Packaging Insert With Movable Tongue for Flow Wrapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging methods for beverage pads, such as VFFS, result in excessive packaging material usage, stability issues, and potential damage to products due to loose packing, and require pre-degassing of ingredients like roasted coffee to prevent swelling, which reduces freshness and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A flow-wrapped packaging assembly using an insert with a movable tongue and a HFFS process, where the insert is designed to minimize free volume and securely hold beverage pads, allowing for efficient use of packaging film and enabling packaging without prior degassing, with a degassing valve to manage gas release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If VFFS process is used to package beverage pads, then packaging speed is high, but excessive packaging material is used and product stability is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system is segmented into two parts: a rigid insert that holds the beverage pads and a flexible outer wrapper. The insert is divided into compartments that precisely fit the pads, eliminating the need for excessive packaging material while maintaining high packaging speed through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging uses a composite structure combining rigid insert material (for stability and precise fit) with flexible wrapper material (for sealing and protection). This composite approach reduces overall material usage compared to pure flexible packaging while maintaining packaging efficiency.
2Productivity
If VFFS process is used to package beverage pads, then packaging speed is high, but product stability and security are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is segmented into multiple compartments, each designed to hold individual beverage pads securely. This segmentation prevents pads from moving or becoming damaged during handling and transport, while the modular design allows for rapid packaging operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the insert have different structural properties optimized for their specific function: rigid walls for structural support, fitted compartments for securing pads, and open tops for easy filling. This local optimization ensures both product stability and packaging efficiency.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If roasted coffee is packaged without pre-degassing, then freshness is maintained, but package swelling occurs due to gas release
Solution Approach 1:
Degassing valves are pre-installed on the packaging structure, allowing gas to be released automatically when needed. This preliminary preparation enables the package to maintain structural integrity while accommodating the natural degassing process of fresh coffee, eliminating the need for pre-degassing.
Solution Approach 2:
The degassing valve acts as an intermediary between the packaged coffee and the external environment, controlling gas release in a managed manner. This allows the package to maintain its structural strength while permitting the coffee to retain freshness by releasing gas gradually rather than causing sudden swelling.
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
Reduces packaging material usage, enhances product stability and security, and allows for fresh packaging of ingredients that tend to degas, improving consumer experience and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a degassing valve to manage gas release
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
An insert for a flow wrapped packaging assembly has a bottom wall (18) and a peripheral wall (20) extending from said bottom wall to define an interior volume (21) for containing product (14). The insert has a tongue (20) at a top end of the peripheral wall which is movable between a closed position in which it at least partially closes the interior volume at the top end of the insert and an open position in which it does not impede access to the interior volume. The insert (12) can be top-filled when upright with the tongue open and then moved to a horizontal orientation for flow wrapping using a HFFS process with the tongue closed to prevent the contents spilling out. The insert is particularly suitable for enabling a plurality of disc-shape products, such as beverage pads, to be flow wrapped using HFFS processes.