Double-Walled Deodorant Container for Uniform Curing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional packaging for solid deodorants and antiperspirants often lacks efficient heat transfer, leading to uneven curing and varying product properties, such as settlement of actives and crystal formation, which affects the consistency of the product's feel and efficacy across multiple uses.

Innovation Solution

A double-walled container process is developed, where a gellant is heated and then cooled with a cold process stream to form an antiperspirant composition, which is then placed in a product chamber surrounded by an outer jacket, maintaining a temperature difference to ensure uniform curing and reducing settlement of actives.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional single-walled containers are used for packaging solid deodorants and antiperspirants, then manufacturing simplicity and cost-effectiveness are maintained, but heat transfer efficiency is insufficient leading to uneven curing and product property variation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of product propertiesVSAvoidcontainer structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into two separate walls (inner and outer) with an insulating layer between them, creating a double-walled structure. This segmentation allows the inner wall to provide efficient heat transfer for uniform curing while the outer wall provides insulation to maintain temperature control, thereby improving product uniformity without compromising manufacturing feasibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The container employs composite construction with different materials for the inner wall, outer wall, and insulating layer. The inner wall uses material with high thermal conductivity for efficient heat transfer, the insulating layer uses material with low thermal conductivity for temperature maintenance, creating a composite structure that balances heat transfer efficiency with thermal insulation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Manufacturing precision

If containers with efficient heat transfer are used to ensure uniform curing, then product property consistency is improved, but design flexibility and material selection are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of curingVSAvoidpackaging design flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

By separating the heat transfer function (inner wall) from the insulation function (outer wall and insulating layer), the design allows independent optimization of each component. The inner wall can be made from materials with high thermal conductivity for uniform curing, while the outer wall can be selected from various materials and designs for marketing, merchandising, and functional requirements, thus maintaining design flexibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different parts of the container are assigned different thermal properties: the inner wall has high thermal conductivity for efficient heat transfer and uniform curing, while the outer wall and insulating layer have low thermal conductivity for temperature maintenance. This local differentiation of material properties allows uniform curing without limiting overall design flexibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Manufacturing precision

If curing is allowed to proceed without controlled cooling, then manufacturing process simplicity is maintained, but actives settlement and crystal formation variability occur affecting product consistency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsistency of product feelVSAvoidcuring process time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The double-walled container structure with its insulating layer enables self-regulated cooling during the curing process. The container itself controls the heat transfer rate, allowing gradual and uniform cooling without requiring external cooling systems or complex process control, thereby maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving consistent product properties

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The container controls the cooling rate parameter during curing by regulating heat transfer through its double-walled structure. This controlled parameter change ensures that cooling occurs at an optimal rate for uniform crystal formation and prevents actives settlement, improving product consistency without significantly extending the overall curing time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 process achieves an antiperspirant composition with low standard deviation in penetration peak force and Hardness Modulus measurements, ensuring consistent product quality and feel across multiple uses, while reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.

Implementation Method 1

heating the material process stream to a first temperature to substantially completely melt the gellant

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Implementation Method 2

lowering the material process stream to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature by at least 10°C, but is still above the onset of crystallization of the gellant

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrystallization: Crystallisation

Implementation Method 3

Containers that provide efficient heat transfer though may be limited in design and material make-up

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP2649901B1Process for the production of a deodorant and/or antiperspirant product
Publication Date: 2017.04.19 PROCTER & GAMBLE CO
  • EP2649901B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2649901B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2649901B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A process for making a consumer product, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a container; (b) providing a material process stream comprising a gellant and heating the material process stream to a first temperature to substantially completely melt the gellant; (c) lowering the material process stream to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature by at least 10°C, but is still above the onset of crystallization of the gellant; (d) after and/or during step (c), adding an antiperspirant and/or deodorant active to the material process stream to form an antiperspirant composition; (e) charging a volume of the antiperspirant composition into the container; (f) disposing an outer jacket at least partially around the container to define a double-walled container; and (g) achieving an antiperspirant composition temperature that is lower than the second temperature by 15°C within 30 minutes of completing steps (c) and (f).