SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS FROM POLYMERIC MATERIALS WITH UNWARPED INTERNAL PARTITION
20240009936 ยท 2024-01-11
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
B65D11/10
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
A process of manufacturing containers from polymeric materials with unwarped internal partition is described; a container with unwarped internal partition, manufactured from polymeric materials and a system for manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition from polymeric materials, are further described; the process comprises: premanufacturing a bottom part of a container, premanufacturing a top part of the container, applying a preheating treatment, appending the top part of the container, welding, cooling down the welded complex of the container; the container comprises: a bottom part, a top part comprising a bottom plate, surrounding sidewalls and at least one interior partition; the system comprises: at least one first premanufacturing subsystem, at least one second premanufacturing subsystem, at least one preheater, an appending mechanism, a welding machine and a cooler.
Claims
1. A process of manufacturing containers from polymeric materials with unwarped internal partition comprises: (a) premanufacturing a bottom part of a container from a polymeric material, wherein said bottom part embodying essentially a platform shape; (b) premanufacturing a top part of said container from a polymeric material, wherein said top part comprising: (I) a bottom plate of said top part, configured to match said bottom part, wherein a superior surface of said bottom part is engageable to an inferior surface of said bottom plate of said top part; (II) a plurality of surrounding sidewalls, wherein an interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls is configured to match an exterior profile of said bottom part; (III) at least one interior partition, configured for dividing an interior volume of said container into at least two distinct compartments, wherein said interior partition extends essentially an entire distance in-between two opposing sidewalls, of said plurality of surrounding sidewalls, wherein said interior partition forms an integral monolithic part of said plurality of surrounding sidewalls; (c) applying a preheating treatment to said bottom part; (d) appending said top part of said container to said bottom part following said step of applying said preheating; (e) welding said interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls of said top part with said exterior profile of said bottom part, thereby forming a welded complex of said container; (f) cooling down said welded complex of said container, thereby facilitating stretching of said at least one interior partition and forming of a container with an unwarped internal partition.
2. The process as in claim 1, wherein said interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls is configured to overlap with said exterior profile of said bottom part.
3. The process as in claim 1, wherein said welding comprises an ultrasonic welding.
4. A container with unwarped internal partition, manufactured from polymeric materials, said container comprises: (a) a bottom part of said container, wherein said bottom part embodying essentially a platform shape; (b) a top part of said container, wherein said top part comprising: (I) a bottom plate of said top part, configured to match said bottom part, wherein a superior surface of said bottom part is engageable to an inferior surface of said bottom plate of said top part; (II) a plurality of surrounding sidewalls, wherein an interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls is configured to match an exterior profile of said bottom part; (III) at least one interior partition, configured for dividing an interior volume of said container into at least two distinct compartments, wherein said interior partition extends essentially an entire distance in-between two opposing sidewalls, of said plurality of surrounding sidewalls, wherein said interior partition forms an integral monolithic part of said plurality of surrounding sidewalls; said container is being manufactured by performing the steps of: (c) premanufacturing said bottom part from a polymeric material; (d) premanufacturing said top part from a polymeric material; (e) applying a preheating treatment to said bottom part; (f) appending said top part of said container to said bottom part following said step of applying said preheating; (g) welding said interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls of said top part with said exterior profile of said bottom part, thereby forming a welded complex of said container; (h) cooling down said welded complex of said container, thereby facilitating stretching of said at least one interior partition and forming of said container with said unwarped internal partition.
5. The container as in claim 4, wherein said container comprises a plurality of interior monocytic partitions.
6. The container as in claim 4, wherein said container is of at least one configuration selected from the group consisting of: an open top configuration, closed configuration, open side configuration and open front configuration.
7. The container as in claim 4, wherein said container comprises a plurality of interior monocytic partitions, wherein at least one partition of said plurality of interior monocytic partitions is disposed essentially orthogonally to at least one another partition of said plurality of interior monocytic partitions.
