ILC Dover Film Welding System

1
ILC Dover Film Welding System

• James Harmon
• Tommy Lupinski
• Katherine Nitz
• Dan Vennard

2
ILC Dover Background
Pharm / Biopharm Products

• ILC offers containment solutions for processing
  active pharmaceutical products
• Effective and safe systems get products to market
  faster
• Containment products include
• DoverPac
• Continuous Liner
• DoverPac SF

3
Current Sealing Techniques

• Twist-tie-tape and cut
• Crimping
• Thermal welding
• Senior Design focus

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Current Thermal Welder
100,000
Thermal Welder
OPEN
CLOSED
5
Why the high cost?

• Film welder needs to be explosion-proof due to
  its surroundings
• Design must meet several requirements for
  approval
• Electrical requirements are main hurdle
• Regulatory agencies involved
• NFPA
• Class 1, Class 2, Division 1
• Articles 496, 497
• ATEX
• Ensuring the machine is explosion-proof is very
  expensive!

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Project Objective

• To design a film welder that can successfully
  seal plastic layers together in an explosive
  environment without using electricity
• Eliminate electrical system approval hurdles
• Reduce cost
• Produce an engineering model of the film welder
• Model must meet all performance specifications
  possible
• Concentration on non-electrical aspect

Project Scope
7
Customer Specifications
Target Value
Metric
Sealing temperature goal 130C (266F)
Sealing pressure goal 20psi 5psi
Cost per use 3
Exterior temperature 50C (120F)
Operators required 1
Full sealing cycle time 2 minutes
Sealing area 37 x 1.5 (23 Ø bag)
Constraints
Be safe for the user Meet NFPA and ATEX
regulations Use no electricity!
This target value was increased to around 5
minutes.
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3-D Concept Design
Pressure arm
Heating arm
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Steps to Complete Cycle
Insert plastic
Apply pressure
Add chemicals
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Concept Subsystems
Heat Generation System
Heating Cooling System
Thermal Sealer Prototype
Pressure System
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Heat Generation System

• The system requires
• Ability to reach temperature of 130C as quickly
  as possible
• Safe chemical components

Concepts
Epoxy Resin
Heat Generation Concepts
Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Decomposition
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H2O2 Decomposition Testing

• Mixed H2O2 and MnO2 in
• An open beaker
• Maximum temperature was 90C
• A pressurized copper pipe
• Maximum temperature was 144C
• Temperature goal cannot be reached if not
  pressurized
• Amount of MnO2 only affects speed of reaction,
  not the temperature the mixture can reach

Lessons Learned
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Heating Cooling System

• The system requires
• Efficient heat transfer (for heating and cooling)
• Insulation to ensure cool outer surface
• User-friendly chemical addition system
• Effective drainage

• Hollow Al chamber
• Eliminated copper tube middle man
• Increased heat transfer efficiency

Heating Cooling Concepts
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Heating Cooling System Analysis

• Internal pressure analysis
• Need pressure valve that releases between 150psi
  and 200psi
• Force analysis
• Found deflection of steel casing
• Adjusted thickness to minimize it

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Progressive Assembly
Step 1
H2O2 / H20 input valve
Pressure relief valve
Air valve
MnO2 input valve
Aluminum channel (grey)
Draining valve (on bottom)
Aluminum end-cap (green)
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Step 2
Bungs for welding (red)
Silicone rubber insulation (blue)
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Step 3
Steel casing (grey)
Steel end-cap (turquoise)
Locking bar (teal)
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Fully Assembled View
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Pressure System

• The system requires
• Even pressure application along length
• Ability to impose a tear strip on plastic
• Withstanding pressure from inflated bladder

Inflatable bladder
Pressure Concepts
Lever lock
Turn screw
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Pressure System Analysis

• Force analysis
• Found deflection of steel backing
• Adjusted thickness to minimize it
• Found force on the locking pin
• Determined the required diameter needed

