Pin Tool Member and Clip Installation System for Confined Spaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools for installing external C-clips or E-clips on shafts are inefficient, prone to misalignment, and difficult to use in confined spaces, often resulting in the clip being lost or not securely snapped into place due to high leverage and limited reach.
Innovation Solution
A pin tool member with a tapered section and a cylindrical section, combined with a pusher tube, allows for precise alignment and expansion of the clip onto the shaft, enabling secure installation without requiring extreme precision machining and accommodating various lengths for different applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If spring clip pliers are used to install clips, then the clip can be expanded for installation, but the clip is prone to twisting and popping off due to high leverage and small contact area
Solution Approach 1:
The installation tool is segmented into multiple functional components: a pusher tube for applying force, a pin tool member with tapered section for controlled expansion, and a cylindrical section for alignment. This segmentation distributes the installation forces and provides multiple points of control, preventing the clip from twisting or popping off during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin tool member acts as an intermediary between the installer and the clip. Its tapered section provides a large surface area contact with the clip interior, distributing expansion forces evenly and preventing the clip from twisting or dislodging during installation.
2Ease of operation
If traditional pliers are used, then clip expansion is possible, but the bulky tool cannot easily reach into confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is divided into a long, slender pusher tube and a separate pin tool member. This segmented design allows the pusher tube to reach into confined spaces while the pin tool member provides the necessary expansion function, effectively decoupling reach capability from expansion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation force is applied axially through the long pusher tube rather than laterally with traditional pliers. This dimensional change in force application allows the tool to reach into confined spaces while still providing sufficient expansion force through the tapered pin tool member.
3Manufacturing precision
If the pin tool member is machined with extreme precision, then accurate clip alignment is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pin tool member is segmented into a tapered section and a cylindrical section with different functional requirements. The cylindrical section can be machined to standard tolerances for alignment, while the tapered section provides self-aligning geometry that compensates for manufacturing variations, reducing overall precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered section of the pin tool member uses curved geometry that naturally guides the clip into proper alignment during insertion. This self-aligning curved surface reduces the need for extreme machining precision while ensuring accurate clip placement.
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 pin tool member and pusher tube system ensures secure and efficient installation of clips on shafts, preventing misalignment and clip loss, and allows for use in confined spaces with flexible length options, enhancing usability and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
The clip member is configured to be expanded radially outward in an elastically deformable manner when slid along the tapered section of the body portion of the pin tool member
Data Source
AI summary
A pin tool member and clip installation system including the same is disclosed herein. The pin tool member and the clip installation system are configured to facilitate the installation of a clip member on a shaft. The pin tool member includes a body portion with a tapered section and a cylindrical section, the cylindrical section being attached to the tapered section at a largest diameter portion of the tapered section, the cylindrical section having a substantially constant diameter that is generally equal to the diameter of the pin tool member at the largest diameter portion of the tapered section; and a shaft engagement portion attached to the body portion of the pin tool member, the shaft engagement portion configured to substantially align a longitudinal axis of the body portion with a central axis of a shaft. The clip installation system includes the pin tool member and a tubular pusher member.