Ribs in Sealing Compound for Container Closure Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container closures face limitations in speed and efficiency during production, particularly in achieving re-closability and ease of opening, due to the need for relative rotation and the interference of sealing compound with screw threads, which can lead to increased torque and difficulty in removing the closure.
Innovation Solution
A rimless closure design with an inwardly directed curl and a smooth outwardly facing surface, featuring a plurality of ribs on the sealing compound, allowing for reduced depth and volume of sealing compound, and a container neck with irregularities that create a venting path upon rotation, facilitating re-closability and ease of opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a screw closure is used with sealing compound, then the closure can be securely sealed, but the filling speed is limited to about 500 containers per minute due to the need for relative rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is divided into separate functional elements: a metal closure body and a separate sealing compound layer. The sealing compound is applied as a distinct component that can be independently positioned and secured, allowing the metal closure to be fitted quickly without requiring complex threading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing compound is pre-applied to the closure body before the closure is fitted to the container. This preliminary application of sealing material eliminates the need for complex threading operations during closure fitting, enabling faster assembly while maintaining secure sealing.
2Weight of moving object
If the closure depth is reduced for lightweighting, then the weight and volume of sealing compound are reduced, but the sealing effectiveness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing compound is concentrated in specific critical areas where sealing is most needed, rather than uniformly distributed throughout the entire closure. This localized application maintains sealing effectiveness in key positions while reducing overall material usage and closure depth for lightweighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure combines a metal closure body with a separate sealing compound material to create a composite structure. This composite approach allows the metal provides structural strength and the sealing compound provides sealing functionality, enabling reduced depth for lightweighting while maintaining reliability through the combined material properties.
3Reliability
If steam is injected into the headspace during filling, then a partial vacuum is formed to hold the closure firmly in place, but the vacuum must be vented to allow closure removal
Solution Approach 1:
The venting path is created by removing or eliminating the sealing compound in specific locations, allowing air to flow into the container and vent the partial vacuum. This extraction of sealing material from critical areas enables easy closure removal while maintaining sealing effectiveness in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing compound's physical or chemical parameters are changed in specific regions to create venting paths. By modifying the sealing compound's properties (such as removing material or changing its configuration) in particular areas, the system allows vacuum venting while maintaining overall sealing effectiveness.
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 design enhances filling speeds, reduces the amount of sealing compound required, and provides a secure yet easy-to-open mechanism, while minimizing the torque needed to remove the closure, thus addressing the challenges of re-closability and lightweighting.
Implementation Method 1
As the steam condenses, a partial vacuum is formed in the container above the head space which acts to hold the closure firmly in place on the container body
Implementation Method 2
During the filling process, steam is injected into the open container in the head space above the hot food product which has been poured into the container. The closure is then pressed down onto the container and, as the steam condenses, a partial vacuum is formed
Data Source
AI summary
A closure for a container. The closure comprises an end panel, a sidewall depending from the end panel and having an inwardly directed curl, and a sealing compound extending down the inner surface of the sidewall. A plurality of ribs are formed in the sealing compound, spaced apart around the circumference of the sidewall, each rib extending down the sidewall and projecting radially inwardly.