Supercooled Gel Unit-Dose Capsule Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unit-dose detergent products face challenges in maintaining separation of multiple cleaning components, leading to issues like splashing, foaming, and intermixing of components during manufacturing, which affects their effectiveness and stability.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming a unit-dose capsule with a supercooled gel component that adheres to a film, allowing for complete separation of components without physical barriers, using a multi-cavity design and perforating the film to release gases, thereby preventing intermixing and enhancing manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple cleaning components are kept separate in unit-dose products, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to need for complete separation without physical barriers
Solution Approach 1:
The gel component's temperature parameter is changed by supercooling it below its freezing point, transforming it from a solid/semi-solid state to a fluid state during manufacturing. This temperature parameter change allows the gel to flow and adhere to the film, enabling complete separation from other components without requiring complex physical barriers or multi-cavity designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The gel undergoes a phase transition from solid/semi-solid to liquid through supercooling, and then transitions back to gel state upon contact with the warmer film during dispensing. This phase transition mechanism enables the gel to be easily dispensed and adhered to the film in fluid form, then stabilized in gel form for complete separation from other cleaning components in the unit-dose product.
2Ease of manufacture
If supercooling is used to make gel fluid for dispensing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but energy consumption increases due to cooling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The gel component utilizes its own thermal properties and the ambient temperature of the film to complete the phase transition and adhesion process. Once supercooled to a fluid state, the gel is dispensed onto the film, where the film's ambient temperature provides the necessary heat for the gel to transition back to gel state and adhere, eliminating the need for continuous external cooling or heating energy input during the adhesion process.
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
This approach ensures complete separation of components, reduces manufacturing costs, and maintains the stability of the gel, allowing for efficient production and effective use of unit-dose detergent products.
Implementation Method 1
supercooling a first component to a temperature at which the equilibrium state of the first component is a gel, dispensing the first component in a supercooled state into the first cavity, such that the first component gels to form at least one layer of gel adhered to and/or in contact with the first film
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method for producing a unit-dose capsule which includes optionally forming the first film into the shape of a first cavity, supercooling a first component to a temperature at which the equilibrium state of the first component is a solid or semi-solid, dispensing the first component in a supercooled state into the first cavity, such that the first component gels to form at least one layer of gel adhered to and/or in contact with the first film, forming a second film into the shape of a second cavity, filling the second cavity with a second component, sealing the first film to the second film to form a sealed cavity having at least one chamber containing the first component and the second component. The method may further include wetting and perforating the first film. The unit-dose capsule includes the sealed container and the two components.