Apparatus for dispensing a plurality of powders and method of compounding substances

• US 20050269367A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fast & Fluid Management B.V. (RELX PLC)
• Original Assignee: Fluid Management Incorporated
• Inventors: Post, Jan H.N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,311,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/185.100
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/841 with component receptacles fixed in a circular configuration on a horizontal table, e.g. the table being able to be indexed about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/20 Measuring; Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2117 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2207 Use of data, i.e. barcodes, 3D codes or similar type of tagging information, as instruction or identification codes for controlling the computer programs, e.g. for manipulation, handling, production or compounding in mixing plants B01F33/848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/22162 Time of feeding of at least one of the components to be mixed
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/31 Couplings
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/715 Feeding the components in several steps, e.g. successive steps
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/71775 using helical screws
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/881 by weighing, e.g. with automatic discharge
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/244 of several materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/603 in measured doses, e.g. proportioning of several materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 11/08 having means for controlling the rate of feed or discharge regulation of flow of fluent material G05D
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 11/086 of the loss-in-weight feeding type
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 13/24 Weighing mechanism control arrangements for automatic feed or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/343 involving digital counting

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of powders, such as colorants for paint, caulking or grout or components of cosmetics, comprising a plurality of containers for holding the powders, a plurality of metering powder pumps, connected to a container or having a connector for releasably connecting a container to the respective powder pump, wherein the capacity of the metering powder pump is selectable.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of powders, flowable materials comprising:

a plurality of containers for holding the materials, a plurality of pumps, each pump connected to a container or having a connector for releasably connecting a container to the respective pump, wherein the capacity of the metering pump is selectable.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some, preferably all of the pumps comprise at least two pump mechanisms, one mechanism having a relatively large dispensing capacity and another mechanism having a relatively small dispensing capacity.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the pumps or pump mechanisms comprises a pump screw accommodated in a pump chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the effective outer diameter of the screw is in excess of the effective inner diameter the respective chamber and wherein the rim of the screw is at least partially bent in the displacement direction of the pump.

5. The apparatus of to claim 3, wherein the effective outer diameter of the screw is smaller than the effective inner diameter of the respective chamber, resulting in clearance between the screw and chamber, and wherein the screw is provided with bristles that bridge this clearance.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, which comprises a dispensing position common to all metering powder pumps and wherein a driver for engaging the pump that is located at the dispensing position.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising a coupling mechanism for facilitating alignment of the driver and the pump that is located at the dispensing position.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a pair of pens associated with each pump or pump mechanism or, preferably, with the driver, and a protrusion to be engaged by the pins associated with, respectively, the driver or each pump or pump mechanism.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the protrusion comprises a resilient bushing, preferably having a recess for guiding the pins.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the driver comprises a stepper motor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the containers comprise a stirring mechanism.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the stirring mechanisms comprises a stirring element mounted rotatably inside a container.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, which comprises a dispensing position common to all containers and a driver for engaging the stirring mechanism of the container that is located at the dispensing position.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, which is arranged to dispense any amount in a range from 10 mg to 1 g.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one weighing device for weighing at least one of the dispensed amounts.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one container for a liquid and a metering liquid pump connected to that container.

17. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the screw or screws are made of a polyolefin, preferably PP or PTFE.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, comprises a cover that restricts access to the containers to a single container.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein at least some, preferably all of the pumps comprise at least two pump mechanisms and which further comprises:

dispensing a relatively large part of the said amount by means of one mechanism, and

dispensing a relatively small part of the said amount by means of another mechanism.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the said is at least ten times larger than said other mechanism.

25. A method of calibrating the apparatus of claim 3, comprising:

rotating the pump screw through several positions within one revolution of the screw, thus dispensing an amount of the powder for each position,

weighing the amount of powder dispensed at each position of the screw, and

providing a memory and storing the measured amounts for each position.

19. A method of compounding substances comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising a plurality of containers, each container holding a, flowable material, the apparatus also comprising a plurality of pumps and at least one stepper motor, each pump linked to one of the containers,

dispensing an amount of flowable material into a receptacle by means of at least one pump,

weighing the amount of flowable material dispensed into the receptacle,

comparing the amount dispensed with a desired amount,

using a difference between the amount dispensed and the desired amount to adjust operation of the stepper motor for said pump in future dispenses.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the weight of each of the flowable materials is measured individually.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one flowable material is dispensed in a base material, such as a base paint.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the substances are compounded at a point-of-sale.

26. A method of dispensing a plurality of flowable ingredients utilizing individually controlled dispense pumps drawing flowable material from separate material containers, the pumps positioned to dispense to a common receptacle with a weighing device associated with the receptacle and a computer controlling operation of the pumps, the method comprising:

operating a selected pump to draw a first amount of flowable material from said container and dispensing first amount to said receptacle in accordance with a program stored on said computer which relates a parameter of pump operations to a desired dispense amount of flowable material from said container,

weighing an actual amount dispensed to said receptacle,

comparing the actual amount to the first amount,

determining a difference between the actual and first amounts to provide a deviation determination for the pump,

utilizing said deviation determination as a modifier for further dispense from said container to said receptacle through controlled operation of said selected pump,

selecting a second pump and a second ingredient to be dispensed and repeating the operating, weighing, comparing, determining and utilizing for said second pump.

27. A method of compounding cosmetics formulations comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising a plurality of containers holding flowable materials, and a plurality of metering pumps, each metering pump being linked to two orifices of different sizes including a large orifice and a small orifice,

dispensing an amount of one of the materials into a receptacle by means of at least one of the metering pumps through the large orifice,

weighing the dispensed amount,

comparing the dispensed amount with predetermined desired amount,

using a difference between the dispensed amount and the desired amount to calculate new amount to be dispensed and operating to dispense the new amount through the small orifice.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein each pump comprises two pump elements including a small pump element and a large pump element with the small orifice accommodating the small pump element and the large orifice accommodating the large pump element.