Patent Publication Number: US-2015083247-A1

Title: Flow Control Components With Traceable Indicia

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
     The present U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application is related to U.S. Non-Provisional Application for patent Ser. No. 12/764,079 filed Apr. 20, 2010 and entitled “Molded Flow Control Components With Traceable Indicia”, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present marking system relates to flow control equipment and more particularly to the marking of valve diaphragms and other components used to contain and control the flow of process fluids in the sanitary products industry. These components are typically used in the production of pharmaceutical, food and dairy products. 
     2. Related Art 
     Quality control in the pharmaceutical, food and dairy industries requires specialized and thorough tracing of all materials and process components used in manufacture (traceability). This traceability requirement extends to the production apparatus and includes both original equipment and replacement parts. To ensure consumer safety, it is important to have complete records of the composition of all components that come into contact with the food, dairy, and pharmaceutical process streams and to be able to trace or determine when and where each of these components was made. Food, dairy and pharmaceutical ingredients flow through a multiplicity of valves during a process run. Typically, the valves are provided with diaphragms that come into direct contact with the ingredients in the process stream. The diaphragms are subject to wear and are replaced at scheduled intervals. 
     In the past, certificates indicating date and location of manufacture, batch number, composition and other particulars have been packaged with the valve diaphragms. However, these data sheets usually become separated from the diaphragms when the diaphragms are installed in the valves. Although records of each diaphragm and its location in the complex piping system are normally kept, during installation, parts of differing origins and materials sometimes may inadvertently become mixed together and traceability is lost in the process. During periodic quality control reviews or inspections, it can be difficult to connect a particular diaphragm with its data sheets even if time and effort has been spent entering identifying information in the process records. Operator errors are difficult to track and parts are sometimes misidentified. Also if there is a defective diaphragm or group of diaphragms, a recall may become necessary. 
     Up to this time, because markings on the diaphragms have been limited to the year and month of manufacture, the diaphragm manufacturer might have to recall several batches in the absence of a clear association between the defective items and their corresponding certificates, since there is an absence of batch specific information on the diaphragms themselves. In addition, if a particular lot of a diaphragm assembly&#39;s materials of construction is found to contaminate a food or drug product, knowing the exact location of the affected parts is essential for subsequent investigations to determine the impact on the product and to assure consumer/patient safety. The present marking system is intended to alleviate these shortcomings and provide complete batch specific identification directly on the diaphragms or other molded process components so that, simply by looking at the part, the operator or process engineer may know the exact provenance of the part without the aid of paperwork for the entire lifetime of the part. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a diaphragm designed for installation in a valve or a comparable flow control assembly, an improvement comprising a plurality of indicia outwardly visible on the diaphragm when installed in the flow control assembly; said indicia providing with respect to said diaphragm identification of at least the manufacturer, month and year of production and batch number. Preferably, the indicia include a first pointer indicating the month of manufacture and a second pointer indicating the batch number. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a valve assembly including a first diaphragm; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of a valve body with a second diaphragm mounted thereon; 
         FIG. 3  is a planar view of the first or second diaphragm bearing traceable indicia;. 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary view of the first or second diaphragm with one surface bearing traceable indicia; and 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary view of the first or second diaphragm with an opposite surface bearing traceable indicia. