Multipart Pulp Mold Cavities for Thin-Walled Vacuum Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies fail to provide a method for forming fully biodegradable, thin-walled pulp-based products that maintain integrity during molding, drying, and exposure to liquids, while avoiding non-degradable materials, and lack a system for simultaneous molding and drying.
Innovation Solution
A multipart mold system comprising separable housing units forms a cavity for vacuum molding, using porous mold screens connected to vacuum blocks for negative pressure to aggregate natural fibers, and includes a base unit for forming three-dimensional articles, allowing for simultaneous molding and drying without non-degradable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional molding methods are used, then products can be formed, but they require non-biodegradable materials and cannot maintain structural integrity during drying
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into multiple separable housing units (first housing unit, second housing unit, base housing unit) that can be assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the mold to be opened for removing delicate wet-formed pulp products without causing damage, while still providing sufficient support during the molding and drying processes. The segmented structure enables biodegradable materials to be used without compromising structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary formation of the pulp product within the closed mold housing units before removal. The mold screens and housing units provide structural support during the critical wet-formed stage, allowing the biodegradable pulp material to gain sufficient strength through initial drying within the protected environment, preventing damage during subsequent handling.
2Quantity of substance
If thin-walled products are formed, then material usage is reduced, but structural integrity during molding and drying is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The mold incorporates flexible mold screens (such as mesh screens) that conform to the thin-walled product geometry while providing sufficient support during molding and drying. These flexible screens allow the formation of thin-walled structures with minimal material usage while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed support of the screen structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold system applies localized support and pressure through the mold screens at critical areas of the thin-walled product. The housing units provide targeted structural reinforcement where needed during the molding and drying processes, allowing thin walls to maintain integrity without requiring additional material throughout the entire structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separable housing units are used, then mold flexibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separable housing units are designed with universal features including standardized connection elements (flanges, bolts, gaskets) that allow the same basic components to be assembled in different configurations for various product geometries. The mold screens can be removed and replaced to accommodate different product shapes, making the system versatile without requiring completely different mold sets for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold screens are extracted as separate removable components from the housing units, allowing them to be independently replaced or cleaned. This extraction principle simplifies the separable housing unit design by isolating the wear-prone or application-specific components (screens) from the structural housing components, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining flexibility.
4Manufacturing precision
If vacuum molding is applied, then molding precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum molding process is integrated continuously with the drying process within the same closed mold housing units. The vacuum is applied during formation and maintained through the drying phase without interruption, eliminating the need to transfer the wet-formed product to a separate drying apparatus. This continuous operation improves molding precision while reducing energy consumption by avoiding repeated heating and cooling cycles.
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 system enables the production of biodegradable, thin-walled pulp products with structural integrity, capable of withstanding molding and drying processes, and prevents environmental pollution by using only biodegradable materials.
Implementation Method 1
using porous mold screens connected to vacuum blocks for negative pressure to aggregate natural fibers
Implementation Method 2
connected to vacuum blocks for negative pressure to aggregate natural fibers
Implementation Method 3
allowing for simultaneous molding and drying
Implementation Method 4
porous mold screens
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a system of multipart devices for the formation, pressing, and coating of molded pulp fiber articles. The system includes a mold device, a pressing device, and/or a coating device. Each device comprises a screen fastened or otherwise connected to the housing unit. The housing unit is a solid, non-porous housing element, and multiple housing units are configured to be reversibly connected to form a single device. When joined together, the screens of each housing unit form a continuous cavity for the molding, pressing, and coating of the product. The housing unit of a mold device comprises one or more vacuum systems which direct vacuum pressure to the product surface of the mold screen to form a pulp fiber product from a pulp fiber slurry. The pulp product is operable to be dried in the mold device, resulting in the formation of a stable, thin-walled pulp product.