Self-Desiccating Container With Living Hinge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers with living hinges struggle to provide both an effective desiccating function and a durable living hinge, as high desiccant content in the material reduces flexibility and leads to strain and breakage.
Innovation Solution
A self-desiccating container with a living hinge is created using a container body made from resin bonded sorbent and a closure with different flex moduli, where the container body incorporates high density polyethylene or polypropylene with desiccant additives, and the closure is made from a neat polymer, connected by a living hinge with thicker portions for added strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If high desiccant content is added to the plastic material to provide adequate desiccating function, then moisture absorption capability is improved, but the material becomes less flexible and more prone to strain and flexure fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two distinct parts with different material compositions: the container body contains desiccant material for moisture absorption, while the closure portion is made from flexible polymer without desiccant to maintain hinge flexibility. This segmentation allows each part to have optimized properties for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the container have different material properties tailored to their specific functions. The container body has high desiccant content for moisture absorption, while the closure and hinge areas have flexible polymer material for repeated bending. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between desiccating function and flexibility.
2Device complexity
If a single material is used for both the container body and closure to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the living hinge becomes prone to breakage due to insufficient flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into two parts with different materials: the desiccant-containing body and the flexible closure. This segmentation prioritizes hinge reliability over material uniformity, accepting increased manufacturing complexity to achieve durable living hinges.
Solution Approach 2:
The container uses composite materials with different properties in different sections. The body uses polymer-desiccant composite for moisture absorption, while the closure uses flexible polymer for hinge movement. This composite approach ensures both desiccating function and hinge reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the closure is made from the same desiccant-containing material as the container body, then material consistency is improved, but the closure becomes too rigid for effective sealing and hinge operation
Solution Approach 1:
The closure portion is specifically designed with different material properties (flexible polymer without desiccant) compared to the container body. This local quality differentiation ensures the closure remains flexible for easy opening/closing while the body provides moisture absorption, resolving the contradiction between material consistency and operational flexibility.
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 solution enables a container that effectively reduces moisture content while maintaining the durability and functionality of the living hinge, improving warp and shrink characteristics and ensuring secure closure.
Implementation Method 1
a container body made from a resin bonded sorbent
Implementation Method 2
provide a package that is made from a material that provides a desiccating function, that is, a material that includes ingredients that cause the material itself to absorb water vapor and reduce the humidity within the package
Data Source
AI summary
A self desiccating container with a living hinge includes a container body made from a resin bonded sorbent and at least one attachment feature, and a container closure having a closure portion engageable with the container body to close the body and an attachment feature compatible with the attachment feature on the container body for securing the closure to the body, and a living hinge connecting the closure portion to the attachment feature.