How to Choose the Right Aerosol Valve

According to the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association (BAMA), today there are more than 200 types of aerosol producconstruction, fire, security, medical and other fields.

The aerosol valve looks insignificant, but it is the most important in relation to the whole aerosol product, not only related to the product sealing, but also related to the spraying effect, and of course, the stability of the whole aerosol product. Therefore, how to choose the right valve, in the development process of aerosol products is worthy of everyone’s attention.ts used in personal, household, industrial, agricultural.

If we look at the valve category, aerosols are mainly divided into two categories: one element and two elements. The main structure of one element aerosol includes: tank, valve, outer cap, push button, throwing agent, and material body. And the main results of binary aerosol include: can, valve, multi-layer aluminum bag, outer cover, push button, material body, compressed gas.

The valve usually consists of seven parts: sealing cup, outer gasket, inner gasket, valve stem, spring, valve chamber, suction tube, etc. Considering different materials, sizes, and structures, the valve can theoretically present tens of billions of different variations.

Therefore, how to choose the right valve requires a combination of the following elements..

1. A one-element valve or a two-element valve?

One element aerosol in the material body and the projectile mixture, the material body formula need to consider the compatibility issues. The projectile and the contents are sprayed at the same time, easy to produce the projectile has been sprayed, and the material body has residual, affecting the consumer experience. Can not be used 360 degrees, can only be used orthogonally or upside down. Volatile projectile agent (propane or dimethyl ether), the pressure will increase geometrically with the increase of temperature, is a hazardous material, and has strict requirements for transportation and storage conditions.

Without considering the cost factor, binary valves have many advantages: for example

The contents do not directly contact the aerosol can, forming a protection for the material.

All-round spraying, adapting to diversified consumption scenarios.

the valve bag is vacuumed before filling and can also be sterilized by cobalt 60 irradiation, and the formulation can reduce preservatives and allergens

with constant pressure in the tank, stable ejection, and low residual material.

Using compressed air or nitrogen, the pressure is almost constant with the increase in temperature, and the requirements for transportation and storage are relatively low.

2. The Choice Of Sealing Cup Material?

Iron cups are usually 0.27mm thick and aluminum cups are usually 0.42mm thick. aluminum cups are usually used for personal care applications and are more stable and less prone to rusting. Iron cups have better dimensional stability and are less susceptible to cans or the cup sealing process.

3. Gasket Material

Gaskets are usually divided into internal and external gaskets, made of a variety of materials, mainly: Buna, neoprene, butyl, chlorobutyl, nitrile, chloroprene, polyurethane rubber and so on. Gasket shrinkage will affect the fit of the stem and the gasket, sometimes leading to leakage. If the gasket expands excessively, the stem hole of the gasket cannot be exposed when the nozzle is pressed, which will affect the spraying efficiency. After repeated tests, using a mixture of 75% ethanol and 25% isopentane for gold testing, the best choice is chloroprene rubber (NEOPRENE) and sodium butyl rubber (BUNA) is relatively stable.

4. Valve Stem Bore

Common sizes are 0.35, 0.4, 0.46, 0.51, and 0.61mm. The number of valve stem holes is one of the determining factors of the ejection rate. The number of valve stem apertures is also available in different series, with 1, 2, 4, 6, and even 8 holes existing.

5. Valve Side Holes

The gas phase side hole is located on the valve chamber body, the valve seal is located inside, mainly used to increase the atomization effect, some powder products to increase the stability of the contents of the spray, high viscosity products to increase the spray, and other functions. There is a single hole, there is also a double-hole design.

6. The Length Of The Suction Pipe

In the initial setting can be based on the valve length = the total height of the tank – set value. Then confirm the degree of shrinkage of the straw in the product by compatibility test. The final valve length is better if the bottom of the straw is in the lower 1/3 of the semicircle at the bottom of the jar after soaking and stabilizing.

Considering that the straws have a 3-6% expansion, it is crucial to confirm the length after the compatibility test, and of course a diagonally cut straw design will help slightly.

With the right button, the valve is selected to convey the characteristics of the aerosol to the consumer. As a packaging solution for a complex product, compatibility, and stability testing are needed to design the wow factor!
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