Laser Coded Fold Wrapped Food Concentrate Tablet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for coding food concentrate tablets on packaging materials face issues such as the use of harmful substances, drying time, abrasion, contamination of food and machinery, and production stoppages, with ink-based methods being inefficient and environmentally impactful.
Innovation Solution
Laser ablating a code on packaging materials, specifically printed plastic or paper films, before fold wrapping the tablets, which eliminates the need for ink and reduces production downtime, while ensuring readability and minimal environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ink printing is used on packaging material, then coding can be applied, but harmful substances may contaminate food and machinery
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful ink substance is extracted and completely removed from the coding process. Instead of applying ink to the packaging material, the patent uses laser ablation to directly modify the packaging material surface, eliminating the source of contamination entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The chemical ink printing system is replaced with a physical laser ablation system. The laser beam directly modifies the packaging material surface through ablation, creating visible codes without requiring any ink or chemical substances.
2Reliability
If ink printing is used on packaging material, then coding can be applied, but drying time is required which reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The laser ablation process allows for continuous coding without interruption for drying. The laser beam can continuously ablate the packaging material surface as it moves through the production line, maintaining uninterrupted production flow and eliminating drying time bottlenecks.
3Reliability
If ink printing is used on packaging material, then coding can be applied, but abrasion occurs during further processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The ink-based surface coating is replaced with laser-induced surface modification. The laser ablation creates permanent physical changes in the packaging material surface structure, forming codes that are inherently resistant to abrasion during subsequent processing and handling.
4Reliability
If ink printing is used on packaging material, then coding can be applied, but contamination of food and machinery occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful ink substance is completely extracted and eliminated from the system. The laser ablation process uses only energy from the laser beam to create codes, producing no liquid or particulate residues that could contaminate food products or machinery surfaces.
5Reliability
If ink printing is used on packaging material, then coding can be applied, but production stoppages occur for refill of coding material
Solution Approach 1:
The laser ablation system enables continuous coding operation without material refills. The laser beam remains continuously active, ablatively modifying the packaging material surface in real-time as it moves through the production line, eliminating all stoppages associated with ink cartridge or barrel replacement.
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 laser coding method prevents smearing and contamination, allows for high-speed production, reduces production stoppages, and maintains the shelf-life of the product by avoiding moisture and light barrier destruction, while minimizing environmental impact from ink cartridges.
Implementation Method 1
laser ablating a code on a packaging material
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~1d
AI summary
The present invention relates to a process for making a laser coded fold wrapped food concentrate tablet. Further aspect of the invention is a laser coded fold wrapped food concentrate tablet.