Modular Foam Pallet Shipper with Interlocking Corners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature-controlled pallet shippers face challenges such as high weight, edge leaks, manual labor requirements, and transportation issues due to their bulky and complex designs, which affect insulation efficiency and durability.
Innovation Solution
A modular, easily assembled temperature-controlled pallet shipper with a design featuring a base and corner structures that create tortuous paths for heat transfer through tongue and groove seams and convoluted flanged seams, eliminating edge leaks and allowing for expansion from quarter to half sizes without additional tooling, reducing weight and assembly complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional passive pallet shippers are designed with large walls to improve insulation, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but edge leaks occur between walls which reduce the R-value
Solution Approach 1:
The shipper is divided into multiple modular panels that can be assembled together. Each panel is a separate component with standardized dimensions, allowing for flexible configuration while maintaining consistent edge sealing through the interlocking joint design between panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner structures feature nested L-shaped configurations where one panel fits into another at the corners. This nesting arrangement creates overlapping edges that eliminate gaps and prevent edge leaks while maintaining the insulating air space between the nested layers.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional pallet shippers are made with six separate walls to form a box, then structural completeness is achieved, but assembly complexity and manual labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Adjacent panels are merged into single larger panels where appropriate, reducing the total number of separate components. The modular design allows certain walls to be combined while maintaining the ability to disassemble if needed, simplifying the assembly process while preserving structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular panels are designed with universal connection features that allow them to serve multiple functions - forming different wall positions, creating corners, and providing structural support. This universality reduces the variety of unique parts needed and simplifies assembly procedures.
3Strength
If traditional pallet shippers use bulky designs to ensure durability, then structural strength is improved, but weight increases which affects transportation cost
Solution Approach 1:
The shipper utilizes thin-walled modular panels with optimized structural features that provide sufficient strength through smart design rather than material thickness. The L-shaped corner structures and interlocking joints distribute loads efficiently, allowing thinner walls that reduce weight while maintaining durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shipper employs composite construction combining insulating materials with structural reinforcement only where needed. The modular panels use material strategically - thicker at corners and connection points for strength, thinner in panel centers for weight reduction - creating an optimized composite structure.
4Temperature
If additional thermal insulation is added to enclosure to improve insulation properties, then thermal performance is improved, but edge gaps must be minimized or eliminated completely which increases design complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The L-shaped corner structures create nested configurations where panels overlap and fit into one another. This nesting automatically eliminates edge gaps through the physical interlocking of the nested layers, maintaining the insulating air space without requiring additional sealing components or complex gap-filling designs.
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 modular design enhances thermal insulation, reduces weight by 37%, simplifies assembly, and improves durability, making it more cost-effective and efficient for shipping temperature-sensitive materials.
Implementation Method 1
The modular design enhances thermal insulation, reduces weight by 37%, simplifies assembly, and improves durability
Data Source
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AI summary
A thermally insulated pallet shipper (140) is provided for use in any industry where temperature sensitive products are shipped, including the pharmaceutical, hospital and food industries, particularly for shipping payloads by air. The pallet shipper (140) is made from four individual foam molded structures: a base (150), a first corner structure (146), a second corner structure (148) and a lid (141).