Plastic Tube Welding Device Fluid-Free Sterile Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for welding plastic tubes, particularly in sterile medical applications, face challenges in ensuring a fluid-free weld site, often requiring expensive and complex methods to prevent fluid ingress, which can be inconsistent and difficult to implement.
Innovation Solution
A device that uses parallel tube holders with clamps to create a fluid-free area, allowing for cold cutting and subsequent heating of tube stubs without a heated wafer, enabling a sterile connection system by aligning and welding the cut stubs with an infrared heat source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heated wafer techniques are used to cut and weld plastic tubes, then welding can be achieved, but the complexity of the device increases and sterility cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heated wafer component from the system entirely, replacing it with a cold cutting blade and separate heating element. This extraction eliminates the complexity and sterility issues associated with heated wafers while achieving the same welding function through a different mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the tube processing into distinct sequential steps: clamping to create fluid-free area, cold cutting to separate tubes, and separate heating/welding of tube ends. This segmentation allows each function to be performed by dedicated simple components rather than a complex integrated heated wafer system.
2Manufacturing precision
If fluid stripping methods are used to create fluid-free weld sites, then welding can proceed, but the operating window is small and consistency cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies clamps to create a fluid-free area in the tube before cutting occurs. This preliminary action ensures that when the cold blade cuts the tube, no fluid is present at the cut site, guaranteeing a consistent fluid-free weld site without requiring precise timing or small operating windows.
3Reliability
If temporary seals or rollers are used to remove fluids from weld sites, then fluid removal can be achieved, but the system becomes difficult and expensive to implement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates complex fluid removal mechanisms such as temporary seals and rollers by using clamps to create a fluid-free area beforehand. This extraction of unnecessary components simplifies the device and makes it easier and less expensive to manufacture while maintaining reliable fluid removal.
4Ease of manufacture
If heated wafers are used for cutting and welding, then tube connection can be achieved, but the cost increases and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive heated wafers with inexpensive, simple components: a cold cutting blade and a heating element. These components are cheaper to manufacture and easier to replace or maintain, reducing overall system cost and improving ease of repair.
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 method ensures a sterile, fluid-free weld without the need for heated wafers, providing a consistent and efficient connection process that is cost-effective and minimizes sterility risks, allowing for quick operation and easy maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
A heating device heats/melts the cut stub ends of the tubes
Implementation Method 2
heats/melts the cut stub ends of the tubes
Implementation Method 3
A tube clamp in each of the first tube holding areas clamps the first tube to create a generally fluid free area
Data Source
AI summary
Plastic tubes are welded by first placing the plastic tubes across aligned tube slots in a pair of side by side tube holders. The tubes are clamped to create a fluid free area. The clamps in one of the tube holders are shifted laterally away from the other tube holders to increase the fluid free area of each tube. A cold cutting device cuts through the clamped tubes to create four stub ends. The four stub ends are heated/melted. The stub ends are realigned so that the one stub end in one holder is aligned with the other stub end of the other tube holder and the realigned stub ends are pressed into contact with each other to create a weld seam.