Hot Fill Container Axial Compression Groove Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for hot and warm filling of plastic containers, such as PET bottles, face challenges in preventing deformation due to vacuum pressure generated when the liquid cools, requiring additional plastic material for vacuum panels or complex compression processes that are not efficient for mass production.
Innovation Solution
A machine and process that applies a controlled axial compression force to thermoplastic containers with a peripheral groove, reducing their internal volume and stabilizing the bottle configuration, which can be integrated into the hot or warm filling process, allowing for compact, efficient, and cost-effective production without the need for vacuum panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If vacuum panels are added to bottles to prevent deformation during hot/warm filling, then bottle stability is improved, but the amount of plastic material required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bottle body is segmented by introducing a peripheral groove that divides the wall structure into collapsible sections. This segmentation allows the bottle to deform controllably by collapsing the groove inward, providing stability against vacuum pressure without requiring additional reinforcement materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottle design changes the structural parameter by incorporating a peripheral groove with specific geometric characteristics (depth, width, and position). This parameter change enables the bottle wall to collapse in a controlled manner, transforming the rigid structure into a flexible one that can adapt to pressure changes without deformation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a compression force is applied to collapse the peripheral groove, then bottle configuration stability is improved, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral groove is pre-formed during the blowing process at an early stage of bottle production. This preliminary action prepares the bottle structure to collapse automatically when subjected to compression force during filling, eliminating the need for complex real-time control systems and simplifying the overall process.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottle structure is designed to perform its own stabilization function through the peripheral groove mechanism. When compression force is applied, the groove collapses inward automatically, and the bottle maintains its compressed configuration without requiring external active control systems, making the process self-regulating and simpler.
3Quantity of substance
If the peripheral groove is designed to collapse on itself, then material usage is reduced, but determining the compression conditions becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral groove is designed with predetermined geometric parameters (depth, width, angle) that act as a cushioning mechanism. These pre-designed parameters ensure that the groove collapses at the right moment and with the right force during filling, eliminating the need for complex real-time measurement and control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the geometric parameters of the peripheral groove during the design phase, the compression behavior is predetermined. The groove dimensions are optimized so that collapse occurs automatically under the expected compression conditions during filling, making the process predictable and easy to control without complex monitoring.
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 effectively stabilizes the bottle configuration, preventing deformation and reducing material usage, while enabling efficient and reproducible compression for mass production by applying a controlled compression force, which is stable and consistent across a large number of bottles.
Implementation Method 1
a compression machine configured to apply an axial compression force to a collapsible thermoplastic container along a longitudinal axis thereof
Implementation Method 2
the body having a peripheral groove... whereby the first side comes into contact with the second side, thus reducing the internal volume of the container, when the axial compression force is applied
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for hot or warm filling comprising a compression machine configured to apply an axial compression force to a collapsible thermoplastic container for liquids. The compression machine includes a lower body having a surface designed to be a resting surface for the base of the container; at least one upper body designed to contact a portion of the container above the peripheral groove, so that the container can be held in an upright position by the at least one lower body and the at least one upper body; actuating means for actuating the at least one lower body and/or the at least one upper body in order to apply said axial compression force, acting along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container, in order to make the proximal straight side to come into contact with the distal straight side, thus reducing the internal volume of the container.