Seamless Industrial Sink Drain Assembly with External Lever
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial sinks, especially those in environments like hospitals and cafeteria kitchens, face challenges with bacterial and fungal growth accumulation at the drain assembly lip, requiring additional cleaning efforts and posing health risks due to the need for manual operation, which can be hazardous.
Innovation Solution
A seamless drain assembly is integrated with the sink basin, eliminating the lip or edge where bacteria can grow, and featuring an external operation mechanism using a lever to open and close the drain, ensuring hygiene and safety by preventing direct hand insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional drain assembly with a lip or edge is used to attach the drain to the sink, then the drain assembly can be easily installed and operated, but bacterial and fungal growth accumulates on the lip requiring additional cleaning efforts
Solution Approach 1:
The drain assembly is seamlessly welded to the sink basin to form a single integrated unit, eliminating the lip or edge where bacteria and fungi accumulate. This merging of components removes the harmful surface while maintaining functional integrity.
2Device complexity
If manual operation of the drain is required, then the drain assembly structure can be simple, but it poses safety hazards requiring individuals to insert their arm into the sink
Solution Approach 1:
A lever mechanism serves as an intermediary tool to operate the drain stopper from outside the sink basin. This mediator allows the user to control the drain without inserting their arm into the sink, eliminating safety hazards while maintaining operational capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a seamless welded construction is used to prevent bacterial growth, then hygiene is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The drain tube is seamlessly welded to the sink basin during the manufacturing process, creating a single hygienic unit. While welding adds a step, it eliminates the need for separate gaskets and fasteners, and the seamless construction prevents bacterial accumulation, justifying the additional manufacturing complexity.
4Ease of operation
If an external lever mechanism is added to operate the drain safely, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A lever connected to the drain stopper via a linkage mechanism serves as an external intermediary for operation. The lever pivots outside the sink basin and transmits motion through a simple linkage to the stopper, providing safety without excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A drain assembly for an industrial sink that is seamlessly attached to a basin of a sink. In one embodiment, the drain assembly comprises a drain tube, drain stopper, gasket, clamp, and lever. According to one embodiment, the drain assembly is seamlessly welded to the basin of the sink so that the drain assembly and sink form one continuous unit. The drain assembly allows for external (to the sink) operation of the drain assembly via the use of a lever that is attached to the drain stopper, wherein moving the lever seals and opens the drain assembly. In one embodiment, the drain stopper is spherically-shaped with spherical wedges cut out of the top to form a disc-shaped handle.