Production update - January 2020
Latest prototype refinements
We received the new prototype lid with the design refinements and guess what. . . it's awesome! Here's a quick overview:
Material: we ordered our new prototype lid in Polypropylene (PP) and it is a really suitable plastic for our lunchbox - firmer than the HDPE but still slightly flexible. It's approved by the FDA for food use, has a high heat, odour and moisture resistance (so you can put it in the dishwasher - oh yeah!), and is BPA free (an FDA requirement). It also provides us with the opportunity to add a component of recycled PP or oyster shell additive in the future to help us reduce our carbon emissions. Update: unfortunately, the way we intended to use the PP proved difficult in the cooling process when mass manufactured. It warped significantly and caused the lid to 'bow' which prevented the seal from engaging. We've switched to an FDA approved, food-grade ABS which has minimal shrinkage and warpage upon cooling. Id still love to do a recycled plastic or plant-based plastic version of our lunchbox - I'm constantly researching options moving forward.
Seal: the new lid seal works really, really well - we're super happy with the tightness of the seal and how it fits onto the walls of the food tray. We made the gap, where you pinch the seal to pull it out, slightly wider so it's easier to remove for cleaning. We also made the seal wider so it goes all the way to the edge of the lid and added a groove so it fits snuggly over the internal walls of the food tray (which will help keep food fresh and free from spoilage). We also filled-in the corner that covers the yogurt compartment to prevent wet-foods from creeping under the seal - this means you won't need to remove the entire seal for cleaning every-single-day.
Tooling is about to start any day now. I'll update you again once it's started.
Happy New Year to all you amazing people who helped me reach my goals in 2019. Here's to 2020 being another year for kicking goals!
