Drink Stick Packaging Hole Formation via Mechanical Piercing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging methods for drink sticks used in hot and cold beverages face issues such as deformation, health risks due to high heat, burrs forming during hole creation, insufficient hole opening leading to product adhesion, and wastage of raw materials, which hinder effective brewing.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a custom-designed hole opening machine using gold-coated needles to create 3 layers of symmetric holes, increasing the number from 427 to 1087 and reducing size from 0.08 mm to 0.06 mm, followed by vacuuming, polishing, and sterilization to prevent burrs and ensure full hole opening, along with ultraviolet treatment and automated packaging to enhance hygiene and raw material efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If heating method is used to form holes at 400 degrees, then holes are formed in the packaging, but the structure of the packaging deforms and health risks arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal heating method with a mechanical piercing method using needles. The needles physically create holes through the packaging material without applying high heat, thereby eliminating packaging deformation and health risks associated with thermal processing while still achieving effective hole formation for water infusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces gold-coated needles as an intermediary tool to create holes. The gold coating serves as a protective layer that prevents material deformation during the piercing process and ensures hygiene, while the needle structure itself facilitates clean hole formation without the harmful thermal effects of conventional heating methods.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional hole opening method is used, then holes are formed in the packaging, but burrs are created on the backside that may fall into the beverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical hole opening that creates burrs with a refined needle-based piercing system. The gold-coated needles are specifically designed to create clean holes without generating burrs on the backside, eliminating the risk of foreign particles entering the beverage while maintaining effective hole formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable gold-coated needles that are discarded after use. This approach ensures that each needle is sterile and creates a clean hole without burrs, while the low cost of these disposable needles makes the hygiene and quality benefits economically viable.
3Stability of the object's composition
If insufficient number of holes is used, then packaging structure is maintained, but products stick together when contacted with water and brewing is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the packaging surface into multiple hole locations, creating a distributed pattern of openings. This segmentation allows water to penetrate effectively throughout the packaging, preventing product adhesion while maintaining overall structural integrity. The holes are strategically positioned to maximize water contact with the herbal material without compromising the packaging's mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes parameters such as hole number, hole size, and hole distribution to achieve the right balance between structural integrity and brewing effectiveness. By carefully controlling these parameters, the packaging maintains its strength while allowing sufficient water penetration to prevent product sticking and ensure proper brewing.
4Productivity
If increased number of holes is used to prevent adhesion, then brewing effectiveness improves, but raw material wastage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the hole parameters (number, size, distribution) to achieve maximum brewing effectiveness with minimum raw material loss. By carefully controlling hole size and density, the packaging allows sufficient water penetration for effective brewing while minimizing the total area of packaging material that needs to be replaced or discarded.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses gold-coated needles as precise templates for hole formation. This copying approach ensures that each hole is created with optimal dimensions and positioning, maximizing the efficiency of water penetration and brewing effectiveness while minimizing unnecessary material consumption through precise hole placement and sizing.
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 provides a healthier, more hygienic packaging system with increased hole density for effective brewing, reducing raw material usage and preventing product adhesion, ensuring full water contact and higher quality beverages while meeting European health and quality standards.
Implementation Method 1
a step of opening holes (30) on the packaging material (20) using an opening machine
Implementation Method 2
Cleaning the burrs on the backside of the packaging material (20) with vacuuming after opening the holes (30)
Implementation Method 3
applying air conditioning and ultraviolet rays before stretch wrapping
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A drink stick (10) intended to be used for hot/cold brewing of tea, coffee, herbal tea and fruit tea, wherein; it relates to a production method for manufacturing packaging (20) with reduced hole (30) size and increased number of holes (30), in order to achieve brewing rate and brewing quality of the mentioned beverages.