Composite Material Laminating Agent Mixture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional adhesives used in food packaging are too stiff, making packaging materials inflexible and difficult to adjust for desired flexural rigidity, and alternatives to synthetic waxes are needed to address consumer concerns and material compatibility issues.

Innovation Solution

A mixture of a hardening adhesive and a non-hardening adhesive is used as a laminating agent, allowing for adjustable bending stiffness by varying the mixing ratio, enabling more flexible and diverse composite material production while reducing material usage and costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If conventional adhesives are used as laminating agents, then bonding strength is achieved, but the composite material becomes too stiff and loses flexibility

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding strengthVSAvoidflexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines a hardening adhesive and a non-hardening adhesive in a laminating agent mixture. The hardening adhesive provides bonding strength while the non-hardening adhesive maintains flexibility, resolving the contradiction between strength and flexibility by merging two adhesive types with complementary properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the chemical and physical parameters of the laminating agent by using a mixture of adhesives with different hardening characteristics. This parameter change allows the composite material to achieve both bonding strength and flexibility simultaneously, rather than being constrained to single-property adhesives.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If synthetic waxes are used as laminating agents, then food safety requirements are met, but consumer perception of taste and olfactory quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefood safetyVSAvoidtaste and olfactory impairment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces synthetic waxes with adhesive-based laminating agents that can be applied in thinner layers. These adhesives provide the necessary food contact safety without the refining residues present in synthetic waxes, thereby eliminating taste and olfactory impairment while maintaining food safety compliance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Strength

If hardening adhesives are used, then final bonding properties are achieved, but the adhesive cannot be reused and material efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefinal bonding propertiesVSAvoidadhesive reusability
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a dynamic laminating system where the hardening adhesive provides initial bonding that can be adjusted and modified. The combination with non-hardening adhesive allows for controlled hardening behavior, enabling partial reusability and adjustment during the lamination process, thereby reducing adhesive waste.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Strength

If adhesive layer thickness is increased to improve bonding, then adhesion strength increases, but bending stiffness increases and flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion strengthVSAvoidbending flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the compositional parameters of the laminating agent by formulating a mixture where non-hardening adhesive content can be adjusted. This allows achieving adequate adhesion strength with thinner effective adhesive layers, as the non-hardening component provides flexibility and tack without requiring thick applications, thus maintaining bending flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 composite material's flexural rigidity can be precisely adjusted within a wide range, enhancing packaging material flexibility and ecological sustainability, and enabling the use of previously unsuitable adhesives, ensuring food safety and consumer satisfaction.

Implementation Method 1

Curing adhesives are physically or chemically setting adhesives. Curing adhesives therefore react after application either by radiation, such as UV light, normal light, etc., temperature or moisture, which can also be absorbed through the air, by evaporation of an aqueous phase (water, solvent), or in another way, for example through a chemical reaction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCuring reaction: Chemical Bonding

Implementation Method 2

a first adhesive layer and a second adhesive layer, both being adjacent to one another and each being adhesive to at least one of the first layer and the second layer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Implementation Method 3

the adhesive reaches its final properties, such as strength, bonding (adhesion, cohesion), stiffness

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCohesion: Cohesion

Data Source

PatentEP3359467B1Multi-layer composite material
Publication Date: 2019.07.03 CONSTANTIA TEICH GMBH
  • EP3359467B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3359467B1 patent drawing

AI summary

The aim of the invention is being able to set the flexural stiffness of a composite material having at least two layers (2, 3) joined by means of a laminating agent. This aim is achieved in that a mixture of a first, curing glue and a second, non-curing glue is used as a laminating agent, wherein the flexural stiffness (B) of the composite material (1) is set by means of the mixture ratio (M) of the two glues.