Plastic Wire Clipper Stuffer Mechanism for Tubular Film
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional metal clips used in packaging food products are undesirable due to the need to exclude metal from food products, and existing methods for using plastic clips are either expensive or not practical for enclosing food products like sausages or chubs efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a die and punch mechanism to form and close plastic clips around the neck of tubular film, allowing for easy and inexpensive enclosure of food products, with the ability to use thermoplastic materials like polyethylene or polypropylene and injection molding for clip production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal clips are used to enclose food products, then the sealing function is reliable, but metal must be excluded from food products requiring additional detection steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces durable metal clips with disposable plastic clips that are inexpensive and can be discarded after single use. This eliminates metal contamination concerns while maintaining sealing functionality, as the plastic clips perform their enclosing function and are then discarded rather than reused.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, fundamentally altering the chemical and physical properties of the clip material. This substitution eliminates the harmful metal parameter entirely while preserving the mechanical sealing function through appropriate plastic material selection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If plastic clips are used to avoid metal contamination, then food safety is improved, but conventional plastic clip methods are expensive or not practical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a clipper/stuffer device that performs multiple functions: it stuffs the tubular film with food product and simultaneously applies and secures the plastic clip in one integrated operation. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate clipping devices and operations, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the clipping mechanism with the stuffng mechanism into a single integrated device. The clipper/stuffer merges two previously separate operations (stuffing and clipping) into one unified process, improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing equipment costs.
3Ease of operation
If conventional clipping methods are used, then the process is simple, but plastic clips require specialized forming equipment like injection molding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-forms the plastic clips using injection molding or similar processes before they are applied to the food product. This preliminary action creates ready-to-use clips that can be easily fed into and applied by the simplified clipper/stuffer device, separating the complex clip formation from the simple clip application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the overall process into two independent stages: clip manufacturing (using injection molding equipment) and clip application (using the simplified clipper/stuffer). This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, with complex equipment only needed for clip production, not for the actual food packaging operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for applying plastic clips to tubular products is described. In one embodiment, the system comprises a die and a punch. The die has a peripheral face, an arcuate wall in the die peripheral face forming a half-cylindrical bore, the bore separating the die peripheral face into a first side and a second side, and a groove formed in the arcuate wall and the second side, the groove extending from the first side, through the arcuate wall and the second side, and forming a slot in an outer edge of the die. The punch has a peripheral face, an arcuate wall in the punch peripheral face forming a half-cylindrical bore, the bore separating the punch peripheral face into a first side and a second side, and a pair of grooves, the grooves extending from the first side to the second side of the punch peripheral face. The system also has a means for moving at least one of the die and the punch from a first position in which the die peripheral face and the punch peripheral face are adjacent, to a second position in which the die peripheral face and the punch peripheral face are remote.