Reel Flanges with Corrugated Undercuts for Molding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corrugated flanges for spools and reels lack undercuts, which can hinder the molding process and provide insufficient structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
The integration of undercuts on corrugated flanges, along with mid-plane supports between corrugations, enhances structural integrity and facilitates easier ejection during molding by maintaining attachment to a mold half until removal with ejection pins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If corrugations are added to flanges to provide structural integrity, then the flange strength is improved, but the molding process becomes more difficult without undercuts
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is segmented into multiple corrugations with undercuts at regular intervals. These undercuts create separate sections that allow the flange to be released from the mold by breaking the attachment at the undercut locations, enabling easy ejection while maintaining the overall structural integrity provided by the corrugated pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The undercuts act as intermediary features between the corrugations and the mold. They provide controlled attachment points that allow the flange to remain attached to the mold during cooling and then be easily released using ejection pins, mediating between the need for structural strength and the need for easy mold release.
2Ease of manufacture
If undercuts are added to corrugated flanges to facilitate ejection, then the molding process is simplified, but the flange structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The undercuts are strategically positioned at specific locations on the corrugations rather than being uniformly distributed. This local placement provides sufficient attachment points for mold release while preserving the structural integrity of the flange in critical areas. The corrugations maintain their load-bearing capacity while the undercuts provide localized release functionality.
3Strength
If supports are added between corrugations to enhance structural integrity, then the flange strength is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The supports are merged with the corrugation structure itself, forming an integrated design where the supports are part of the corrugated pattern rather than separate add-on elements. This combining approach enhances structural integrity while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity, as the supports utilize the existing corrugation geometry and material distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
Reels or spools for carrying wires or the likes, where the flanges of these reels or spools have corrugations with undercuts selectively formed thereon, are provided. These undercuts may aid in the molding process, such as injection molding or compression molding with substantially rigid molds, among other things. The reels or spools may also have supports dispersed between the corrugations to provide additional structural integrity to the flange. These supports can be mid-plane supports between the corrugations and may be positioned closer to the inside surface or to the outside surface of the flange, and the supports may form an angle with the corrugations.