Packaging Material With Segmented Nonwoven Layer

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing packaging materials for transporting objects are inflexible, expensive, and lack adaptability to the object's outer shape, offering inadequate protection against bumps and knocks.

Innovation Solution

A packaging material featuring a nonwoven layer of thermoplastic plastic fibers with spaced, parallel elongated depressions, which allows for easy bending around corners and edges, combined with a protective plastic or metal film for enhanced shock absorption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If individual strips are laminated on both sides with film or paper, then the packaging material is flexible, but the outer shape of the item being packaged is not very adaptable and offers little protection against impacts and shocks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to item shapeVSAvoidprotection against impacts and shocks
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging material is divided into multiple longitudinal strips that are spaced apart, allowing each strip to independently conform to the contours of the packaged item. This segmentation enables both adaptability to shape and impact absorption, as the strips can move independently to cushion shocks while wrapping around corners and edges.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The packaging material utilizes a nonwoven fabric structure with inherent porosity and compressibility. This porous structure allows the material to deform and conform to irregular item shapes while the compressed air pockets within the porous structure provide cushioning against impacts and shocks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

2Ease of operation

If the packaging material is made flexible with spaced strips, then it can wrap around corners, but the material is expensive to manufacture and not very stable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of bending around cornersVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the physical parameters of the packaging material by using a nonwoven fabric with specific compressibility and thermal properties. This allows the material to be easily formed into the desired strip configuration through heat treatment, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining flexibility for wrapping around corners.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The packaging material uses inexpensive nonwoven fabric that can be easily manufactured and disposed of after single use. This approach reduces manufacturing costs compared to reusable rigid structures, while the material's stability is sufficient for its intended single-use packaging application.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the packaging material provides robust protection against impacts, then it offers good shock absorption, but it may reduce flexibility and adaptability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection against impacts and shocksVSAvoidconformity to outer contours
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging material exhibits dynamic properties, transitioning from a flexible state during application to a more rigid state during impact. The nonwoven fabric strips can easily bend and conform during wrapping, but compressibility increases under impact forces, providing shock absorption while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 material effectively adapts to the object's contours, providing robust protection against impacts and being both stable and cost-effective to manufacture, while also being rollable and foldable.

Implementation Method 1

the heat used for producing the elongated depressions be generated by high frequency or ultrafrequency or by hot stamping rollers, so that partial stiffening in the area of the depressions is achieved

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat: Heating

Implementation Method 2

the soft, fluid layers between the indentations protect the item from impacts and shocks during transport and assembly

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectImpact absorption: Damping

Data Source

PatentEP3196144B1Packing material
Publication Date: 2019.03.13 K L KASCHIER UND LAMINIER GMBH
  • EP3196144B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a planar packaging material for items to be transported, wherein it has a nonwoven layer made of plastic fibers, the fibers of which consist of a thermoplastic plastic, and wherein the nonwoven layer has elongated depressions on its front side that are spaced apart from each other and are parallel to each other, and which are produced by pressing, in particular with the addition of heat.