Moisture Control Packaging Materials for Humidity Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging solutions for maintaining relative humidity in sealed containers, such as those for smoking articles, often require additional components like humidity pads, which complicate manufacturing, especially in high-speed production environments.
Innovation Solution
A flexible packaging material with a moisture barrier layer and a moisture control layer containing a moisture controlling material that can sorb and release moisture, controlling relative humidity within the package by adjusting moisture permeability between the inner and outer surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If humidity pads or moisture releasing elements are placed within the airtight wrapper to maintain high relative humidity, then the relative humidity control is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the moisture control function directly into the wrapper material by incorporating a moisture-releasing layer within the laminated structure of the flexible packaging material. This integration eliminates the need for separate humidity pads or moisture releasing elements, thereby maintaining high relative humidity while reducing device complexity and manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible packaging material is designed to perform multiple functions within a single structure: it provides barrier protection, mechanical strength, and integrated moisture control through the incorporated moisture-releasing layer. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional separate components, reducing both device complexity and manufacturing steps
2Reliability
If humidity pads are placed within the airtight wrapper to control relative humidity, then the humidity control is improved, but the manufacturing time and production speed are negatively affected
Solution Approach 1:
The moisture control function is merged into the wrapper material itself through a laminated structure that includes a moisture-releasing layer. This integration allows the packaging to be manufactured in a single continuous process without requiring separate steps for adding humidity pads, thereby maintaining humidity control while preserving high manufacturing speed
Solution Approach 2:
The moisture-releasing layer is pre-integrated into the wrapper material during manufacturing, so that when the wrapper is formed and sealed, the humidity control capability is already in place. This preliminary integration eliminates post-assembly steps that would slow down production, maintaining both humidity control and manufacturing efficiency
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
This integrated solution allows for effective control of relative humidity within sealed packages without the need for additional components, maintaining desired humidity levels and simplifying manufacturing processes, particularly in high-speed production.
Implementation Method 1
a moisture controlling material that can sorb and release moisture, controlling relative humidity within the package
Implementation Method 2
The moisture controlling material can sorb or desorb moisture in the interior volume through the moisture permeable layer until the partial pressure of water in the interior volume equals the vapor pressure of the moisture controlling material
Data Source
AI summary
Packaging materials are configured such that when sealed to define an interior volume of a package the packaging material has an inner surface facing the interior volume and an outer surface facing away from the interior volume. Between the inner surface and the outer surface, the packagings contain moisture controlling material. The permeability of moisture from the outer surface to the moisture controlling material is less than the permeability of moisture from the inner surface to the moisture controlling material to provide selective moisture transfer between the moisture controlling material and the interior volume of a sealed package formed, at least in part, from the packaging material. The nature of the packaging material and the moisture controlling material can be tuned to control the relative humidity within the sealed inner volume.