Perforated Plastic Tray Thermoforming Material Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing plastic food trays through thermoforming result in excessive material usage and waste due to the need for thicker materials to maintain strength, especially at corners and deep-formed areas, leading to increased costs and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
Applying pretreatments to flat sheets or rolls to create perforated plastic materials, which reduces the amount of plastic used by up to 65% by forming holes without scrap, enhancing strength and preventing condensation through air circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thicker plastic material is used to maintain tray strength during thermoforming, then tray strength is improved, but material usage and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary perforation to the plastic sheet before thermoforming. By creating holes in advance, the material structure is optimized so that fewer material zones are required to achieve the needed strength, directly reducing overall material consumption while maintaining structural integrity during and after forming
Solution Approach 2:
The perforated pattern creates local variations in material density and strength distribution. Areas requiring higher strength retain more material, while areas that can be lighter have reduced material presence through perforations. This localized optimization allows the tray to achieve required strength characteristics without uniformly thick material throughout
2Strength
If material thickness is increased to prevent thinning at corner points during forming, then tray strength is improved, but material usage and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Perforations are created in the plastic sheet before the thermoforming process. This preliminary structuring of the material allows controlled thinning in specific areas while maintaining adequate thickness at critical locations like corners, eliminating the need to uniformly increase base material thickness across the entire tray
3Ease of operation
If holes are cut or punched from the material after forming, then ventilation openings are created, but material is removed as scrap
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing material after forming to create ventilation holes, the patent creates perforations in the plastic sheet before thermoforming. The holes are formed as integral part of the shaping process itself, so no material needs to be cut out or removed afterward, completely eliminating the scrap generation associated with post-forming hole creation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the hole creation operation with the thermoforming process. The perforated sheet is fed directly into the forming apparatus, and the holes are maintained throughout the shaping process. This combines what were previously separate operations (perforation and forming) into one integrated process, eliminating the need for separate material removal steps that generate scrap
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 method significantly reduces plastic waste, lowers production costs, and maintains or increases tray strength while minimizing condensation in humid products, using up to 30% less base material thickness and allowing for higher air circulation.
Implementation Method 1
They are used with or with or without a cover after being shaped as a whole in accordance with the desired strength and product geometry in the state of the art. The depth of the tray is determined according to the weight, sensitivity and geometric dimensions of the product to be stored.
Implementation Method 2
Furthermore, the holes prevent or minimize condensation by providing air circulation in high humidity products such as cakes etc. with the help of the inventive perforated trays.
Data Source
Figure 1.a
Figure 1.b
Figure 2.a
AI summary
Plastic trays of different thickness and made of different materials are used as food carrying trays. The size and geometry of these trays can also vary depending on the product geometry and the number of products. These trays are shaped from flat plates by using lower and upper moulds by thermoforming method in the state of the art. A method has been developed to reduce the usage amount of plastic trays by 65% by applying pre-treatment on flat sheets or rolls with this invention and different product alternatives were produced with this method.