阅读说明：本技术 用于饮料的增强复合材料运输容器 (Reinforced composite shipping container for beverages ) 是由 D·皮尔斯曼 F·本萨当 S·范霍弗 于 2019-06-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于运输啤酒瓶或啤酒罐的容器,所述容器包含至少一个由结构层压件制成的零件,所述结构层压件包含热塑性树脂泡沫芯和纤维增强的树脂皮。(A container for transporting a beer bottle or can, the container comprising at least one part made from a structural laminate comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core and a fibre-reinforced resin skin.)

1. A container for transporting a beer bottle or can, the container comprising at least one part made from a structural laminate comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core and a fibre-reinforced resin skin.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the core is a PU or PET foam core.

3. The container of claims 1-2, wherein the resin foam core is of at 20kg/m³To 400kg/m³Preferably from 40kg/m³To 200kg/m³A density of at least 0.3MPa, a compressive strength of at least 0.3MPa and/or a maximum crystallinity of 40%.

4. Container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the resin skin is made of a thermoplastic and preferably PE, PET, HDPE, PETG, PEF, PLA/PLLA or mixtures thereof.

5. Container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fibres used to reinforce the skin are made of natural fibres, preferably selected from kenaf, hemp jute or flax.

6. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reinforced resin skin is made by impregnating a fiber web or fiber oriented fabric with the resin.

7. The container of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the weight ratio of the fibers to the resin varies from 0.1/100 to 75/25.

8. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thickness of the core layer varies from 0.1mm and 20mm, preferably from 0.3mm and 10mm, and wherein the thickness of the skin layer varies from 0.010 to 2mm, preferably 0.05 to 0.5 mm.

9. A container for transporting beverages, the container being in accordance with claim 1, wherein all parts are made from a structural laminate comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core, a fibre reinforced resin skin.

10. A container according to claims 1 to 9, which is a collapsible container.

11. A thermoformed container according to claims 1 to 9.

12. The container according to claims 1 to 11, which is a box containing a beer bottle or a beer can.

13. The container according to claims 1 to 12, wherein the foam and/or the skin are made of a recyclable material.

14. The cassette of claim 12 having at least one layer with a recessed structure that holds the beer bottle/can in a fixed position during transport.

15. A method for manufacturing a thermoformed container for transporting beverages, the method comprising 1) producing a sheet of a layer of reinforced thermoplastic material and 2) producing a foam core layer, the method further comprising the steps of: 3) laminating the sheet and core layers into a sheet shaped workpiece, 4) applying the laminate in a mould for thermoforming to force the laminate towards the shape imparting wall of the mould cavity, thereby producing a part of the container.

16. A method for manufacturing a collapsible container for transporting beverages, the method comprising 1) producing a sheet of a layer of reinforced thermoplastic material and 2) producing a foam core layer, the method further comprising the steps of: 3) laminating the sheet and core layers into a sheet-shaped workpiece, 4) folding the laminate, thereby producing a part of the container.

Technical Field

The present invention is directed to the field of shipping containers for beverages. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a foldable or thermoformable pouch for transporting beverages, said pouch comprising a part having a laminated structure.

Background

In recent years, beverage outlets have increased significantly and as a result the beverage is increasingly exposed to transport variables such as time and conditions such as light, temperature, motion and vibration. All these conditions may affect the stability of the beverage (especially carbonated beverages, especially beer) and its quality.

Beer is a special kind of beverage in which there is a direct influence of vibrations on the chemical and organoleptic quality of the beer, i.e. aging of the beer. The vibration tends to mix the oxygen in the upper part of the bottle with the beer and increases the collision of molecules, thereby leading to the production of aged compounds. The increase in aldehydes, the reduction in bitter compounds, the turbidity and the change in color are factors which influence the quality of beer (effect), among others.

Cardboard boxes are used as transport containers for beverages. The carton breaks when returned and is sensitive to moisture, which directly affects logistics, quality and consumer perception. On the other hand, plastic boxes cannot be produced to account for the shipping variables as noted above. From the above it is clear that there is a need for an improved shipping container to maintain a high quality and stable beer flavour.

The present invention addresses the above-described shortcomings by providing a retractable improvement to a cartridge, particularly a carton, that provides an environmentally friendly, retractable lightweight, durable, recyclable, premium-looking, low-cost container, particularly a beer bottle, for efficiently and effectively containing and transporting beverages.

