Packaging Apparatus for Compressible Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging apparatuses for compressible insulating materials, such as mineral wool, require larger bags and cause material damage due to excessive compression and lack of support, leading to inefficiencies and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A packaging apparatus with adjustable compressing surfaces and support surfaces that minimize the distance between compressing and support surfaces, eliminating the need for conveyor belts and allowing for efficient compression and wrapping of materials in foil without damage, using pushing means to draw foil around the object and seaming mechanisms for secure packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conveyor belts are used to compress and transport insulation material, then the material can be moved and compressed, but the bag size must be larger than necessary and the material may be damaged due to excessive compression
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the conveyor belts from the system entirely, extracting the harmful element that caused material damage. Instead of using conveyor belts for both compression and transport, the invention uses compression means to compress the material, then allows it to expand slightly before sealing, eliminating the continuous compression that damaged the material structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than continuously compressing the material through conveyor belts during transport, the invention compresses the material first, then allows it to relax and expand back toward its nominal dimensions before sealing. This reverses the traditional approach of continuous compression, preventing material damage while maintaining packaging efficiency.
2Volume of stationary object
If steel plates forming a funnel are used instead of conveyor belts, then less space is needed within the bag, but the bag still needs to be bigger than required by the material
Solution Approach 1:
The compression means compresses the insulation material to a compact size before it enters the sealing area. This preliminary compression allows the material to be packaged in a smaller bag volume, eliminating the need for oversized bags that were required when using conveyor belts or steel plate funnels.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If moving conveyors or turning support plates are added to support compressed material, then material expansion and mangled surfaces are reduced, but the apparatus becomes more complex and requires more power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes moving conveyors and turning support plates from the system, eliminating the complexity and power requirements associated with these components. Instead, the invention uses stationary compression means followed by a brief expansion phase before sealing, achieving good material surface quality without additional mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed material is allowed to naturally expand and stabilize on its own between the compression means and the sealing area, without requiring active support from moving conveyors or turning plates. This self-service approach lets the material's own elastic properties maintain its shape, reducing apparatus complexity while preserving material quality.
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 apparatus effectively packages compressible materials in smaller dimensions without damaging them, reducing the need for complex conveyor systems and minimizing material protrusion, resulting in a more efficient and simpler packaging process.
Implementation Method 1
the distance between the first compressing surface and the second compressing surface is adjustable for allowing reducing of the distance between the compressing surfaces to compress an object fed between the first compressing surface and the second compressing surface
Implementation Method 2
the insulation material needs to be compressed a lot. This may cause damage to the insulation material and the material does not always return to its nominal dimensions
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The packaging apparatus for packaging an object (1) of a compressible, elastic material into a foil material comprises compressing means (2, 3) comprising compressing surfaces (2a, 3a) facing each other, the distance between the compressing surfaces (2a, 3a) being adjustable for compressing an object (1), bagging means (4, 5) comprising parallel support surfaces (4a, 5a), and pushing means (6) for pushing a compressed object (1) from the compressing means (2, 3) to the bagging means (4, 5) between the support surfaces (4a, 5a). The apparatus is configured to receive foil material between the compressing means (2, 3) and the bagging means (4, 5), and pushing of an object (1) from the compressing means (2, 3) to the bagging means (4, 5) is configured to draw the foil material around the object (1) so that the foil material covers the object (1) between the object (1) and the support surfaces (4a, 5a).