Collapsible Container With Thinner Material Bands For Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small plastic containers less than 5 cm in two dimensions are typically considered unrecyclable due to their size, leading to significant losses during municipal recycling processes, where they are often mistaken for broken glass and discarded.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible container design featuring thinner material bands that serve as folding points, allowing the container to collapse to at least 5 cm in two dimensions, facilitating recycling by increasing its dimensions during the crushing process, thereby enabling it to meet recyclable standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If small plastic containers are used for packaging, then packaging efficiency and portability are improved, but recyclability deteriorates because containers less than 5 cm in two dimensions are considered unrecyclable
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates collapsible panels with hinge lines that allow the container to dynamically change its shape and size. The panels can transition from an expanded usable state to a collapsed compact state, enabling the container to meet recycling size requirements while maintaining its functionality during use
Solution Approach 2:
The container design uses three-dimensional collapsing mechanisms where panels fold along hinge lines to reduce the container's footprint. By collapsing along multiple axes (length, width, and height), the container transforms from a three-dimensional volume into a compact flat structure that meets the 5 cm threshold for recyclability
2Reliability
If the container is collapsed to meet recycling size requirements, then recyclability is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple collapsible panels separated by hinge lines. This segmentation allows each panel to fold independently along predetermined lines, distributing the collapsing stress across multiple controlled points rather than compromising the entire structure's integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge lines are pre-formed during the molding process, creating predetermined folding paths before the container is used. This preliminary action ensures that when collapsing occurs, it follows the designed trajectory that preserves structural integrity rather than creating random stress points
3Ease of operation
If material bands are thinned to create folding points, then collapsibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The molding process parameters are adjusted to create localized variations in material thickness at the hinge line positions. By changing the material thickness parameter specifically at these locations during molding, the container gains collapsibility without requiring additional manufacturing steps or complex assembly processes
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 container design effectively increases its dimensions upon collapse, allowing it to be processed during recycling, thereby reducing the number of unrecycled containers and improving overall recyclability rates of small plastic packages.
Implementation Method 1
A plurality of material bands each have a thickness that is less than adjacent areas of the container. The plurality of material bands are configured as folding points of the container. The container is configured to collapse along the plurality of material bands
Data Source
AI summary
A container including a plurality of material bands each having a thickness that is less than adjacent areas of the container, the plurality of material bands extending along a base and a body of the container. The plurality of material bands are configured as folding points of the container. The container is configured to collapse along the plurality of material bands such that at least two dimensions of the container are 5 cm or greater. The base is configured to collapse along the plurality of material bands to have a generally flat body and a generally flat base that is 1.4 times wider than a pre-collapsed diameter of the base.