Tinting Machine Positive Displacement Pump for Fast, Accurate Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tinting machines face challenges in achieving high dispense speeds with high accuracy while avoiding complex constructions and unwanted side effects from biasing springs, and suffer from high flow resistance and low dosing accuracy due to trapped air and large volume displacement.
Innovation Solution
A tinting machine with a positive displacement pump featuring a main and secondary displacement member, operated by a gripper system, allowing for fast and accurate dispensing of tinting pastes through a combination of main and secondary piston heads, with a simple and robust design that minimizes mechanical play.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a dispense channel with a relatively large diameter is used for fast dispensing, then dispense speed is improved, but dosing accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is divided into two separate piston heads (first and second piston heads) with different diameters. The first piston head is used for fast dispensing when larger amounts are needed, while the second piston head is used for accurate dosing when smaller amounts are required. This segmentation allows the system to optimize for either speed or precision depending on the dispensing requirements without compromising either function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a piston pump with two aligned piston heads of different diameter is used for selective fast or accurate dispensing, then dispensing versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second piston head is positioned inside the first piston head in a nested arrangement. Both piston heads share a common drive mechanism and are aligned along the same axis. This nested configuration allows the pump to achieve versatile dispensing capabilities with a compact structure, reducing overall complexity compared to having two separate pumps or mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a cylindrical valve core with a plurality of channels is used, then valve functionality is improved, but flow resistance increases and dosing accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the cylindrical valve core with multiple channels from the system entirely. Instead, a simple ball valve is used to control fluid flow. This extraction of the complex valve core eliminates the high flow resistance and air trapping problems associated with multiple channels, thereby improving dosing accuracy while maintaining sufficient valve functionality through the simpler ball valve mechanism.
4Quantity of substance
If a large volume between the piston head and dosing outlet is present, then pump capacity is improved, but dosing accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between two piston heads with different volumes based on the dispensing requirements. The first piston head has a larger volume for high-capacity dispensing, while the second piston head has a smaller volume for accurate dosing. This dynamic selection allows the system to optimize both pump capacity and dosing accuracy depending on the specific task, rather than being constrained by a fixed volume design.
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 solution enables high-speed and precise dispensing of tinting pastes, reducing waiting times and improving the overall efficiency of the tinting process without complicating the construction or increasing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The pump can for example be a positive displacement pump, such as a piston pump, with a main displacement member and a secondary displacement member
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
Tinting machine (1) for metering, dispensing and mixing tinting pastes to prepare a paint of a desired colour or quality. The tinting machine comprises a plurality of dispense units (8), each dispense unit comprising a container (4) for holding a tinting paste and a pump (9). The dispense units are selectively movable to a dispense position. The tinting machine further comprises an actuator (20) engaging a selected one of the dispense units when it is in the dispense position. The actuator comprises a main gripper (40) for engaging the pump for fast dispensing, and a secondary gripper (50) for engaging the pump for accurate dispensing.