Paper Cone Crimping and Sealing for Consistent Pre-Roll Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing pre-rolled cannabis cones are largely manual and labor-intensive, leading to inconsistent crimps and insecure closures, which diminish product quality and shelf stability, and lack scalability and compatibility with varying cone sizes and materials.
Innovation Solution
An automated system comprising a pressing assembly, crimping assembly, and modular carrier plate, utilizing actuators and linear guides to simultaneously crimp, seal, and eject multiple pre-formed cones with precise control over force application, ensuring consistent crimps and secure seals across varying dimensions and materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual crimping and sealing processes are used, then labor flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing precision and reliability deteriorate due to inconsistent crimps and insecure closures
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system is divided into distinct functional modules: a crimping assembly with adjustable crimping surfaces, a sealing assembly with heating elements, and a carrier plate system. Each module can be independently adjusted and maintained, allowing precise control over crimping and sealing operations while simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated crimping and sealing system is designed to handle multiple cone sizes, materials, and configurations through adjustable fixtures and programmable control. The same system can process different product types by changing parameters rather than requiring dedicated equipment for each variant, reducing overall device complexity.
2Productivity
If manual labor is used for filling, packing, crimping, and sealing, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity deteriorates due to labor-intensive processes
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures cone positioning fixtures, crimping tooling, and sealing parameters before production begins. Cones are pre-positioned on carrier plates in standardized arrangements, and all processing parameters are pre-programmed into the control system, enabling high-speed automated operation without requiring complex real-time adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system performs all crimping and sealing operations without human intervention. The control system automatically sequences operations, adjusts parameters based on product type, and manages tooling changes, making the system easy to operate despite high productivity capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual processes are used, then adaptability to small-scale production is maintained, but scalability deteriorates when meeting commercial demand
Solution Approach 1:
The system features dynamically adjustable parameters including crimping force, sealing temperature, and cycle timing that can be modified through software control. This allows the same equipment to reliably produce consistent closures across varying production volumes from small batches to commercial-scale manufacturing without compromising closure security.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system incorporates sensors and control systems that monitor crimping and sealing processes in real-time, providing feedback to maintain consistent quality. This ensures reliable closure security across all production scales while enabling scalability through automated quality control.
4Manufacturing precision
If simple tools are used for filling and crimping, then ease of manufacture is maintained, but manufacturing precision deteriorates resulting in poorly formed closures
Solution Approach 1:
The crimping and sealing tooling incorporates locally optimized features such as heated sealing surfaces at specific locations, varied crimping surface geometries for different cone types, and localized force application points. This enables precise closure formation quality while keeping the overall system manufacturing complexity manageable through focused sophistication at critical locations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for simultaneously crimping, sealing, and ejecting a plurality of pre-formed cones. The system includes a top plate, one or more carrier support members, and linear guides extending between them. A pressing assembly includes a pressing plate mounted on the guides, pressing rods extending from the pressing plate, and at least one actuator to drive the pressing plate. A crimping assembly includes a crimping body with apertures and one or more actuators to translate the crimping body. A modular carrier plate positioned below the assemblies including openings aligned with the pressing rods and apertures, each configured to receive a cone. The method includes positioning cones in the openings, translating the crimping body to deform upper portions of the cones to form crimps, retracting the crimping body, advancing the pressing plate to seal crimps, and ejecting the sealed cones through the openings.