Spring-Leaf Harness Spacer for Precise Overmolding and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire harness molding processes face challenges such as wire damage during mold closure, difficulty in positioning wires, visible wires post-molding, risk of short circuits, and inadequate sealing due to varying harness diameters and sagging, which are not addressed by current spacers.
Innovation Solution
A spacer with an external frame and spring curved leaves that flexibly wrap the wires, ensuring a minimum distance from the mold surface, preventing sagging, and accommodating varying diameters, featuring adjustable free ends and a fixation system for secure placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual positioning of wire harness in mold is used, then operator control is maintained, but wire damage risk increases and positioning precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer acts as an intermediary device between the wire harness and the mold, providing mechanical support and maintaining precise positioning. The spacer includes a support surface that contacts the wire harness and spacing elements that maintain a predetermined distance from the mold wall, eliminating the need for manual positioning while preventing wire damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer is positioned in the mold before the wire harness is placed, establishing the correct positioning framework in advance. This preliminary action ensures that when the wire harness is added, it is automatically positioned correctly without requiring manual adjustment, thereby preventing damage and ensuring precision.
2Device complexity
If no spacer is used, then device complexity is reduced, but wire harness sagging increases and sealing quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer provides localized support only where needed - at specific positions along the wire harness and at critical distances from the mold wall. This targeted approach maintains sealing quality and prevents sagging without requiring a complex overall system, as the spacer is a simple component with strategically placed support and spacing functions.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fixed rigid spacer structure is used, then positioning stability is improved, but adaptability to varying wire harness diameters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer incorporates flexible elements that allow it to dynamically adapt to different wire harness diameters while maintaining stable positioning. The spacing elements can flex or adjust their position to accommodate varying harness sizes, ensuring consistent spacing from the mold wall regardless of the specific harness diameter being processed.
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
Facilitates easy wire placement, prevents damage and short circuits, ensures complete sealing, and allows for flexible processing of different harness diameters, leading to improved manufacturing efficiency and quality of overmolded products.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of spring curved leaves, wherein each spring curved leaf has a fixed end attached to an inner face of the external frame and a free end, and wherein the free ends of the plurality of spring curved leaves are arranged to flexibly wrap the one or more pieces to be maintained
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A spacer (1) for maintaining one or more wires (101) during a molding process, the spacer (1) having: - an external frame (2), and - a plurality of spring curved leaves (3), wherein each spring curved leaf (3) has a fixed end (4) attached to an inner face of the external frame (2) and a free end (5), and wherein the free ends (5) of the plurality of spring curved leaves (3) are arranged to flexibly wrap the one or more wires (101).