Dry Formed Cellulose Tray Partition via Bridging Area Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dry-forming techniques for manufacturing rigid cellulose trays with multiple compartments face challenges such as material draw and elongation, leading to uneven thickness and cracks at the transitional regions between compartments, and require the use of adhesives which can be harmful and increase production costs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves preparing air-laid cellulose blank segments with sub-tray areas and bridging areas, pressing the sub-tray areas into final rigid shapes while keeping the bridging areas non-rigid, and then joining the bridging areas under pressure to form a homogeneous rigid partition, eliminating the need for adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dry-forming techniques are used to manufacture rigid cellulose trays with multiple compartments, then production speed and energy efficiency are improved, but cracks and uneven thickness occur at the transitional regions between compartments
Solution Approach 1:
The cellulose blank is divided into separate sub-trays with bridging areas, allowing each sub-tray to be pressed independently into its final shape while the bridging areas remain uncompressed. This segmentation prevents material draw and elongation at the transitional regions, eliminating cracks and thickness variations while maintaining high production speed through efficient pressing operations.
2Strength
If adhesives are used to join sub-trays, then the structural integrity of the tray is improved, but production costs increase and harmful substances are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bridging areas of adjacent sub-trays are designed to interlock and bond together through the pressing operation itself, utilizing the pressure applied during forming to create strong adhesive bonds between the cellulose fibers. This self-bonding mechanism eliminates the need for external adhesives, maintaining structural integrity while avoiding harmful substances and additional production costs.
3Device complexity
If the entire cellulose blank is pressed into final shape simultaneously, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but material draw and elongation cause cracks at transitional regions
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing operation is applied locally to the sub-tray areas while the bridging areas are deliberately excluded from compression. This localized pressing approach allows each sub-tray to be formed without causing material draw and elongation at the transitional bridging regions, preventing crack formation while maintaining a simple and efficient manufacturing process.
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 approach results in cellulose trays with uniform thickness, reduced risk of cracks, and improved dimensional accuracy, while also eliminating the use of harmful adhesives and simplifying the production process.
Implementation Method 1
joining together the bridging area of the first cellulose blank segment and the bridging area of the second cellulose blank segment into a final rigid partition by applying a predetermined third pressure P3
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for dry manufacturing a rigid cellulose tray (2) having at least two compartments (3a, 3b) separated by a partition (4), the rigid cellulose tray (2) comprising a first sub-tray (2a) and a second sub-tray (2b), wherein the first sub-tray (2a) is connected to the second sub-tray (2b) via said partition (4). The method comprises the steps of: providing an air-laid first cellulose blank segment that comprises a first sub-tray area and a bridging area, pressing the first sub-tray area into a rigid shape and keeping the bridging area in a non-rigid shape, providing an air-laid second cellulose blank segment that comprises a second sub-tray area and a bridging area, pressing the second sub-tray area into a rigid shape and keeping the bridging area in a non-rigid shape, placing the bridging area of the first cellulose blank segment in overlapping contact with the bridging area of the second cellulose blank segment, and joining together the bridging area of the first cellulose blank segment and the bridging area of the second cellulose blank segment into a rigid partition (4) by applying a predetermined pressure.