Transfer Adapter With Removable Retaining Unit for Clean Bulk Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transfer systems for connecting bags or liners to containers for bulk material handling face issues such as cumbersome stacking, difficulty in fixing the bag, and inadequate cleaning, leading to spillage and contamination risks during repeated transfers.
Innovation Solution
A modular transfer adapter with a separable adapter unit and retaining unit, featuring interlocking parts, a hermetic seal, and a sealing lip, allowing easy attachment to containers and facilitating repeated transfers without stacking, while preventing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If multiple transfer adaptors are stacked on the container aperture to enable repeated transfers, then repeated transfer operations are enabled, but the process becomes cumbersome and requires continued adaptation to increasing height
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer adaptor is divided into a reusable adapter unit and disposable retaining units. The adapter unit remains on the container aperture and can be reused, while retaining units are disposed of after single use. This segmentation eliminates the need to stack multiple complete adaptors, maintaining repeated transfer capability while simplifying the operational process.
2Device complexity
If the holder for the bag is located inside the opening of the adaptor, then the adaptor structure is compact, but thorough cleaning of the holder becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining unit, which includes the bag holder, is extracted as a separate disposable component from the adapter unit. This allows the holder to be easily removed and replaced without disassembling the adapter structure, making cleaning and maintenance straightforward while keeping the overall adaptor design compact.
3Reliability
If the adaptor is provided with means for fixing it to a container and to other connecting elements, then the adaptor is securely attached, but the structure and weight may render fastening the bag cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing mechanism is segmented into two parts: a robust adapter unit with attachment means for secure container connection, and a lightweight disposable retaining unit for simple bag fastening. This segmentation allows the secure attachment function to be concentrated in the reusable portion, while the bag fastening becomes simpler and less cumbersome.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a hermetic seal is provided between the adapter unit and retaining unit, then contamination is prevented, but the sealing mechanism adds to the device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible sealing lip is used to create the hermetic seal between the adapter unit and retaining unit. This flexible membrane approach provides effective contamination prevention while adding minimal structural complexity compared to rigid sealing mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The invention concerns a transfer adapter for connecting a bag or a tubular liner (510) to a container (60) for filling or emptying said bag or a tubular liner. The transfer adapter comprises an adapter unit (20) for connecting to an aperture of a container, said adapter unit having an inner wall delimiting a transfer opening, and a retaining (101, 102). The retaining unit comprises a retaining fixture (11) for receiving a circumferential strip of a bag or of a tubular liner (510), and a retaining element (12) being configured to hold said circumferential strip in the retaining fixture (11). The retaining unit (101, 102) is dimensioned to be removably positioned inside transfer opening such that the transfer opening together with the open bag or together with the open tubular liner (510) form a transfer passage. The invention further concerns a transfer system comprising said adapter as well as a method of transferring material between a container and a bag or a tubular liner through said transfer adapter.