The above problem is solved by a container for containing and transporting beverages, in particular beer (i.e. beer bottles and beer cans) comprising at least a part made of a reinforced sandwich laminate structure.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sandwich laminate structure comprises a reinforced polymer layer, wherein the sandwich laminate structure has a foam core.

Lightweight panels with foam cores typically have certain limitations that constitute challenges to be overcome, such as a reduction in mechanical properties that do not allow the panel to be used in applications requiring load bearing capacity, i.e., transportation. The present invention allows the use of structures having a foam core through the specific construction and material selection of the sandwich composite material while at the same time improving the damping characteristics of the container formulated therewith. According to the present invention, the resulting container formulated with the structure can be processed in an economical and cost-effective manner.

Disclosure of Invention

A container for transporting beverages, the container comprising at least one part made from a structural laminate comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core, a fibre reinforced resin.

Detailed Description

The present invention is directed to a container for transporting beverages, preferably carbonated beverages, in particular beer, comprising at least one part made of a structural laminate comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core, a fiber reinforced resin skin. In a preferred embodiment, the core is a PU or PET foam core. In a particular embodiment, the foam core preferably has a density of between 20kg/m³To 400kg/m³Preferably from 40kg/m³To 200kg/m³A closed cell foam having excellent compressive strength and a crystallinity of less than 40%. Preferred resin skins are made of PE, PET, PETE, HDPE, PETG, PEF, PLA/PLLA or mixtures thereof, preferably wherein the fibers used to reinforce the skin are made of natural fibers, preferably selected from kenaf, hemp jute or flax.

According to a particular embodiment, the reinforced resin skin is made by impregnating a fibrous web and/or fabric with said resin. Typically, the weight ratio of fibres to resin varies from 0.1/100 to 75/25, and the thickness of the core layer varies from 0.1mm to 20mm, and wherein the thickness of the skin layer varies from 0.01 to 10mm, preferably from 0.01mm to 5 mm.

According to yet another specific embodiment, all parts are made from a structural laminate comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core, a fiber reinforced resin skin.

A preferred embodiment is a box, in particular a collapsible box container. In another embodiment, the container has at least one layer with a recessed structure that holds beverage containers such as bottles, cans, etc. (e.g. beer bottles and/or beer cans) in a fixed position within the container during transport. According to another method embodiment (fig. 1 a); the present invention is directed to a method for manufacturing a collapsible container for transporting a beverage, the method comprising 1) producing a sheet of a layer of reinforced thermoplastic material and 2) producing a foam core layer, the method further comprising the steps of: 3) laminating the sheet and core layers into a sheet-shaped workpiece, 4) applying the laminate in a mould for thermoforming to force the laminate to impart a shape-imparting (shape-imparting) wall towards the mould cavity, thereby producing a part of the container. According to another method embodiment (fig. 1b, fig. 2), the invention is directed to a method for manufacturing a container for transporting a beverage, the method comprising 1) producing a sheet of a layer of reinforced thermoplastic material and 2) producing a foam core layer, the method further comprising the steps of: 3) laminating the sheet and core layers into a sheet-shaped workpiece, 4) folding the laminate, thereby producing a part of the container or the container itself, 5) optionally assembling the container. The beer bottle or can then be placed in a container.

The transport container of the invention comprises at least one part of a container comprising a laminate (fig. 1), characterized in that a layer of reinforced composite material, also called skin, is applied on the face of the central core. If desired, the sheath can be secured to the central core by means of an adhesive material designed to transmit the load applied to the sheath to the central core. The skin is in turn obtained by rolling, for example by superposing and bonding together a number of elementary layers of a composite material consisting of a supporting fibrous material embedded in a matrix made of resin.

The inventive laminates are advantageous because they have excellent damping characteristics and contained weight. Furthermore, the structure according to the invention allows for an efficient production of said containers, such as thermoformed boxes or hybrid boxes, by means of a folding production method (fig. 1a) and b) and fig. 2).

Reinforced thermoplastic resin layer (skin)

The reinforced thermoplastic resin layer is composed of a thermoplastic resin sheet reinforced with a fiber mixture. The thermoplastic resin used in the resin layer is not particularly limited, and may be any ordinary thermoplastic resin. Preferred resins according to the invention for making the skin of the sandwich laminate of the invention are PE, PET, PETE, HDPE, PTG, PEF, PLA/PLLA, modified PET (such as PETG polyethylene terephthalate modified with ethylene glycol), or mixtures thereof.

