JP2005138853A - Buffer for packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a buffer for packaging, which has a simple structure to protect a damageable article. <P>SOLUTION: The buffering 1 for protecting the damageable article PR from impact includes a base 2 for holding the damageable article PR, and a buffer part 3 connected to the base 2. The buffer part 3 is made of an elastically deformable material, has slots 31, which extend in a Z direction of an applied impact, and keeps plastically deformable materials 4 embedded in the slots 31. Thus the buffer part 3 has such a structure that the plastically deformable materials are embedded in the elastically deformable material, which has a tendency of showing a weaker buffering performance against an initial external impact, to compensate the weakness of the elastically deformable material. The buffer 1 with the above buffer part 3, therefore, is capable of protecting the damageable article PR from impact without fail. In addition, according to the above structure, the plastically deformable materials embedded in the elastically deformable material become more durable for repeated use than in a case of single use, making the buffer 1 available for longer service. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cushioning material for packaging used to protect a product from an impact that may be applied from the outside when packaging a product that is easily damaged (hereinafter referred to as an easily damaged product) such as an electronic device.

  A product shipped from a factory is transported to a storage warehouse, a store, or a user's hand through a transportation means such as a truck. During such transportation, an impact is applied to the product, and the impact is often applied to the product when the product is unloaded. Therefore, in general, when a lossy product is stored in an exterior material such as cardboard, a cushioning material is disposed between the cardboard and the lossy product. By using the cushioning material, easily damaged items can be protected from various impacts applied during transportation.

  Usually, the cushioning material is formed of one kind of material. Examples of the material used in one type include expanded polystyrene, expanded polyolefin, expanded polyurethane, cardboard, recycled recycled paper pulp, and urethane film. These materials are molded according to the product shape to be protected. Further, a cushioning material combining two or more kinds of materials is also known. For example, corrugated cardboard paper is used for the frame part and foamed polyolefin is used for the part that absorbs shocks especially due to deformation of the material (buffer part), or the foamed polyolefin is used as the base material and the buffer part is parallel to the collision surface. A structure in which foamed polyurethane is pasted is known.

  The former in the case of combining materials is a cushioning material that aims to reduce costs by using cardboard paper and a foamed resin material in combination. When a cushioning material is used to protect a lossy product having a large outer shape such as a television or the like, the frame portion becomes larger than the cushioning portion, and the cost increases. Therefore, the skeleton part is replaced with inexpensive recycled paper cardboard. The latter is a cushioning material using foamed polyolefin and foamed polyurethane in combination to reduce cost, improve shape stability, and absorb fine vibration. Foamed polyolefin has a difficulty in absorbing fine vibrations due to limitations in material properties. On the other hand, polyurethane foam is excellent in absorbing fine vibrations, but has a problem that it is soft and large and easily distorted, so that it has a difficulty in stably supporting heavy objects in the outer box and is expensive. Therefore, a structure in which foamed polyolefin and foamed polyurethane are combined to complement each other has been proposed.

  As described above, regarding the cushioning material, various types of combinations of different materials have been proposed. Moreover, patent document 1 is disclosing about the packaging material which combined the shock absorbing material and the prosthetic member. In particular, the packaging material disclosed in Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a prosthetic member is fitted so that the position of the cushioning material does not shift in the exterior box. Specifically, Patent Document 1 proposes a structure in which a convex portion is provided in a gap formed in the cushioning material and the sliding contact resistance of the prosthetic member fitted in the gap is increased. Such a structure can stabilize the position of the cushioning material in the outer box, and is effective in protecting the product.

JP-A-8-217152

  The foamed polyolefin cushioning material in which corrugated cardboard is used for the above-described frame portion simply reduces costs by combining different materials. Further, in the case of a cushioning material using both foamed polyolefin and foamed polyurethane, it is only proposed to use a combination of foamable resin materials having different properties. Thus, conventionally, the problem of using foamable resin as a buffer material itself has not been sufficiently studied.

