Beverage Container Pre-form Assembly Adhesion Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pre-form assemblies for BIC containers often experience excessive adhesion during the blow molding process, leading to incorrect separation of the internal bag from the external drum, which hinders beverage dispensing and can result in waste, and poses safety risks due to gas accumulation.

Innovation Solution

A pre-form assembly comprising two cylindrical pre-forms with spacer elements that protrude radially and circumferentially, forming a stable and secure coupling to maintain a continuous hollow space, allowing uniform fluid distribution and preventing adhesion, ensuring easy fluid passage and secure attachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the blow molding process is used to expand the two pre-forms, then the container is formed with the bag inside the drum, but the surfaces of the pre-forms adhere excessively, eliminating the hollow space and causing incorrect separation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblow molding accuracyVSAvoidseparation reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies a release agent to the external pre-form before the blow molding process to prevent adhesion between the internal and external pre-forms during expansion. This preliminary protective action ensures that the hollow space is maintained and correct separation occurs after molding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The release agent acts as an intermediary substance between the internal and external pre-forms, preventing direct contact and adhesion of their surfaces during the blow molding process, thereby maintaining the hollow space and ensuring reliable separation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the pre-forms are separated by a hollow space, then correct separation of bag and drum is enabled, but the adhesion eliminates the space and creates high resistance to pressurized fluid passage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeverage dispensing easeVSAvoidhollow space maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The release agent is applied beforehand to prevent adhesion, ensuring the hollow space remains open for fluid passage throughout the blow molding process and during subsequent beverage dispensing operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The potential harmful adhesion effect is converted into a beneficial controlled separation mechanism by using the release agent to manage the adhesion process, ensuring the hollow space is maintained while still allowing proper forming.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Productivity

If the internal bag cannot completely separate from the external drum, then beverage dispensing is hindered and waste occurs, but preventing adhesion requires maintaining hollow space throughout the process

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeverage dispensing efficiencyVSAvoidhollow space consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The release agent is applied in advance to ensure complete and clean separation of the internal bag from the external drum during dispensing, preventing any adhesion that would hinder beverage flow or cause waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The release agent maintains the hollow space continuity throughout the entire process from blow molding through dispensing, ensuring uninterrupted fluid passage and complete beverage extraction without adhesion-related interruptions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

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 ensures a homogeneous hollow space for efficient beverage dispensing, preventing adhesion issues and ensuring the container's integrity, allowing for stable and reversible coupling of pre-forms, and facilitating uniform fluid distribution from the neck to the bottom.

Implementation Method 1

two pre-forms, which are inserted one inside the other, and subsequently expanded and deformed by blowing in a pressurized gas by means of suitable devices

Methodology Applied

Scientific Effect Blow molding:

Implementation Method 2

The beverage is dispensed by compressing the internal bag by introducing, by means of suitable devices, a pressurized fluid into the hollow space between the internal bag and the external drum

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure:

Data Source

PatentEP3999297B1Pre-form assembly to make a container for beverages and container for beverages

Publication Date: 2023.05.10 COVI EMANUELA

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Figure 5

AI summary

A pre-form assembly to make a container (110) for beverages comprises an external pre-form (12) and an internal pre-form (14), each configured to form respectively an external drum (112) and an internal bag (114) of the container (110). The internal pre-form (14) is associable internally with the external pre¬ form (12) so as to define with the external pre-form (12) a hollow space (13), and the internal (14) and external (12) pre-forms comprise respective coupling members (30, 34, 38) in correspondence with respective neck portions (22, 26) suitable to reciprocally position the external pre-form (12) and the internal pre- form (14) along a longitudinal axis (X).