Perforated Substrate Bundling for Easy Container Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container bonding methods using hot melt adhesives face a challenge in achieving a reliable bond while ensuring easy separation, and they often have a negative impact on recycling and optical appearance.
Innovation Solution
A container pack design where individual containers are bonded to a perforated substrate using hot melt adhesive, with perforation lines enclosing each adhesive spot, allowing for strong bonding and easy separation without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a higher adhesive force is used to provide a reliable bond between containers, then bonding reliability is improved, but separation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into multiple perforated sections, with each perforation enclosing a spot of hot melt adhesive. This segmentation allows the bond to be concentrated at specific discrete points rather than distributed across the entire contact area, enabling reliable bonding at the adhesive spots while allowing easy separation along the perforation lines.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate have different properties: areas with hot melt adhesive spots provide strong bonding, while the perforation lines (without adhesive) provide easy separation paths. This local differentiation of bonding strength allows the pack to simultaneously achieve reliable bonding where needed and easy separation where required.
2Ease of manufacture
If shrink films are used to bundle containers, then ease of manufacture is improved, but environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate with perforated adhesive spots is designed to be easily discarded after use, while the containers are recovered for reuse or recycling. The perforated design allows the substrate to be cleanly separated from individual containers without leaving residue, facilitating waste disposal and container recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding method changes from continuous shrink film wrapping to discrete hot melt adhesive spots on a perforated substrate. This parameter change reduces material usage and eliminates the need for energy-intensive shrink wrapping processes, thereby reducing environmental impact while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
3Strength
If continuous substrate is used for bonding, then bonding strength is improved, but recycling difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous substrate is segmented into perforated sections, creating discrete bonding zones. This segmentation allows the substrate to maintain sufficient overall strength for handling and transport while enabling easy separation at the perforation lines during recycling or disposal processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive is extracted from a continuous distribution and concentrated only at specific perforated spots. This extraction creates clear separation zones along the perforation lines, allowing the substrate to be easily torn or cut apart for recycling without requiring complex separation processes.
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 design provides a strong and secure bundling of containers with easy pack separation, reduces environmental impact by eliminating shrink wrap, and facilitates recycling without fiber tears.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one individual container of the first group of containers and the at least one individual container of the second group of containers, is bonded by means of at least one spot of hot melt adhesive to opposing sides of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a container pack comprising a first group of containers and a second group of containers, wherein the first group of containers and the second group of containers each comprise at least one individual container, and wherein each individual container of the first group of containers and second group of containers, is bonded by means of at least one spot of hot melt adhesive to opposing sides of a substrate located between the first group of containers and the second group of containers, wherein the substrate is perforated such that each spot of hot melt adhesive on the substrate is enclosed by a perforation line.