Plastic Lotion Pump Bottles are widely used for dispens […]
Plastic Lotion Pump Bottles are widely used for dispensing viscous fluids, such as liquid soap, hand sanitizer, and face wash, to name a few. Although there’s a plethora of polypropylene-made lotion pumps available these days in the market, their fundamental working mechanism remains the same.
Key Components of a Lotion Pump
Standard lotion pumps usually have 6 parts.
Actuator – Made of polypropylene and also called the pump head, its primary task is to expel the content from the lotion pump reservoir when being pressed.
Closure – The entire assembly is secured onto the neck of the lotion pump with the help of this component.
Outer Gasket – Generally made of low-density polyethylene or rubber, it helps prevent leakage of content from the bottle land area and is usually friction-fitted inside the closure.
Housing – Also known as pump assembly housing at times, it keeps all the parts of the lotion pump in one place. The lotion pump housing also doubles up as a transfer vessel for sending the content to the actuator from the dip tube.
Internal Housing Components (Ball/Spring/Piston/Stem) – The inner housing parts of the lotion pump are dependent on the respective product design and differ from one manufacturer to another.
Dip Tube – It’s a long tube made of polypropylene that extends from the nozzle of the lotion pump to its extreme bottom.
Working Principle of a Lotion Pump
Step 1 – The functioning of a lotion pump is analogous to that of air suction equipment. It acts against gravity and helps the content inside the tank reach user’s palm.
Step 2 – When the actuator is depressed, the piston is shifted, which, in turn, compresses the spring. It effectively allows the air pressure exerting upwards to draw the ball in an upward direction along with the content inside the dip tube. The content fills the dip tube first and then reaches the lotion pump chamber.
Step 3 – As soon as the actuator is released, the spring relocates to its original position. The ball goes back to its standby position and seals the tank, shutting down the flow of content so that it cannot return to the lotion pump bottle.
Step 4 – The three steps above are collectively known as priming. When the actuator is pressed once again from its resting position, the reservoir content will first traverse through the stem and then reach the actuator. Finally, the pump dispenses the liquid onto the user’s hand.