Food container and method for manufacturing same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food containers with integrated sealing moieties are prone to deformation when heated, leading to unsatisfactory sealed states, and existing solutions fail to provide adequate heat resistance and integration with diverse materials.
Innovation Solution
A food container design featuring a sealing moiety integrated with a polypropylene lid or container body, utilizing an elastomer composition comprising a hydrogenated styrene-based block copolymer, a softener, and an olefin-based resin, with specific molecular weight ranges and hardness properties to ensure elasticity and heat resistance, and a two-color formation method for manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a sealing moiety is not integrated with the lid or container body, then it can be removed for cleaning, but water or dirt enters the gap between the sealing moiety and the lid/container body, creating a hot bed for molds or bacteria
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing moiety is integrated with the lid or container body through injection molding, merging previously separate components into a unified structure. This eliminates gaps where water and dirt could accumulate, preventing contamination while maintaining cleanability through the seamless design.
2Reliability
If soft silicone resin is used for the sealing moiety, then excellent sealing performance is achieved, but the material is unsuitable for integration with thermoplastic resin used in lids or container bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thermoplastic elastomer composition that combines the elasticity and sealing properties of silicone resin with the integrability of thermoplastic resin. This composite material can be injection molded directly onto thermoplastic lid or container body materials, achieving both excellent sealing performance and ease of manufacture through a single integrated process.
3Ease of operation
If the sealing moiety is integrated with the lid or container body, then cleaning is simplified, but the container deforms when heated by a microwave oven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition and physical parameters of the elastomer material to achieve high heat resistance. By selecting specific elastomer compositions with appropriate glass transition temperatures and cross-linking densities, the sealing moiety maintains its structural stability and elastic properties at microwave heating temperatures, preventing deformation while preserving the integrated cleanable design.
4Ease of manufacture
If a thermoplastic elastomer composition is used for the sealing moiety, then integration with thermoplastic resin is achieved, but the heat resistance is insufficient for microwave oven use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a specifically formulated thermoplastic elastomer composition that incorporates heat-resistant additives and modifiers. This composite material maintains the processing advantages of thermoplastic resins while achieving the elevated temperature stability required for microwave oven applications, allowing integration with thermoplastic lids or container bodies without sacrificing heat resistance.
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 maintains a sealed state without deformation when heated and allows for integration with various materials, enhancing heat resistance and usability in microwave ovens while preventing water or dirt ingress.
Implementation Method 1
a sealing moiety for making the periphery of the opening into a sealed state... the sealing moiety comprising an elastomer composition which has a hardness A of 5 to 70 both inclusive, and a compressive permanent strain (CS) of 60% or less at 100° C. over 24 hours
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a food container which is formed to have a sealing moiety integrated with a lid or a container body and is not easily deformed when heated by a microwave oven or the like, so as to be capable of keeping a sealed state, and a method for manufacturing the food container. A food container 10 has a container body 11 having, in the upper surface thereof, an opening 111, and a lid 12 fittable to the container body 11 to close the opening 111. In the lid 12 or the container body 11, a sealing moiety 13 is located which makes the periphery of the opening 111 in a sealed state under a situation that the opening 111 is closed by the lid 12. The sealing moiety 13 includes an elastomer composition which includes a hydrogenated styrene based block copolymer A that has a weight-average molecular weight of 100,000 to 500,000, a softener B for rubber that has a weight-average molecular weight of 500 or more, and an olefin based resin C, and which has a hardness A of 5 to 70 both inclusive, and a compressive permanent strain (CS) of 60% or less at 100° C. over 24 hours. The sealing moiety is formed to be integrated with the lid or the container body, and the lid 12 or the container body 11 includes a polypropylene.