Resealable Package Internal Zipper Seal Hermetic Back
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional snack packages, such as pillow pouches, face issues with resealing due to the interference of zipper seals with the formation of hermetic back seals, leading to incomplete resealing and reduced shelf-life of contents.
Innovation Solution
A resealable package design featuring a zipper seal that spans the entire width of the package, formed using a vertical form, fill, and seal machine with a zipper separation blade that isolates the zipper strip during back seal formation, allowing for a contiguous and hermetic seal without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a zipper seal is incorporated into the package, then the package becomes resealable, but the zipper seal interferes with the formation of hermetic back seals
Solution Approach 1:
The package sealing system is divided into two independent segments: a hermetic back seal that provides complete sealing integrity, and a zipper seal that provides resealability. The back seal extends from the upper transverse seal to the lower transverse seal without interruption, while the zipper seal is positioned separately within the interior region, allowing both functions to operate independently without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The zipper seal is nested within the interior region of the package, positioned between the front and rear panels, while the hermetic back seal forms the outer boundary structure. This nesting arrangement allows the zipper seal to be contained within the package volume without interfering with the formation of the back seal, enabling both hermetic sealing and resealability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the zipper seal spans the entire width of the package, then complete resealing is achieved, but the zipper strip interferes with back seal formation
Solution Approach 1:
The back seal is formed first as a continuous hermetic seal from the upper transverse seal to the lower transverse seal. Only after the back seal is completely formed is the zipper seal then applied within the interior region. This sequence of operations allows the zipper strip to be positioned without interfering with back seal formation, while still achieving complete width coverage for resealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The zipper seal is positioned in the interior dimension of the package rather than along the exterior edge where the back seal is formed. By placing the zipper seal within the interior region between the panels, it can span the entire width for complete resealing capability without interfering with the back seal formation process that occurs at the exterior boundary.
3Ease of operation
If conventional resealing with a clip is used, then the package can be closed, but air can penetrate through the single seal point reducing shelf-life
Solution Approach 1:
The need for external bag clips is extracted and eliminated by incorporating an internal zipper seal directly into the package structure. The zipper seal provides both the sealing function and the convenient operation of external clips, while simultaneously providing complete width coverage that prevents air penetration, thereby improving both ease of operation and sealing integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The zipper seal acts as an intermediary sealing mechanism that provides both the convenience of external clips and the integrity of hermetic sealing. It mediates between the need for easy user operation and the requirement for complete air-tight sealing, offering a solution that satisfies both requirements simultaneously through its complete width span and integrated design.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure describe a method and apparatus for a resealable package having an internal zipper seal. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a vertical form, fill, and seal machine that includes a former, a vertical sealer, and a zipper separation blade located between the former and the vertical sealer. The zipper separation blade further comprises a connector and a blade body that defines a zipper gap between an exterior surface of the former and the blade body.