Container Vent Filter With Alternating Flange Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filters for vent openings in containers used in the food industry fail to effectively prevent the removal of packaged products while removing air and introducing inert gases, often leading to instability and warping issues due to inadequate integration with the container.
Innovation Solution
A filter with a sintered polymer filter element and flange integrated via injection molding, where the edge portion is alternately and partially covered by the flange material, enhancing stability and adherence, and featuring a dome shape with a tubular portion and screw thread for sealing, ensuring secure mounting and air-tight sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the filter element is integrated with the flange using injection molding, then the adherence and stability are improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases due to the alternating coverage pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is designed with alternating full and partial coverage zones along the circumferential direction, creating local variations in material distribution. This local quality differentiation provides both complete coverage for structural integrity and partial coverage for warping compensation, resolving the contradiction between adherence and manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coverage pattern intentionally breaks symmetry by alternating between full and partial coverage zones. This asymmetric design prevents uniform warping that would occur with symmetric full coverage, while still maintaining adequate adherence through the alternating pattern, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
2Strength
If the flange material completely covers the back side of the edge portion, then the structural integrity is improved, but the warping tendency increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniform full coverage, the design implements local quality variations with alternating full and partial coverage zones. The full coverage zones provide structural integrity while the partial coverage zones allow for warping compensation, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design applies partial coverage in alternating zones rather than complete uniform coverage. This partial action in specific zones prevents excessive warping while the full coverage zones maintain structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between strength and warping resistance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the filter element edge portion is alternately and partly covered by flange material, then the warping is minimized, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element is positioned on holding fingers before the injection molding process begins. This preliminary positioning action ensures correct placement in the alternating coverage pattern, reducing the precision requirements during the actual molding process while achieving the desired shape stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Holding fingers serve as an intermediary mechanism between the filter element and the mold cavity. These holding fingers facilitate precise positioning and stable fixation during molding, reducing the direct precision requirements on the mold itself while achieving the alternating coverage pattern for warping minimization.
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 provides a stable and airtight filter that prevents product removal during air evacuation and inert gas introduction, minimizing warping and ensuring effective sealing, thus maintaining product preservability.
Implementation Method 1
The filter element may be made from a sintered polymer
Implementation Method 2
the filter element and the flange are integrated by means of an injection molding process, in which material is injected against a solid filter element in a mold
Data Source
AI summary
A filter for a vent opening of a container comprises a filter element and a flange which surrounds the filter element. The filter element and the flange are integrated by means of an injection molding process, in which material is injected against a solid filter element in a mold, from which material the flange arises after curing. The filter element has an edge portion which extends in its circumferential direction. The edge portion has a front side, a back side and a side edge extending between the front side and the back side. The back side is covered the flange and the side edge in circumferential direction of the edge portion is alternatingly entirely and partly covered from the back side by the material of the flange. At the locations where the side edge is entirely covered the front side is also covered by the material of the flange.