WO2017141099A1 - Kit of seals for vibration pumps - Google Patents

Abstract

A kit of seals for vibration pumps, comprising a C-ring used as a sealing pad on the pump plunger and a ball used as a check valve after the plunger, wherein the C- ring consists of PTFE filled with fiberglass and the ball is made of ceramic metals. Use of these materials increases at least five times the life of the seals, consequently increasing intervals and reducing costs of maintenance and replacement of vibration pumps.

Description

KIT OF SEALS FOR VIBRATION PUMPS

The present invention relates to a kit of seals for vibration pumps, having considerable innovative and advantageous features.

Vibration pumps, more particularly those used in apparatus for delivering and dispensing beverages, such as automatic coffee percolators and dispensers for hot and/or cold beverages, more particularly when installed in industrial or commercial companies or public buildings, are operated every day a lot of times, so that all their components should be strong and durable.

More particularly the stressing alternative motion (50/60 Hz) of the plunger wears readily the seals which are vital for the correct pump operation. For this reason the average life of these seals is warranted by the pump manufacturers for about 18,000 operating cycles, approximately corresponding to one year of operation, that is equal to the expected time interval between two scheduled maintenance actions.

In view of the steadily increasing maintenance costs and the inconveniences due to the apparatus stops, with troubles for the users and loss of takings for the managers of the apparatus, the problem of manufacturing long-life vibration pumps is particularly critical, thus requiring first of all to have available reliable and durable seals allowing to extend considerably the intervals between two maintenance actions.

Therefore Applicant studied carefully and brilliantly solved this problem by creating proper compositions of matter for these seals, which when subjected to accelerated artificial ageing showed to be adapted to increase five times the normal life of pumps, extending the average life of their seals from said 18,000 cycles to 90,000 cycles, approximately corresponding to five operative years, thus creating a new generation of long-life vibration pumps, requiring only a maintenance action every five years.

These seals are those applied to the pump plunger, warranting fluidic tightness in a passage having a diameter of about 5 mm, so that their material, in spite of the tiny dimensions and thickness, must have an exceptional durability and strength.

These seals comprise a C-ring used as a plunger sealing pad made of fiberglass filled PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and a ball used as a check valve after the plunger, said ball consisting of aluminum oxide or similar ceramic metals.

The PTFE composite used for the C-ring pad is a material specially designed for this use, made by extrusion of pure PTFE with glass fibers of a length in the range of 30 to 80 microns. The fiberglass filler may be varied from 5% to 25% by weight; consequently the composite may comprise 95% - 75% PTFE and 5% - 25% fiberglass, the preferred formulation used is the mean composition of 85% PTFE and 15% fiberglass.

As a mere illustrative non limiting example, in the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 shows a conventional type of vibration pump, showing the position of the sealing C-ring 10 on the plunger P and the ball 20 as check valve.

Figure 2 is a highly enlarged cross-sectional view of the C-ring 10, showing two round lips 12 defining the outer race 14 in which a conventional gasket may be arranged.

Clearly the exact dimensions and positions of the seals may be varied according to the type of vibration pump, and the materials used to make the seals will always be certified as suitable for use in foodstuff contact compatible components according to the laws, regulations and norms in force.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A kit of seals for vibration pumps, comprising a C-ring used as a sealing pad on the pump plunger and a ball used as a check valve after the plunger, characterized in that the C-ring consists of fiberglass filled PTFE and the ball is made of ceramic metal.

2. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the material of the C-ring consists of PTFE extruded with glass fibers of a length in the range of 30 to 80 microns, comprises 95% to 75% by weight of PTFE and 5% to 25% by weight of fiberglass.

3. The kit of claim 2, wherein the material of the C-ring consists of 85% PTFE and 15% glass fibers.

4. The kit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the ball is made of aluminum oxide.

5. The kit of seals of any of the preceding claims, wherein the life of the seals made with said materials is increased by at least five times, with corresponding increase of intervals and reduction of costs of the maintenance of the vibration pumps.