Composite Shelf Structure for Lightweight Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic shelving systems lack the rigidity and strength of conventional shelving while being lightweight, which complicates assembly and increases manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A modular shelving system with wooden board supports featuring an overmolded exterior and integrated apertures or recesses, providing enhanced strength and stiffness while maintaining a lightweight structure, achieved through injection molding and mechanical fastening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If plastic shelving systems are used to achieve lightweight and ease of assembly, then portability and assembly convenience are improved, but rigidity and strength deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines plastic and wood materials to create a composite shelving system. The main body is made of lightweight plastic while wooden boards are integrated as support surfaces. This composite approach allows the shelf to maintain the lightweight advantage of plastic while gaining the strength and rigidity of wood, directly resolving the contradiction between weight and strength.
2Strength
If conventional shelving materials are used to achieve strength and rigidity, then structural strength is improved, but weight and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where plastic provides the lightweight framework and wooden boards provide the strong support surfaces. This division of functional roles allows each material to contribute its advantageous properties while minimizing disadvantages, achieving both light weight and high strength.
3Strength
If wooden board supports are integrated into plastic shelving, then strength and stiffness are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shelving system is divided into separate modular components: a plastic main body and removable wooden boards. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using optimized processes, and then easily assembled together. The boards can be inserted into slots or secured with simple fasteners, maintaining ease of assembly despite the multi-material construction.
4Strength
If multiple materials are combined to achieve optimal performance, then strength and lightweight properties are improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the product into separately manufactured plastic and wood components, each can be produced through cost-effective, established manufacturing processes. The plastic parts can be injection molded in high volumes, while wooden boards can be cut and finished using standard woodworking. This avoids the need for expensive multi-material molding processes while achieving the performance benefits of material combination.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf includes a main body with a plurality of support features formed therein. In one embodiment, each of the support features formed in the main body may include a board having an overmolded exterior. The board may have a plurality of apertures formed therethrough. The overmolded exterior extends through the apertures formed in the board. In another embodiment, each of the support features includes a removable board in an elongate recess that is secured in place by a cover. The boards may be wooden and add a desired strength and rigidity to the main body.