Thermoformed Inserts With Undercuts for Consumable Freshness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Packages that store consumables like e-vaping elements or heat-not-burn devices lose freshness due to exposure to ambient air, leading to degradation.
Innovation Solution
An insert design with undercuts and a lid that securely holds the consumables, minimizing exposure to air by conforming to the product shape and allowing easy release through weakened areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a package stores consumables to maintain freshness, then the consumables are protected from air exposure, but the package structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is constructed from a flexible thermoform plastic material that can be heat-formed to conform precisely to the contours of the consumable product. This flexible shell approach allows the insert to create a custom-fitting protective cavity without requiring complex rigid structures or multiple components, thereby maintaining freshness while keeping the package structure simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert utilizes thermoform plastic that changes its physical state through heating and forming processes. The material transitions from a flat sheet to a three-dimensional conforming structure when heat is applied, allowing the same simple material to provide complex protective functionality through parameter change rather than structural complexity.
2Reliability
If the insert conforms to product shape to minimize air exposure, then freshness is maintained, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The thermoform plastic material undergoes a parameter change through heating that enables it to be shaped conforming to the product contours. The heat softens the material, allowing it to be formed into the precise shape needed for maximum product contact and minimum air exposure, then it cools to maintain that precise shape permanently.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert design incorporates curved and contoured surfaces that naturally conform to the shape of the consumable product. By using curved geometry in the insert structure, the material can flow and conform to the product contours more easily during forming, reducing the precision requirements for manufacturing while achieving the desired tight fit.
3Strength
If undercuts are added to secure the consumable, then the hold strength increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The undercut features are merged directly into the continuous thermoform plastic structure of the insert. Rather than adding separate undercut components or assembly steps, the undercut contours are formed as an integrated part of the single-piece thermoformed insert, securing the consumable through the molded geometry while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible thermoform plastic material allows the creation of undercut features through forming processes rather than requiring rigid precision-machined components. The flexibility of the material enables the undercut contours to be formed smoothly into the insert structure, providing secure holding engagement without adding significant structural complexity.
4Reliability
If a lid is added to cover the cavity, then protection from air improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is merged with the base insert structure through a permanent seal connection. This integration combines the protective function of the lid with the structural function of the insert into a unified assembly, providing air exposure protection while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity through the sealed connection design.
Data Source
AI summary
The insert includes a base, the base including at least one depression that defines a cavity, the at least one depression including a floor with walls, the walls including a first pair of opposing walls and a second pair of opposing walls, the first pair of opposing walls each defining an undercut, the undercut including a lower inclined segment and an upper inclined segment that join at an apex, the apex of the undercut for each of the first pair of opposing walls facing each other, and a lid connected to an upper brim of the base, the lid covering the cavity.