Invertible Deep-Set Grips for Blow Molded Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blow molding techniques face challenges in forming deep protrusions, such as those found in container bases and grips, due to insufficient material orientation and distribution, leading to issues like deformation, instability, and increased weight, which affect the structural integrity and ergonomic feel of containers.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a container forming assembly with a mold having a recess and a movable region that is inflated and then repositioned inward to form a blow molded container with deep-set grips, enhancing material orientation and reducing weight while maintaining design flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional blow molding is used to form deep protrusions, then the container can be manufactured, but the plastic material cannot properly flow and stretch around the protrusion due to contact friction, resulting in insufficient material distribution
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming the deep protrusion directly in the mold (which causes material trapping), the invention uses a two-stage process: first forming the protrusion outward from the mold cavity, then inverting it inward after blowing. This reverses the conventional approach and allows material to flow properly around the protrusion feature without being trapped during molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The molding process is divided into two distinct stages: a first stage where the protrusion is formed outward from the mold cavity, and a second stage where the protrusion is inverted inward. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, with the first stage enabling proper material distribution and the second stage creating the final deep-set grip configuration.
2Quantity of substance
If more material is added to account for material trapping in grip regions, then sufficient material is provided for all parts, but the container weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the protrusion from outward to inward after the blowing process, the invention eliminates the need to add extra material to compensate for trapping. The same amount of material that forms the container body also forms the deep-set grip, as the inversion process redistributes existing material rather than requiring additional material input.
3Quantity of substance
If design compromises are made to blow thicker regions with more material, then those regions have sufficient material, but the overall container weight increases and design flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a dynamic two-stage forming process that adapts to different design requirements. The first stage allows for material-rich protrusion formation, while the second inversion stage can be adjusted to create various deep-set grip configurations. This dynamic approach provides design flexibility without requiring permanent design compromises in the molding process.
4Stability of the object's composition
If a deep protrusion is formed in the mold, then the container can stand on a flat surface, but the plastic material is less able to flow around the protrusion due to contact friction
Solution Approach 1:
The invention forms the protrusion outward first, allowing material to flow freely around it during the blowing process. Then, after the container is formed, the protrusion is inverted inward to create the final stable base configuration. This sequence ensures both good material distribution during forming and stability in the final product.
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 improves the structural integrity and ergonomic feel of containers by increasing material orientation and reducing weight, addressing the limitations of conventional methods in forming deep protrusions without increasing material usage or molding complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a gas is forced into the perform causing it to stretch and to take the shape of the mold
Implementation Method 2
the preform is blown to form the container... the plastic contacts the mold... the plastic must stretch and flow around the protrusion
Data Source
AI summary
A container forming assembly and method includes receiving a parison within a cavity of a mold, enclosing the parison within the mold having a wall with a recess, inflating the parison in the mold to form a blow molded container where the blow molded container has a sidewall, a movable region formed at the recess, and a hinge circumscribing an interface between the sidewall and the movable region, and moving or repositioning the movable region toward an interior of the blow molded container about the hinge before filling. The movable region can form a deep-set grip. Further, multiple movable regions can be provided, each of which may form respective deep-set grips. The container shape can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.