Fibers of the type commonly used for reinforcing resins may be used as the reinforcing material for such thermoplastic resins. Preferred fibrous materials include natural fibers such as jute, flax, hemp, coir, pulp residue (ampas), ramie and cotton, as well as combinations of these with polypropylene, polyethylene and glass fibers. Preferred forms of natural fiber materials are jute needled felt and flax. This material is inexpensive and available as a standard material, while there is some bonding between the fibers in the absence of interfering binders due to the nature of the felting process (forming a web and then needling). Glass fibers and/or synthetic fibers like PET may be used in addition to natural fibers, and are present in various forms including woven structures. The use of PET fibers would be advantageous to promote recycling in the same or even other applications. Depending on the further characteristics of the transport application of the fiber-reinforced material, fibers or combinations thereof suitable for this purpose may be selected. Fibrous materials are used all with a certain moisture content: jute, flax, hemp, coir, pulp, ramie and cotton, as well as combinations of these with polypropylene, polyethylene and glass fibres, and which fibre materials provide anisotropic mechanical properties to the laminate.

Particularly preferred suitable fibers for the randomly oriented fiber mat have a length of typically 0.01 to 300mm, preferably 10 to 100mm, and a diameter of typically 2 to 20 μm, preferably 7 to 15 μm. The reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet according to the present invention can be formed from the above-described fibers by a known method for producing Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP). A preferred method that can be used in the present invention is to impregnate a web or fabric of a mixture of fibers with the above-described thermoplastic resin. The web/fabric used in the process may be formed by using sheet forming methods known in the art, such as compression molding. Alternatively, the sheet may be produced by spreading the fibers and dispersing them in water, at which point a surfactant may be added to the dispersion to facilitate dispersion of the fibers and passing the dispersed fibers through a screen of appropriate mesh size. The weight percentage of fibers in the resin may range from 0.1% to 75%. Thus, the weight ratio of fibers in the resin is typically from 10% wt to 65% wt, preferably from 25% wt to 60% wt, more preferably from 35% wt to 55% wt.

Desirably, the hybrid web prepared as above is processed so that the foam core layer does not reduce in size under the heat if the laminate is heat molded.

The reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet is preferably formed by impregnating the mixed fiber web/fabric formed in this manner with the above-described thermoplastic resin. Advantageously, impregnation of the thermoplastic resin in the mixed fiber web may be advantageously achieved by impregnating the thermoplastic resin into the fiber web in the form of an emulsion, pressing excess emulsion through a rubber roller or the like, and drying the fiber web at about 100 ℃ to about 130 ℃.

According to another preferred method, the reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet may be produced by thermoforming by first impregnating a sheet or mat of fibers with a thermoplastic resin emulsion having fibers dispersed therein, or impregnating a nonwoven web of these last fibers with a thermoplastic resin emulsion having fibers (e.g., milled fibers) dispersed therein, removing excess emulsion, and drying the web at a temperature of from about 60 ℃ to about 130 ℃. Typical processing conditions for thin sheets are 130 ℃,1 bar over pressure (over pressure), 10min consolidation and 10min cooling. For thicker sheets, higher pressures and temperatures are used.

Alternatively, the reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet is formed by stacking one or more layers of fibers and one or more layers of thermoplastic resin and then heating the stacked layers to the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin. Preferred examples of such stacked layers include, in order: i) a first layer which is a layer of thermoplastic material such as the above mentioned PE, PET, PETE, HDPE, PTG, PEF, PLA/PLLA, or modified PET (such as PETG); ii) a second layer which is a layer of fibrous material such as a preferred randomly oriented fibrous mat or woven mat, given as an example a plain weave of twill 2/2 as exemplified in FIG. 3; and iii) a third layer which is a layer of a thermoplastic material, such as the above mentioned PE, PET, PETE, HDPE, PTG, PEF, PLA/PLLA, or modified PET, such as PETG. In this stacked layer, the first layer and the third layer are preferably the same. As mentioned previously, it is clear that other stacked layers can be made, such as the following stack: i) a single layer of thermoplastic material, such as the above mentioned PE, PET, PETE, HDPE, PTG, PEF, PLA/PLLA, or modified PET (e.g. PETG) and ii) a second layer, which is a layer of fibrous material, such as a felt or woven felt of preferably randomly oriented fibers, an example given being a twill 2/2 plain weave. Once stacked, the layers are heated to the melting temperature of the thermoplastic materials of the first and third layers to impregnate the fibers with the thermoplastic materials, and the layers are pressure rolled and cooled to form a reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet.

The thickness of the reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet (before lamination) may vary depending on the end use of the resulting laminate, and the like. In general, the thickness may be from 0.010 to 2mm, preferably from 0.05 to 0.5 mm.

