Silicone Baking Pan With Metal Stiffening Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing silicone baking pans are prone to deformation and instability, making it difficult to remove baked goods without breaking or spilling, and are not adequately supportive due to their thin walls and inherent flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A flexible silicone pan with a thicker wall and a U-shaped metal stiffening ring that allows for easier inversion and support, enabling the pan to maintain its shape and stability while baking and removing food items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the pan walls are made thin to permit heat transfer and enable inversion, then heat transfer efficiency is improved and inversion is enabled, but the pan becomes unstable and prone to deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The pan combines silicone material with a wire frame structure to create a composite construction. The wire frame provides structural stability and rigidity while the silicone material maintains flexibility for heat transfer and inversion. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating two materials with complementary properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire frame is strategically positioned within the silicone pan walls to provide localized structural support where needed. The frame creates internal ribs that reinforce the pan structure without requiring the entire wall to be thick, thus maintaining heat transfer efficiency while preventing deformation and instability.
2Ease of operation
If the pan walls are made thin to enable inversion, then ease of inversion is improved, but the pan becomes prone to deformation and the baked goods may break apart
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of silicone and wire frame creates a structure that is both flexible and strong. The silicone allows the pan to be inverted easily while the wire frame maintains structural integrity during the inversion process and when removing baked goods, preventing deformation and breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire frame incorporates curved elements that distribute stress during inversion. The rounded contours of the frame structure help the pan flex smoothly during inversion while maintaining overall shape, reducing the risk of sharp deformations that could cause baked goods to break.
3Temperature
If the pan is made flexible from silicone material, then heat transfer is improved and inversion is enabled, but the pan becomes unstable and may collapse under its own weight or the weight of the filled mold
Solution Approach 1:
The wire frame embedded in the silicone creates a composite structure where the rigid frame provides structural support to prevent collapse under weight, while the flexible silicone material maintains good heat transfer properties. This resolves the contradiction between flexibility for heat transfer and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire frame divides the pan wall into segmented sections, creating internal ribs that provide structural support. This segmentation allows the pan to maintain strength and resist collapse under weight while the silicone material between the segments remains flexible for heat transfer.
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 allows for stable and efficient removal of baked goods without deformation, providing structural support to the pan and preventing spills, while maintaining the flexibility necessary for heat transfer and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
The rim 12 includes a stiffening element that is preferably a metal ring 24
Implementation Method 2
the pan is integrally formed from a flexible material that is suitable for baking or molding food products
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A mold (10) is integrally formed from a flexible material that is suitable for baking or molding food products, such as food grade silicone. In one example, the mold includes a rim (12) at the top and a wall (14) extending between the rim (12) and a base (22) at the bottom. The wall (14) is sufficiently thick that the pan can support its own weight while holding a food item. The mold may include an interior or exterior relief pattern that is imparted onto the food item. In some forms, an upper portion of the mold is relatively smooth and more flexible than a lower portion having a relief pattern. An internal U-shaped stiffening element (24) helps to prevent the mold (10) from collapsing and improves handling of the mold.