Piston Dosing Wheel for Precise Powder Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses face challenges in accurately and reliably filling small containers with powdered pharmaceutical products, as they struggle with managing very small quantities and ensuring high precision and repeatability due to dimensional and structural limitations.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a dosing wheel with channels and pistons where the piston head has a smaller cross-section than the stem, allowing for reduced calibration chamber volume, combined with an adjustment assembly and inclined conduits to facilitate precise and repeatable filling, enabling the handling of small doses with improved fluid dynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional dosing apparatuses are used, then filling capability is provided, but precision and repeatability deteriorate when handling very small quantities of powdered material
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing wheel is segmented into multiple radial channels, each containing an independent piston system. This segmentation allows for precise control of small quantities of powdered material in each channel while maintaining overall system productivity. Each channel operates independently, enabling accurate dosing of very small amounts without interference from other channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston head is designed with a smaller cross-sectional area than the stem, creating a localized reduction in volume at the dosing chamber end. This local quality change allows the system to handle very small quantities of powdered material precisely while maintaining structural stability through the larger stem portion. The porous material of the piston head also provides local filtration quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If calibration chamber volume is reduced to handle small doses, then dosage precision improves, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is segmented into two distinct parts: a smaller cross-sectional head portion that forms the dosing chamber and a larger cross-sectional stem portion that provides structural support. This segmentation allows the dosing chamber to be small for precision while the stem maintains structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different cross-sectional areas are applied locally to different parts of the piston structure. The head has a smaller cross-section optimized for precise dosing of small quantities, while the stem has a larger cross-section optimized for structural strength and stability during operation.
3Device complexity
If vertical conduits are used for pressure introduction, then structural simplicity is maintained, but fluid dynamics deteriorate due to turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The conduits are designed with inclined orientations rather than vertical alignment, creating curved flow paths that reduce turbulence when introducing pressurized fluid into the calibration chambers. This curved configuration improves fluid dynamics and reliability of the dosing process.
4Measurement precision
If piston cross-section is reduced for small doses, then dosing precision improves, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is manufactured as two separate components - the head with smaller cross-section and the stem with larger cross-section - which are then assembled together. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular fabrication and assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston head is inserted into and nested within the stem structure, creating a compact assembled unit. This nesting arrangement allows the smaller precision head to be integrated with the larger structural stem, combining precision dosing capability with structural integrity in a single manufacturable assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration allows for precise and repeatable filling of small quantities of powdered material, enhancing the apparatus's reliability and accuracy, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, by reducing turbulence and maintaining structural stability.
Implementation Method 1
the head of the piston is made of a material which is porous to gases but impervious to powdered materials
Implementation Method 2
Each calibration chamber is in communication with a vacuum pump suitable for creating a vacuum condition in the calibration chamber in order to suck a predetermined quantity of powdered material from the hopper
Implementation Method 3
A flow of a fluid, such as compressed air, is introduced by conduction means to unload the quantity of powdered material from the chamber to a respective container
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
The apparatus for filling containers with dosed quantities of powdered material comprises a dosing wheel (2) rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation (A), said dosing wheel (2) comprising a plurality of channels (5) extending along respective radial directions from a peripheral edge (6) of said dosing wheel (2) towards the centre of said dosing wheel (2); a hopper (3) arranged above said dosing wheel (2) and suitable for containing said powdered material; a plurality of pistons (9) slidably inserted respectively inside said channels (5), each piston (9) comprising a stem (11) and a head (12) integral with one end of said stem (11), each piston (9) defining in said channel (5) a calibration chamber (10) arranged to collect a dosed quantity of said powdered material. Each calibration chamber (10) is delimited by said head (12) of said relative piston (9) and by an inner wall of said respective channel (5).