Electrical Connector Thin-Wall Assembly Without High-Pressure Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional injection molding techniques struggle to produce electrical connectors with thin interior walls due to issues such as incomplete mold filling, high injection pressures, and cost-intensive mold machining, making it impractical to manufacture connectors with multiple thin walls.
Innovation Solution
The method involves extruding a polymer or polymer composite into a sheet, followed by calendering to achieve a thin wall thickness of 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm. The thin sections are then cut and assembled into notched sections, which are inserted into an injection molded housing, secured using adhesives, force-fit, snap-fit, or welding processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional injection molding techniques are used to produce thin interior walls, then complete mold filling and acceptable wall quality can be achieved, but high injection pressures and cost-intensive mold machining are required
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into multiple components: an injection-molded housing and separate thin-wall sections formed by extrusion and calendering. These sections are assembled together using adhesives, force-fit, snap-fit, or welding processes, eliminating the need for complex thin-wall injection molding while reducing manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin-wall sections are extracted from the injection molding process and produced separately using extrusion and calendering techniques. This allows the main housing to be molded conventionally while the thin sections are manufactured using more suitable and cost-effective processes.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional injection molding techniques are used to produce thin interior walls, then acceptable wall quality can be achieved, but high injection pressures are required
Solution Approach 1:
The high-pressure injection molding process is replaced with low-pressure extrusion and calendering processes for producing thin-wall sections. The extrusion process forms the basic shape at low pressure, and the calendering process precisely controls the final wall thickness without requiring high pressures.
3Length of moving object
If injection molding is used to produce thin walls, then thin wall thickness can be achieved, but mold machining becomes cost-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-wall sections are extracted from the injection molding process and produced separately using extrusion and calendering techniques. This eliminates the need for expensive mold machining required for thin-wall injection molding, as the extrusion and calendering processes use simpler dies and rollers.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process parameters are changed from high-pressure injection molding to low-pressure extrusion followed by calendering. This process parameter change allows thin-wall sections to be produced without requiring complex mold machining, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach eliminates the need for high injection pressures, reduces mold machining costs, and allows for the addition of fillers for wall stiffness, making it feasible to manufacture connectors with thin walls that are both functional and cost-effective.
Implementation Method 1
extruding a polymer or polymer composite into a sheet
Implementation Method 2
followed immediately by calendering to a thickness of 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm
Implementation Method 3
The sections or insert are secured in place by using an adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector with thin interior walls is made by extruding a polymer or polymer composite into a sheet of approximately 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm thickness. The sheet is then calendered to a thickness of about 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm. The calendered sheet is cut into notched sections. The notched sections are assembled and placed into an injection molded housing of a connector. The sections are secured in place by using an adhesive, force fit, snap fit, or welding process to form the thin interior walls of the connector.