Commonly used structural design forms of sheet metal parts

We can use the very flexible stamping deformation characteristics of sheet metal to make hooks to fix various objects that need to be installed on the flat surface of the sheet metal. Some process holes need to be drilled before punching the hook in the middle of the sheet metal part. This kind of design generally requires opening a mold and can't be folded out with a folding machine. When making samples or small batch production, after the NCT punch or blanking punch punches out the process holes, a small mold is used to punch out the hook. However, the hooks on the edge of the sheet metal parts can be folded out using a folding machine.

Figure 1 is a small mechanism for fixing the speaker. Its three sides are in the form of hooks, and the circumference of the speaker can just be stuck in the three hooks. The other side uses a boss to block the other direction of the speaker's circumference. This design has a simple structure and is easy to install.

Figure 2 is a long hook used to fix wires and cables. It is surrounded by arc connections, and the head has a slope, which is also arc-shaped and in the shape of a long spoon. It can be convenient to insert the thread horizontally and then fix it without scratching the thread. The distance between the two surfaces of the card line in the picture is 2mm.

Figure 3 is a commonly used hook structure. The hook of one part can just fit into the elongated groove of another part, and its tightening force is increased through the protrusion in front of the elongated groove. There must be a little pre-interference between the protruding point and the hook so that they can be tightly stuck, and a relatively large force must be used to remove them. Some hooks can be designed on the edge of the sheet metal. This can be folded out using a folding machine, which will reduce the difficulty of processing and reduce production costs. The lower right picture in the picture is a small hook, which is generally used to be stuck on the edge of another sheet metal part. This kind of small hook generally doesn't need to open a process hole, and is directly punched on the mold to produce shear deformation.

Figure 4 is a variation of a hook, a mechanism used to clamp another sheet metal part. The distance between the two planes of the hook in the picture is 1.2mm, the material thickness of the other sheet metal part is 0.8mm, and the gap between the two is 0.4mm. The middle part of the hook has an upward bevel, and the middle part of the opening of the sheet metal part to be fixed also has a chamfer, which can play a good guiding role and can be easily assembled. There is also a small connecting strip in front of this mechanism, and the two parts can tightly assemble the two surfaces together. It can also effectively prevent the two parts from deforming and detaching the hook due to excessive force. In small batch production, this kind of mechanism must be punched out with an NCT punch or a small die and then punched out with a die.

Boss is a very commonly used mechanism in sheet metal parts. It can be used for positioning, increasing the firmness of clamping, increasing the strength of sheet metal parts, and raising parts such as PC boards.

When the thickness of the sheet metal is thin, and some parts are subject to greater force and will be deformed, the edges of the sheet metal can generally be strengthened by folding. When the middle position of the sheet metal doesn't allow long openings, you can consider using protrusions to strengthen, and the effect is very good.

The bridge is a common structure in sheet metal parts. It requires a small mold to be stamped out, and no process holes are needed. Insert another piece of sheet metal into the bridge, so that the two sheet metal parts can be connected together. You only need to add a screw or other fixing method on the other side. In order to prevent them from loosening or not being too tight, the bridge and the plate must generally fit tightly together. Several consecutive bridges can also be made into a slide mechanism, which is used for assembly that requires plug-in assembly.

Cut long process holes on three sides of the sheet metal part to form a long sheet metal to form a spring piece. Generally speaking, this kind of elasticity is relatively poor and can't be used like a spring. The left side of Figure 6 is a typical form of its use. Hardware is installed in the middle of a sheet metal part that is folded into a box shape. It is mainly used to eliminate the gap between the hardware and the sheet metal part when assembling it and act as a spring. The picture on the right is a part of a mechanism. By using its elasticity, you can press the convex corner A with your finger, so that the B side can move inward, thereby allowing the opposite convex with the same shape as the convex A (there is a bend under the convex A to prevent excessive deformation of the elastic piece).

Half shears are generally used in places where shielding is required, but this structure may or may not be required. This piece of sheet metal can usually be removed by hand or with a tool. When stamping, make small openings around it or punch out the thickness of the sheet metal, leaving a few 1mm wide strips.

Rotating mechanisms generally require a shaft and a hole. The shaft can be made by directly pressing metal shaft parts into the sheet metal, or it can also be made by using a boss. As shown in Figure 7, one sheet metal B punches out the boss into the shape shown in the left picture, and the other sheet metal A punches out the required arc and then bends into the shape in the middle picture. After the two are assembled, they form the mechanism in the right picture. In this way, part B can rotate around the axis of the boss. This special mechanism is generally suitable for mass production. After the mold is opened, the cost is very low and the assembly is very simple. However, its accuracy is very low and can't be used for very precise assembly.