Disposable Plastic Milking Manifold for Bio Burden Reduction

The patent employs a disposable plastic manifold that is discarded after a single use or limited number of uses, eliminating the need for thorough cleaning and validation. This disposable approach resolves the cleaning difficulty while maintaining the tiny channel design for optimal milk flow and vacuum stability.

The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, which fundamentally alters the cleaning requirements. Plastic manifolds can be designed with smoother surfaces and larger radii in channels, making them easier to clean or disposable, while still achieving the required milk flow characteristics through appropriate channel dimensioning.

By using a disposable plastic manifold, the patent eliminates the need for cleaning validation entirely. Each new manifold is sterile upon opening, and after use it is discarded, preventing any bio burden accumulation. This approach maintains vacuum stability through proper design while removing the validation burden.

The plastic manifold is pre-sterilized during manufacturing in controlled conditions, ensuring it is free from contamination before first use. This preliminary sterilization action eliminates the need for subsequent cleaning validation, as the device starts in a known sterile state.

The patent removes the vacuum buffer component entirely from the system. Instead of using a separate buffer vessel for milk-vacuum separation, the design integrates separation functionality directly into the manifold structure, preventing froth buildup in a dedicated separation zone that could contaminate the vacuum line.

The patent segments the manifold into distinct functional zones: a milk collection area with tiny channels for milk flow, and a separate vacuum interface area. This segmentation allows milk to be separated from the vacuum flow path without requiring a vacuum buffer, as the plastic manifold's structure naturally prevents froth formation and contamination.