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Pressure Assembly
Step 1
Steel casing (blue)
Steel backing (turquoise)
Interior guide blocks (red)
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Step 2
Pressure bladder (grey)
Pressure plate (green)
Tear strip O-ring (pink)
Force pad (blue)
Exterior guide blocks (red)
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Fully Assembled View
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Comprehensive Concept Design
Put in REAL picture of it assembled!!!!!
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Steps to Add Chemicals
START
Close H2O2 valve
Open MnO2 valve
Close MnO2 valve
Add 1g of MnO2
Add 250mL of H2O2
Open H2O2 valve
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Film Welder in Action

• Flush system with water
• Depressurize
• Remove sealed plastic

• Setup
• Pressurize
• Add chemicals

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System Validation

• Heating cooling system
• Validate
• Time to seal
• Sealing temperature goal
• Sealing area
• Exterior temperature
• Pressure system
• Validate
• Sealing pressure goal
• Even pressure distribution

• Test entire prototype
• Validate
• One operator required
• Cost per use

28
Heating Arm Testing

• Heating Arm Testing
• Isolated heating arm
• Varied chemical amounts
• 150-250mL H2O2
• 0.5-1.0g MnO2
• Varied chamber pressure
• 60-200psi
• Varied MnO2 input valve location

Trial 1-6 150mL H2O2, 0.5g MnO2 Trial 7-15
250mL H2O2, 1g MnO2
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Results and Validation

• Results
• Temperature peak is very inconsistent
• Target value for temperature was not met but
  plastic did seal
• Average time to seal was 2 minutes, 24 seconds
• Validation
• Time to seal ? 2 minutes, 24 seconds
• Sealing temperature goal ? 127C
• Sealing area ? 14 x 1.5
• Exterior temperature ? 25C

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Pressure Arm Testing

• Pressure Arm Testing
• Isolated pressure arm
• Inflated bladder with air pump
• Used Pressurex pressure sensing film

Trial 1
Trial 2
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Results and Validation

• Results
• Very even pressure distribution across length
• Across o-ring, pressure was about 75psi
• Elsewhere, pressure was less than 28psi
• Tear strip was imposed
• Validation
• Sealing pressure goal ? lt 28psi
• Even pressure distribution ? Yes

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Target vs. Actual Values
Metric
Target Value
Actual Value
Sealing temperature goal 130C (266F) 127C (F)
Sealing pressure goal 20psi 5psi lt 28psi
Cost per use 3 4
Exterior temperature 50C (120F) 25C (77F)
Operators required 1 1
Full sealing cycle time 5 minutes 5 minutes
Sealing area 37 x 1.5 14 x 1.5
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Budget
Component Cost
Heating arm 393
Pressure arm 225
Testing 348
Total cost 966
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Handoff to ILC

• Sealing can be accomplished using non-electrical
  means
• Hydrogen peroxide decomposition is one successful
  method
• Purchase a more accurate pressure relief valve
• Further work needs to be done in order to
  transfer product to industry
• Patent potential after further investigation and
  testing

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Acknowledgments

• Sponsor
• ILC Dover
• Dave Cadogan and Anshu Dixita
• Advisor
• Dr. Keefe
• Technical Advisors
• Dr. Wingrave (Chemistry Department)
• Steve Beard (Machine Shop)
• Dave Styer (Machine Shop)

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Questions?
37
Heat Generation Analysis

• Heat transfer analysis
• Found temperature of 133C is required to ensure
  full heat conduction through plastic
• Thermodynamics
• Found 180mL of H2O2 is needed to get reaction to
  133C

T1133C
Input heat
T2130C
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Pressure System Budget
Steel (backing, end-caps, arms) 190
Aluminum (U-channel) 33
Schraeder valve 2
O-ring 3
Force distribution pad 37
Total System Cost 265
ILC has agreed to take care of making the
inflatable bladder.
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Heating/Cooling System Budget
Aluminum (end-caps, chamber) 25
Steel (casing, locking bar) 55
Insulation 75
Plumbing (pipes, valves, hoses, etc.) 140
Total System Cost 295
ILC has agreed to take care of all welding needs.