Laser Crease Lines for Flexible Wrapping Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible wrapping materials with good dead-fold characteristics are scarce, making it difficult to achieve well-defined lines and contours in packaging, especially for items without internal frames, forcing manufacturers to choose between cost-effective but formless packaging or more expensive solutions.
Innovation Solution
Using lasers to create crease lines in flexible wrapping materials, allowing for complex folding patterns and form-factor conformal packaging, even with materials that have poor dead-fold characteristics, enabling the creation of aesthetically pleasing packages with well-defined shapes without the need for re-tooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastics-based flow-wrapping materials are used, then cost-effective high-speed packaging is achieved, but well-defined lines and contours cannot be obtained due to poor dead-fold characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The laser pre-forms crease lines in the flexible wrapping material before the wrapping process. This preliminary action creates predetermined fold lines that guide the material to fold accurately along desired paths, enabling plastics-based materials to achieve well-defined lines and contours without requiring internal frames or trays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical scoring or die-cutting methods with laser technology to form crease lines. The laser provides precise, flexible, and tool-free marking of fold lines directly on the material, eliminating the need for complex mechanical re-tooling when design changes are required.
2Shape
If inner paperboard trays or boxes are used to achieve well-defined lines and contours, then the desired form factor is obtained, but packaging cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for internal paperboard trays or boxes by directly forming crease lines in the flexible wrapping material itself. The laser-formed creases enable the wrapping material to independently create well-defined lines and contours, removing the additional structural component and reducing overall packaging cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser process changes the physical parameters of the flexible wrapping material by creating localized thermal or mechanical modifications along the crease lines. This alters the material's folding characteristics in specific areas, enabling it to hold defined shapes without requiring rigid internal supports.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional scoring methods are used to create fold lines, then complex re-tooling is required for design changes, but flexibility in adjusting fold lines is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical scoring tools and dies with a laser system. The laser can be programmed to create crease lines along any desired path without physical contact with the material, eliminating the need for mechanical re-tooling when fold line designs need to be changed. This provides high adaptability for different packaging configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser system provides dynamic flexibility in creating crease lines. The laser path can be easily modified through software programming to accommodate different product shapes, packaging styles, and design requirements, making the system highly adaptable without requiring physical reconfiguration of tooling.
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
Enables cost-effective production of packages with unique, aesthetically appealing shapes that conform to item forms, using standard packaging materials, while maintaining high-speed packaging line efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
one or more lasers form crease lines in a flexible wrapping material
Implementation Method 2
The use of a laser to create fold lines provides a number of important advantages
Data Source
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Figure 16~17C
AI summary
One or more lasers (80, 100) form one or more crease lines (140, 150, 151) in a flexible wrapping material (60). The flexible wrapping material is then folded about the one or more crease lines when encapsulating an item to be wrapped within the flexible wrapping material. The flexible wrapping material may have poor dead-fold characteristics and can comprise a flow-wrapping material. A single laser or multiple lasers can serve to form the one or more crease lines. The crease lines can be formed on a same side of the flexible wrapping material or on both sides thereof. By one approach, folding the flexible wrapping material about the one or more crease lines forms, at least in part, a form-factor conformal pocket to accommodate the aforementioned item. By another approach, folding the flexible wrapping material about the one or more crease lines forms, at least in part, a gusset.