Easy Open Flow Wrapper With Partial Perforation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow wrappers for rigid or semi-rigid products are difficult to open predictably and safely, often resulting in unpredictable tearing or premature separation during packaging, and existing solutions like pre-cutting, tear strips, or perforation either fail to control the opening process or compromise packaging speed and barrier integrity.
Innovation Solution
An easy open flow wrapper design featuring a flexible film arrangement with a line of weakness and a flexible film member that extends beyond the weakness to prevent premature separation, allowing for controlled opening with minimal force while maintaining packaging speed and barrier integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pre-cutting or scoring is performed on the flow wrapper to enable easy opening, then opening predictability is improved, but the tear is stopped by the longitudinal seal or product making the opening unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The flow wrapper is divided into a removable portion and a remaining portion by introducing a line of weakness that extends laterally across the wrapper. This segmentation allows the wrapper to be opened in a controlled manner by separating these portions along the predetermined line, solving the problem of unpredictable tearing while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A line of weakness is pre-formed in the flow wrapper material before packaging. This preliminary action creates a predetermined failure path that guides the opening process, ensuring that when the consumer opens the wrapper, the tear follows the pre-established line rather than propagating unpredictably across the seal or product.
2Ease of operation
If tear power is increased to enable easy opening, then opening ease is improved, but a piece of the flow wrapper breaks off or the tear becomes random and unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The line of weakness is created with specific local characteristics - it extends laterally across the removable portion but stops before reaching the longitudinal seal. This local modification of the wrapper structure allows easy opening through the removable portion while maintaining integrity at critical areas, preventing random tearing and piece breakage.
3Ease of operation
If perforation is performed to achieve easy opening, then opening predictability is improved, but barrier loss occurs if perforation depth is not precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The line of weakness is formed by partial perforation or scoring that does not completely penetrate the wrapper material. This partial action provides sufficient guidance for predictable opening while maintaining enough material integrity to preserve barrier properties, avoiding the need for precise depth control that would be required for complete perforation.
4Ease of operation
If a tear strip is affixed to the flow wrapper in the cross direction, then tear guidance is improved, but the tear still stops at the longitudinal seal and packaging speed is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The line of weakness is integrated directly into the flow wrapper material structure rather than being a separate affixed component. This merging eliminates the need for additional tear strips that would slow packaging speed, while the line of weakness itself provides the necessary tear guidance to improve opening predictability without stopping at the longitudinal seal.
Data Source
AI summary
Easy open flow wrappers are provided that include a flexible wrapper body formed from a flexible wrapper body film, the flexible wrapper body having a front panel and a back panel sealed together along one longitudinal seam and two lateral end seams containing a product therein. At least one line of weakness (24) substantially extends around a portion of the flexible wrapper body to define a removable portion (28) of the flexible wrapper body, such that application of a separation force upon the removable portion separates the removable portion from the flexible wrapper body at the at least one line of weakness and forms an opening in the flexible wrapper body. A flexible film member (26) is disposed over and extending beyond the at least one line of weakness, in which the flexible film member is configured to prevent pre-separation of the removable portion from the flexible wrapper body.