Monolithic Drain Body With Seam-Free Hygienic Internal Volume
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drains manufactured from multiple pieces and welded seams create hygienic issues due to contamination risks from dirt, bacteria, and other substances that can lodge in the crevices and pockets formed by the seams.
Innovation Solution
A drain formed from a single piece of monolithic material, where the base wall, side wall, and ledge are formed without seams, using a die to shape the material into a monolithic body with a larger internal volume and a smaller access aperture, allowing for the removal of the die without extending outside the assembled shape, thus eliminating contamination pockets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate pieces are welded together to form internal volumes, then the manufacturing process can accommodate complex shapes and sizes, but welded seams create pockets and crevices that become contaminated by dirt and bacteria
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate pieces into a single monolithic structure formed from one continuous piece of material. This eliminates the welded seams that create contamination pockets, while still enabling the formation of complex internal volumes through the single-piece construction process.
Solution Approach 2:
The die is divided into multiple removable segments that can be detached from the formed monolithic structure. This segmentation of the manufacturing tool (not the final product) allows complex internal geometries to be formed and then released, resolving the contradiction between creating complex shapes and avoiding seam contamination.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a die is used to form a monolithic body with a larger internal volume accessed via a smaller aperture, then contamination pockets are eliminated, but the die must be completely removable through the smaller aperture without extending outside the assembled shape
Solution Approach 1:
The die is segmented into multiple removable portions that can be detached in sequence through the smaller aperture. This segmentation allows the die to form complex internal geometries while enabling complete removal through the constrained opening, as each segment can be extracted independently without requiring the entire die to pass through the smaller aperture simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A monolithic drain body including a base wall defining an outlet and a periphery, a side wall extending from the periphery of the base wall to produce an open end opposite the base wall, and a ledge formed into the side wall and extending inwardly therefrom to at least partially enclose a first volume between the ledge, the side wall, and the base wall.