  The foamable resin material is an elastically deformable material. In general, an elastically deformable material is easily deformed at the initial stage of receiving an impact, and therefore has a low impact absorption capability (also referred to as a capability of decelerating a collision speed, also referred to as a buffer performance). However, as the deformation progresses, compression hardening progresses, so that the shock absorbing ability is increased (the collision speed is sharply reduced). That is, when a foamable resin material is used as a buffer material, there is a problem that the buffer material does not function sufficiently at the initial stage of impact. In addition, plastic deformation materials such as corrugated cardboard exhibit an impact absorbing ability at the initial stage of receiving an impact. However, if an impact exceeding the allowable range is received, it yields and loses its rigidity. Furthermore, it has the characteristic of being vulnerable to repeated impacts. Conventionally, consideration has been given to the above-mentioned characteristics of each material, and no consideration has been given to using the materials in combination.

  Patent Document 1 described above proposes to use a corrugated cardboard or the like as a prosthetic member for positioning the cushioning material, but only uses a synthetic resin foam as the cushioning material. Therefore, the technique proposed in Patent Document 1 also has a problem that the cushioning material does not function sufficiently at the initial stage of receiving an impact.

  Then, this invention solves the said subject, and it aims at providing the cushioning material for packaging which can protect easily a lossable goods with a simple structure.

  The above object is a cushioning material used to protect an easily damaged product from an impact, and includes a base portion that holds the easily damaged product and a buffer portion connected to the base portion, and the buffer portion is formed of an elastically deformable material. The buffer portion includes a groove portion extending in a direction in which the impact is applied, and is achieved by a packaging buffer material in which a plastic deformation material is fitted in the groove portion.

  According to the present invention, since a plastically deformable material that can complement the elastically deformable material, which tends to have a poor buffering performance against an external impact in the initial stage, is fitted, it is possible to provide a cushioning material that can reliably protect a lossy product from an impact. In addition, since the plastic deformation material embedded in the elastic deformation material increases the number of repetitive use than when used alone, it becomes a cushioning material that can be used for a longer period of time than before. This cushioning material has a simple structure, and since conventional materials can be used in the same manner, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured at low cost.

  In addition, as the elastic deformation material, any one selected from the group consisting of a foamed polyolefin resin material, a foamed polystyrene resin material, and a foamed polyurethane resin material can be adopted. Further, the plastic deformation material can be a paper material. As the paper material, for example, corrugated cardboard, cardboard, processed paper hardened in a stick shape, or the like can be used.

  In particular, a corrugated cardboard having a corrugated core can be suitably used as a paper material, and a structure in which the corrugation is arranged in the groove so that the corrugation appears in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the impact is adopted. Is preferred. By adopting such a structure, it is possible to provide a cushioning material that exhibits an excellent function by taking advantage of cardboard paper.

  In addition, the object is a cushioning material used to protect the easily damaged product from impact, and includes a base portion that holds the easily damaged product and a buffer portion connected to the base portion, and the buffer portion is a plastically deformable material. The cushioning portion includes a groove portion, and the cushioning material for packaging in which an elastically deformable material is fitted in the groove portion can be similarly achieved.

  Since the shock-absorbing material of the present invention also combines a plastically deformable material and an elastically deformable material, it becomes a shock-absorbing material that can reliably protect easily damaged products from impact. In the cushioning material of the present invention, a plastically deformable material having a high buffering performance against an external impact is initially disposed on the outside, and an elastically deformable material is fitted so as to complement the material, so that easily damaged products can be reliably protected from impact. For the material in this case as well, any one selected from the group consisting of paper material for plastic deformation material and foamed polyolefin resin material, expanded polystyrene resin material and expanded polyurethane resin material for elastic deformation material is adopted. can do. If the packaging structure in which the packaging cushioning material having the above-described excellent function is set in an easily damaged product and stored in the packaging exterior material, the easily damaged product can be reliably and continuously protected.

  The shock-absorbing material of the present invention absorbs the impact particularly in the initial stage of receiving the impact, and then the elastically deformable material subsequently absorbs the impact. Can be protected.

