Parts of a Spray Bottle

Spray bottles are a very useful device, with a surprisingly simple construction. Made from only a few parts a spray bottle is constructed off of the basic principles used in industrial machinery, plumbing principles and human biology.

History

Some form of the spray bottle, a device for controlling the stream of liquids, has been around since before the 20th century. The original spray bottle was rather crude compared to modern spray bottles and its main part was a rubber bulb that acted as a catapult for shooting air, which forced the liquid to squirt. With the advancements in technology and the low cost of producing plastics after World War II, the demand for sprayers as convenient tools for the home only increased. 1947 saw the first commercial marketing for the spray bottle, when Dr. Jules Bernard Montenier invented an underarm deodorant dispenser. Roger Drackett, a soybean farmer and an investor in the Seaquist Company, one of the earliest producers of spray bottles, started using a plastic sprayers in his glass Windex bottles. It wasn't until the 1960s, when the consistency of plastic had improved, that spray bottles with trigger-lever mechanisms became popular.

Identification

A spray bottle has a trigger lever, piston, spring, cylinder, pump, thin plastic tube, bottle and two one-way valves. The pump mechanism sits in the head of the spray bottle between the two one-way valves located at the reservoir and the nozzle. The pump is made up of the piston, spring and cylinder and is activated by the trigger lever. When the trigger is compressed, the spring pushes the piston into the cylinder, pushing the liquid trapped in the cylinder out. Meanwhile, the one-way valve between the pump and reservoir is sealed by the water pressure. In order for liquid to get into the cylinder, however, the trigger must be released. The one-way valve between the nozzle and pump closes, while the one-way valve between the pump and reservoir is released to allow water to be sucked into the cylinder.

Function

Spray bottles are a very useful device, with a surprisingly simple construction. Operating on the same principles we see in human biology and other industrial technologies, a spray bottle uses what's known as the reciprocating pump mechanism to function. Spray bottles use a nozzle to direct a concentrated liquid stream, mist or spray onto an area. Spray bottles are commonly used in many household products, such as chemical and organic cleaners, as well as cosmetics and toiletries. These bottles are used in a variety of home and beauty care products, from cleaning liquids and hairspray bottles to salad dressing sprays and ironing care products. Spray bottles work to streamline the flow of liquids and make them spray in a concentrated stream or mist, rather than an erratic splatter.

Significance

What's significant about a spray bottle is that it uses a very basic mechanism to perform a rather complex task. The reciprocating pump mechanism implemented in spray bottle designs can be found in the basic biology of a human and it is also found in much more complex systems of industry. Apart from just spray bottles, a reciprocating piston pump is used to pressurize fluid and air in many of our science, medical and astrological fields. The basic mechanism is also used in industrial machinery for the extraction of oil and water from the ground. One of the most significant factors, however, may be in the biology of a human being. Occurring naturally in the design of the human heart, the reciprocating pump mechanism, allows the heart to beat and pump blood. When the heart expands, it draws blood in through a one one-way valve and when the heart contracts, it forces blood through a separate valve.

Benefits

One of the great things about spray bottle parts are that they are highly functional. The few simple principles used to create the pump mechanism in the function of a spray bottle is one of the leaders in a number of machinery systems that are important to the industries in our economy. Spray bottle parts are also reusable. You can use the sprayer, which is made up by the parts of the pump, in a variety of different bottles without waste. Because the parts in a spray bottle, except for the spring, are made from plastic, they are recyclable. Reusing products and the parts of products is extremely important for the safety and future of our planet.