8. The container as in claim 4, wherein said surrounding sidewalls comprise a peripheral rim.
9. The container as in claim 4, wherein said bottom part comprises a superior surface, wherein said superior surface comprises a structured shape configured for engaging to inferior surface of said bottom plate of said top part.
10. The container as in claim 4, wherein said bottom part comprises at least one structural element selected from the group consisting of: a reinforcement rib, circular ridge and polygonal ridge.
11. The container as in claim 9, wherein said superior surface of said bottom plate of said top part comprises at least one structural element configured for affixing articles in said container.
12. The container as in claim 4, further comprises a lid, wherein said lid is attachable to said surrounding sidewalls by at least one mechanism selected from the group of: an interlocking mechanism, snap-on mechanism and hinged mechanism.
13. A system for manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition from polymeric materials comprises: (a) at least one first premanufacturing subsystem, comprising at least one mold embodying an inverted shape of a bottom part of said container; (b) at least one second premanufacturing subsystem, comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of: a mold embodying an inverted shape of a top part of said container and an extruder nozzle comprising a profile of a shape said top part of said container; wherein said at least one member further comprises: (I) a void volume of an inverted shape of surrounding sidewalls, wherein an interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls essentially matching an exterior profile of said bottom plate; (II) a void volume of an inverted shape of at least one monolithic interior partition, configured for dividing an interior volume of said container into at least two distinct compartments; wherein said interior partition extends essentially an entire distance in-between two opposing sidewalls, of said surrounding sidewalls; wherein said void volume of said inverted shape of said at least one interior partition forms a continuum with said void volume of said inverted shape of said surrounding sidewalls; (c) at least one preheater, configured to apply preheating treatment to said bottom part; (d) an appending mechanism configured appending said top part of said container to a preheated bottom part; (e) a welding machine, configured for fusing a bottom edge of said top part with a top edge of said bottom part, thereby forming a welded complex of said container; (f) a cooler configured for cooling down said welded complex of said container, thereby stretching said at least one interior partition and facilitating forming of a container with an unwarped internal partition.
14. The system as in claim 13, wherein said interior profile of said surrounding sidewalls is configured to overlap with said exterior profile of said bottom part.
15. The system as in claim 13, wherein said welding machine comprises an ultrasonic welding machine.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0056] The present invention will be understood and appreciated more comprehensively from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:
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[0072] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown merely by way of example in the drawings. The drawings are not necessarily complete and components are not essentially to scale; emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles underlying the present invention.
DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF EMBODIMENTS
[0073] Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of actual implementation are described in this specification. It should be appreciated that various features or elements described in the context of some embodiment may be interchangeable with features or elements of any other embodiment described in the specification. Moreover, it will be appreciated that for the development of any actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with technology- or business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another, and the effort of such a development might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
[0074] In accordance with some aspects and embodiments of the present invention, reference is now made to
[0075] In some embodiments, container 12 comprises bottom part 13, shown in
[0076] In some embodiments, container 12 comprises top part 16. In some embodiments top part 16 embodies different sizes and/or heights, for instance as shown in
[0077] In some examples, top part 16 comprises at least one polymeric material that is different than the polymeric material of bottom part 13. Whereas in other examples, top part 16 comprises at least one polymeric material that is essentially similar or identical to the polymeric material of bottom part 13.
[0078] In some embodiments, top part 16 optionally comprises bottom plate 17, shown in
[0079] In some embodiments, top part 16 comprises plurality of surrounding sidewalls 18, shown in
[0080] In some embodiments, surrounding sidewalls 18 comprise solid or ventilated sidewalls or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, surrounding sidewalls 18 are configurable in various heights such as shown in
[0081] In some embodiments, top part 16, shown in
[0082] In some examples, container 12 comprises a lid. The lid is configured for protecting, securing and/or sealing products inside container 12. The lid is configured for covering the open upper end of container 12. In some embodiments, the lid is configured for being removed easily. In another embodiments, the lid is configured for being tightly secured. In some examples, the lid is attachable to surrounding sidewalls 18 by interlocking, snap-on or hinged mechanism. In some examples, container 12 is configured for closing and/or stacking with the lid on top. In some examples, the lid is a folding split lid. In another embodiment, container 12 is configured for a single use or for multiple uses.
