Slide Fastener Slider Venting for Corrosion-Resistant Component Housing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Metal sliders for slide fasteners are prone to corrosion, especially when liquids enter non-penetrating holes, leading to impaired appearance and corrosion propagation.

Innovation Solution

The slider design incorporates a recess on the slider body with a dedicated vent hole for ventilation, featuring a tapered shape to prevent liquid ingress and facilitate egress, combined with a plating process to enhance corrosion resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a non-penetrating hole is formed to accommodate components, then component accommodation is enabled, but liquid discharge becomes difficult and corrosion resistance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent accommodationVSAvoidcorrosion resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The hole is divided into two functional zones: an upper non-penetrating portion for component accommodation and a lower penetrating vent portion for liquid discharge. This segmentation allows the hole to simultaneously serve both component housing and drainage functions, resolving the contradiction between component accommodation and corrosion resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the hole have different properties: the upper portion maintains a non-penetrating structure to accommodate components securely, while the lower portion is opened as a vent hole to enable liquid discharge. This local differentiation of hole characteristics allows simultaneous achievement of component accommodation and corrosion protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If wet plating processing is performed, then corrosion resistance is improved, but plating film thickness becomes non-uniform with thinner films at deep parts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecorrosion resistanceVSAvoidplating film thickness uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The vent hole is formed in advance during the die-casting process itself, creating an open channel from the beginning. This preliminary action ensures that subsequent plating processing can uniformly coat the entire hole surface, including deep interior regions, eliminating the thickness non-uniformity problem that would occur with closed non-penetrating holes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the hole is kept closed to protect internal components, then component protection is improved, but liquid egress is prevented and corrosion occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent protectionVSAvoidcorrosion

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The hole structure is segmented into an upper closed portion for component protection and a lower open vent portion for liquid egress. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously protect internal components from external damage while enabling corrosion-causing liquids to escape, thus resolving the contradiction between component protection and corrosion prevention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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 design effectively prevents corrosion by allowing easy discharge of corrosive liquids and maintains a good appearance over time, while the plating further enhances corrosion resistance.

Implementation Method 1

a dedicated vent hole which allows ventilation between an outside of the slider body including the stringer passage, which is outside the slider body, and an inside of the recess

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravity: Gravitation

Implementation Method 2

allows ventilation between an outside of the slider body and an inside of the recess

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure differential: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 3

it is considered to perform plating processing on the metal slider to improve the corrosion resistance

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPlating: Electroplating

Data Source

PatentUS20250204650A1Slide fastener slider and method for producing slide fastener slider

Publication Date: 2025.06.26 YKK CORP

AI summary

A slider for a slide fastener includes: a metal slider body which includes an upper blade, a lower blade, and a connecting column connecting the upper blade and the lower blade at front sides thereof, a stringer passage which allows facing side edge portions of a pair of fastener stringers to pass therethrough being formed on an inner side of the slider body; and a component which is accommodated in the slider body. The slider body includes a recess which is recessed on a surface of the slider body and in which the component is accommodated, and a dedicated vent hole which allows ventilation between an outside of the slider body including the stringer passage, which is outside the slider body, and an inside of the recess.