Adjustable Packaging Assembly for Elongated Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging systems for elongated products face challenges such as fragility, damage during transportation, inconsistent sizing, and high costs due to the use of timber skids and metal skips, which are not reusable or adaptable to varying product sizes.
Innovation Solution
A packaging assembly with adjustable side supports and cleats that form a rectangular frame, allowing for customizable spacing and secure retention of products using ratchet teeth and resilient pawls, enabling easy adjustment and reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If timber skids and cleats are used to separate and support products, then the products are supported during transportation, but the timber moves or becomes loose in transit resulting in damage to the products
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system is divided into modular components: a base unit with integrated side supports and cleats, separate top cleats, and adjustable side supports. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while working together as a cohesive unit, preventing the movement and loosening issues experienced with traditional timber skids.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the functions of side supports and cleats into a single integrated base unit. The side supports are permanently attached to the base unit, eliminating the separate components that can move or become loose in traditional timber-based systems. This integration ensures stability during transit while maintaining support capability.
2Ease of manufacture
If timber skids and cleats are used for packaging, then products can be transported, but the timber is single use disposable and affected by environmental factors such as moisture or pests
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from timber to plastic, fundamentally altering the properties of the packaging system. Plastic is immune to moisture and pests, providing consistent reliability across different environmental conditions while maintaining ease of manufacture through molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses plastic as a composite material that combines durability, environmental resistance, and manufacturability. The plastic components can be molded into complex shapes with integrated features, providing both structural integrity and resistance to environmental degradation.
3Reliability
If metal skips are used to transport elongate products, then products are contained and protected, but the metal skips are heavy, expensive and occupy a lot of space when empty
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses thin-walled plastic construction instead of heavy metal, creating a lightweight yet durable packaging system. The plastic walls provide sufficient containment and protection while being significantly lighter than metal skips, reducing transportation costs and improving handling efficiency.
4Ease of manufacture
If fixed dimension metal skips are used, then products of specific dimensions can be transported, but the system is not adaptable to products or groups of products of varying dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic, adjustable side supports that can be repositioned to accommodate different bundle sizes. The side supports feature adjustable height mechanisms and can be configured in multiple positions, allowing the same base unit to adapt to various product dimensions while maintaining standardized manufacturing of the base components.
Solution Approach 2:
The base unit is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple product configurations. Through the adjustable side supports and configurable top cleats, a single base unit serves multiple functions and can handle various product sizes and shapes, eliminating the need for different sized containers.
5Productivity
If side supports project upwardly above the upper cleat by a distance depending on the volume of material stacked, then stacking is possible, but stacking becomes a difficulty due to variable heights
Solution Approach 1:
The side supports are designed to automatically adjust to the appropriate height based on the volume of material stacked within the frame. This self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for manual height configuration, making stacking operations simpler and more efficient while maintaining consistent stacking geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to packaging systems (assemblies) and more particularly, but not exclusively to packaging systems (assemblies) to secure elongated products, such as extruded products, in a bundle for transportation.