Dimensionally Stable Food Container Barrier Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging systems for food and drink products face challenges such as high energy consumption in production, resource intensity, difficulty in opening with a drinking straw, and limited recyclability, particularly when using aluminum foil as the barrier layer.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a carrier layer, a barrier layer with specific modulus ratios, and an inner polymer layer is used to create a packaging laminate. The barrier layer is superimposed over a through-hole in the carrier layer, and a polymer composition is applied to the barrier layer to form an inner polymer layer, enhancing the laminate's eco-friendliness and ease of opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If aluminum foil is used as the barrier layer, then oxygen barrier properties are improved, but energy consumption and resource intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by replacing aluminum foil with a polymer-based barrier layer having specific modulus of elasticity ratios (first ratio > 1.00, second ratio < 1.00). This parameter change maintains barrier functionality while reducing energy consumption and resource intensity associated with aluminum production and recycling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite barrier layer structure combining polymer substrate with specific modulus characteristics. The composite material achieves the required oxygen barrier properties through the polymer composition and structural configuration rather than relying on aluminum foil, thereby reducing energy consumption.
2Reliability
If aluminum foil is used as the barrier layer, then oxygen barrier properties are improved, but recyclability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition parameter from aluminum-based to polymer-based barrier layer. This parameter change improves recyclability as polymers are more easily integrated into recyclable packaging streams compared to aluminum foil, while maintaining oxygen barrier properties through the polymer's inherent barrier characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite polymer structure that is designed for recyclability. The barrier layer composite can be separated and recycled more effectively than aluminum foil complexes, improving the overall recyclability of the packaging while preserving the necessary barrier functionality.
3Reliability
If conventional barrier layers are used, then oxygen barrier properties are maintained, but ease of opening with drinking straw deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a through-hole in the carrier layer that allows drinking straw insertion, while the barrier layer maintains its integrity and barrier properties in the surrounding areas. The hole-covering region of the barrier layer provides localized modification that enables opening without compromising overall barrier performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the barrier layer into different regions: a hole-covering region over the through-hole and a continuous barrier region. This segmentation allows the opening function to be achieved through the hole while the continuous barrier region maintains oxygen barrier properties across the majority of the packaging surface.
4Ease of manufacture
If the barrier layer has uniform modulus of elasticity, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but dimensional stability and barrier performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the modulus of elasticity in different regions of the barrier layer. The first barrier layer direction has a different modulus ratio compared to the second barrier layer direction, creating localized property variations that enhance dimensional stability and barrier performance while remaining manufacturable through standard lamination processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention pertains to a method (800, 900) comprising: a) providing a carrier layer (103) and a barrier layer (105); b) creating a through-hole (109) in the carrier layer (103); c) superimposing the barrier layer (105) to the carrier layer (103); and d) superimposing a polymer composition H to the barrier layer (105), thereby obtaining an inner polymer layer H (108); wherein, in the method step c), the through-hole (109) is covered by a hole-covering region (110) of the barrier layer (105); wherein, in its hole-covering region (110), the barrier layer (105) has a first ratio of its modulus of elasticity in a first barrier layer direction to its modulus of elasticity in a further barrier layer direction; wherein, outside of its hole-covering region (110), the barrier layer (105) has a further ratio of its modulus of elasticity in the first barrier layer direction to its modulus of elasticity in the further barrier layer direction; wherein, in the method step c), - the first ratio is more than 1.00 and the further ratio is less than 1.00, or - the first ratio is less than 1.00 and the further ratio is more than 1.00.