  The best mode of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, two examples are shown. In Example 1, an elastically deformable material is a basic material, and a plastically deformable material is added as an auxiliary material to this. In the second embodiment, the plastic deformation material is a basic material, and an elastic deformation material is added as an auxiliary material.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of the cushioning material 1 according to the first embodiment from three directions. 1A is a plan view of the cushioning material 1, FIG. 1B is a right side view thereof, and FIG. 1C is a front view thereof. The buffer material 1 includes a base 2 and a buffer 3. The base portion 2 and the buffer portion 3 may be manufactured using different materials and then connected by adhesion or the like, but it is desirable to form them integrally from the viewpoint of cost reduction. It is desirable that the buffer material 1 is integrally molded by selecting a basic material from, for example, a foamed polyolefin resin material, a foamed polystyrene resin material, and a foamed polyurethane resin material. In particular, a foamed polyolefin-based resin material can be suitably used as the basic material of the buffer material 1.

  The base 2 is formed in an annular shape with a space 25 for fitting and holding the easily damaged product PR in the center. In this example, the easily damaged product PR has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the space 25 is formed in a rectangular shape. Protrusions 21 and 22 are provided on the outer periphery of the base portion 2 in the vertical and horizontal directions. These protrusions 21 and 22 are designed to correspond to the dimensions of an exterior box (exterior material) that is accommodated in a state in which the shock-absorbing material 1 is set in the easily damaged product PR. That is, these protrusions 21 and 22 are formed so as to fit in the exterior box. In addition, this buffer material 1 is provided with the bellows part 23, and can expand | extend to a horizontal direction.

  The buffer portion 3 is formed in a columnar shape that rises as a pair from the left and right of the base portion 2. The rising height of the buffer 3 is designed based on the state when the lossy product PR is set and stored in the outer box. The buffer portion 3 is formed with a groove portion 31 in the Z direction to which an impact is applied. As shown in FIG. 1C, the auxiliary material 4 is fitted in the groove 31. For this auxiliary material 4, a plastic deformation material different from the basic material constituting the buffer material 1 is adopted.

  As the plastic deformation material, it is desirable to use a paper material from the viewpoint of cost reduction. As the paper material, for example, cardboard, cardboard, stick-shaped paper or the like can be used. In particular, corrugated paper itself has a function as a cushioning material, and therefore can be suitably used as a plastic deformation material here. When using corrugated cardboard, as shown in the circle drawn out in FIG. 1C, the corrugated core 41 is arranged in the groove 31 so that it appears in a plane perpendicular to the Z direction to which the impact is applied. Is desirable. When the cardboard paper is fitted in the groove portion 31 in such a direction, the impact resistance function of the cardboard paper 4 can be effectively utilized.

  In addition, in FIG. 1, the groove part 31 formed in the elastic part 3 is formed in the shape of a long through hole. The groove portion 31 may be hole-shaped in this way, or may be a recessed shape that does not penetrate. Further, the base portion 2 of the present cushioning material 1 is formed of an elastically deformable material like the cushioning portion 3. The protrusions 21 and 22 protruding from the base 2 can be regarded as buffer portions in the X and Y directions. Therefore, it is also possible to provide groove portions for these protrusions 21 and 22 and to similarly fit cardboard paper. FIG. 1A additionally illustrates a case where the groove 24 is added to the left and right protrusions 21 protruding in the X direction. The present cushioning material 1 becomes a cushioning material having more excellent shock resistance if groove portions are provided in all directions of X, Y, and Z and cardboard paper is inserted.

