Resin Slide Fastener Element with Convex Portion for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional resin slide fasteners face demands for further weight reduction while maintaining strength and reliability, requiring improvements in material usage and structural optimization.
Innovation Solution
The element features a main body with a convex portion and base portion, an inclined portion on the head, and protrusions to reduce material usage and enhance strength, with specific dimensional relationships to balance weight reduction and strength, and is used to form a fastener stringer and slide fastener.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the structure of the element is optimized to reduce material usage, then weight reduction is achieved, but strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The element is divided into distinct functional portions: a head portion for engagement, a neck portion for connection, and a main body portion for structural support. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the head and neck can be made lighter while the main body maintains sufficient strength through its base portion and convex portion configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The element employs local quality by providing a convex portion that protrudes from the base portion at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction. This localized structural feature concentrates material where needed for strength (at the convex portion and base portion) while reducing material in other areas, achieving both weight reduction and maintained installation strength.
2Reliability
If material is reduced to save cost and achieve weight reduction, then manufacturing cost and weight decrease, but reliability may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The convex portion protruding from the base portion creates localized reinforcement zones that maintain reliability in critical areas while reducing overall material quantity. The specific dimensional relationship (30%-40% of base portion dimension) ensures adequate strength for reliable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The element structure is designed with predetermined geometric features (convex portion, inclined portions on head, protrusions) that preemptively address potential failure points. These features are built-in during manufacturing to ensure reliability before the product is put into use, allowing material reduction without compromising reliability.
3Weight of moving object
If the element structure is modified to reduce weight, then weight reduction is achieved, but manufacturing complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The element is segmented into standard portions (head, neck, main body) with the main body further containing a base portion and convex portion. This segmentation allows the complex geometry to be managed as discrete features that can be integrated into a single injection molding process, avoiding the need for multiple assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention specifies particular parameter ranges (convex portion dimension being 30%-40% of base portion dimension in front-rear direction) that optimize the balance between weight reduction and manufacturability. These parameter guidelines help manufacturers produce the complex geometry consistently without requiring excessive process complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An element is configured to be installed together with a tape to form a fastener stringer, and includes: a main body including an upper main body and a lower main body; an installing portion for installing the tape; a head; and a neck connecting the main body and the head, wherein at least one of the upper main body and the lower main body includes a convex portion and a base portion, the convex portion protrudes from the base portion and extends in the left-right direction at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction. An inclined portion inclined downward along the left-right direction is formed on at least one side of the head along the upper-lower direction, and protrusions extending in the front-rear direction are formed on both sides of the convex portion.