Die Cast Zipper Slide Assembly with Side Shifting Mold
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing zipper slide assemblies made from metal face challenges in manufacturing, as they require modified geometry with internal angled surfaces, leading to stress risers, corrosion, and limited movement, making them prone to breakage and aesthetically unacceptable.
Innovation Solution
A die cast zipper slide assembly formed in a single operation with at least one side shifting slide, allowing the bridge and pull loop to maintain their full geometric shape without converging flat surfaces, enabling side-to-side movement during closure and restricting it during opening for improved ergonomics and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal slider assemblies are manufactured with traditional multi-piece construction and interlocking pulls, then assembly strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity and susceptibility to breakage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the slider and pull into a single integrated metal component manufactured in one die-casting operation, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural integrity through unified construction
2Ease of manufacture
If metal slider assemblies are formed in a single operation, then manufacturing ease is improved, but tool retraction difficulty increases due to rigid metal properties
Solution Approach 1:
The die-casting tool is divided into multiple independent sections including movable side-shifting slides that can retract separately from the main mold cavity, allowing each section to withdraw independently along different paths and planes to clear the solidified metal part geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The side-shifting slides introduce a lateral movement dimension perpendicular to the primary mold opening direction, enabling tool sections to clear complex three-dimensional part geometries by shifting sideways before retracting, thus solving the tool entanglement problem in single-operation metal casting
3Ease of manufacture
If internal angled surfaces are used in traditional slider geometry, then tool retraction is enabled, but stress risers and corrosion increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional internal angled surfaces with curved radiused transitions in the slider geometry, which eliminate sharp corners and stress concentration points while still permitting adequate tool retraction through the combination of curved surfaces and side-shifting mold sections
4Ease of manufacture
If modified geometry with converging flat surfaces is used, then tool retraction is achieved, but pull movement is limited and aesthetics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The side-shifting slide mechanism segments the mold retraction path into independent directional movements, allowing the mold to clear the part geometry without imposing restrictive converging flat surfaces that would limit pull movement or compromise aesthetic appearance
Data Source
AI summary
The present device relates to a slide assembly for a zipper, and a method for manufacturing a zipper slide assembly. The slide assembly is formed in a single die cast operation to include the slide member and the pull member being formed simultaneously. Portions of the bridge and pull member are formed to provide a first side to side angle of pull when the pull member cooperates with the first end of the bridge, and a second side to side angle of pull when the pull member cooperates with the second end of the bridge.