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the flow control assembly may be a valve, generally designated  10 . The valve typically includes a bonnet  12 , which contains the mechanical means of opening and closing the valve, and a body  14 , which may house a two-piece diaphragm  18 A. The bonnet moves the diaphragm to control the flow of a process stream though the valve in a manner well known in the art. The diaphragm  18 A may be formed with a non-elastomeric facing piece or weir  20  that contacts the process stream and with an elastomeric backing member  22  that distributes a closing force exerted by a compressor  24  against the weir  20 . The backing member  22  may be formed from EPDM, and the weir  20  may be formed from fluoropolymers or other plastics appropriate to the process. Connecting hardware  36 , such as a stud or threaded socket, may be molded into a central area of the weir  20  and attached to the compressor  24  that moves the diaphragm  18 A towards and away from the valve seat  16  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the diaphragm  18 B may be formed by means common to those skilled in the art into a configuration that operatively conforms to a diaphragm-receiving area or land  28  on the valve body  14 . A process-facing surface  30  of the diaphragm  18 B spans a diaphragm-receiving opening  32  in the valve body  14  and extends in overlying relation to the land  28  surrounding the opening  32 . The diaphragm  18 B may be molded from material such as EPDM, and provided with an intermediate reinforcing layer  33 . Connecting hardware  35 , such as a stud or threaded socket, may be molded into or otherwise secured to a central area of the diaphragm  18 B and attached to a compressor  24  ( FIG. 1 ) that moves the diaphragm towards and away from the valve seat  16 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the diaphragm typically includes an anchoring area  38  formed with bores  40  through which connecting hardware  42  may extend to draw the valve bonnet  12  and body  14  together, the diaphragm being sandwiched therebetween. Tabs  43 ,  45  may extend outwardly from opposing sides of the anchoring area  38  and may be visible when the valve is assembled. One of the tabs  43  may indicate the year  42  and month  44  of manufacture. The other tab  45  may indicate the batch or lot number  46  and manufacturer code  48  of the diaphragm. Preferably, 12 months  44  appear in surrounding relation to the year of manufacture  42  on one tab  43 , and a first pointer  62  is provided thereon adjacent to the year to indicate the particular month of manufacture. Likewise, a plurality of batch numbers  46  appear on the other tab  45  in surrounding relation to the manufacturer code  48 , and a second pointer  64  adjacent to the manufacturer code indicates the particular batch from which the diaphragm originates. Preferably, the foregoing indicia  42 - 48  and pointers  62 , 64  are molded or stamped into the diaphragm, and the positions of the pointers  62 ,  64  are determined by employing a rotatable mechanism within the molding or stamping apparatus (not shown). 
     As further indicated in  FIG. 3 , the anchoring area  38  may include areas or strips  47 ,  49  disposed between the bores  40  adjacent to opposing edges of the diaphragm. One of the strips  47  may provide a part number for the diaphragm, and the part number may comprise a style code  52 , a size code  54 , a grade code  56 , a composition code  58 , and/or a construction code  60 . The other strip  49  may bear the trademark  50  of the diaphragm. Like the batch, manufacturer, and date information  42 - 48  on the tabs  43 ,  45 , the part number and trademark  50 - 60  on the strips  47 , 49  are preferably molded or stamped into the surface of the diaphragm. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate an alternative marking system suitable for a diaphragm  118  formed from a non-elastomeric material capable of retaining the impression of a stamp. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , manufacturer/material information  170  where, for example, ‘N’ is the first initial of the manufacturer and ‘G1’ is a material designation, may be encoded on one surface of an outwardly extending tab  172 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , batch specific information  174 , where, for example, ‘Y’ is the year, ‘M’ is the month of manufacture, and ‘B’ is the assembly batch number in the indicated month and year is stamped on the opposite surface of the tab  172 . In this manner, the foregoing information is readable when the valve is fully assembled with the diaphragm in place. This system is useful when marking the diaphragm inside the confines of the processing area of the valve might interfere with the performance and sealing properties of the diaphragm or other process component. 
     Other diaphragms besides valve diaphragms used in the food, dairy, and pharmaceutical industries could be similarly marked, for example pump diaphragms. Other seals and elastomeric valves and/or their components could also be similarly marked. Flow control components used in other industries may also benefit from this marking method. Although not limited by this, this invention incorporates indexable features (herein shown as pointers) that designate the month of manufacture and the batch number of the diaphragm assembly on the part itself as used in sanitary valves and other molded components for the food, dairy and pharmaceutical industries. It alternatively may consist of a stamped-in batch index code that also provides this same information on other food, dairy, and pharmaceutical components made of materials that are able to retain such stamped impressions.