  As described above, the cushioning material 1 has a simple structure in which a groove portion is formed in the cushioning portion 3 of the basic material formed of an elastically deformable material, and a plastically deformable material such as cardboard is fitted into the groove portion. There is also an advantage that it can be produced. The effect when the plastic deformation material is fitted into the elastic deformation material will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the cushioning material 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows an example in which a groove portion is provided in the buffer portion 3 connected to the base portion 2 and the cardboard 4 is fitted. When it is desired to protect the easily damaged product PR from an impact in a predetermined direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2), a plastic deformation material such as cardboard may be fitted in one direction as described above. From the state shown in FIG. 2, if the easily damaged product PR is stored in the outer box 50 and the flap portion 51 of the outer box 50 is closed, a packaging structure that reliably protects the easily damaged product PR from external impact is realized.

  Below, the shock absorption function of the shock absorbing material 1 provided with the above structures is demonstrated. Before showing detailed data, the merit of using a combination of an elastically deformable material and a plastically deformable material will be briefly described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a buffering tendency when each material receives an impact. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents acceleration as a guideline indicating the degree of impact applied to the material.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing these combination materials employed in paper as a plastic deformation material, a foamable resin as an elastic deformation material, and the cushioning material 1. The plastic deformation material is small in deformation and high in shock absorption until it reaches the yield point. However, after reaching the yield point, it has the characteristic of losing rigidity and easily deforming. Therefore, when the paper is impacted, the peak is reached earlier than the foamable resin, and thereafter the absorption capacity is rapidly reduced. This can be confirmed by FIG. On the other hand, in the case of an elastically deformable material, since it is easily deformed in the initial stage of receiving an impact, the impact absorbing ability of the collision speed is low. However, as the deformation progresses, the material itself compresses and hardens to increase the shock absorption capacity, and has a second half sustainability compared to the plastically deformed material. This state can also be confirmed by FIG.

  As described above, the plastically deformable material exhibits an impact absorbing ability early, but has a disadvantage that the ability is lowered early, and the other elastically deformable material has a problem in the initial impact absorbing ability. From the standpoint of reliably protecting fragile products, it is desirable that the shock absorbing ability is averaged, but neither material is sufficient. On the other hand, in the case of the combination material used in the present cushioning material 1, the peak is slightly lowered, but the spread in the lateral direction is increased and the shock absorbing ability is averaged. The present cushioning material 1 was completed by paying attention to such points.

  Hereinafter, the impact absorbing ability when the cushioning material 1 is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing data obtained by packing a product (fragile product PR) in an outer box as shown in FIG. 2 and detecting an impact applied to the product by a sensor. The data shown here is the result of a drop test performed by inserting cardboard into the groove of the cushioning material 1. In order to confirm the effect, the result when the same test is performed with the groove of the cushioning material 1 being empty is shown as a comparative example. Lanmont's Model PDT-56ED was used for the drop test. The magnitude of impact was confirmed by detecting the acceleration applied to the product. The acceleration sensor used was a COLUMBIA Model 7001. A product sample of about 1 kg was formed with wood and iron, a sensor was attached to the tape with tape, and the sample was stored in an outer box as shown in FIG. The outer box was dropped at a height of 48 cm and tested.

  FIG. 4 is an output waveform from the sensor attached to the product obtained in the drop test. In the case of the embodiment, it can be confirmed that the acceleration is reduced, that is, the impact is reduced as a whole. Compared to the comparative example, in the case of the example, an impact reduction effect of about 90% by speed change and about 80% by acceleration can be obtained.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a result of confirming the cushioning performance of the cushioning material 1 by repeatedly performing the drop test. FIG. 5 similarly shows a comparative example. From FIG. 5, in the case of the comparative example, the acceleration increases as the number of times increases. That is, the tendency for the impact applied to the product to increase is confirmed. On the other hand, in the case of the example, it can be confirmed that the impact is kept low as a whole and the tendency is maintained even if the number of times is increased. Generally, a plastic deformation material such as corrugated cardboard has a reduced shock-absorbing property when subjected to repeated impacts. However, when combined with an elastically deformable material such as the buffer material 1, it can also be confirmed that such a defect is complemented.

  As described above, the shock-absorbing material 1 of Example 1 has a simple configuration and can stably and continuously protect the product from external impacts. Therefore, if such a cushioning material 1 is disposed in the exterior box to protect the product, it is possible to reliably prevent the product from being damaged even when transported over a long distance by a truck or the like. .

