Corkscrew Handle Dual-Layer Plastic Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corkscrews have slippery plastic handles that lead to poor grip and inefficient cork extraction, and their propping levers lack effective support, while also risking disjunction between molded plastic and metal components.
Innovation Solution
A corkscrew design featuring a handle with a dual-layered plastic structure, combining hard ABS and soft TPE materials for improved grip and mechanical resistance, and a two-stage molding process for optimal adhesion, along with a penknife for engraving and cutting, and a modified propping lever for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single-layer plastic material is used for the handle covering, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the grip is slippery and ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining two different plastic materials with distinct properties: a hard plastic material for structural support and a soft plastic material for enhanced grip. This composite construction resolves the contradiction by providing both effective grip (through the soft material's friction properties) and structural integrity (through the hard material), while avoiding the slipperiness of single-layer plastic handles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying the soft plastic material specifically on the gripping surfaces where contact with the user's hand occurs, while the hard plastic material forms the core structure. This localized differentiation allows the handle to have different properties in different regions: soft and grippy where needed, hard and strong where structural support is required.
2Ease of operation
If additional plastic material layers are added to improve grip, then grip effectiveness increases, but the risk of disjunction between molded plastic materials increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the molding parameters, particularly the temperature and pressure conditions during the injection molding process. The soft plastic material is molded at parameters that ensure optimal adhesion to the hard plastic substrate, transforming the potential harm of multi-layer construction into a benefit through precise parameter control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the adhesion issue by selecting compatible plastic materials for the composite construction and designing the molding process to ensure proper bonding between layers. The composite material approach is implemented with careful material selection and process control to prevent disjunction while achieving the desired grip enhancement.
3Strength
If a metal core structure with plastic covering is used, then mechanical strength is sufficient, but the plastic material may detach or slip
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by creating a multi-layer plastic structure where a hard plastic material forms the structural core (replacing or supplementing the metal core) and a soft plastic material is molded over it. This composite construction maintains mechanical strength through the hard plastic's rigidity while preventing detachment through the soft material's adhesive bonding and friction properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by differentiating the plastic materials' properties in different regions: the hard plastic provides structural strength and rigidity in the core areas, while the soft plastic provides grip and retention properties in the handling zones. This localized property differentiation resolves the contradiction between strength and retention.
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 solution enhances grip and mechanical resistance, ensuring safe handling and efficient cork extraction, while preventing disjunction between materials and improving the functionality of the penknife and crown cap removal.
Implementation Method 1
The overmolding process with co-moulding of the base material (ABS), the covering material (TPE) and the metal core, happening in direct closed cycle, allows an optimal chemical adhesion
Implementation Method 2
the surface of the base material being actually hot, at molecular level the surface offers a dilatation of the molecules themselves allowing an optimal mutual penetration of the molecules of the upper material
Data Source
AI summary
Method for the realization of corkscrew for bottles of the type switching inside the handle, of the type involving an handle with a plurality of tools, of the type with metal handle core (11) covered with two pressure injectable plastic materials, characterised in that: a) first, a first dorsal plastic material covering is injected on said metal core of the handle (11) at the temperature required to melt said plastic material (12) and b) then, at a temperature not lower than 45-50°C, a second, softer plastic material (13) is injected in opposition, or rather from the opposite internal side, which completes the covering of said metal core of the handle (11) and conjoins to the first (12) by thermo welding with the help of the pre-existing temperature of the first one.