Mould for Human Body Support Element with Undercut Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional moulds for vehicle saddles, such as bicycles, lack the capability to produce saddles with undercuts or sharp-cornered/angular profiles due to design limitations, resulting in aesthetically and comfort-wise limited saddle conformations.
Innovation Solution
A mould with a negative draft design that includes a first component with a cavity reproducing the saddle's outer surface, a second component with a false-male shape, and a third component for locking the cover, allowing for the creation of saddles with complex geometries and undercuts, featuring vacuum holes for precise shaping and efficient extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If traditional moulds without undercuts are used, then the extraction of the saddle from the mould is easy, but the saddle has rounded side edges and limited conformation complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The mould is divided into multiple separable components (first component, second component, third component) that can be moved independently. This segmentation allows the mould to accommodate complex saddle geometries with undercuts while enabling easy extraction by separating the components, resolving the contradiction between shape complexity and extraction ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a new dimensional approach by creating undercuts that extend in multiple directions (longitudinal, transverse, and vertical dimensions). The negative draft design incorporates undercuts in various orientations, allowing complex 3D saddle profiles to be formed while maintaining extractability through component separation.
2Shape
If moulds with undercuts and negative drafts are used, then saddles with angular and complex profiles can be produced, but the mould design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The mould structure is segmented into specialized components, each responsible for specific functions: the first component forms the main cavity, the second component creates the negative draft and undercuts, and the third component provides locking. This segmentation manages structural complexity by assigning specific geometric functions to separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the mould have specialized local characteristics. The second component specifically incorporates undercuts and negative drafts only where complex saddle profiles are needed, while other areas maintain simpler geometries. This localized approach to complexity allows angular profiles where required without making the entire mould unnecessarily complex.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple mould designs are used, then the manufacturing process is simple and cost-effective, but complex geometries and undercuts cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The mould is segmented into components that can be manufactured separately using standard machining processes, keeping individual component manufacturing simple and cost-effective. The assembly of these components achieves the complex geometric conformation that would be difficult to produce in a single monolithic mould, balancing manufacturing simplicity with geometric precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould components are designed to copy or reproduce the desired saddle geometry through negative drafting. The cavity, false-male, and locking components collectively replicate complex saddle profiles including undercuts and angular edges, achieving high manufacturing precision through the copying function of the segmented mould structure.
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
Enables the production of saddles with complex, angular, and undercut designs, enhancing both aesthetics and user comfort while allowing for easy extraction of the finished product by moving mould components apart.
Implementation Method 1
vacuum holes for precise shaping
Data Source
AI summary
Mould for making a support element for the human body, such as a bicycle saddle or a motorcycle saddle, wherein the mould includes a first component or matrix, which is provided with a cavity open at the top, and at least one second component or false-male, in which the second component or false-male has a through opening, the cavity of the first component or matrix and the through opening of the second component or false-male determine a cavity, which has a conformation in use matching the conformation and/or the bulk and/or to the outer surface of the support element for the human body or the saddle; method for obtaining the support element for the human body and support element for the human body.