Disassembleable Cheese Container with Wrap-around Interlock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cheese containers face issues with strength, durability, ease of assembly and disassembly, shape retention, and increased waste due to dents and high material costs, particularly with stainless steel containers, while plastic containers have limitations in corner stiffness and friction-based interlocks that lead to deflection and handling challenges.
Innovation Solution
A disassembleable cheese container design featuring a non-rotational wrap-around interlock, flexible endwalls, single-piece corners, positive locks, and recessed pressboards, along with horizontally cored pallet runners, to enhance strength, reduce weight, and improve assembly efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If stainless steel containers are used, then strength and durability are improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into separate components (base, walls, corners) that can be assembled and disassembled. The corners are separate injection-molded components that interlock with the walls, allowing the container to be segmented for easier handling and reduced weight while maintaining structural integrity through the interlocking corner design.
Solution Approach 2:
The container uses composite construction combining different plastic materials for different components. The corners are made from injection-molded plastic with interlocking features, while walls are made from extruded plastic sections. This composite approach optimizes strength-to-weight ratio compared to solid stainless steel construction.
2Strength
If stainless steel containers are used, then strength is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is manufactured in separate sections (base, walls, corners) using different molding processes optimized for each component. The corners are injection-molded with integrated interlocking features, while walls are extruded, allowing for efficient mass production and reduced manufacturing costs compared to forming entire stainless steel containers as single pieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed as a disposable or limited-life product made from molded plastic components rather than expensive stainless steel. The corners are injection-molded to provide sufficient strength for the application while being far cheaper to manufacture than metal equivalents, accepting that the container will have limited reuse cycles.
3Ease of manufacture
If plywood containers are used, then cost is reduced, but sanitation issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed as a disposable or limited-life product made from molded plastic components that can be easily manufactured at low cost and do not require the expensive stainless steel construction. The plastic material provides sanitation benefits over plywood while maintaining affordability through efficient molding processes and disposable design.
Solution Approach 2:
The container uses uniform plastic material throughout all components (base, walls, corners) rather than composite wood and metal constructions. This homogeneous plastic construction eliminates sanitation issues associated with porous wood materials while maintaining manufacturability through consistent injection molding and extrusion processes.
4Ease of operation
If friction-based interlocks are used, then assembly is simplified, but corner stiffness decreases leading to deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The corner components are pre-formed with integrated interlocking features during the injection molding process. The interlocking geometry is built into the corner pieces themselves, allowing for simple assembly without requiring separate fasteners or complex joining operations, while the molded features provide sufficient stiffness to prevent deflection.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner components are designed with specific geometric parameters (interlocking feature dimensions, wall thicknesses, reinforcement ribs) that optimize the balance between assembly simplicity and structural stiffness. The injection molding process allows precise control of these parameters to ensure corners are stiff enough to prevent deflection while maintaining easy assembly through the interlocking design.
Data Source
AI summary
A disassembleable, reusable plastic container that can be used for the manufacture, storage and transportation of cheese products. The container may utilize wrap-around interlocks. The endwalls of the container may be flexible to allow the container to undergo minimal deformation when filled with cheese products. The container may also have a recessed pressboard that allows for increased capacity in the container. The container may also utilize positive corner interlocks that minimize unintentional disengagement.