Core foam sheet

The foam may have a density of between about 20 and 400kg/m³Any known foam of density in between. Preferably the foam density is greater than 60kg/m³And the like. Some embodiments have less than 120kg/m³The density of (c).

In a preferred embodiment, the foam has a thickness between about 0.1mm and 20mm, preferably from 0.3mm and 10mm, between the first and second major surfaces.

In a preferred embodiment, the foam is an extruded, cross-linked or cast foam. Highly preferred foams according to the invention are PET foams and/or PU foams. To produce the resin foam of the present invention, an extruder is typically used. The thermoplastic resin is melted at high pressure in an extruder, and the melted resin is extruded through a die into a low pressure zone to produce a foam.

In the production of the resin foam of the present invention, an additive may be added to the thermoplastic resin. By adding the additive, the viscoelastic properties of the thermoplastic resin during extrusion can be improved, so that the gasified blowing agent of solid or liquid can be retained inside the closed cells, and uniformly dispersed fine pores can be formed using the extruder.

Any blowing agent, including chemical blowing agents, may be used to produce the thermoplastic resin foam of the present invention. Preferred blowing agents such as inert gases, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, saturated alicyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, ethers and ketones are preferred. Examples of such readily evaporable blowing agents include carbon dioxide, supercritical carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, methylpentane, dimethylbutane, methylcyclopropane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclopentane, ethylcyclobutane, 1, 2-trimethylcyclopropane, trichloromonofluoromethane, dichlorodifluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane, trichlorotrifluoroethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, dichlorotrifluoroethane, chlorodifluoroethane, tetrafluoroethane, dimethyl ether, 2-ethoxyethane, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, acetylacetone, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, chlorotetrafluoroethane, dichloromonofluoroethane, and difluoroethane.

In the production of the thermoplastic resin foam of the present invention, stabilizers, expansion nucleating agents, pigments, fillers, flame retardants and antistatic agents may be optionally added to the resin blend to improve the physical properties of the thermoplastic resin foam and its molded article.

In the production of the thermoplastic resin foam of the present invention, foaming can be carried out by any of blow molding methods and extrusion methods using a single or multiple screw extruder and a tandem extruder. The molds used in the extrusion process or the blow molding process are a flat mold, a circular mold, and a nozzle mold, depending on the desired shape of the foam.

The pre-expanded (first expanded) foam extruded through the extruder has only a low expansion ratio and generally has a high density. The expansion rate varies depending on the foam shape, but when the extruder foam is a sheet, the expansion rate is about 5 times at most. In the present invention, although the temperature of the thus obtained pre-expanded foam immediately after extrusion is high, it is cooled to a temperature generally in the range of 30 ℃ to 90 ℃. The foam is typically cooled to a temperature not greater than its glass transition temperature. When the pre-expanded foam is cooled, it is precipitated without time to crystallize and thus its crystallinity is low. The degree of crystallinity varies depending on the degree of cooling.

The resin foam may be post-expanded to form a foam having a lower density. Generally, post-expansion can be easily performed by heating with water or steam. The expansion can be carried out uniformly and the resulting post-expanded foam has fine, uniform closed cells. In this way, a low density foam of good quality can be obtained. Therefore, when the pre-expanded foam is heated, not only can a low-density foam be easily obtained, but also the post-expanded foam can be made to have a higher crystallinity. Foams with higher crystallinity (up to 40%) are superior foams relative to foams meeting the specifications of the present invention.

Further, in the method of the present invention, the melt viscosity, the extrusion swell ratio, and the like of the thermoplastic polyester resin are adjusted to produce an extruded foam sheet. The extruded foam sheet of the thermoplastic polyester resin has preferably not more than 10kg/m³More preferably not higher than 7kg/m³The density of (c). When the density exceeds 12kg/m³In the case of the foam sheet, the specifications of the lightweight property and the damping property are small.

From the viewpoint of thermoformability, a preferred extruded foam sheet having a crystallinity of not more than 40% and a molecular orientation ratio of not more than x5 in the foam sheet plane direction is preferred. The foam core may be configured to be homogeneous or heterogeneous, such as corrugated or honeycomb. The triangular or wave structures may be configured to allow for density variation throughout the core. It has been found that the use of polyurethane and PET foams can provide beneficial cost/weight/strength ratios. Preferably, the foam core should have a compressive strength of at least 0.3 MPa. The core should preferably comprise a closed cell foam, a partially closed cell foam or an open cell foam. Closed cell foams provide sufficient surface "roughness" to achieve good adhesion without allowing the resin to fully impregnate the core.

