Ball Valve sprays either way up

Problem: Aerosol cans can either spray nozzle up, or in some cases, nozzle down but not both. Those designed to spray nozzle up have a sprayhead attached to an internal tube that extends down to the inside corner of the base inside the can, while those designed to spray nozzle side down have no such tube. Cans designed to spray nozzle up often fail to release the last of their content when they run out of propellant gas. Solution: Ambersil's general purpose lubricant 40+, now comes in an aerosol can that sprays either way up. We are told that it is able to do this because the sprayhead incorporates both the usual tube, for nozzle up spraying and a small hole to allow nozzle down spraying. A small steel ball falls to close off the small hole when the can is nozzle up, and falls in the opposite direction to block the path from the dip tube when the can is nozzle down. Our sketches illustrate the principle. One of the advantages of the method is that product can be recovered from the can in the nozzle down position even when propellant is fully or nearly exhausted. Applications: 40+ is said to provide protection against corrosion, helps to displace water, lubricates and can also be used to remove light surface rust from metal in the home, garden and on the car. A single spray stops the spread of existing corrosion, gives lasting protection against further attack and removes and repels moisture. The ball valve idea to allow spraying either way up should have many other applications. It is doubtless not a new idea, but likely to be one of those which gets rediscovered from time to time. We at Eureka are always interested to hear of these, especially those previously abandoned because of inadequate enabling technologies developed since. TS Ambersil Industrial