Design and finite element analysis of a 3D-printed packaging insert

Diseño y análisis de elemento finito de un inserto paraempaque manufacturado por impresión 3D

Ismael Alejandro Muñoz Salazar ISAIAS EMMANUEL GARDUÑO OLVERA MAYRA DEL ANGEL MONROY (2023)

Packaging inserts play a crucial role in protecting products during transportation. However, their design and production processes often rely on conventional methods limiting equipment capabilities. Moreover, the empirical nature of their design can result in a lack of reliability in the final product. To address these challenges, this study aimed to validate the design of a packaging insert using the finite element method and subsequently create it using 3D printing. The chosen material is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filament commonly used in fused deposition filament printers for 3D printing. This process demonstrates the feasibility of using 3D printing to create cushioning inserts for packaging and employing finite element analysis to simulate the insert behavior. The main findings of this research highlight the potential benefits of numerical simulation, revealing the areas where the insert is primarily impacted by weight. Furthermore, the forces load and displacement simulation results confirm that the TPU elastic limit (3.9x106 MPa) is sufficient to handle the weight this insert intends to hold. These tools determine the viability of the proposed design for its intended application. Therefore, this study verifies that 3D printing is a reliable option for producing packaging inserts, offering significant advantages over traditional methods. These advantages include increased design flexibility and the ability to create custom inserts on demand.

Los insertos de empaque juegan un papel crucial en la protección de los productos durante el transporte. Sin embargo, sus procesos de diseño y producción a menudo se basan en métodos convencionales que limitan las capacidades del equipo. Además, la naturaleza empírica de su diseño puede resultar en una falta de confiabilidad en el producto final. Para abordar estos desafíos, este estudio tuvo como objetivo validar el diseño de un inserto de empaque utilizando el método de elementos finitos y posteriormente crearlo mediante impresión 3D. El material elegido es un filamento de poliuretano termoplástico (TPU) comúnmente utilizado en impresoras de filamento de deposición fundida para impresión 3D. Este proceso demuestra la viabilidad de utilizar la impresión 3D para crear insertos acolchados para empaques y emplear el análisis de elementos finitos para simular el comportamiento del inserto. Los principales hallazgos de esta investigación destacan los beneficios potenciales de la simulación numérica, revelando las áreas donde el inserto se ve afectado principalmente por el peso. Además, los resultados de la simulación de carga y desplazamiento de fuerzas confirman que el límite elástico de TPU (3.9x106 MPa) es suficiente para manejar el peso que este inserto pretende soportar. Estas herramientas determinan la viabilidad del diseño propuesto para su aplicación prevista. Por lo tanto, este estudio verifica que la impresión 3D es una opción confiable para producir insertos de empaque, que ofrece ventajas significativas sobre los métodos tradicionales. Estas ventajas incluyen una mayor flexibilidad de diseño y la capacidad de crear insertos personalizados bajo demanda.

Tipo de documento: cases studies.

I. Muñoz gratefully acknowledges support from Posgrado de CIATEQ. I. E. Garduño acknowledges support from the Investigadores por México - CONAHCYT program through project No. 674.

Ismael Muñoz: Conceptualization; methodology; validation; writing; revision; project administration; software; investigation; display; draft writing; reviewing and editing. Isaías E. Garduño: Conceptualization; methodology; validation; writing; revision; software; reviewing and editing. Mayra del Ángel Monroy: Conceptualization; supervision; methodology; validation; writing; revision; project management; formal analysis, draft writing: writing reviewing and editing.

Artículo

Packaging insert Finite element analysis 3D printing Inserto para empaque Análisis por elemento finito Impresión 3D INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS

Chemically modified nanoparticles for enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial properties with cinnamon essential oil

Aaron Azael Lopez Cano VERONICA MARTINEZ AGUILAR Mariana Peña-Juárez Ricardo López Esparza Enrique Delgado Alvarado Emmanuel Gutierrez MAYRA DEL ANGEL MONROY Elias Perez Agustin L. Herrera-May JOSE AMIR GONZALEZ CALDERON (2023)

We explored the potential of different nanoparticles (TiO2, CaCO3, and Al2O3), considering their pure form and modified with cinnamon essential oil (CEO). These materials were characterized using various techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, XRD analysis, TGA, and SEM. The interaction between CEO and nanoparticles changed depending on the nanoparticle type. Al2O3 nanoparticles exhibited the strongest interaction with CEO, increasing their antioxidant capacity by around 40% and their transfer of antimicrobial properties, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, TiO2 and CaCO3 nanoparticles showed limited interaction with CEO, resulting in lower antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. Incorporating pure and CEO-modified nanoparticles into polylactic acid (PLA) films improved their mechanical and thermal properties, which are suitable for applications requiring greater strength. This research highlights the potential of metal oxide nanoparticles to enhance the antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities of polymers. In addition, incorporating cinnamon essential oil can increase the antioxidant and antimicrobial effectiveness of the metal oxide nanoparticles and improve the mechanical and thermal properties of PLA films. Thus, these PLA films exhibit favorable characteristics for active packaging applications.

Author contributions: conceptualization, V.M.-A. and J.A.G.-C.; formal analysis, A.A.L.-C., V.M.-A., M.G.P.-J. and M.D.A.-M.; funding acquisition, A.L.H.-M.; methodology, A.A.L.-C. and V.M.-A.; investigation, E.P.; supervision, R.L.-E., E.D.-A., and E.J.G.-C.; validation, A.L.H.-M. and J.A.G.-C.; writing—original draft, V.M.-A.; writing—review and editing, M.G.P.-J. and J.A.G.-C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: J.A. Gonzalez-Calderon thanks CONAHCYT for supporting the Catedras-CONAHCYT Program, and Verónica Martinez thanks CONAHCYT for the Doctoral Fellowship. The authors also want to thank CONAHCYT for funding the project CF2019 265239 “Ciencia de Frontera”, which made this work possible.

Institutional review board statement: Not applicable.

Informed consent statement: Not applicable.

Data availability statement: Data is contained within the article.

Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge Claudia Hernández and Rosa Lina Tovar for their support during the XRD and SEM analyses.

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Artículo

Cinnamon essential oil Antioxidant activity Antimicrobial properties Nanoparticles Polylactic acid films INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS