Injection Mold Terminal Positioning for Electrical Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional injection molds for manufacturing electrical connector assemblies experience terminal displacement due to mold flow, leading to defective products and reduced production yield.
Innovation Solution
The injection mold design includes a lower mold with recessed terminal grooves and protruding limiting blocks, and an upper mold with corresponding grooves and an abutting block, which firmly fixes the terminals and clamping component using a processing component with positioning and fixing slots, preventing displacement during the molding process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the conventional injection mold clamps only the middles of the terminals, then the mold structure is simple, but the terminals are easily affected by mold flow causing displacement and defective products
Solution Approach 1:
The injection mold is divided into multiple functional components: upper mold, lower mold, limiting blocks, abutting blocks, and fixing blocks. Each component performs a specific function in constraining the terminals at different locations (middles and ends), thereby improving positioning accuracy without creating a monolithic complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The limiting blocks and abutting blocks are pre-positioned in the mold structure before injection. The limiting blocks constrain the terminals at their middles, while the abutting blocks are positioned to abut against the ends of the terminals. This preliminary positioning prevents terminal displacement during the injection process.
2Productivity
If the mold flow is allowed to move freely during injection, then the molding process is simple, but the terminals experience displacement leading to reduced production yield
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of constraining the entire terminal uniformly, the mold applies localized constraints at specific critical points: the limiting blocks constrain the middles of the terminals, while the abutting blocks constrain the ends. This localized fixing approach prevents displacement at critical locations without requiring complex overall restraint mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The limiting blocks and abutting blocks act as intermediary elements between the mold and the terminals. These blocks transmit the constraining force from the mold to the terminals at specific locations, preventing direct contact between the mold flow and the terminals, thereby eliminating displacement while maintaining a relatively simple structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An injection mold for molding an electrical connector assembly which includes a plurality of terminals, a clamping component located above the plurality of the terminals, and a base body fastened to the plurality of the terminals and the clamping component. The injection mold includes a lower mold and an upper mold. The lower mold has a plurality of lower terminal grooves. Lower portions of the plurality of the terminals are placed in the plurality of the lower terminal grooves. The clamping component is placed on the lower mold. The upper mold is engaged with and mounted on the lower mold. A molding cavity is formed between the upper mold and the lower mold. The upper mold has a plurality of upper terminal grooves. Upper portions of the plurality of the terminals are placed in the plurality of the upper terminal grooves.