Reinforced pressure cooker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure cookers face challenges with high manufacturing costs, limited aesthetic differentiation, difficulty in recycling, and poor resistance to hot and humid environments, particularly due to the use of phenolic resin materials.
Innovation Solution
A pressure cooking appliance design featuring a thermoplastic first positioning element with thermosetting reinforcing pieces for enhanced durability and aesthetics, incorporating a bayonet locking system with a crosspiece and radial protrusions for secure lid locking, and using a flexible annular sealing gasket for steam containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If phenolic resin is used to manufacture the lid handle, then thermal resistance and robustness are improved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lid handle is divided into two separate components: a thermoplastic crosspiece and a phenolic resin reinforcing piece. This segmentation allows each part to be manufactured using different processes optimized for their specific material properties, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining the thermal resistance benefits of phenolic resin only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Phenolic resin is applied locally only to the reinforcing piece that contacts the heating element, rather than manufacturing the entire handle from phenolic resin. This local quality approach provides thermal resistance exactly where required while using cheaper thermoplastic material for the remaining handle structure, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
2Reliability
If phenolic resin is used to manufacture the lid handle, then thermal resistance is improved, but manufacturing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is segmented into a thermoplastic crosspiece and a phenolic resin reinforcing piece that can be manufactured separately and assembled. This allows the thermoplastic part to be produced quickly using injection molding while the phenolic resin part can be manufactured using simpler, faster processes, thereby reducing overall manufacturing cycle time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from homogeneous phenolic resin to a composite of thermoplastic and phenolic resin. This parameter change enables the use of faster thermoplastic processing for the majority of the handle while using phenolic resin only where thermal resistance is critical, thus reducing total manufacturing time.
3Strength
If phenolic resin is used to manufacture the lid handle, then robustness is improved, but recyclability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is segmented into a thermoplastic crosspiece and a phenolic resin reinforcing piece. This segmentation enables selective recycling where the thermoplastic portion can be easily recycled through standard thermoplastic processing, while the phenolic resin reinforcing piece can be removed and recycled separately, thereby improving overall recyclability while maintaining robustness.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle uses a composite construction combining thermoplastic and phenolic resin materials. This composite approach allows each material to be optimized for its specific function while enabling separate recycling streams, improving recyclability compared to a homogeneous phenolic resin construction while maintaining the robustness benefits of the phenolic resin component.
Data Source
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AI summary
- Reinforced pressure cooker. - The invention relates to an appliance (1) for cooking food under pressure comprising a tank (2), a lid (3), as well as a first positioning element (6) integral with the lid (3) and formed of 'at least a first portion (7) arranged on the cover (3) and a second portion (8) which extends outwards from said first portion (7) so as to project radially from said cover ( 3), said apparatus (1) also comprising a second positioning element (10) secured to the tank (2), said tank (2) and cover (3) being designed to be able to be joined together according to at least a first predetermined relative arrangement wherein said first and second positioning elements (6, 10) are brought into correspondence to enable the cover (3) to be locked to the tank (2), characterized in that said first positioning element (6) also comprises a piece reinforcement (12) which is integral with said second portion (8) and is shaped e to at least thermally protect said second portion (8). - Pressure cookers.