Punch Tool for Separating Sealed Tubes from Membrane Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for sealing and separating large arrays of small tubes are complex and wasteful, requiring precise registration and complex equipment, and result in significant waste of sealing membrane due to the use of a checkerboard pattern.
Innovation Solution
A punch tool with a cutting edge and ejector pin is used to pierce and separate individual tubes from a sealed array without wasting the sealing membrane, allowing for manual or automated operation and minimizing the force required for cutting, thereby reducing waste and simplifying the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If spring-loaded pins are used to press tubes out of the rack and complex moving precision parts are used for sealing and separation, then automation and productivity are improved, but device complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing and separation functions from complex automated equipment and consolidates them into a simple manual punch tool. The punch tool performs both sealing (by applying pressure to seal the membrane to tube rims) and separation (by cutting through the membrane between adjacent tubes) in a single device, eliminating the need for spring-loaded pins, hot platens, and complex moving precision parts while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The punch tool is designed as a multi-functional device that combines sealing and separation capabilities in one tool. The same punch tool can seal membranes to tube rims and simultaneously separate individual tubes from the array by cutting the membrane between them, replacing multiple specialized devices with a single universal tool.
2Ease of operation
If a checkerboard pattern is used to actuate pins for raising tubes, then sufficient scrap sealing membrane is obtained to remain intact for easy removal, but significant proportion of sealing membrane is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of wasting sealing membrane to ensure sufficient scrap remains intact (as required by the checkerboard pattern), the patent converts the cutting action itself into a beneficial separation mechanism. The punch tool cuts through the membrane between tubes to separate them, and the remaining membrane naturally breaks into manageable pieces that can be easily removed without requiring a specific checkerboard pattern, thus eliminating membrane waste while maintaining ease of operation.
3Area of stationary object
If racks are designed to make most economical use of space with tubes in close contact, then space efficiency is improved, but accurate registration and positioning becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The punch tool is designed to self-align with the tube array through its geometry. The tapered edges of the punch automatically guide themselves into the spaces between adjacent tubes, ensuring precise positioning and registration without requiring complex alignment mechanisms. This allows the tool to work effectively with densely packed tubes in space-efficient racks while maintaining the manufacturing precision needed for accurate sealing and separation.
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 efficient separation of individual tubes with minimal waste of sealing membrane, reducing the complexity of equipment needed and improving the precision and efficiency of the sealing and separation process.
Implementation Method 1
a cutting edge on a lower side of the tool body, configured to pierce through the sealing membrane around one of the sealed tube rims so as to separate the associated sealed tube from the remainder of the sealing membrane
Implementation Method 2
an ejector pin insertable inside the cutting edge so as to be urged against the tube rim of the separated sealed tube
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus (10) for separating individual sealed tubes (42) from an array has rack support (30) for supporting an array of tubes with their upper rims (43) disposed in a horizontal plane and all sealed with a sealing membrane (90), and a punch station (60) comprising a punch tool (62) with cutting edge (66). Cutting edge (66) pierces through membrane (90) from above to separate an individual sealed tube (42) from the remainder of the membrane. The tool has multiple cutting edges (66) in a linear array corresponding to a column of a tightly-packed x by y array of tubes in the rack (40) to simultaneously separate the tubes (42) of a whole column. The cutting edge (66) starts piercing membrane (90) at the corners (43a) of each tube rim and progressively shears through the membrane. Ejector pins (68) retain the separated tubes within the rack (40).