Glider Tool for Enclosure Back Panel Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of back panels in enclosures is challenging due to their weight and bulkiness, especially when electrical components are mounted, requiring cumbersome lifting and maneuvering within tight spaces, and alignment with fasteners is difficult.
Innovation Solution
A glider tool with a sliding layer and engagement features that allows the back panel to be easily slid along the tool until it reaches the brackets, distributing the weight and reducing friction, enabling easy installation without the need for threaded fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If back panel is manually lifted and maneuvered into enclosure, then installation is possible, but operation becomes cumbersome due to weight and bulkiness
Solution Approach 1:
The glider tool serves as an intermediary device between the back panel and the enclosure. It provides a sliding surface that allows the heavy back panel to be easily maneuvered into the enclosure by sliding along the tool rather than direct lifting and carrying.
Solution Approach 2:
The glider tool creates a low-friction sliding surface that effectively equalizes the effort required to move the back panel throughout the installation process, transforming the difficult lifting operation into an easier sliding motion along a controlled path.
2Ease of operation
If back panel is maneuvered within tight spaces, then installation is possible, but operation becomes difficult due to limited space
Solution Approach 1:
The glider tool acts as a mediator that facilitates movement within the constrained internal volume of the enclosure. By providing a sliding surface that extends into the enclosure, it enables the back panel to be maneuvered through tight spaces without requiring complex lifting and positioning operations.
3Productivity
If back panel is aligned with fasteners manually, then installation is possible, but time required increases due to difficulty of alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The glider tool is installed beforehand to provide a guided sliding path that leads the back panel directly to its final position aligned with the fasteners. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for time-consuming manual alignment operations during the actual panel installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The glider tool serves as an intermediary that guides the back panel into proper alignment with the fasteners during the sliding process, automatically achieving correct positioning without requiring separate manual alignment steps.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional installation method is used, then back panel can be installed, but device complexity increases due to need for threaded fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the threaded fastener component from the installation process. By using the glider tool to slide the back panel into place, the complex fastening system is replaced with a simpler friction-based retention mechanism.
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 glider tool facilitates the easy sliding and alignment of back panels with electrical components, reducing the complexity and time required for installation by distributing the weight and lowering friction, thus simplifying the process within the enclosure's tight spaces.
Implementation Method 1
The sliding layer can have a lower sliding coefficient of friction than the sliding coefficient of friction of the top surface of the body
Data Source
AI summary
A glider tool can be provided for installing a back panel of an enclosure. The glider tool can include a body having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, a first end, and a second end opposite the first end, the body defining a length that extends from the first end to the second end. The first end of the body can be configured to engage a front frame member of the enclosure, and the second end of the body can be configured to contact the enclosure, when the glider tool is in an installed configuration.