[0083] In some examples, bottom part 13 of container 12 comprises wheels. The wheels are configured for facilitating the transportation of container 12. In some embodiments, the wheels comprise at least one material, such as polymer or metal or a combination of these. In some examples, the wheels are removably attachable to bottom part 13.
[0084] In some embodiments, at least one surrounding sidewall 18, such as flanking sidewalls 30 and/or longitudinal sidewalls 32, comprise at least one of: a handle, tab-shaped handhole 28, a preparation for a handhole and a combination thereof. The handle and/or handhole 28, as shown in
[0085] In some embodiments, surrounding sidewalls 18 comprise peripheral rim 34, as shown in
[0086] In some embodiments, surrounding sidewalls 18 comprise at least one ventilation hole 36. Ventilation hole 36 is configured for air circulation and odor removal. In some embodiments, ventilation hole 36 is typically located in the bottom edge of surrounding sidewalls 18 as shown in
[0087] In some example, bottom part 13 comprises structured superior surface 14, as shown in
[0088] In some embodiments, bottom plate 17 of top part 16 comprises structured inferior surface 42, as shown in
[0089] In some embodiments, bottom plate 17 comprises superior surface 44, as shown in
[0090] In another embodiment, top part 16 comprises surrounding side walls 18 and at least one interior partition 20, without bottom plate 17. In such embodiments, top part 16 is configured for matching with exterior profile of bottom part 13. In such embodiments, superior surface 14 of bottom part 13 is configured to affix or otherwise contact articles in container 12. For example, superior surface 14 of bottom part 13 optionally includes a plain, structured, textured and/or furrowed surface.
[0091] In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, reference is now made to
[0092] In some embodiments, system 200 includes at least one first premanufacturing subsystem 214. First premanufacturing subsystem 214 is configured for producing a bottom plate part of the container, such as bottom part 13 of container 12 shown in
[0093] In some examples, first premanufacturing subsystem 214 comprises at least one of the plastic processing machines for producing polymeric products, in a non-limiting manner including: an extruder, injection molding machine, thermo-forming machine, vacuum-forming machine, pressure-forming machine or any combination of these processing machines. In some embodiments, first premanufacturing subsystem 214 comprises an extruder including at least one constituent selected from: a feed hopper, extruder barrel, extruder screw, extruder drive, extrusion discharge or die system, heating/cooling system and safety and control facilities.
[0094] In some embodiments, first premanufacturing subsystem 214 comprises an extruder including at least one constituent selected from: a water bath or spray chamber to cool the extruded shape, vacuum sizing tank to maintain wall thickness and sizing of the product as it passes through the machine, cleated belt pullers configured to apply smooth tension on the product and keep it moving in pace with the extruder and an automatic cutting or sawing unit to create the final product length.
[0095] In some embodiments, first premanufacturing subsystem 214 comprises an injection molding machine, configured for making plastic parts using two-part molds. In such embodiments, when the two-part mold is closed, a melted plastic resin is injected into individual parts of the mold. In some embodiments, an injection molding machine includes injection and clamping units. In some examples, an injection unit comprises at least one constituent selected from: hopper, screw, heaters, drive and gearing unit, barrel and nozzle. In some examples, a clamping unit comprises at least one constituent selected from: stationary and movable platens, molds, tie rods, clamping and hydraulic cylinders.
[0096] In some embodiments, first premanufacturing subsystem 214 comprises a thermoforming machine. In some examples, a thermoforming machine comprises at least one constituent selected from: a heater, molds, pick-up platform, heating platen assembly, feeder, cutting device. In some examples, first premanufacturing subsystem 214 comprises a vacuum-forming machine including at least one constituent selected from: a heater, toggle clamp, molds, platen, lift handle, lift linkage, vacuum pump, fans and/or cool mist and trimer. In some embodiments, a pressure forming machine includes a group consisting of: heater, pressure box, toggle clamp, molds, platen, lift handle, lift linkage, vacuum pump, fans and/or cool mist and trim. In some embodiments, the molds, extruder die and nozzles is used by at least one of the plastic processing machines embody an inverted shape of a bottom plate-like part of a container.
