Collapsible Foam Container Mold Hinge Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of large collapsible foam plastic containers requires extremely large and bulky molds, making them difficult to handle and inefficient in terms of space usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and mold configuration that allows for the molding of collapsible foam plastic containers with a bottom wall and lateral walls that can rotate, using a forming device with parting and compression members to create hinges, enabling the container to be molded in an erect configuration and later folded into a flat configuration, while minimizing the size of the mold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a traditional mold is used to mold large collapsible foam plastic containers, then the container can be produced, but the mold becomes extremely large and bulky, making it difficult to handle and occupy excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into two separable half-molds that can be assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the mold to be stored in a compact state when not in use, reducing the space occupied by the mold while still being capable of producing large containers when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral walls are designed to fold along hinge lines during the molding process, transforming from a three-dimensional erect configuration to a two-dimensional flat configuration. This dimensional transformation allows the container to be molded in a compact state, significantly reducing the mold size required while still producing large containers when folded erect.
2Manufacturing precision
If a large mold is used to accommodate the container in an erect configuration, then the container can be molded with proper hinge formation, but the mold becomes difficult to handle and requires excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is segmented into two half-molds that can be easily assembled and disassembled. This segmentation makes the mold much easier to handle, move, and store while still providing the necessary precision for hinge formation through the controlled interaction of the half-mold surfaces and forming devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge formation is achieved through preliminary action by positioning the forming devices and half-molds to create the hinge lines during the molding process. The lateral walls are pre-configured with hinge lines, and the forming devices apply compression and parting actions to create the necessary density variations and structural features for accurate hinge formation before the container is removed from the mold.
3Volume of stationary object
If the container is molded in a flat configuration, then the mold size can be reduced, but the hinges and joints require additional forming steps and precision
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge lines and joint structures are pre-configured in the mold design, with forming devices positioned to create the necessary density variations and structural features during the molding process. This preliminary action ensures that the hinges and joints are formed with high precision while the container is in the flat configuration, eliminating the need for additional forming steps later.
Solution Approach 2:
The forming devices apply localized compression and parting actions at specific hinge lines and joint locations within the mold. This local quality approach ensures that the necessary precision is achieved at critical hinge and joint areas while the rest of the container is molded in the compact flat configuration, optimizing both precision and mold size reduction.
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 allows for the production of collapsible containers that are more compact and easier to handle, enabling a higher output due to reduced mold size and improved accuracy in shaping the hinges and joints, enhancing the container's rigidity and stability.
Implementation Method 1
a compression member located on an opposite side of the molding chamber to the parting member, the compression member being activated to move between a rest position outside the molding chamber and a work position in which the compression member: (A) compresses a quantity of the plastic material towards the parting member
Data Source
AI summary
A method of molding a collapsible, foam plastic container; the method employs two half-molds defining a molding chamber negatively reproducing the container in an erect work configuration, and forms a hinge for each lateral wall of the container when molding the container; each hinge being formed by a parting member which is inserted through the molding chamber at the hinge to be formed, and by a compression member opposite the parting member and which is moved towards the parting member to form, on the lateral wall, a small-section, higher-density portion defining the respective hinge.