Corrugated Container Assembly for Roll Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing returnable containers for transporting roll-shaped members, such as magnetic recording tape, require cumbersome disassembly and cleaning, leading to increased costs and transport inefficiencies due to their size and weight, especially when made of reinforced materials.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a tray with side walls and first side plates, each with slits to support the roll-shaped member's core, and a cap that interlocks with the tray, utilizing corrugated paper materials to reduce size, weight, and transport costs while maintaining necessary strength, and incorporating a pallet for efficient stacking and handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If returnable containers are made of reinforced plywood to maintain strength, then the container strength is improved, but the weight and size increase leading to higher transport costs
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple modular panels that can be assembled and disassembled. Each panel is made of corrugated paper with specific structural features (protrusions and recesses) that provide strength when assembled together, rather than using a single heavy reinforced plywood structure. This segmentation allows the container to achieve necessary strength through the collective arrangement of lighter individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameter is changed from reinforced plywood to corrugated paper. The corrugated structure of the paper panels provides enhanced strength-to-weight ratio compared to solid plywood. The protrusions and recesses in the panel structures create mechanical interlocking that further enhances strength while maintaining the lightweight characteristic of the paper material.
2Adaptability or versatility
If returnable containers are designed for reuse, then the reusability is improved, but the disassembly and cleaning processes increase operational complexity and costs
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed as a modular assembly of panels that can be easily separated by simple pulling motions without requiring complex disassembly tools or procedures. The panels connect through protrusions and recesses that engage and disengage intuitively, reducing the operational complexity of both assembly and disassembly processes compared to traditional returnable containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed as a disposable single-use package rather than a returnable multi-use container. This eliminates the need for complex disassembly and cleaning operations entirely. The corrugated paper material is chosen specifically because it can be easily disposed of after single use, and the environmental impact is minimized through the use of recyclable paper materials rather than heavy plywood that requires industrial cleaning and processing.
3Strength
If reinforcement members are added to corrugated paper containers for stacking, then the stacking strength is improved, but the size and weight increase resulting in higher transport costs
Solution Approach 1:
Reinforcement features are integrated directly into the panel structures at specific locations where strength is needed for stacking. The protrusions and recesses are positioned to provide localized reinforcement at connection points and load-bearing areas, rather than adding uniform reinforcement throughout the entire container structure. This localized approach provides necessary stacking strength without uniformly increasing the size and weight of the entire container.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement function is merged with the structural panels themselves rather than being a separate additive component. The protrusions and recesses are integral features of the panel design, combining the structural support function with the connection function. This merging eliminates the need for separate reinforcement members that would increase size and weight, as the reinforcement is built into the panels that already form the container structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for housing a roll-shaped member having a core, includes: a tray as defined herein; a pair of first side plates as defined herein; and a cap as defined herein, and each of the pair of side walls is formed with a first slit as defined herein; each of the pair of first side plates is formed with a second slit as defined herein; and a height H1 of a slit bottom portion of the first slit of each of the side walls and a height H2 of a slit bottom portion of the second slit of each of the first side plates as measured from the bottom wall of the tray with the pair of first side plates disposed on the bottom wall parallel with the respective side walls satisfy a relationship H2>H1.