Cellulose Packaging Functional Layer Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging technologies face challenges in producing fast, cost-effective, and flexible packaging with high cellulose or recycled material content, particularly in creating sealed tubes and containers that prevent leakage and migration of materials, especially when using materials that do not melt during welding.
Innovation Solution
The development of packaging components with a structural layer made of cellulose or recycled materials, combined with a functional layer that provides impermeability and weldability, ensuring the packaging is resistant to humidity and gases, and can be assembled by welding or gluing to create sealed tubular bodies with high recycling potential.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a sheet based on cellulose is welded to form a tubular body, then the packaging contains a high level of cellulose (typically higher than 85%), but the production speed is slow and cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into two distinct parts: a tubular body made of high-cellulose content material and a component (neck, cap, or base) made of different material. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the tubular body maintains high cellulose content for recyclability while the component can be made from materials suitable for welding and sealing operations, thereby resolving the contradiction between high cellulose content and production efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
A functional layer is introduced as an intermediary between the cellulose-based tubular body and the component. This functional layer provides the necessary sealing and welding properties that cellulose alone cannot provide, enabling efficient assembly while maintaining the high cellulose content of the main packaging structure
2Reliability
If materials based on cellulose are used for the entire packaging, then the packaging is recyclable, but sealing and welding operations cannot be performed effectively because the materials do not melt under temperature
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the packaging have different material properties tailored to their specific functions. The tubular body is made of high-cellulose content material for recyclability, while the component is made of materials with appropriate melting and sealing characteristics. The functional layer provides localized sealing properties at the interface, allowing effective welding and sealing operations without compromising the overall recyclability of the packaging
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging employs composite material construction with a cellulose-based tubular body combined with a component made of different material (plastic, metal, or paper-plastic). This composite approach allows each material to contribute its advantageous properties - the cellulose provides recyclability while the other material provides sealing and welding capability
3Reliability
If the functional layer covers the entire component, then the packaging is impermeable to humidity and gases, but the cost and complexity of production increase
Solution Approach 1:
The functional layer is applied selectively to specific areas of the component rather than covering the entire surface. It covers the inner face and the end section of the component where sealing and impermeability are most critical, while reducing or eliminating coverage on the outer face where such properties are less important. This localized application maintains the necessary impermeability while reducing material costs and production complexity
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
This solution enables the production of high-recycling-content packaging that is impermeable to gases and humidity, ensuring the preservation of products and preventing material migration, while allowing for efficient assembly and recycling, thus addressing the limitations of prior art in terms of speed, cost, and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
The functional layer has properties which protect the layer of cellulose against the humidity contained in the packaging and/or in the packaged product, and guarantee the preservation of the packaged product
Implementation Method 2
The tubular body which is produced by welding a sheet based on cellulose
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a packaging part comprising a structural layer (2) based on cellulose and/or recycled material with an inner face, a section and an outer face, and a functional layer (4) covering the inner face of the structural layer (2) at least partly, the said functional layer (4) comprising an additional part (16) which extends beyond the periphery of the structural layer (2).