Inverted Article Bundling with Shrinkable Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging methods for groups of articles using shrinkable wrapping materials face challenges such as the need for additional supportive elements, increased costs, and instability during transportation, which can lead to misorientation and sub-optimal nesting densities, affecting packaging quality and recyclability.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a pallet that can be actuated to lock and unlock, allowing oriented groups of articles to be inverted and wrapped with a shrinkable material from the bottom, eliminating the need for separate supportive elements and ensuring articles remain oriented during bundling, thus forming a stable and uniformly packed bundle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a pedestal or fixture is used to support the group of nested articles during sleeving, then the sleeve can be positioned to wrap around the bottom of the group, but the width of the area exposed to be enclosed is limited by the pedestal surface area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by positioning the sleeve to wrap around the bottom of the nested group from below rather than from the sides. The sleeve is fed upward through the bottom of the group, allowing the wrapping material to enclose the entire base perimeter without being constrained by a pedestal's surface area limitations.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a supportive element is used to position and support the group of nested articles, then the articles remain stable during sleeving, but additional packaging material and equipment are required, increasing cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the supportive element (pedestal or box) from the packaging system entirely. Instead of using external support structures to hold the nested group during sleeving, the invention uses the sleeve itself to provide support and positioning, eliminating the need for separate supportive elements and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the wrapping material, supports the nested group during application, maintains article orientation, and forms the final bundled structure. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate supportive elements and reduces packaging complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If dedicated fixturing is used to position and retain irregular shaped portions of articles, then oriented arrangement is maintained, but packaging line flexibility is reduced and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic positioning system where the nested group is held in an oriented arrangement by the movable jaws of the pallet during conveyance. The jaws can adapt to different article configurations and maintain orientation without requiring dedicated fixturing for each article type, preserving packaging line flexibility while ensuring precise orientation.
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 approach simplifies packaging, enhances stability and uniformity, reduces material costs, and facilitates recycling by maintaining the oriented arrangement of articles, resulting in improved packaging quality and optimized shelf density.
Implementation Method 1
a sleeve made of a shrinkable wrapping material as the articles are transported on a conveyor... the material of the sleeve is shrunk to bundle the group of nested articles
Data Source
AI summary
A packaging system and method forms a bundled group of articles in an oriented arrangement, by applying a wrapping material to the articles via the bottoms of the articles while the oriented arrangement of articles is inverted and retained by a pallet. The wrapping material may be a sleeve of shrinkable material applied to the inverted end of the articles and shrunk to conform to the articles and form a base enclosing the bottoms of the articles. The articles are retained by the pallet in the oriented arrangement during the inverting, sleeving and bundling of the group of articles, to provide a bundled group including the articles securely contained by the shrunk wrapping in the oriented arrangement. The bundled group may include more than one type of article. The pallet may be operable to retain a top portion of the article, which may have an irregular or asymmetrical shape.