Interlock design for plastic enclosure

[engmechs]

Hi all,

I am working on an interlock design for electronic enclosure. My problem is to design a feature interlock A which can achieve the following:


#1: hold enclosure in vertical direction
#2: hold enclosure in horizontal direction

Details are listed in pic 1 & 2 at website:

http://hk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/leonlai1900/album?.dir=/c328scd

Pic 1 shows the bottom view of top cover with the feature A shown. Interested item.
Pic 2 shows the assembly view (cross section) & the relationship between top & base cover & the interlock A with base cover's features.

Please help out. Can my proposed feature A (interlock feature) can be easily made in tooling? Please advise.


Regards,

engmechs

 

[MikeHalloran]

NO.

The doubly undercut feature would be extremely difficult to extract from a mold. The mold would have to be extraordinarily complex, too.

Additionally, the hook it engages is too short and would fracture while being deflected during assembly.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[engmechs]

Thanks Mike, for your comments on this feature. This is helpful.

Is there any way to get around this with a simplified feature?

Please advise on this.

Regards,

engmechs

 

[MikeHalloran]

Go to a flea market and buy all the injection molded snap together stuff you can find.

Take it all apart.

Measure, draw, and learn. I.e., steal the designs.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[engmechs]

Thanks Mike. The solution is around quite often.

engmechs

 

[Pud]

First item of around 761,000 on a Google search for "Snap Fits in Plastic parts":

http://engr.bd.psu.edu/pkoch/plasticdesign/snap_design.htm

Only 760,999 to go!!

Cheers

Harry

 

[patprimmer]

Most respectable raw materials suppliers also provide similar information to customers. In the past I have certainly seen it published by Bayer, Akzo, DSM, Allied Signal ( I probably still have copies). I would expect also by DuPont, GE, BASF, Basel, Ticona etc.

Regards

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