Nestable Container Flange Uniform Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressed paperboard containers often have non-uniform rim spacing and thickness, leading to difficulties in denesting, which increases costs and time due to inefficient stacking and separation.
Innovation Solution
The development of pressed containers with a downwardly convergent peripheral sidewall and a radially outwardly projecting rim, featuring a divided flange with thick and thin portions, protrusions, or a rolled edge to facilitate uniform stacking and reliable denesting, along with a multi-angled sidewall for enhanced nesting and resistance to deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional pressed paperboard containers are stacked in a nested relationship, then space utilization is improved, but non-uniform rim spacing and thickness lead to difficult denesting
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is divided into a relatively thick radially inner portion and a relatively thin radially outer portion. This segmentation allows the thick portion to uniformly engage with adjacent containers for stable stacking, while the thin portions create uniform spacing that facilitates reliable denesting by reducing friction and interference between nested containers.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the flange are given different thicknesses to serve different functions: the radially inner portion is made thicker to provide structural support and uniform engagement for stacking stability, while the radially outer portion is made thinner to reduce interference and facilitate easy separation during denesting operations.
2Ease of operation
If containers are designed with uniform rim spacing and thickness, then denesting becomes easier, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is segmented into thick and thin portions that can be formed using standard pressed paperboard manufacturing techniques. This segmentation achieves uniform rim spacing and thickness characteristics that facilitate easy denesting, while remaining compatible with conventional manufacturing processes through appropriate mold design.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange thickness parameter is varied radially to create thick inner portions and thin outer portions. This parameter change optimizes both stacking stability and denesting ease, while the variations can be incorporated into standard pressed paperboard container manufacturing using conventional forming techniques.
3Productivity
If containers are stacked uniformly, then handling efficiency improves, but time and cost for manual separation increase due to tight nesting
Solution Approach 1:
The flange segmentation into thick and thin portions creates uniform spacing between nested containers. This uniform spacing maintains compact stacking for efficient handling and storage, while simultaneously reducing friction and interference to enable rapid manual separation, thereby reducing separation time and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
By providing different flange thicknesses at different radial locations, the design achieves uniform container spacing that optimizes both stacking density for handling efficiency and separation characteristics for reduced denesting time, resolving the contradiction between these two operational requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of flanged containers that can be stacked in a nested relationship are disclosed so as to provide uniform spacing between the containers to facilitate reliable denesting thereof. The flanges and/or sidewalls of the containers may be provided with features that facilitate alignment and uniform spacing of the nested containers so that a denesting apparatus can reliably denest the containers. Other containers include sidewalls divided into two sections that serve to stabilize stacked container.