Multi-Cavity Deep Drawing Clamping for Uniform Film Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging machines face challenges in producing film bags with uniform film thickness, leading to irregular dissolution times and increased environmental pollution and production costs, particularly when using water-soluble films like PVOH.
Innovation Solution
A deep-drawing device with multiple die plates and a clamping contour that surrounds multiple cavities, allowing for uniform film thinning and material balance, combined with vacuum and heating mechanisms to control film flow and thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the film thickness is increased to prevent defects and withstand external stresses, then the film strength and protection capability are improved, but the environmental pollution increases and production costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vacuum technology (pneumatic principle) by introducing a vacuum channel system with multiple vacuum sources connected to individual cavities. This enables precise control of film deformation during deep drawing, ensuring uniform film thickness without requiring increased initial film thickness, thereby maintaining strength while reducing environmental impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the process parameters of the deep drawing operation by controlling vacuum pressure distribution through multiple vacuum sources and vacuum channels. This allows optimization of film thinning behavior during forming, achieving uniform thickness that prevents defects without needing thicker starting material.
2Reliability
If the film thickness is increased to prevent leaking and defects, then the film integrity is improved, but the production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum channel system with multiple vacuum sources provides precise control over film deformation in each cavity, ensuring uniform film thickness and preventing defects such as leaking. This process control achieves reliable film integrity without requiring increased film thickness, thereby reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality control by providing individual vacuum channels for each cavity or group of cavities, allowing independent control of film deformation in different regions. This ensures uniform film thickness locally in each cavity, preventing defects and ensuring reliability without increasing overall film thickness or production cost.
3Strength
If the film thickness is increased for water-soluble films, then the film strength is improved, but the dissolution time increases and becomes irregular
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum-controlled deep drawing process ensures uniform film thickness by precisely controlling the deformation process. For water-soluble films, this uniformity is critical as it ensures consistent and predictable dissolution times while maintaining the necessary film strength during use, eliminating the irregular dissolution problems associated with non-uniform thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
By controlling the vacuum pressure parameters during deep drawing, the patent achieves uniform film thickness that balances film strength requirements with consistent dissolution characteristics. This parameter control ensures that water-soluble films maintain adequate strength during handling while dissolving uniformly and predictably during use.
4Productivity
If more individual cavities are formed on a die plate to increase productivity, then the production efficiency is improved, but the film material available for each cavity decreases leading to uneven thinning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a system with multiple vacuum sources and vacuum channels that can be independently controlled for different cavity groups. This pneumatic control system enables each cavity or cavity group to receive optimized vacuum pressure, ensuring uniform film thinning and consistent film thickness even when multiple cavities are formed on a single die plate, thus maintaining manufacturing precision while achieving high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the vacuum control system into multiple independent vacuum sources and vacuum channels, each serving specific cavities or cavity groups. This segmentation allows independent optimization of film deformation in each cavity, ensuring uniform film thickness across all cavities on the die plate, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling high productivity through multiple simultaneous cavities.
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
Ensures uniform film thinning, reproducible dissolution times, and cost-effective production of film bags while reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the heating plate has a flat underside. The heating plate is lowered and comes into contact with the film
Implementation Method 2
at least one mold vacuum device, wherein the mold vacuum device comprises at least one first vacuum source for providing a vacuum
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a thermoforming device for thermoforming film, comprising an arrangement of several die plates (9, 9') which can be driven in a circular path by a conveyor (7), wherein each die plate (9, 9') comprises at least two individual cavities (36) on a top surface (43), and with at least one heating plate (13) for heating the film (2), wherein the heating plate (13) comprises on its underside (15) a clamping device (51) with at least one clamping means (52) for clamping the film (2), wherein the clamping means (52) has a clamping contour (53) for contacting the film (2), and wherein the clamping contour (53) in a position (45) of the thermoforming device (12) clamping the film (2) at least partially surrounds at least two individual cavities (36) in the direction of view perpendicular to the top surface (43) of the die plate (9, 9').