Design and Opening Force of the Carton Sealing Mechanism for Bio-based Recyclable Express Cartons

CHENG Yuhang; LIU Yuejun; JIANG Nan; DUAN Dongjun; ZHANG Zhenghang; HUANG Zhencheng; HUA Guangjun

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.03.001

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (3) : 1-9. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.03.001

Advanced Materials

Design and Opening Force of the Carton Sealing Mechanism for Bio-based Recyclable Express Cartons

CHENG Yuhang¹, LIU Yuejun¹, JIANG Nan¹, DUAN Dongjun¹, ZHANG Zhenghang¹, HUANG Zhencheng², HUA Guangjun^1,*

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Abstract

To solve the problems of high resource consumption, low recycling rate, and environmental pollution in current express packaging, the work aims to design a carton sealing mechanism that balances environmental protection, functionality, and economy, so as to facilitate the large-scale application of green logistics packaging. Based on the concept of full bio-based integration, metal-free components, and self-locking sealing, polylactic acid (PLA) was selected as the single material. A wedge-shaped slider self-locking structure and a modular anti-tampering mechanism were designed to form a tape-free carton sealing device. Specimens were fabricated via 3D printing technology. Three-point bending tests were conducted to obtain the mechanical parameters of the material, finite element simulation was employed to analyze the force characteristics of the mechanism and a universal testing machine was used to carry out the opening force test of the carton sealing mechanism. The flexural strength of the PLA material was stable at approximately 50 MPa, with a flexural modulus of 2.35 GPa. The average maximum opening force of the mechanism was 8.93 N, showing an error of 11% compared with the simulated value (9.91 N), which balanced gravity and operational convenience. Manual 200-cycle opening and closing tests verified that the mechanism exhibited no deformation or fracture, and the locking and unlocking functions remained stable. The all-PLA material was compatible with biodegradation, and the modular design reduced maintenance costs. Through the single-PLA material design and structural optimization of the carton sealing mechanism, the synergistic improvement of recyclability, environmental friendliness, and economic efficiency of the bio-based express carton is achieved, providing fundamental support for the high-performance application of bio-based materials in the express packaging industry.

Key words

bio-based materials / recyclable express cartons / carton sealing mechanism / PLA / logistics packaging

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CHENG Yuhang, LIU Yuejun, JIANG Nan, DUAN Dongjun, ZHANG Zhenghang, HUANG Zhencheng, HUA Guangjun. Design and Opening Force of the Carton Sealing Mechanism for Bio-based Recyclable Express Cartons[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(3): 1-9 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.03.001

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