Care and feeding of living hinges

Polypropylene resins are uniquely suited for one-piece integral or living hinges.
Aug. 19, 2004Stephen Mraz | Machine Design

Due to its toughness and ductility, polypropylene (PP) is uniquely suited for a fastening and joining concept that can't easily be reproduced with other engineering thermoplastics: the integral or living hinge !olded"in hinges aren't new, but designers under the gun to consolidate parts and eliminate assembly steps are ta#ing a closer loo# at molded"in hinges for everything from glove"bo$ bins and tac#le bo$es to %D cases and electrical connectors &iving hinges can be molded from any PP resin including homopolymers ( single monomer), copolymers (mi$ed monomer), impact copolymers ( toughness enhanced), and random (nonordered monomers) 'nd while injection molding is the manufacturing option of choice, other processes, such as e$trusion, blow molding, and stamping, can also form hinges that fle$ more than a million cycles without failure (here are two basic types of integral hinges ) molded"in and die formed !olded"in hinges are the most widely used because they can be made with conventional injection"molding techniques *ey to designing a living hinge that survives the long haul, however, requires proper polymer processing during molding +ptimum hinge performance, including high strength and good fatigue endurance, comes when PP molecules are oriented perpendicular to the center a$is point of the hinge (he mold must be designed so the polymer flows across, and not along, the hinge length, and preferably at high velocities and melt temperatures ,illing too slowly, using low melt temperatures, and nonuniform flow through the hinge may cause premature hinge failure -t is also important that the polymer's flow front crosses the thin section of the mold instantaneously .ate locations must also provide balanced mold fill Designers should be aware that a substantial pressure drop occurs as the flow front crosses the hinge (his increases the polymer's shrin# rate and may require dimensions of the mold cavity be modified to ensure proper fit between the mating halves 'nother important molding feature that must be addressed is weld lines (hese should be located away from the hinge, so gate location must be carefully designed 'nother necessary step to further ma$imi/e hinge strength is to fle$ the hinge at least twice as it ejects from the mold (his helps optimi/e molecular orientation and boosts durability and strength *ey hinge features include thic#ness, the radius on its 0outside1 surface, and the recessed, flat 0land1 element on top (hin cross sections are needed to restrict the flow and orient the PP molecules perpendicular to the hinge 2ow thic# the hinge is also controls stiffness and the amount of force needed for fle$ing +ptimum hinge thic#ness is often set at 3 345 in , but this may need to be twea#ed when the hinge is tested because the closing force or 0feel1 is subject to individual interpretation (he radius on the 0outside1 or tension side of the hinge provides the material needed for stretching (he radius should be 3 36 in to allow the minimum thic#ness of the hinge at the center ' 3 36"in radius also ma#es it easier to mold

(he flat land on the 0inside1 or compression side correctly orients the two hinged components and provides an opening for the deformed hinge to sit -deally, the flat section can range from 3 35 to 3 37 in , with 3 38 in as an optimum (he flat must also be centered over the radius and recessed at least 3 335 in from the surface to provide room for the hinge to close and ensure a smooth hinge bend 9otches must be avoided, but radii at the ends of the hinge help prevent stress risers and premature failure ,or larger parts or more comple$designed parts, a hinge may be coldformed, or coined, into a surface mechanically -n this case, polymer flow may not be considered as critical as it is for molded"in hinges ' heated die compresses a slot into a flat surface between the two mating parts !ost of the polymer moves away from the die upon contact (he remaining thin wall cross section plastically deforms creating a living hinge 2inge thic#ness is typically on the order of 3 34 to 3 3: in ;hen forming the hinge it's important to #eep the compression (die) force from e$ceeding the ultimate stress of the PP otherwise the hinge could fracture (he male section of the die needs to be heated between :53 and :73<, and the area supporting the part during die forming can be either rigid, such as steel, or fle$ible, such as a rigid elastomer or rubber -t ta#es about 43 sec to form the hinge