Insulated Shipping Container Insert for Recyclable Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insulated shipping containers face issues with recyclability and temperature control, as the foamed polymer material bonds to cardboard boxes, making them non-recyclable and prone to thermal inconsistencies due to airflow pathways formed by plastic film folding, which can compromise the integrity of temperature-sensitive materials during transport.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an insulated shipping container with a unitary insulated insert featuring 'top-hat' shaped coolant cavities and a removable lid, utilizing foamed polyurethane encased in a thin, flexible polymer bag, along with coolant bricks and saddlebags, to maintain temperature stability and allow for recyclability by minimizing foam contact with cardboard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If foamed polymer material is used to insulate the container, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but recyclability deteriorates because the foam bonds to cardboard boxes and cannot be separated
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into separate components: an inner box, an outer box, and a foam insert. The foam is segmented into removable blocks that can be separated from the cardboard boxes, enabling recyclability while maintaining insulation performance during use.
Solution Approach 2:
A plastic film is introduced as an intermediary layer between the foam and the cardboard boxes. This film prevents direct bonding between the foam and cardboard, allowing the foam to be removed and reused while maintaining its insulating function.
2Ease of manufacture
If plastic film is bunched to separate foam from boxes, then recyclability is improved, but temperature control deteriorates due to folds and fissures creating airflow pathways
Solution Approach 1:
A smooth, continuous plastic film is used to encase the foam blocks without bunching or folding. This flexible film maintains thermal integrity by preventing airflow pathways while allowing easy removal of the foam for recycling.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic film is applied in excess to ensure complete coverage of the foam blocks, eliminating any gaps or folds that could create thermal pathways, while the excess material can be easily removed and reused.
3Strength
If foam is allowed to bond to boxes for structural support, then strength is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates because the container cannot be disassembled for reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The structural support function is distributed across multiple components: the inner box, outer box, and foam blocks. The foam blocks provide structural reinforcement while remaining separable, allowing the container to be disassembled and reused.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic film acts as a mediator that prevents permanent bonding between foam and cardboard, allowing the foam to provide structural support during transport while enabling easy separation for reuse.
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
This configuration effectively maintains products between 2° C. and 8° C. for 48 hours under various ambient conditions, ensuring temperature stability and recyclability by reducing foam thickness variations and airflow, while allowing for easy disassembly and reuse.
Implementation Method 1
an insulated insert, said insulated insert being a unitary body of foamed polyurethane material
Implementation Method 2
As this polymer material foams in place, it bonds to both the inner and outer boxes and exerts a considerable pressure against both the inner and outer boxes
Data Source
AI summary
Insulated shipping container and method of making the same. In a preferred embodiment, the insulated shipping container comprises an outer box, an insulated insert, an insulated cover, a payload container and a plurality of coolant members. The outer box comprises a rectangular prismatic cavity bounded by a plurality of rectangular side walls, a closed bottom end, and top closure flaps. The insulated insert is snugly, but removably, disposed within the outer box and is shaped to define a bottom, four sides and a top. The top includes a raised peripheral edge and a recessed shelf. A large rectangular prismatic cavity surrounded by a plurality of smaller cavities extends downwardly from the recessed shelf. The large cavity of the insulated insert is adapted to receive a payload container, together with a pair of coolant saddle bags adapted to surround the payload container. Each of the smaller cavities of the insulated insert has a “top hat” shape when viewed from above, with each of these cavities including a comparatively wider but shorter and shallower section and a comparatively narrower but longer and deeper section. The wider but shorter and shallower section is dimensioned to loosely receive a coolant brick, with the unoccupied portion of the section and the completely unoccupied narrower but longer and deeper section providing air spaces for convection.