[0097] In some embodiments, system 200 includes at least one second premanufacturing subsystem 216. Second premanufacturing subsystem 216 is configured for producing the top part of the container. In some example, second premanufacturing subsystem 216 comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of: a mold of a top part of the container and an extruder nozzle of the top part of the container. In some examples, second premanufacturing subsystem 216 is at least one of the plastic processing machines for producing polymeric products such as an extruder, an injection molding machine, thermo forming, vacuum-forming or pressure-forming machine or a combination of these processing machines. In some examples, the molds, extruder die and nozzles is used by at least one of the plastic processing machines embody an inverted shape of at least one of the top part member of container, such as surrounding sidewalls, with the monolithic interior partition.
[0098] In some embodiments, the bottom and top parts, manufactured by subsystems 214 and 216 are transported by conveying mechanism 226. In some embodiments, bottom and top parts are manufactured in a co-manufacturing facility. In some examples, conveying mechanism 226 includes at least one transporting mechanism, such as conveyor, robotic arm, mobile robots, vehicles, or a combination of these. In some embodiments, bottom and top parts are manufactured in different manufacturing facilities. In some examples, conveying mechanism 226 from one facility to another includes at least one external transport forms such as trucks, trains, airplanes, ships, cars or a combination thereof.
[0099] In some embodiments, system 200 includes preheater 218. Preheater 218 is configured for applying preheating treatment to bottom part, to a temperature ranging from 40 to 240 degrees Celsius for the duration ranging between 20 seconds to several minutes. In some examples, preheater 218 comprises at least one of the typical heating mechanisms such as electric, ceramic infrared heaters, gas burner, gas water heater or a combination thereof.
[0100] In some embodiments, system 200 includes appending mechanism 220. Appending mechanism 220 configured for appending top part to preheated bottom part of the container. In some examples, appending mechanism 220 comprises at least one manipulator dedicated for the bottom part and/or at least one manipulator dedicated for the top part. In some examples, appending mechanism 220 includes robotic arms, conveyor, etc.
[0101] In some embodiments, system 200 includes welding machine 222. Welding machine 222 is configured for fusing the interior edge at the bottom of the top part with an exterior edge at the top of the bottom part, thereby forming a welded complex of the container. In some embodiments, welding machine 222 implements at least one welding method selected from the group consisting of: ultrasonic welding, spin welding, vibration welding, hot plate welding, hot gas welding, friction welding, frequency welding, infrared welding, laser welding or a combination thereof.
[0102] In some embodiments, system 200 includes cooler 224. Cooler 224 is configured to solidify the newly formed bonds of welded complex of the container, thereby stretching at least one interior partition and facilitating the formation of an unwarped internal partition. In some examples, cooler 224 implements at least one cooling down process selected from the group consisting of: air-cooling, water-cooling, room temperature circulation or a combination thereof.
[0103] In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, reference is now made to
[0104] In some embodiments, a process of manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition of flowchart 100 commences at step 112, of premanufacturing a first subpart, typically the bottom plate, such as bottom part 13 of container 12 shown in
[0105] In some examples step 112, of premanufacturing a first subpart, comprises melting plastic resin, by heating the resin to a predetermined temperature, applying pressure to the melted plastic resin and then injecting the melted plastic into at least one mold embodying an inverted shape of a bottom part of the container. In some embodiments, step 112, of premanufacturing a first subpart, utilizes recycled resin pellets from a waste plastic recycling machine.
