Rotatable Dispensing Outlet With Reusable Connector to Cut Plastic Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dispensing systems generate significant plastic waste due to single-use plastic parts, including outlets, and residual material waste after use.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing system design where the connector is attached to the cartridge rather than the outlet, allowing for a rotation mechanism that locks the connector to the cartridge, reducing plastic waste and enabling efficient material flow through axial movement and rotation, with a static mixer and intra oral rotational tip for optimized mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the outlet is designed as a single-use plastic part, then it can be easily discarded after use, but plastic waste and residual material waste increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing system is divided into separable components: a reusable connector with locking mechanism and a disposable outlet. This segmentation allows the outlet to be discarded while retaining the connector, reducing plastic waste compared to discarding the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after use, while the connector is recovered and reused. This selective discarding and recovering approach minimizes plastic waste while maintaining ease of disposal for the outlet portion.
2Ease of operation
If the connector is attached to the outlet, then the outlet can be easily replaced, but the entire assembly including connector must be discarded, increasing plastic waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the connector from the outlet, allowing the outlet to be replaced while the connector remains. This segmentation enables selective replacement of only the disposable outlet component, reducing plastic waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is extracted from the outlet assembly and made reusable. By taking the connector out as a separate reusable component, the system avoids discarding it with the outlet, thereby reducing plastic waste.
3Reliability
If a rotation mechanism is added to lock the connector, then the connection stability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism uses a simple rotation motion to transition between locked and unlocked states. This dynamic approach provides reliable connection stability through a straightforward rotational action rather than complex multi-step locking procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation mechanism is designed to be self-locking, where the rotational motion itself creates the locking action without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms. The user simply rotates the connector to achieve secure locking.
4Loss of substance
If the connector size is reduced, then the overall system size and waste material decrease, but the locking and activation functions may become less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The compact connector uses a rotational locking mechanism that achieves reliable connection through rotational motion rather than requiring large linear movements. This dynamic approach maintains locking reliability while minimizing connector size and material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed with optimized geometric parameters that allow reliable locking in a compact form factor. By carefully selecting dimensional parameters, the connector achieves adequate locking strength and activation reliability despite reduced size.
Data Source
AI summary
A dispensing outlet for use in a dispensing system, the dispensing outlet including at least one of a static mixer and an IOR, with the IOR being attachable at an outer side of a housing of the static mixer such that the IOR can rotate relative to the static mixer but cannot be axially moved.