The core may also include a honeycomb structure filled with foam. The use of honeycombs can increase the strength of both compression and shear.

Formation of laminates

The laminate of the present invention may be formed by laminating a fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet onto the surface of a foamed resin sheet as an integral structure. The sheet lamination may be performed according to known methods for producing resin laminates, for example by stacking reinforced thermoplastic resin sheets on both surfaces of the formed foam core and consolidating it under heat and pressure. The heating and pressing conditions may vary depending on the resin constituting each sheet. Generally, the heating temperature is in the range of 90 ℃ to 200 ℃ and the pressure is between 1 and 25 bar, preferably between 1 and 5 bar.

According to another preferred method, the laminate is formed by the process of: the thermoplastic layer is impregnated by stacking a layer of thermoplastic material, a layer of fibers and one or more foam layers in a specific order and then applying heat and pressure to the layers to melt the thermoplastic layer and thereby impregnate the fibers and integrate the thermoplastic into the foam layer. After cooling between the rolls, a laminate with the desired thickness is obtained.

The stack of layers is preferably symmetrical and/or balanced in order to obtain a laminate sheet with higher edge compressive strength than an asymmetrical and/or unbalanced laminate sheet made of the same material, whereby the laminate is considered balanced when it has pairs of plies (layers) with the same thickness and material and wherein the angles of the plies are + teta and-teta

(https://nptel.ac.in/courses/101104010/lecture17/17_6.htm

https://www.usna.edu/Users/mecheng/pjoyce/composites/Short_Course_ 2003/7_PAX_Short_Course_Laminate-Orientation-Code.pdf)。As shown in fig. 4a, the edge compressive strength was measured by applying a compressive force on two opposite side edges of the laminate. Thus, a force is applied in a direction parallel to the plane of the laminate sheet, andand the force exerted on the laminate at the first failure (different types of failures are illustrated in figure 4 b) is a measure of the compressive strength of the edge of the laminate.

Preferred laminates of the present invention can be obtained by stacking in the following order: PETG film, web/fabric of jute, PETG film, PET foam, PETG film, web/fabric of jute, and PETG film.

For example, the proportions of the foamed core sheet layer and the reinforcing resin layer in the laminate of the present invention may vary depending on the particular properties desired for the laminate. Thus, preferably, the weight ratio of the reinforcing resin layer to the foam core is generally from 1:1 to 40:1, preferably from 4:1 to 10: 1.

According to a preferred construction of the invention, PET and PU in the form of foam or foil are selected as core material, while PET reinforced with natural fibers is used as skin. Preferred natural fibers include kenaf, hemp, flax, jute.

According to a separate embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is directed to a foldable laminate structure comprising a thermoplastic resin foam core, a resin skin, wherein the laminate structure according to the present invention is specifically designed and formulated to ensure that the laminate of the present invention is also adapted to withstand the directional forces of folding. With respect to construction, the laminate structure and composition may vary locally in those areas where folding occurs. In those zones, the fibers may be selected and are different from those present in other zones of the laminate. Furthermore, the orientation of the fibers present in the foldable area may be such as to ensure a minimum degree of elasticity provided in the foldable direction. The parameters of the fiber, such as length and thickness, and moisture content can be optimized to meet the minimum degree of elasticity.

The following examples further illustrate the invention.

Materials and lay-up details

The damping characteristics of the above laminate structures have been determined by dynamic testing known in the art, more specifically, by placing a laminate sample in a three-point bending mode and applying an oscillation of 1Hz over a range of temperatures to determine the E ' storage modulus (a measure of the material's stored energy (the elastic response of the material) — which is different from the young's modulus value, and is also referred to as the in-phase component); e "loss modulus (a measure of the viscous response of a material, and also a measure of the energy dissipated as heat-this value is also referred to as the out-of-phase component); and Tan delta damping factor (calculated value of the phase angle tangent and ratio of E "/E" — the greater Tan delta, the higher the damping coefficient and the higher the efficiency of the material to absorb energy). The test results confirm that the above disclosed laminate structure has a significantly higher Tan delta compared to standard beer crate making materials such as HDPE and PP.

