and simpler geometries, thereby reducing leakage and space occupancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fluid couplers are used with conventional molding techniques, then manufacturing is simpler, but parting lines appear on sealing surfaces causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into multiple segments including a coreless distal section that can be independently removed. This segmentation allows the distal rib and piston to be formed without creating parting lines on the sealing surface, as the coreless distal section can be withdrawn independently from the mold after casting, leaving a smooth continuous sealing surface without joints or parting lines.
2Volume of moving object
If fluid couplers occupy more space, then manufacturing and assembly are easier, but valuable space near heat-generating components is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The distal rib is integrated within the piston structure, with the distal rib forming an internal feature of the piston rather than being a separate component. This nesting eliminates the need for additional space-consuming external ribs while maintaining the sealing function, thereby reducing the overall coupler volume without compromising manufacturability.
3Reliability
If parting lines are present on sealing surfaces, then manufacturing is easier, but leakage occurs compromising connection reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The coreless distal section is extracted from the traditional mold structure, removing the need for complex parting lines on the sealing surface. By taking out the core from the distal section and making it a separately removable component, the sealing surface can be formed as a smooth continuous surface without parting lines, thereby improving sealing reliability while maintaining manageable device complexity.
4Reliability
If compression on seals is increased, then sealing reliability improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing surface is given special local quality through the continuous smooth geometry enabled by the coreless distal section design. This localized attention to surface quality at the sealing interface allows for controlled compression of the seal without requiring extremely high manufacturing precision across the entire component, as the critical sealing area has optimized surface characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A molded fluid coupler defines a continuous external surface and an internal bore extending from a proximal end to a distal end. The molded fluid coupler has an external conduit barb positioned adjacent the proximal end, and a piston positioned adjacent the distal end. The molded fluid coupler also has a proximal rib positioned distally of the conduit barb and a distal rib distally spaced from the proximal rib to define an annular gap positioned between the proximal rib and the distal rib. The piston extends distally of the distal rib and defines an external sealing surface lacking a parting line. In some embodiments, an external surface extending between the proximal end and the barb lacks a parting line.