Nest Chimney Enlarged Interior Chamfer Curvature Deflection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Nest arrangements for medical containers, such as syringes, often experience curvature and deflection due to manufacturing and sterilization processes, leading to issues with the vertical placement and removal of syringe barrels, which can cause downtime and maintenance costs in automated filling machines.
Innovation Solution
The design of the nest includes chimneys with enlarged interior chamfer configurations and specific sidewall angles to accommodate curvature and deflection, ensuring that syringe barrels can be inserted and extracted in a generally vertical orientation, with chamfered surfaces and varying diameters at different openings to facilitate smooth handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If numerous chimneys are provided to optimize nest capacity, then the nest can hold more medical containers, but the molding parameters become complex and require high pressures, leading to unpredictable curvature and deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the chimney sidewalls by introducing non-parallel configurations with specific angles (e.g., 5-15 degrees from vertical) and varying diameters along the height. This parameter modification allows the nest to accommodate curvature and deflection while maintaining manufacturing feasibility and structural integrity
2Productivity
If the nest is molded with high pressure to create numerous chimneys, then the nest capacity is optimized, but curvature and deflection occur after molding and sterilization, causing syringe barrels to become lodged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the chimney sidewalls with non-parallel angles and varying diameters before the nesting and sterilization processes. This anticipatory design ensures that even after curvature and deflection occur during manufacturing and sterilization, the chimneys maintain adequate clearance for smooth insertion and extraction of syringe barrels, preventing lodging and ensuring reliable automated filling operations
3Stability of the object's composition
If reinforcing ribs are added to reduce curvature and deflection, then the nest structural stability improves, but the molding complexity and required pressure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by modifying only the specific regions where chimneys are formed, giving these areas non-parallel sidewalls and varying diameters. This localized modification provides the necessary accommodation for curvature and deflection without requiring global structural reinforcements, thereby maintaining manufacturing simplicity while ensuring functional reliability
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A nest for the storage of medical device components is provided. The nest includes a main wall having a top surface and a bottom surface and a plurality of chimneys for the storage of a plurality of medical device components therein. Each of the chimneys includes a sidewall extending downward from the bottom surface of the nest to define the chimney, with each of the chimneys having an upper opening and a lower opening. The sidewall of each of the chimneys has a top sidewall portion and a bottom sidewall portion, with a dividing point separating the top sidewall portion and the bottom sidewall portion. A diameter of the chimney at the dividing point is less than a diameter of the upper opening and less than a diameter of the lower opening.