Flexible Mold With Rigid Underside Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food molds made of flexible plastic, such as silicone rubber, are difficult to handle due to their soft and wobbly nature, making them challenging to grip and assemble, and they often stick to support surfaces during cooking or freezing, leading to issues with heat transfer and condensation.
Innovation Solution
A circumferential frame is added to the underside of the mold, made of a harder material like metal or harder plastic, which stiffens the base and provides a defined edge contour, allowing for easier handling and reduced sticking by creating a spacer between the mold and the support surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the mold is made of flexible plastic material, then it provides good flexibility and food contact safety, but it becomes difficult to handle and grip due to soft and wobbly nature
Solution Approach 1:
The mold combines flexible plastic material for the base and side walls with a rigid frame structure made of metal or harder plastic. This composite construction allows the mold to maintain flexibility where needed for food contact while gaining structural stability and handleability from the rigid frame extending along the underside.
2Ease of operation
If the mold is made of flexible plastic material, then it provides good flexibility, but it sticks to support surfaces during cooking or freezing
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid frame acts as an intermediary element between the flexible plastic mold and the support surface. By extending along the underside, it creates a defined spacer that prevents direct contact between the flexible plastic and the support surface, thereby reducing sticking during cooking or freezing while allowing heat transfer.
3Temperature
If the mold is made of flexible plastic material, then it allows direct contact with support surface, but this causes poor heat transfer and condensation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid frame serves as a thermal intermediary that defines the contact points between the mold and support surface. This spacer effect allows controlled heat transfer through the frame while preventing excessive condensation on the support surface by reducing the overall contact area and improving air circulation.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a form (10) for receiving foodstuffs in the manner of a baking or cooking form, comprising a base (11) and at least four side walls (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d), wherein the side walls (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) can be transferred from a flat state, in which the form is designed in the manner of a mat, into an upright use position relative to the base (11) and can be releasably locked in their use position, wherein the base (11) and the side walls (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) are made of a flexible plastic (22, 23), characterized in that a circumferential frame (17) extends along an underside (18) of the base (11).