Modular Interlocking Container Mold with Undercuts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blow molding technologies face challenges in producing modular, interlocking plastic containers with complex shapes and undercuts, which complicates the molding and demolding processes, and limits the ability to use commonly available machines for high-volume production of recyclable materials like PET bottles with varying capacities.
Innovation Solution
The development of a mold assembly and process that incorporates a series of undercuts and interlocking mechanisms, allowing for the production of modular containers with lateral and vertical interconnectivity, using a stretch blow molding technique that adapts existing machines to accommodate complex designs and recyclable materials, and employs specialized coatings and temperature control to facilitate resin flow and easy demolding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If complex interlocking mechanisms and undercuts are incorporated into the container design, then the container achieves modular and lateral interconnectivity, but the molding and demolding processes become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The mold assembly incorporates movable mold sections that can shift position during the demolding process. Specifically, the mold includes a first mold section and a second mold section that can move relative to each other, allowing the mold to adapt its shape and release complex interlocking features without damaging the container. This dynamic adjustment enables demolding of containers with undercuts and interlocking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold assembly is divided into multiple independent mold sections rather than a single monolithic mold. The first mold section forms the exterior surface while the second mold section forms the interior surface, and these sections can move independently. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for specific features and facilitates easier demolding of complex interlocking structures.
2Productivity
If stretch blow molding technique is used to produce recyclable materials like PET bottles, then high production volumes are achieved, but the ability to produce containers with varying capacities and complex shapes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mold assembly allows for dynamic adjustment of mold cavity dimensions and configuration. The movable mold sections can be repositioned to accommodate different bottle capacities and shapes while maintaining the high-speed stretch blow molding process. This enables a single mold assembly to produce multiple container variants.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold assembly is designed as a universal system that can produce various container types, capacities, and configurations using the same basic stretch blow molding machinery. The modular mold design with movable sections allows one mold assembly to serve multiple production needs, producing bottles of different sizes and shapes while maintaining high production volumes.
3Productivity
If specialized coatings and temperature control are employed to facilitate resin flow and easy demolding, then the molding process efficiency is improved, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mold assembly incorporates temperature control systems that adjust thermal parameters during different stages of the molding process. Heating elements and cooling channels are integrated into the mold sections to optimize resin flow characteristics and facilitate demolding. By controlling temperature parameters, the process achieves high efficiency without requiring overly complex mechanical systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying solely on complex mechanical demolding mechanisms, the invention uses thermal fields to facilitate demolding. Specialized coatings on the mold surfaces combined with controlled temperature cycles create conditions that allow the molded container to release easily from the mold sections. This substitutes some mechanical complexity with thermal control, simplifying the overall system.
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 the efficient production of scalable, modular, and interlocking plastic containers that can be easily assembled and recycled, while maintaining high production volumes and reducing waste, by overcoming molding and demolding challenges through innovative mold design and process adaptations.
Implementation Method 1
first stretched in the axial direction
Implementation Method 2
blown in a mold by high pressure air in the hoop direction
Implementation Method 3
The hot preform may be manufactured via an injection mold station on a 'one-stage' or 'single-stage' stretch blow mold machine, whereafter the preform is temperature conditioned, then stretch blow molded into a final article, and finally cooled on the same machine before ejection
Data Source
AI summary
Described are a mold and molding process for manufacturing devices and containers that are scalable, modular, and lockable laterally and vertically with other like devices or containers. The mold is formed with a cup mold and top end mold sections specially designed to allow for molding and demolding a container with an undercut. The cup mold includes, on a vertical wall, one or more undercuts. Multiple undercuts may further form tongues with undercuts each of which forms a groove with undercuts on the molded article, and/or one or more grooves with undercuts each of which form a tongue with undercuts in the molded article. Molding and Demolding of the article with undercuts is further enabled by utilizing an improved method of molding said article with an undercut, and demolding said article from the mold once it is molded, by improvements to each stage of the molding process, including the preform stage, the conditioning station stage, the blow stage and the release stage.