Extruded Fastener Strip with Linked Clips for Flexible Lengths
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current extruded fasteners, such as push pins and attachment clips, are expensive and time-consuming to manufacture, lack adequate retention, and have limited flexibility in changing their length, making them unsuitable for certain applications where individual pieces can become lost.
Innovation Solution
An integrated fastener system where a continuous strip of predetermined profile is extruded with a wider upper portion and a lower depending portion featuring grippers, allowing for fabrication tooling to cut notches and form fasteners that can be connected only at the upper portion, enabling them to be cut to any desired length, reducing manufacturing costs and improving retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional molding methods are used to manufacture individual fasteners, then manufacturing precision and retention are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases and production time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual fasteners are merged into a single integrated fastener assembly through extrusion, where multiple fastener bodies are formed simultaneously in one continuous process. This eliminates the need for separate molding operations for each fastener, reducing both manufacturing cost and production time while maintaining the functional integrity of each fastener component.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated fastener is designed with separable components that can be divided into individual fasteners after manufacturing. The extruded structure allows for notches to be formed that enable easy separation into discrete fastener units, providing flexibility for different application requirements while benefiting from the efficiency of bulk manufacturing.
2Ease of manufacture
If individual fasteners are manufactured separately, then retention and structural integrity are maintained, but the fasteners can become lost and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fasteners are combined into a single integrated assembly that functions as one unit during manufacturing and application, eliminating the risk of individual fasteners becoming lost. The integrated structure maintains structural integrity while allowing for easy separation into individual fasteners when needed, thus preserving reliability without sacrificing manufacturing efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed-length fasteners are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but flexibility in adapting to different application lengths is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated fastener assembly incorporates a continuous extruded structure with notches that allow for dynamic adjustment of fastener length. The fabrication tooling is designed to create a modular structure where the number and positioning of notches can be varied to produce different lengths, providing adaptability without significantly increasing overall process complexity.
4Manufacturing precision
If conventional fabrication methods are used, then manufacturing precision is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases to about 4 times the new method
Solution Approach 1:
The extrusion process combines multiple fastener formations into a single operation, achieving consistent dimensional accuracy for all fasteners in the assembly simultaneously. This bulk manufacturing approach maintains the precision required for functional performance while dramatically reducing per-unit cost compared to sequential molding of individual fasteners.
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
The solution significantly reduces manufacturing costs by approximately ¼, enhances retention properties, and eliminates loose pieces by linking fasteners together, allowing for customizable lengths and improved retention in applications.
Implementation Method 1
A continuous strip of predetermined profile is extruded. By way of non-limiting example, the extrusion includes a wider upper portion which is integrally formed with a lower depending portion
Data Source
AI summary
An extruded integrated fastener assembly comprising a plurality of fasteners cut to length from an extruded length of material. Unwanted areas of material are cut away leaving the individual fasteners, which fasteners are also connected together by an expanse of material that remains. The fastener assembly can be single durometer or double durometer. A profile with retention members and/or leg features are formed in the fasteners for connecting to a predetermined component. The process for manufacturing the extruded integrated fastener assembly includes providing fabrication tooling suitable to cut away the unwanted area between the fasteners. The fasteners are thereby able to be cut to any desired length.