Plastic Support Frame With Offset Projections For Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support frames for storing and cleaning high-precision components are prone to distortion and wear due to temperature fluctuations, and are costly to produce, limiting their use in high-temperature applications and optimizing cleaning processes.
Innovation Solution
A support frame with a lattice-like structure made from plastic, featuring wide webs that counteract distortion and are dimensionally stable under high temperatures, and a fastening mechanism with laterally offset projections for secure and adaptable attachment of connecting bodies, allowing for efficient use of space and varied object sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a plastic carrier plate with thin ribs is used to form receiving openings, then the device is cost-effective and easy to manufacture, but the ribs warp under gravitational forces and temperature influence, causing distortion and loss of dimensional stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the support structure by providing wide webs with a width-to-thickness ratio of at least 2:1 (preferably 3:1 or 4:1). This parameter change prevents warping under gravitational and thermal loads while maintaining plastic material benefits for cost-effective manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining plastic material with a specific geometric configuration (wide webs forming lattice-like patterns). This composite approach leverages the dimensional stability of the geometric design to compensate for the inherent warping tendency of thin plastic ribs under temperature and load.
2Stability of the object's composition
If wire strands are used to form the support frame, then dimensional stability under temperature is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase significantly due to time-consuming assembly processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters by designing wide webs with optimized width-to-thickness ratios that inherently prevent warping. This eliminates the need for metal wire strands while achieving the same dimensional stability through clever plastic component design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive metal wire strands with a cost-effective plastic support frame that achieves comparable dimensional stability through its geometric design. The plastic material, while potentially less durable than metal, provides sufficient stability for the application and is much more cost-effective to manufacture.
3Strength
If clamping fixation is used to attach mounting bases to receiving openings, then secure attachment is achieved, but play develops between components at high temperatures, causing the connection to be lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the mounting base and receiving opening to provide interference-fit or snap-fit connections that maintain their locking capability across a wide temperature range. The wide webs prevent thermal distortion that would otherwise loosen the connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the connection interface with built-in tolerance compensation that anticipates thermal expansion and contraction. The wide webs and carefully designed mating surfaces accommodate temperature-induced dimensional changes while maintaining secure attachment.
4Reliability
If the support frame structure is optimized for secure attachment, then connection reliability improves, but space utilization decreases as adjacent receiving slots cannot be used when one is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support frame into independent receiving openings separated by wide webs. Each receiving opening can be independently occupied without affecting adjacent slots, maximizing space utilization while maintaining secure attachment through the wide web structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing wide webs specifically at strategic locations where they are needed for structural stability and attachment, while keeping other areas open for maximum space utilization. This localized reinforcement achieves reliability without sacrificing overall productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Device (1) for receiving and securing objects (3), comprising a polygonal support frame (4) made of plastic, formed from several struts (7, 8) through which at least one square receiving opening (9) is created in pairs, and comprising at least one connecting body (2) having a base (10) resting on the top (5) of the support frame (4), on one end face of which a retaining base (11) is provided, which can be inserted into one of the receiving openings (9) of the support frame (4) and on the opposite end face of which retaining or receiving elements (12) are attached, by means of which the objects (3) can be fixed to the support frame (4) with the connecting body (2).Cost-effective manufacturing of the device and the avoidance of distortion or wear due to temperature effects are achieved by forming or providing a plate-shaped projection (21, 22) on each of two parallel webs, projecting into the center (13) of the receiving opening (9), and by arranging the projections (21, 22) laterally offset from each other in one of the receiving openings (9) with respect to the axis of symmetry (14) perpendicular to them, wherein the retaining base (11) of the respective connecting body (2) can be locked onto the projections (21, 22).