Elastomeric Stopper Cover with Variable Stiffness Connecting Web
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stopper devices for containers with freeze-dried pharmaceuticals face challenges in ensuring hermetic sealing due to manufacturing tolerances and dimensional variations, leading to incomplete sealing during the freeze-drying process, which necessitates additional costly operations post-freeze drying.
Innovation Solution
A stopper device featuring an elastomer stopper, a plastics cover with locking means, and a cap with an elastically deformable connecting web that transitions from a raised to a lowered position, providing increased force compensation for variations in manufacturing tolerances and structural dispersions, ensuring secure locking without excessive stress on the presser plate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the locking cover is placed on the stopper before freeze-drying to enable simultaneous locking during batch processing, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to friction variations from tolerances and pre-positioning errors
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting web's stiffness is changed as a parameter to resolve the contradiction. By designing the web with specific elastic properties, it can accommodate manufacturing tolerances and friction variations while still transmitting sufficient locking force. The web's elastic deformation allows the system to absorb dimensional variations in bottles, stoppers, and cover components, ensuring reliable locking across all containers in the batch despite variations in manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid connecting structure is used between the press rim and central stud, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases and friction issues worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting web is designed as a flexible elastic element rather than a rigid structure. This flexible web connects the press rim to the central stud, allowing it to deform elastically during the locking process. The flexibility accommodates manufacturing tolerances and friction variations, ensuring that locking force is transmitted effectively to all containers in the batch without requiring complex rigid mechanisms with multiple adjustment components.
3Reliability
If excessive force is applied to ensure locking of all containers, then reliability is improved, but the presser plate experiences excessive stress
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting web introduces dynamic elasticity into the force transmission system. Rather than applying excessive static force that would stress the presser plate, the elastic web dynamically adapts to each container's specific dimensions and friction characteristics. The web's elastic properties allow it to store and release energy, ensuring reliable locking force is applied to each container individually while the overall system remains within the presser plate's stress capacity.
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 significantly increases the number of properly sealed containers by compensating for dimensional and structural dispersions, ensuring reliable hermetic sealing during and after freeze-drying, reducing the need for subsequent operations and enhancing packaging efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the connecting web is elastically deformable in a manner such that, under the effect of an axial force, it enables the press rim to be moved axially from a raised position R towards a lowered position A
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a stopper device for a container having a neck with a Δ axis. Said device comprises an elastomer stopper, a plastic cover that can cover both the neck and the stopper in place in the neck and comprises means for locking on the neck, and a cap adapted to the top of the cover by means of a central segment and provided with a peripheral supporting edge connected to the central segment by at least one connecting runout. According to the invention, the connecting runout is elastically deformable such that, under the effect of an axial effort, it enables an axial movement of the supporting edge from a raised position (R) to a lowered position, via an intermediate position (I), and, in a first deformation range corresponding to a movement of the supporting edge between the raised position (R) and the intermediate position, has a rigidity K1 which is higher than the rigidity K2 of the runout in a second deformation range corresponding to a displacement of the supporting edge between the intermediate position and the lowered position.