[0106] In some embodiments, a process of manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition of flowchart 100 comprises step 114, of premanufacturing a second subpart, typically the top part, such as top part 16, with bottom plate 17, surrounding sidewalls 18 and at least one interior partition 20 of container 12 shown in
[0107] In some examples step 114, of premanufacturing a second subpart, comprises melting plastic resin, by heating the resin to a predetermined temperature, applying pressure to the melted plastic resin and then injecting the melted plastic into at least one mold embodying an inverted shape of a top part of the container. In some embodiments, step 114, of premanufacturing a second subpart, utilizes recycled resin pellets from a waste plastic recycling machine.
[0108] In some embodiments, a process of manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition of flowchart 100 comprises step 116, of applying a preheating treatment to the bottom part. In some examples, step 116, of applying a preheating treatment to bottom part, comprises heating by a heater, such as electric heater 218 of system 200 shown in
[0109] In some embodiments, a process of manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition of flowchart 100 comprises step 118, of appending the top part of container to the bottom part following step 116 of applying preheating. In some examples, step 118, of appending the top part of container to the bottom plate, is performed by an appending machine, such as robotic arm 220 shown in
[0110] In some embodiments, the process of manufacturing containers with unwarped internal partition of flowchart 100 comprises step 120, of performing welding, between a bottom edge of top part and a top face of the bottom part. In some examples, step 120 is configured for forming a welded complex of container, as shown in
[0111] In some examples, step 120, of performing welding, between a bottom edge of top part and a top face of bottom part, comprises assembling and fixturing the bottom edge of top part to the top face of bottom part, such as by pressuring and heating by the welding machine, at the frequency ranging between 25 to 750 Hz, welding and then holding the parts for the duration ganginh between 2 seconds to 50 seconds to allow them to fuse into the welded complex of the container.
[0112] In some embodiments, a process of flowchart 100 comprises step 122, of cooling down the welded complex of the container. In some examples, step 122 is configured for stretching at least one interior partition and facilitating forming of an unwarped internal partition. In some examples, step 122 is performed by a cooler, such as air-cooler system 224 shown in
WORKING EXAMPLES
Working Example 1
[0113] First working example of the container with unwarped internal partition of the present invention is next described. The container was of the configuration shown in
Working Example 2
[0114] Second working example of the container with unwarped internal partition of the present exemplary embodiment is next described. The container was of the configuration shown in
Working Example 3
[0115] Third working example of the container with unwarped internal partition of the present exemplary embodiment is next described. The preheater used for applying the preheating treatment to bottom part was a heating oven available from GALATEK a.s. at Na Plckch 647, 584 01 Ledec nad Szavou Czech republic. The welding machine used for fusing a bottom edge of top part with a top face of bottom part was a vibration welding machine available from CEMAS Elettra S.r.l. at Strada degli Occhini, 23. 10022 Carmagnola (TO) Italy.
[0116] The process of manufacturing the container from polymeric materials with unwarped internal partition according to the present working example included preheating to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for 45 seconds, preforming welding, between a bottom edge of top part and a top face of bottom part, applying vibration for of 5.6 seconds, at the frequency of 213 Hz and weld depth of 0.59 mm. Phases 1, 2 of welding were of duration of 2.5 seconds, a Kg force of 1200 Kg and an amplitude of 1.8 mm. The cooling down of the welded complex of the container was for 6 sec at a force of 1600 Kg.
Working Example 4
[0117] Forth working example of the container with unwarped internal partition of the present exemplary embodiment is next described. The container shown in
Working Example 5
[0118] Fifth working example of the container with unwarped internal partition of the present exemplary embodiment is next described. The container shown in
[0119] The typical thickness of surrounding sidewalls and of the interior partition was 2.6 mm. The width of surrounding sidewalls including the rim was 13.2 mm-13.5 mm. The dimensions of bottom part were 564.2 mm length, 366.2 mm width, and 13.4 mm height. The typical thickness of the bottom part was 2.5 mm. The bottom part and top part were composed of 98.3% PP TG50, 1% Grey dye and 0.7% UV stabilizer.
[0120] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described herein above. Rather the scope of the invention is defined by the claims which follow: