Pivotable Bag Forming Apparatus for Flat Bottoms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional paper bag forming machinery is large, expensive, and limited to mass production, making it unsuitable for forming flat bottoms of bags at the point of use, especially for multi-walled materials that are difficult to handle and fold.
Innovation Solution
A compact, manually operated bag forming apparatus with a base, pivotable sidewalls, and a top that transforms from a collapsed state to an expanded state, allowing for the formation of a flat bottom platform, enabling users to manually create a flat bottom for bags at the point of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional bag forming machinery is used, then mass production of bags with flat bottoms is achieved, but the equipment becomes large, expensive, and unsuitable for point-of-use deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is divided into three main segments: a base, opposing sidewalls, and a top portion. These segments can be independently positioned and assembled, allowing the device to be compact for storage yet expand to functional size for bag formation, resolving the contradiction between portability and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus can be collapsed into a compact configuration where components nest within each other, similar to a nested doll structure. The top portion folds down, sidewalls collapse inward, and the entire device reduces to a small package suitable for point-of-use locations, while still providing full functionality when deployed.
2Productivity
If conventional machinery is used to form flat bottoms, then production efficiency is high, but the apparatus cannot be deployed at remote point-of-use locations
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus transitions between two dynamic states: a collapsed transport state for easy relocation to various locations, and an expanded operational state for efficient bag formation. This dynamic transformation capability enables the device to adapt to different deployment scenarios while maintaining high productivity during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the apparatus (volume, configuration, spatial arrangement) are changed between collapsed and expanded states. This parameter transformation allows the same device to serve both portability requirements for remote deployment and functionality requirements for efficient bag formation at the point of use.
3Productivity
If multi-walled bag materials are handled in conventional machinery, then production volume is maintained, but handling and folding difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is designed to work with multi-walled materials by providing a platform that facilitates manual folding and formation. The structure itself supports the material through the forming process, with the platform guiding the material into the correct configuration, thereby assisting the operator rather than requiring complex automated handling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus introduces a vertical dimension to the bag formation process by using a platform that rises from the base. This vertical workspace allows operators to work with multi-walled materials in three dimensions, making folding and formation easier compared to conventional two-dimensional processing, while maintaining production volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A bag forming apparatus for forming a flat bottom of a bag includes a base, opposing sidewalls that extend upright relative to the base, and a top that is operably coupled to an upper portion of each of the sidewalls. The top has an intermediate pivot axis between the sidewalls that enables the top to pivot about the pivot axis between a collapsed state and an expanded state. In the collapsed state, the upper portions of the respective sidewalls are closer together and the top extends upright relative to the base to form a tip for insertion into an opening of the bag. In the expanded state, the upper portions of the respective sidewalls are spaced further apart and the top extends horizontally relative to the base to form a platform for forming the flat bottom of the bag.