Adhesive Patch Packaging for Stable Pallet Load Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging methods like stretch wrapping and shrink wrapping are energy-intensive, costly, and environmentally detrimental, and they fail to provide a stable pallet structure during transportation, leading to increased delivery time and safety risks due to unstable pallets.
Innovation Solution
An adhesive patch with sufficient cohesive and adhesive strength is applied to the outer surfaces of packaging units to connect and align them, forming unitized cubes that can be stacked vertically, reducing material usage and eliminating the need for heat-based wrapping processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stretch wrapping or shrink wrapping is used to secure pallet loads, then the items are tightly bound and secured, but the process is energy-intensive, costly, and uses excessive material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of securing items (binding force) from the complex wrapping process. Instead of using stretch wrap or shrink wrap films that require energy-intensive machinery and heat application, the invention applies adhesive patches directly to item surfaces to create secure bonds, eliminating the need for wrapping materials and reducing energy consumption significantly
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of how items are bound - from mechanical/thermal wrapping processes to chemical adhesion. By using adhesive patches with specific adhesive strength properties, the system achieves secure binding without the energy-intensive stretch wrapping or heat-based shrink wrapping processes
2Reliability
If stretch wrapping or shrink wrapping is used to secure pallet loads, then the items are tightly bound, but the material usage increases packaging costs and environmental impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of securing items (binding force) from the complex wrapping process. Instead of using stretch wrap or shrink wrap films that require energy-intensive machinery and heat application, the invention applies adhesive patches directly to item surfaces to create secure bonds, eliminating the need for wrapping materials and reducing energy consumption significantly
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive, material-intensive wrapping films with small, inexpensive adhesive patches. These patches are applied directly to item surfaces and provide sufficient binding strength without requiring the large quantities of plastic film used in conventional wrapping, thereby reducing both cost and environmental impact
3Reliability
If conventional wrapping methods are used, then items are secured, but the pallet structure remains unstable during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies adhesive patches at specific strategic locations on item surfaces rather than wrapping the entire pallet. By placing adhesive patches at critical contact points between items and between items and the pallet, the system creates localized strong bonds that collectively provide overall structural stability, preventing the pallet from toppling during transportation
4Reliability
If stretch wrapping or shrink wrapping is used, then items are bound together, but the wrap must be manually removed and discarded at destination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by making the binding element (adhesive patch) removable rather than the items being removable from a wrapping film. The adhesive patches are designed to be easily peeled or cut away at the destination, allowing quick unbinding of items without the manual labor and disposal issues associated with removing stretch wrap or shrink wrap
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adhesive patch system provides a stable and efficient packaging solution that uses 80% less material, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes damage and safety risks during transportation by maintaining a neat vertical column structure of products, thus lowering shipping costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a non-water soluble adhesive on a first major surface having an adhesive strength sufficient to hold the packaging units together
Data Source
AI summary
An adhesive patch and method of use thereof for forming a plurality of stackable items into a vertically stacked load are described. The method may include delivering an aligned stack of items positioned on a pallet for eventual transportation while minimizing the misalignment of the stackable items.