Innovation in Aerosol Valve Technology to Improve Dispensing Properties of Aerosol Cans

Since the first patent for aerosols was granted in 1927, there has been little change in the design of aerosol cans. Though a simple design, it is largely ineffective in terms of holding optimum pressure and has a poor flow quality. The bubbly flow conditions at the dispenser of the can are non-ideal which account for lost pressure in the can.

The new patents issued for Low-Loss valve designs tackle the problem of insufficient proppants by minimizing gas leakage. It introduces the liquid and proppant from different valves, thus producing excellent spray quality even at low liquid levels. They are ideal for atomizing products like antiperspirants, cooking oils and others.

Another new innovation for aerosol valves is the development of a new ‘ball-in-stem’ technology. This is being employed for applications requiring metered spray volumes. The ball in the stem serves the purpose of limiting the volume per spray, which can be controlled by limiting the movement of the ball and changing the chamber length. The applications where this technology finds its use are in products like air fresheners (Airwick) and other high viscous liquids.

The transition to the new valve technologies being developed will not be a major problem in terms of incorporating them into the aerosol cans as they are easy to install and do not require any major changes in the process. Research is being conducted for more adaptable material for manufacturing aerosol cans and numerous materials have been touted as replacements for Aluminium.

Thus, the new innovations and research work carried out in the field of aerosols are not only limited to the contents within the aerosol can; they can also be toward making the Aerosol dispensing system more efficient as a whole for efficient utilization of the contents within the can.