Ovenable Tray Composite Removable Liner Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fiber-based trays with polymeric liners face challenges in achieving removability and separability after oven use, often requiring manual separation that can be difficult due to excessive adhesion.
Innovation Solution
The development of an ovenable tray composite featuring a polymeric based liner with an exterior polyester surface layer and an interior polypropylene surface layer, which is removably affixed to a fiber-based component, allowing for manual separation post-oven use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If high temperature resistant polymers are used for the liner, then the liner can survive oven temperatures, but the liner becomes difficult to adhere to the fiber based component and requires additional adhesive components
Solution Approach 1:
The liner is constructed as a composite material system combining high temperature resistant polymer (for thermal stability) with adhesive polymer layers (for bonding). This multi-layer composite structure allows the liner to simultaneously achieve oven temperature resistance and proper adhesion to the fiber based component without requiring separate adhesive components.
2Temperature
If high temperature resistant polymers are used for the liner, then the liner can survive oven temperatures, but the liner becomes even more difficult to remove from the fiber based component once adhered due to added adherence from heat
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the liner structure have different properties: the inner layers possess high temperature resistance for oven survival, while the outer adhesive layers are designed with controlled bonding characteristics that allow easy manual separation after use. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between heat-resistant adhesion and post-use separability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the fiber based component is coated with a thin layer of polyethylene, then the benefits of a polymeric liner are achieved, but manual separation is difficult and results in too much of the fiber based component remaining adhered to the premade liner
Solution Approach 1:
The liner employs a composite structure with multiple functional layers: inner layers provide structural integrity and temperature resistance, while outer adhesive layers are formulated to bond during manufacturing but allow easy manual separation after use. This composite approach delivers polymeric liner benefits while enabling clean separation with minimal fiber component remaining on the liner.
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 tray composite achieves effective adhesion during oven use and allows for easy manual separation of the polymeric liner from the fiber-based component, maintaining structural integrity and enabling environmentally friendly disposal.
Implementation Method 1
The interior surface layer of the polymeric based liner is removably affixed to the fiber based component
Implementation Method 2
the polymeric based liner can survive oven temperatures and conditions without separating prematurely from the fiber based component nor adhering too much
Data Source
AI summary
An ovenable tray composite that includes a polymeric based liner and a fiber based component. The liner has an exterior surface layer and an interior surface layer comprising a polypropylene. The polypropylene has a Melt Index of about 0.2 grams/10 minutes to about 2 grams/10 minutes. The interior surface layer of the polymeric based liner is removably affixed to the interior surface of the fiber based component, and where the polymeric based liner and the fiber based component are manually separable.