Multi-component packaging system and method for manufacture

Abstract

A storage means provides sealed storage for contents. A closure means is fused to a container by application of an electromagnetic field providing a permanent and hermetic seal between the closure and the container. The closure further includes a removable panel to provide access to the contents of the container.

Description

[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 404227, filed Aug. 16, 2002.[0002] The present invention is generally related to providing protection for various products such as foods, drugs, chemicals including dry, semi-moist and wet products as well as products which contain particulate of varying sizes and shapes.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART[0003] The methods used to package and protect foods, drugs and chemicals today include cans, bottles, jars, laminated canisters, and pouches as well as semi-rigid plastic containers.[0004] Additionally, most food, beverage and pharmaceutical products require more product protection that can be achieved by a single polymeric material. It is known that different combinations of materials can be used together to achieve desired protection in the areas of gas, moisture, chemical and thermal as well as physical properties that cannot be achieve economically by other means. In some instances desired prop...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

These blends containing both inorganic platelets to create a tortuous path and an oxygen scavenger are an improvement but do not, by themselves, provide the cost nor esthetics and continuing protection required for extended shelf life or shelf image of most oxygen intolerant, shelf stable foods.

The PVDC coating, while very effective in a flat film form, is not capable of being stretch more that 10% without breaking apart.

Web scrap generated in this process typically exceeds 40% of the total web used in the process and is not uncommon to see scrap losses of 50% on round container shapes.

This high scrap increases the cost of the finnished parts as not all of the scrap will be able to be recovered and that portion that is recoverable is valued at the cost of the lowest priced material in the web as it's only real value is as a structural component.

Grinding the web skeleton into regrind destroys the integrity of the individual layers.

The resulting blended materials when extruded into a sheet have none of the gas barrier characteristics of the original multilayered sheeting and in fact will have lost some of the physical properties of the initial structural material used in the original sheet manufacture.

In addition, if the initial multilayered sheet was clear, the use of regrind will diminish the clarity in direct proportion to the amount of regrind being used in the sheet.

For containers which contain both polypropylene and EVOH (EVOH @ 3% or more) it has been commercially demonstrated that structures which incorporate web scrap of 15% or more are noticeably cloudy and at levels of 20% become unacceptable for most applications.

The web skeleton that is not recovered and reused back into the manufacture of sheet is then sold of as waste with a salvage value less than half that of the reused regrind, further increasing the cost of the original parts produced from the web.

Reducing the sheet thickness by this much typically creates adhesion and other problems.

Adhesion of the double seamable flange can cause operational problems if the problems are not caught before they appear on the production floor.

Additionally the cut edge exposes the hydroscopic barrier materials to a high level of moisture pickup thereby diminishing it barrier properties.

Lastly, removable panels in metal can ends typically leave a sharp edge.

This requires several additional steps in the manufacturing process and increases the number of rejects, which occur as a result of the increased metalworking.

This creates a condition where it is again very difficult to contact the sharp surface of the metal end.

A major problem with spin welding is that it is subject to moisture or other contamination at the interface where the separate parts of the container are to be joined.

This creates an impact or notch sensitivity / weakness in the transverse or opposite direction, making the integrity of the weld subject to impacts in the transverse direction.

Additionally, spin welding is restricted to round containers or mating surfaces.

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