The damping characteristics of the above laminate structures have been determined by dynamic testing known in the art, more specifically, by placing a laminate sample in a three-point bending mode and applying an oscillation of 1Hz over a range of temperatures to determine the E ' storage modulus (a measure of the material's stored energy (the elastic response of the material) — which is different from the young's modulus value, and is also referred to as the in-phase component); e "loss modulus (a measure of the viscous response of a material, and also a measure of the energy dissipated as heat-this value is also referred to as the out-of-phase component); and Tan delta damping factor (calculated value of the phase angle tangent and ratio of E "/E" — the greater Tan delta, the higher the damping coefficient and the higher the efficiency of the material to absorb energy). The test results confirm that the above disclosed laminate structure has a significantly higher Tan delta compared to standard beer crate making materials such as HDPE and PP.

Processing of laminates

Meyer with temperature (heating/cooling) and pressure control similar to KFK X model was used The determination of the laminate thickness is performed using thickness rollers located in the feed and heating zones where the thickness rollers use pressure to press the material to the correct thickness. Upon exiting the heating zone, the material passes through an optional thickness adjustment zone (a cooling zone for thickness adjustment and to ensure uniformity of the sheet) in which the structure and thickness of the material is fixed before it exits the belt. The belts used can process materials having a thickness of from 5mm to 150 mm.

Processing conditions

Heating zone length: 3650mm

Cooling zone length: 1150mm

Lamination speed: 2m/min

Applied pressure: 2 bar

Pressing the plates only on the top part, the bottom part, with pressure rollers

Self-reinforced polymers table 1

**BOPP

Results

Laminated/folded and laminated/thermoformed containers were made according to the present invention and as illustrated in table 1. All of these containers qualify as lightweight, strong, vibration-damping, premium, low-cost, and environmentally friendly containers. The vibration test was carried out according to ISO 6721-1: 2011.

Processing of laminates into crates

Converting or processing the laminate into crates may be accomplished by a variety of methods well known in the art of forming cartons, such as folding, by thermoforming, or by a combination of both techniques.

According to a first method, as illustrated in fig. 1a and b, the laminate is formed into a sheet and subsequently cut in a suitable planar shape. This planar shape is then processed into a three-dimensional structure defining the crate by one or more steps of folding, creasing and/or thermoforming, which is locked in place by welding, sewing, gluing or otherwise adhering the crate parts to obtain a rigid crate.

According to a second method, the different layers of the laminate are cut or shaped into the appropriate shape and subsequently laminated to obtain a planar shape, which may be further processed by one or more steps of folding, creasing and/or thermoforming to define a three-dimensional structure of the crate, which is locked in place by welding, sewing, gluing or otherwise gluing the crate parts to obtain a rigid crate.

Independently of the method used for processing the laminate into crates, it is preferred that a finish is applied to those edges of the laminate, where after the crate is created the foam layer is uncovered. Such trimming of the edge may be performed by protruding one of the inner or outer skin layers from the edge in question and wrapping this protruding portion over the foam edge to overlap the opposite outer or inner skin layer, where it may be secured by welding, gluing, stitching or other securing techniques known in the art. Alternatively, the edges may be finished by applying a cover that is nailed, pressed, glued or otherwise secured to the crate along the edges of the foam that are exposed to the environment. Another option for trimming the edges is by applying a sealing material, such as silicone, PET melt, or other compatible melt, over the exposed foam.

According to a preferred method, specific functions can be added or implemented to the crate, independently of the method chosen for manufacturing the crate (either lamination after cutting or cutting/manufacturing the different layers in the desired shape before lamination). Such specific functions include, but are not limited to: embossing the bottom of the crate to define a specific bottle or can trough, thereby allowing the bottle/can to be received or locked in place; creating reinforcing ribs in the crate to locally reinforce the crate, examples being given by locally heating the crate above the activation temperature of the chemical blowing agent of the foam, thereby allowing the foam after the crate has been formed to expand; creating a protruding pattern on the floor of the crate to allow stable stacking of the crate; creating a handle in the crate (either in the crate side walls or in the interior of the crate), by cutting the side wall material and trimming the edges of the foam exposed as a result of the cutting and/or by inserting the handle into the crate and fixing it to the crate by welding, gluing, stitching or other fixing techniques; providing the crate with a cover configured to contact the top surface of any bottles or cans stored in the crate and to contact the bottom surface of the crate stacked on top of the closed crate; drain holes or the like are provided in the bottom of the crate.

The crate obtained by one of the above methods may be a load bearing crate (i.e. a crate capable of bearing one or more full crates stacked on top of it) or a non-load bearing crate, wherein the load bearing function is provided by bottles or cans stored in the crate in case one or more full crates are stacked on top of another crate.