Corrugating Roller Structure for Single-Material Recyclable Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shipping containers are inefficient in terms of space utilization and material recycling, leading to increased shipping and storage costs due to their fixed sizes and multi-material composition, which often results in improper recycling and environmental harm.
Innovation Solution
A corrugated shipping container with offset flutes and score lines that allow for flexible conformability to product shape, reducing volume and enabling easy recycling by being made entirely of paper or plastic, thus minimizing material separation for recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional shipping containers use multiple materials (paper and plastic) for construction, then the structural integrity and protective function are improved, but the recycling difficulty increases due to the need for material separation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by constructing the entire shipping container from a single material type (either paper or plastic), eliminating the need for material separation during recycling. The corrugated medium and liner are made from the same base material, allowing the entire container to be recycled as one material stream, thus resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and recycling difficulty.
2Productivity
If conventional shipping containers use fixed standardized sizes, then the manufacturing and storage efficiency are improved, but the space utilization during shipping decreases due to inability to conform to product shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the shipping container flexible and adaptable in size. The corrugated structure with score lines allows the container to be compressed to different thicknesses and conform to various product shapes, transforming a static fixed-size container into a dynamic adjustable-size container that optimizes space utilization while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the physical dimensions of the container, specifically the thickness parameter, through the use of compressible corrugated media. The container can be compressed to reduce its thickness and volume to match the product being shipped, thereby improving space utilization without sacrificing manufacturing efficiency.
3Strength
If conventional bubble mailers use air bubbles for cushioning, then the product protection is improved, but the volume and weight increase reducing shipping efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by using a corrugated medium with a structured porous architecture that provides cushioning and shock absorption. The corrugated flutes create a porous structure that protects products during shipping while occupying less volume and weight compared to traditional air bubble packaging, thus resolving the contradiction between product protection and shipping efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more corrugating rollers configured to, in operation, corrugate paper materials to form a corrugated medium. The corrugated medium formed utilizing the one or more corrugating rollers is then utilized to form one or more shipping containers. For example, the corrugated medium is utilized to line an interior pocket of the shipping container. The corrugated medium has flutes that cushion a product that is shipped within the shipping container. The corrugated medium may include a first portion with first flutes and a second portion with second flutes that are offset relative to the first flutes. The offset first flutes and second flutes results in peaks of the first flutes nesting within valleys of the second flutes, and peaks of the second flutes nesting within valleys of the first flutes. The offset flutes are formed by a corrugated roller that includes one or more groups of flutes.