Mat Sealing Joint with Retaining Structure for Efficient Molding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mat sealing joints for electrical connectors are costly due to the use of expensive materials like silicone, and asymmetrical shapes to reduce material usage complicate high-throughput manufacturing while maintaining sealing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A mat sealing joint design featuring a soft, deformable material with a retaining structure, such as a recess, that allows for easy molding and unmolding, reducing material usage while maintaining sealing efficiency and facilitating high-speed manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If asymmetrical shapes are used to reduce material usage, then cost is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mat sealing joint employs an asymmetrical shape with a retaining structure on one side but not the other, reducing material usage while maintaining sealing functionality. The asymmetry is designed to work specifically with injection moulds that have a back draft, allowing the joint to be retained during unmolding only on the side with the back draft.
Solution Approach 2:
The mat sealing joint is segmented into functional portions: a central portion defining passageways, a peripheral portion for sealing, and a retaining structure. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the retaining structure provides manufacturing ease while the reduced material in other areas lowers cost.
2Quantity of substance
If material quantity is reduced to lower cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but unmolding reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining structure is designed in advance during the molding process to engage with the back draft of the injection mould. This preliminary action ensures the joint is securely retained before unmolding begins, preventing reliability issues that would otherwise result from reduced material quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining structure acts as an intermediary between the joint and the injection mould's back draft. It provides a reliable connection point for unmolding without requiring additional material throughout the entire joint, thus maintaining reliability while keeping material quantity low.
3Quantity of substance
If asymmetrical design is implemented to save material, then cost is reduced, but manufacturing throughput is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetrical design with the retaining structure positioned on one side allows the joint to be quickly retained and released during high-speed injection molding. The design is optimized to work efficiently with automated molding equipment, maintaining high throughput while reducing material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining structure's geometry and position are carefully optimized to work with standard injection molding parameters and speeds. The design allows for rapid cycling without compromising the retained functionality, thus maintaining manufacturing throughput while achieving material reduction.
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 design enables cost-effective production of mat sealing joints with improved manufacturing efficiency and reliable sealing performance, preventing foreign body intrusion into electrical connectors.
Implementation Method 1
The joint according to the invention is made of a soft (which can be easily deformed) material (for instance a silicone)
Implementation Method 2
the main function of the retaining structure is to receive, or to be received in, a back draft of the mould during the manufacture process, whereby the joint is retained on the back draft during unmolding
Implementation Method 3
one peripheral protrusion extending substantially normal to the longitudinal direction, with two opposed surfaces extending substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction so as to be compressed along the longitudinal direction between two housing parts for providing axial sealing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a mat sealing joint made of a deformable material: providing a mold (43) having a central retention device (45) and two half cavities (46, 47) placed on both sides of said retention device, forming the joint in the cavity, withdrawing the two half-cavities (46, 47), whereby the joint is retained by cooperation of the central retention device (45) with recess of the joint.