Integrally Molded Plastic Ball Valve Assembly for Simplified Insertion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball valve assemblies face challenges in manufacturing due to the high cost and difficulty of assembling a metal ball valve, particularly in aligning the ball valve's neck through a lateral opening for rotation into position.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a plastic ball valve and handle as a single, integrally formed component, allowing for easier manipulation and assembly by being longer than the ball valve alone, with a geometry that facilitates rotation and insertion into the duct, eliminating the need for a separate joining step and reducing material costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal ball valve is used, then the joint between handle and ball valve is robust, but the manufacturing cost is high and assembly is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The handle and ball valve are merged into a single integrally formed component, eliminating the need for separate joining operations. This reduces manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty while maintaining structural integrity, directly addressing the contradiction between joint robustness and ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from metal to plastic for the ball valve, and modifies the geometric parameter by extending the component length to include an integrated handle. This allows for easier assembly and reduced cost while maintaining sufficient joint robustness through the integral construction
2Manufacturing precision
If the ball valve neck is inserted through the lateral opening for rotation, then the ball valve can be positioned correctly, but the assembly process becomes awkward and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is preliminarily formed as an integral extension of the ball valve, providing a built-in manipulation feature before assembly. This allows the assembler to easily grip and rotate the entire component through the lateral opening without needing to separately hold or manipulate the small ball valve neck, thus maintaining positioning accuracy while dramatically improving assembly ease
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a dimensional element by extending the component length to include the handle, transforming the assembly operation from manipulating a small spherical object to rotating a longer lever-like component. This dimensional change makes the rotation operation much easier while preserving the ability to achieve correct positioning
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ball valve and handle are separate components, then they can be manufactured independently, but they require a separate joining step that increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The ball valve and handle are combined into a single molded component, eliminating the joining step entirely. While this reduces manufacturing flexibility compared to separate production, it dramatically simplifies the overall device complexity by removing the assembly operation, resulting in a net reduction in total manufacturing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A ball valve assembly includes a duct with a central passage for the flow of fluids. A ball valve is rotatably mounted within the duct. The ball valve has a through bore selectively alignable in an operational position with the central passage to allow flow through the valve assembly. A lateral opening is provided in the duct. A handle attached to the ball valve extends through the lateral opening such that it is accessible from outside the duct to allow rotation of the ball valve. The ball valve, handle and duct are sized so that the ball valve and handle together are insertable into one end of the duct in a first orientation to an intermediate position, from which position and orientation the ball valve and handle together can be manipulated without the ball valve leaving the duct to a final position with a second orientation in which the handle extends out through the lateral opening and the ball valve is in its operational position.