Peelable Vacuum Skin Package for Clean Material Separation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing packaging solutions face challenges in achieving effective separation of composite materials while maintaining functionality and integrity, including material compatibility, mechanical strength, barrier properties, manufacturing efficiency, recycling infrastructure, and consumer acceptance.

Innovation Solution

A vacuum skin package with a fiber-based packaging base and a peelable skin package composite, where the product carrier film is adhesively attached to the packaging base with low peel strength, allowing for separation without fiber-tear, and featuring a folding line and undulating line configuration for easy expansion and separation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If traditional adhesive bonding is used to attach film to fiber-based packaging, then strong bonding and mechanical strength are achieved, but complete separation becomes difficult and fiber-tear occurs during recycling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding strengthVSAvoidseparation ease
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive bonding parameters are changed by controlling the peel strength to be within a specific range (0.1-1.0 N/mm). This parameter control allows the bonding to be strong enough for mechanical strength during use, but weak enough to enable complete separation without fiber-tear during recycling processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The packaging design enables complete separation of the film layer from the fiber-based packaging base, allowing the fiber-based material to be recovered and recycled independently. The controlled adhesive bonding ensures that separation occurs cleanly without damaging the fiber structure, facilitating material recovery and reuse.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Reliability

If strong adhesive bonding is used to ensure packaging integrity, then structural strength is maintained, but clean separation of materials is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepackaging integrityVSAvoidfiber-tear
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive bonding strength parameter is precisely controlled to fall within the range of 0.1-1.0 N/mm. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient bonding for packaging integrity during use, while preventing excessive bonding that would cause fiber-tear during separation and recycling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Area of stationary object

If multi-layer composite packaging is used to improve barrier properties, then protection against moisture and oxygen is enhanced, but material separation and recycling become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebarrier protectionVSAvoidmaterial separation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging is segmented into distinct layers: a fiber-based packaging base and a film layer (product carrier film and skin film). These segmented layers are designed with controlled adhesive bonding between them, enabling easy separation while maintaining individual barrier functions. The segmentation allows each material to be processed separately in recycling facilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The packaging uses composite materials combining fiber-based materials and film materials in a specific configuration. The composite structure provides enhanced barrier properties through the synergistic effect of different materials, while the controlled adhesive bonding between layers enables straightforward separation for recycling purposes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

4Ease of manufacture

If conventional packaging designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but effective material separation for recycling is not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidrecycling efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive bonding strength parameter is controlled to a specific range (0.1-1.0 N/mm) that enables easy separation during recycling. This parameter change does not significantly complicate manufacturing, as standard adhesive application processes can be used, but it dramatically improves recycling efficiency by allowing clean separation of materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution enables clean separation of packaging materials, maintains the integrity of the packaging during use, minimizes plastic consumption, and facilitates efficient recycling by ensuring that plastic and fiber-based materials are separated automatically upon opening.

Implementation Method 1

a product carrier film (40), that is adhesively attached to a front side of said packaging base (20) such that it can be peeled from said packaging base (20) without causing fiber-tear

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesive bonding: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP4530215A1Package and methods of separating and manufacturing such package
Publication Date: 2025.04.02 VAN GENECHTEN PACKAGING
  • EP4530215A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4530215A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4530215A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Packaging with separable composite materials, and more specifically a vacuum skin package having a fiber-based packaging base from which a skin package composite is peelable and removable without fiber-tear.