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the cushioning material 10 according to the second embodiment. In Example 1 described above, an elastically deformable material is a basic material, and a plastically deformable material is added as an auxiliary material thereto. The second embodiment has a configuration opposite to that of the first embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, the plastic deformation material is a basic material, and an elastic deformation material is added as an auxiliary material. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of the cushioning material 10 according to the second embodiment from three directions, similar to FIG. 1 illustrated for the first embodiment. 6A is a plan view of the cushioning material 10, FIG. 6B is a right side view thereof, and FIG. 6C is a front view thereof. In order to avoid redundant description, the same parts as those in the configuration of the cushioning material 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the cushioning material 10, the base 2 and the cushioning portion 3 can be formed of cardboard, for example. The shape of the base 2 is simplified compared to the case of Example 1 using a foamable resin. The buffer portion 3 is formed with a larger groove portion 31 than in the first embodiment, and an elastically deformable material 5 such as a foamed polyolefin-based resin is fitted into the groove portion 31 as an auxiliary material. When a plastically deformable material is employed on the outside as in the second embodiment, it is desirable to have a structure in which the groove 31 is formed wide and the elastically deformable material 5 is fitted. The buffer material 10 of the second embodiment also has a structure in which a plastic deformation material and an elastic deformation material are combined. Therefore, as in the case of the cushioning material 1 shown in the first embodiment, the product can be stably and continuously protected from the external impact.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

It is the figure which showed the external appearance of the shock absorbing material which concerns on Example 1 from 3 directions, (A) is a top view of a shock absorbing material, (B) is the same right view, (C) is the same front view. It is the figure which showed a mode that the shock absorbing material shown in FIG. 1 was set with respect to an easily damaged goods, and accommodated in an exterior box. It is the figure which showed the buffering tendency when each raw material received the impact. It is the figure which showed the output waveform obtained from the sensor by the drop test. It is the figure which showed the result of having confirmed the buffer performance of the buffer material by repeating the drop test. It is the figure which showed the external appearance of the shock absorbing material which concerns on Example 2 from 3 directions, (A) is a top view of a shock absorbing material, (B) is the right side view, (C) is the front view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 10 Buffer material 2 Base 21, 22 Protrusion part 25 Space 3 Buffer part 31 Groove part 4 Plastic deformation material (auxiliary material)
5 Elastic deformation material (auxiliary material)
50 Outer box PR Easily damaged product (product)

Claims (7)

A cushioning material used to protect an easily damaged product from an impact, including a base portion for holding the easily damaged product, and a buffer portion connected to the base portion,
The buffer portion is formed of an elastically deformable material, and the buffer portion includes a groove portion extending in a direction in which the impact is applied,
A cushioning material for packaging, wherein a plastic deformation material is fitted into the groove. The packaging buffer according to claim 1, wherein the elastic deformation material is any one selected from the group consisting of a foamed polyolefin-based resin material, a foamed polystyrene-based resin material, and a foamed polyurethane-based resin material. Wood. The cushioning material for packaging according to claim 1, wherein the plastic deformation material is a paper material. 4. The paper material is a corrugated cardboard having a corrugated core, and is disposed in the groove so that the corrugation appears in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the impact. The cushioning material for packaging according to 1. A cushioning material used to protect an easily damaged product from an impact, including a base portion for holding the easily damaged product, and a buffer portion connected to the base portion,
The buffer portion is formed of a plastic deformation material, and the buffer portion includes a groove portion,
A cushioning material for packaging, wherein an elastically deformable material is fitted in the groove. The plastically deformable material is a paper material, and the elastically deformable material is any one selected from the group consisting of a foamed polyolefin resin material, a foamed polystyrene resin material, and a foamed polyurethane resin material. The cushioning material for packaging according to claim 5. A packaging structure, wherein the packaging cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is set in an easily damaged product and stored in a packaging exterior material.

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