Cellulose Buffer Material Starch Natural Wax Binding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing buffer materials made from reused paper struggle with environmental load reduction, recyclability, and mechanical strength, often deforming under small external forces and lacking water resistance in humid environments.

Innovation Solution

A buffer material composed of cellulose fibers bound with a combination of starch and natural wax, optimizing fiber content and treatment to enhance strength, buckling resistance, and water repellency while ensuring recyclability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If only naturally derived components are used to produce a buffer material, then environmental load is reduced, but significant deformation such as buckling easily occurs due to relatively small external force

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental loadVSAvoidbuckling resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple naturally derived binding materials (starch, natural wax, and protein-based binder) to create a composite binding system that achieves both environmental sustainability and mechanical strength. This merging of different natural binders resolves the contradiction by providing enhanced buckling resistance while maintaining natural composition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses a composite material approach by formulating a binding material that contains multiple components (starch 5-30 parts, natural wax 2-15 parts, protein-based binder 5-20 parts per 100 parts cellulose fibers). This composite natural binder system provides the mechanical strength needed to prevent buckling while remaining environmentally friendly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If thermoplastic resin is used to bind used paper pulp fibers, then binding strength is improved, but reduction in environmental load is insufficient and recyclability is difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebinding strengthVSAvoidenvironmental load
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing synthetic thermoplastic resins with naturally derived binding materials. The specific formulation (starch 5-30 parts, natural wax 2-15 parts, protein-based binder 5-20 parts per 100 parts cellulose fibers) provides sufficient binding strength while maintaining natural composition for reduced environmental load and improved recyclability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention enables easy recycling by using naturally derived binding materials that can be broken down and recovered. The cellulose fiber-based composition with natural binders allows the buffer material to be discarded and recovered more sustainably compared to thermoplastic resin-bound materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Strength

If binding material content is increased to improve strength, then buckling resistance is improved, but water repellency and durability in humid environment deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebuckling resistanceVSAvoidwater resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different functional roles to different binding material components. Starch provides binding and strength, natural wax provides water repellency and durability, and protein-based binder enhances overall cohesion. This functional differentiation allows the binding material system to achieve both buckling resistance and water resistance simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The composite binding material system with specific component ratios (starch 5-30 parts, natural wax 2-15 parts, protein-based binder 5-20 parts per 100 parts cellulose fibers) creates a synergistic effect where each component contributes its unique properties, achieving both mechanical strength and water resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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 provides a buffer material with improved strength, buckling resistance, and water resistance, suitable for recycling and reducing environmental impact, while maintaining moderate water repellency and durability in humid conditions.

Implementation Method 1

a binding material that binds the cellulose fibers

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Implementation Method 2

the binding material contains starch and natural wax

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydrophobicity: Hydrophobe

Data Source

PatentEP4190970B1Buffer material and method of producing buffer material
Publication Date: 2024.09.04 SEIKO EPSON CORP
  • EP4190970B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4190970B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4190970B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A buffer material of the present disclosure is a buffer material including cellulose fibers, and a binding material that binds the cellulose fibers, in which the binding material contains starch and natural wax. A method of producing a buffer material of the present disclosure is a method including a defibration step of defibrating a raw material containing cellulose fibers by dry type defibration, a mixing step of mixing the cellulose fibers defibrated in the defibration step with a binding material in a gas phase to obtain a mixture, a molding step of compressing the mixture to form a sheet, and a lamination step of laminating a plurality of the sheets to form a buffer material, in which starch and natural wax are used as the binding material.