Pivoting Mandrel for Bag-in-Box Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bag-in-box packaging machinery requires separate machines for vertical filling and carton formation, leading to inefficiencies in product densification, increased packaging material usage, and storage space inefficiencies due to inconsistent product shapes and sizes.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a mandrel with a continuous path of travel to form and load products into a bag-in-box package format, allowing for simultaneous carton formation and product filling with the mandrel pivoting between horizontal and vertical orientations, enabling a single machine to perform both tasks efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If separate machines are used for vertical filling and carton formation, then each machine can be optimized for its specific function, but the overall packaging process becomes more complex and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the vertical filling function and carton formation function into a single integrated machine. The mandrel apparatus simultaneously performs both operations: filling product into the bag while forming the surrounding carton, eliminating the need for separate filling machines and cartoning machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The mandrel apparatus is designed as a multi-functional device that can both fill product vertically into the bag and form the carton structure around it. This universal apparatus replaces multiple specialized machines, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining functional optimization.
2Loss of substance
If conventional filling methods are used with inconsistent product shapes and sizes, then the packaging process is simpler, but product densification is poor and packaging material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a vibration mechanism that acts on the product during the filling process. This vibration helps consolidate products with inconsistent shapes and sizes more effectively, improving densification and reducing void spaces within the package, thereby minimizing packaging material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts filling parameters such as vibration frequency, filling speed, and mandrel positioning to optimize densification for different product types. By changing these parameters during the process, the machine achieves better packing efficiency for inconsistent products without sacrificing simplicity.
3Productivity
If the mandrel pivots between horizontal and vertical orientations, then simultaneous carton formation and product filling is enabled, but the mechanical complexity of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel is designed with a pivoting mechanism that allows it to dynamically change orientation between horizontal and vertical positions during the packaging cycle. This dynamic adjustment enables the mandrel to perform both carton formation and vertical filling operations sequentially, achieving continuous production.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivoting mandrel enables continuous operation by seamlessly transitioning between different operational phases: carton formation in horizontal orientation followed by vertical filling in vertical orientation. This continuous cycle eliminates idle time and maintains productive action throughout the process.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated method for forming a packaged good article includes establishing a continuous path of travel for a mandrel. The mandrel defines an open interior between a package side and a loading side. With the mandrel at a first angle, a packaging material is wrapped about the mandrel at a first station along the path of travel to define a partial package. Product is dispensed into the partial package at a second station. With the mandrel at the second angle, the partial package and the mandrel are separated from one another at a third station. The first angle of the mandrel (at the first station) differs from the second angle of the mandrel (at the third station). The partial package is closed to form a packaged good article. In some embodiments, the mandrel is horizontal at the first station and is vertical at the third station.