Piston Venting Element Spring Angle for Airtight Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pistons for dispensing flowable components from cartridges face challenges in achieving secure airtight closure and efficient venting, particularly when multiple dispensing operations are required, as they often fail to maintain airtight seals after initial use.
Innovation Solution
A piston design featuring a venting element with a spring-loaded pin that can adopt a sealing and aerating position, where the spring element is angled at a maximum of 80° with the axial direction, providing a high preload force for secure sealing, and a conical pin shape for enhanced sealing surface contact, ensuring reliable airtight closure even after multiple dispensing cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pin is brought into the aerating position during piston insertion to allow air exchange, then venting efficiency is improved, but the airtight closure reliability deteriorates because the pin must be securely returned to the sealing position
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element provides a dynamic restoring force that automatically returns the pin to the sealing position after it has been displaced to the aerating position during piston insertion. This dynamic mechanism ensures reliable airtight closure without manual intervention while maintaining efficient venting during the insertion process.
2Reliability
If a spring element is used to urge the pin into the sealing position, then airtight closure is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is integrated directly into the venting element assembly, merging the sealing function and the restoring force mechanism into a single compact component. This integration achieves reliable airtight closure while minimizing device complexity by eliminating the need for separate sealing mechanisms.
3Force
If the spring element angle with the axial direction is maximized to increase preload force, then sealing force is improved, but the pin displacement control worsens due to excessive restoring force
Solution Approach 1:
The angle between the spring element and the axial direction is optimized to a specific range that balances two competing requirements: it provides sufficient preload force to ensure reliable sealing while maintaining controllable pin displacement. This parameter optimization allows the pin to be displaced to the aerating position during insertion and automatically returned to the sealing position without excessive force.
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
The piston achieves secure airtight closure and efficient venting, maintaining seal integrity during multiple dispensing operations, preventing air exchange and ensuring the quality of the flowable component, especially in two-component cartridges used in dental and construction applications.
Implementation Method 1
The internal connection element and the pin are connected by a spring element which is in turn connected to the internal connection element along a connection line. The spring element urges the pin into the sealing position.
Data Source
AI summary
A piston for dispensing a flowable component from a cartridge includes a piston having a base body and a venting element. The base body has a passage connecting a component side and an actuation side and has a passage opening. The venting element has an internal connection element and a pin which is partly arranged in the passage opening of the base body. The internal connection element and the pin are connected by a spring element. The pin of the venting element can adopt a sealing position and an aerating position. To enable a secure sealing, the spring element is configured such that it includes an angle of a maximum of 80° with the axial direction in the sealing position of the pin at a connection line to the internal connection element in the direction of an actuation side.