Metal Container Sidewall Structure to Prevent Stacking Blockage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Metal containers with tapered sidewalls experience a blocking phenomenon during transportation, making it difficult to separate them after stacking, and the manufacturing process is complex, struggling to form effective shapes that prevent this issue.
Innovation Solution
A metal container design featuring a curled or flange opening portion, a bulging holding portion with an inclined wall, and a manufacturing method that includes forming a cup, trimming, tip diameter reduction drawing, and diameter reduction drawing closer to the bottom to create a tapered sidewall profile, allowing for easy stacking and separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a tapered sidewall is used to enable stacking, then storage efficiency is improved, but the blocking phenomenon occurs making separation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall is divided into multiple sections with different profiles: an upper tapered section for stacking efficiency and a lower substantially vertical section for easy separation. This segmentation allows each portion to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire sidewall tapered which causes blocking, the invention inverts the approach by making the lower portion vertical and only the upper portion tapered. This reversal of the traditional tapered design prevents the blocking phenomenon while maintaining stacking efficiency.
2Shape
If diameter expansion is performed after forming vertical wall sections, then a tapered profile is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered profile is formed during the initial drawing process itself, rather than requiring a subsequent expansion step. The drawing die is designed to directly produce the desired shape with a single operation, eliminating the need for additional manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The formation of the tapered profile is merged with the drawing process. Instead of separate operations for forming vertical walls and then expanding, the drawing step simultaneously creates both the vertical lower section and the tapered upper section in one integrated process.
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 design prevents the blocking phenomenon by ensuring proper contact between containers during stacking and allows for the formation of complex shapes, enhancing separation and storage efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
forming a bottomed cup by performing drawing processing on a sheet metal material
Implementation Method 2
performing tip diameter reduction drawing on the bottomed cup
Implementation Method 3
forming the sidewall portion having a tapered profile by performing diameter reduction drawing
Data Source
AI summary
To obtain a shape for preventing a blocking phenomenon in a stacked state. In a metal container according to the disclosure, an opening portion includes a curled portion or a flange portion that is curved outward. The inner surface of the opening portion includes an inner surface contact portion that comes into contact with an outer surface contact portion provided at the outer surface of a sidewall portion when stacking the metal containers. A holding portion formed by causing a periphery of the sidewall portion to bulge outward is provided between the outer surface contact portion and the inner surface contact portion, and a sidewall portion is provided at the outer surface of the holding portion.