Biodegradable Screw Cap with Plastic Insert for Beverage Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers with screw caps in the beverage industry face challenges in using environmentally friendly materials for the entire container, including the thread, due to strength and sealing issues, leading to the use of non-biodegradable plastics and complications in recycling.
Innovation Solution
A screw cap design featuring a compostable and biodegradable locking body made of pulp material, combined with a locking inlay made of materials like glass or ferromagnetic metal, which provides structural stabilization and ensures a tight seal, allowing for repeated use without compromising environmental sustainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the container and closure are made entirely from compostable and biodegradable fiber materials, then environmental sustainability is improved, but the strength and tightness of the thread are insufficient for repeated screwing and unscrewing
Solution Approach 1:
The closure combines a fiber-based closure body (compostable/biodegradable) with a plastic closure insert (providing strength). This composite structure allows the external appearance and main body to be environmentally friendly while the internal insert provides the necessary mechanical strength for repeated use. The plastic insert is designed to engage with the container thread, transferring mechanical loads away from the fragile fiber material.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure is divided into two functional segments: a closure body made from environmentally friendly fiber material that provides the external structure and aesthetic appearance, and a separate closure insert made from durable plastic that provides the threading mechanism and structural strength. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while resolving the contradiction between sustainability and strength.
2Reliability
If plastic threads and fasteners are used to ensure strength and tightness, then the screwing and unscrewing function is reliable, but the closure becomes neither compostable nor biodegradable and recycling becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is divided into two functional segments: a closure body made from environmentally friendly fiber material that provides the external structure and aesthetic appearance, and a separate closure insert made from durable plastic that provides the threading mechanism and structural strength. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while resolving the contradiction between sustainability and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the closure have different material properties tailored to their specific functions. The closure body is made from compostable fiber material for environmental sustainability and aesthetic purposes, while the closure insert is made from durable plastic specifically where mechanical strength and threading functionality are required. This local differentiation of material quality allows the system to meet both sustainability and reliability requirements.
3Reliability
If a sealing inlay is added to ensure satisfactory seal with compostable materials, then sealing performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the closure insert by integrating a sealing bead directly onto the plastic insert component. This integration eliminates the need for separate sealing elements and reduces assembly steps. The sealing bead is formed as part of the insert molding process, combining the structural and sealing functions into a single component, thus improving sealing performance without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
A screw cap (20) for closing a container (10) for receiving a filling product, preferably a beverage, wherein the screw cap (20) is designed to be screwed onto a container opening (12) of the container (10) and comprises: a closure body (21), which preferably has a cylindrical shape closed at one end; and a closure inlay (22) which is inserted into the closure body (21), wherein the closure inlay (22) has a closure thread (23) for screwing the screw cap (20) onto the container opening (12) of the container (10); wherein the closure body (21) is made of a compostable and/or biodegradable material, preferably pulp material, and the closure inlay (22) including the closure thread (23) is made of a different material than the closure body (21).