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Thread: Flexing a living hinge

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Indianapolis, IN
    Posts
    114

    Flexing a living hinge

    Have a part that has a short-term living hinge. The customer is insistent that the hinge be flexed post ejection. My plan is to have an EOAT built that can flex the hinge prior to placement on conveyor. Does anyone have an idea on the min. degree of flexing that would still be effective. The hinge will only see 2-3 flexes at the most during assembly, but as mentioned customer is insisting on flexing.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Upstate of South Carolina
    Posts
    701

    Re: Flexing a living hinge

    In the past I did this, not on the EOAT, though there's nothing wrong with that approach; but, with two pieces of aluminum on a bracket mounted across the conveyor. I took the robot and ran the parts up and down 4x for the hinges to be flexed. The parts had wide flaps on them so they were flexed a high degree. I figured the 4 movements were not necessary but I was able to do this without extending the cycle time of the press.
    I did run a PP/PA6 part once that we didn't flex the hinges on because it was used one time and oce the flap was latched down; it wasn't designed to be opened again.
    Rick

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    28

    Re: Flexing a living hinge

    What sort of volumes are we talking?

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