The company says that it has applied US patent 7,278,836 B2 to the new Hammonds' Pump, which is claimed to deliver a constant rate of flow over a wide range of viscocities, at variable delivery rates.
Hammonds company president, Carl Hammonds, believes the new pump should have tremendous commercial potential because of its enhanced accuracy and ability to handle a range of liquids with hugely variable consistencies.
As far as cosmetics and personal care processors are concerned, pumps represent one of the most frequently purchased items, with worldwide demand expected to hit $37bn by 2010.
The manufacturers claim that the big difference with its new pump is that, whereas most pumps rely on valves to affect closure, its design uses mechanically operated valves, which increases working flexibility.
The major advantage of this is that, whereas normal valve closures can often prove unreliable due to ineffective valve seals, the design of the mechanical valve means this problem does not exist.
"We were able to achieve continuous delivery of fluid by using two identical pumping chambers, one operating in suction mode as the other is in discharge modes, switching modes with each cycle," said Hammonds.
"Operated by ball-screw mechanisms, the pistons can be digitally actuated to dispense precise volumes ranging from fractions of an ounce to as much as several gallons of flow per minute," he added.
