Folded Beveled Panel Enclosure With Snap-Lock Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction costs for residential and small office buildings are high due to labor-intensive and skill-dependent processes in creating columns and furniture components, such as drawer frames, which require specialized skills and time, making it costly to minimize or simplify their construction.
Innovation Solution
A method of forming an enclosure using a single panel with beveled segments that can be folded and secured with mechanical connectors and adhesive, allowing for quick assembly by a single worker without specialized tools, using foamed polyvinyl chloride plastic that can be easily worked with and customized for various shapes and architectural details.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods are used to construct columns and frames, then structural integrity and aesthetic finish are achieved, but labor costs and construction time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is divided into multiple segments with beveled edges that can be folded together to form the enclosure. This segmentation allows for easier assembly without requiring high skill levels, as each segment is pre-cut and designed to fit with others through the folding and interlocking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel segments are pre-cut with beveled edges and pre-assembled with adhesive applied before final assembly. The adhesive is applied in advance to the beveled edges, and the segments are prepared with fold lines marked, allowing for quick assembly without requiring skilled craftsmanship during construction.
2Shape
If columns are constructed with decorative trim and finished appearance, then aesthetic purpose is fulfilled, but construction complexity and labor time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The decorative trim and architectural details are incorporated as separate segments that can be attached to the main enclosure segments. This allows for aesthetic customization without increasing the complexity of the basic construction process, as each decorative element is a separate, pre-fabricated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel material can be customized with different pigments, colors, and surface treatments to achieve various aesthetic finishes. The same basic enclosure structure can be adapted to different aesthetic requirements by changing the material parameters rather than the construction process.
3Productivity
If a single worker is used to assemble the enclosure, then labor costs are reduced, but assembly precision and quality may suffer
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is divided into segments with standardized dimensions and beveled edges that fit together like puzzle pieces. This segmentation with standardized interfaces ensures that even a single worker can achieve precise assembly by simply following the pre-marked fold lines and fitting the pre-cut segments together.
Solution Approach 2:
Adhesive serves as an intermediary that facilitates precise joining of the segments. The adhesive is applied to the beveled edges before assembly, acting as a mediator that ensures accurate alignment and bonding of the segments together, maintaining precision even with simple manual assembly.
4Productivity
If mechanical connectors are used to join segments, then assembly speed increases, but visible fasteners may compromise the clean finish
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical connectors are nested within the enclosure structure, with male and female connectors routed into the segments themselves. The connectors are hidden inside the wall thickness of the enclosure, allowing for rapid mechanical assembly while maintaining a clean, fastener-free exterior finish.
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosure, such as a column for supporting a roof, is defined by plural, adjacent, beveled segments, including two outermost segments, folded and joined. An adhesive is used on the beveled edges to help hold the shape of the enclosure. In addition, the edges of the outermost segments are configured to interlock so that, with manual force and no tools, the outermost segments can be snapped together, thereby holding the enclosure while the adhesive cures. The configurations on the outermost edges are preferably made of interlocking projections and recesses, at least one of which projections is displaced slightly when the outermost segments are joined. The segments may be formed by milling a single panel while applying tape to the joints between segments to hold them in adjacent relationship. The tape may then be removed after the enclosure is formed. The preferred material for the enclosure is foamed plastic.