Bevelled Edge Container With Laser Ablation Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers for consumer goods, such as smoking articles, face challenges in producing beveled edges that are both visually appealing and structurally strong, while also simplifying the manufacturing process, as mechanical creasing lines can add complexity and affect the surface smoothness.
Innovation Solution
A cellulose-fiber-based laminar blank is used with ablation lines created by laser ablation, where the residual thickness of each line is between 15% to 40% of the blank's thickness, and a gap of at least 1.3 mm between adjacent lines, to form a well-defined beveled edge portion that reduces folding force and maintains a smooth outer surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If mechanical creasing lines or scoring lines are used to form bevelled edges, then the container can achieve a distinctive appearance with bevelled or rounded edges, but the manufacturing process complexity increases and the outer surface develops ridges or ripples
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical creasing or scoring systems with laser ablation technology. The laser beam precisely removes material along predetermined paths to create bevelled edges, eliminating the need for mechanical creasing lines and their associated complexity while avoiding surface ridges and ripples that result from mechanical folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of edge formation from mechanical deformation (creasing/scoring) to material removal (ablation). By controlling laser parameters such as power, speed, and pattern, the process achieves clean bevelled edges with smooth surfaces, resolving the contradiction between shape quality and manufacturing complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If deep ablation lines are used to create well-defined bevelled edges, then the edge definition improves, but the outer surface appears cracked or broken
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the ablation depth across different regions of the blank. The ablation lines are configured to remove material to specific depths in different zones, creating well-defined bevelled edges at critical locations while preserving sufficient material thickness in other areas to maintain outer surface integrity and prevent cracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses partial action by selectively applying ablation only where needed for edge definition rather than uniformly across the entire blank. The laser removes material to the exact extent required for creating clean bevels, avoiding excessive material removal that would compromise structural strength and cause surface cracking.
3Strength
If shallow ablation lines are used to preserve outer surface integrity, then the surface remains smooth, but the turning points of the bevelled edge are poorly defined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ablation process into multiple passes or zones with different depth parameters. By dividing the ablation area into segments with progressively varying depths, the process achieves both smooth outer surfaces and well-defined turning points, as each segment contributes specific geometric features without compromising overall surface integrity.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional mechanical creasing is used to form bevelled edges, then the process is simpler, but folding force requirements increase and surface smoothness is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes laser ablation for mechanical creasing, eliminating the high folding forces required by traditional methods. The laser-created ablation lines act as pre-defined fold lines that guide bending with minimal force, while simultaneously preserving outer surface smoothness by removing material rather than deforming it mechanically.
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 solution results in a cleaner, more defined beveled edge with improved strength and ease of production, eliminating the need for pre-bending steps and minimizing ridges or ripples on the outer surface, thus enhancing both visual and tactile inspection.
Implementation Method 1
ablation lines created by laser ablation
Data Source
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AI summary
A container for consumer articles is at least partially formed from a cardboard or paperboard laminar blank having a thickness (T) and defining a portion of the container, which comprises at least a first planar wall and a second planar wall that are connected to one another by a bevelled edge portion. The bevelled edge portion has an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surface of the bevelled edge portion defines an ablation area (A), having a length (L) in the longitudinal direction of the bevelled edge portion and a width (W) that extends across the bevelled edge portion. The ablation area comprises two or more ablated lines extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the bevelled edge portion. Each ablated line has a minimum residual thickness (RT) that is at least about 15 percent and less than about 40 percent of the thickness (T) of the blank, and the gap between the low points of two adjacent ablated lines is more than 1.3 millimetres and less than 5.0 millimetres.