Mechanical design of the Waterproof, Dustproof & Shockproof Product
Some products have a high design requirement and need to have certain protection performance in terms of waterproof, dust-proof, and shock-proof features in order to adapt to various complex and harsh use environments. In the mechanical design of these kinds of products, the mechanical design protection requirements of the product are higher.
Some products have a high design requirement and need to have certain protection performance in terms of waterproof, dust-proof, and shock-proof features in order to adapt to various complex and harsh use environments.
In the mechanical design of these kinds of products, the mechanical design protection requirements of the product are higher. Doing a good job in the mechanical design of the product plays an important role in improving the overall protection performance of the product. So, what needs to be considered in the mechanical design of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product?
Comprehensive consideration of the needs of industrial design, mechanical design, and hardware design, the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product design work is a set of non-independent system engineering. At the beginning of product design, it is necessary to consider the design requirements of various aspects of industrial design, mechanical design, and hardware design. In the initial industrial design stage, hardware designer, component stacking designer, and mechanical designer should be actively involved to determine the technical details of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof features. Only by comprehensively checking the links can we truly meet the requirements of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product design, and then produce products that meet the quality requirements and market demand.
The starting point of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product design is to achieve the purpose of waterproof, dustproof, and anti-drop through the comprehensive selection of design and material technology. Among them, waterproof and dustproof are mainly through sealing treatment and special materials using “isolation” to block water and dust from the product, so that it cannot affect the performance of the product. The waterproof key area mechanical design is the gap between the shell, buttons, screen, and interface.
Ensure the stability of the product structure.
The housing structure must ensure that it is not easily deformed. And there are enough ribs to press on the PCB and internal fixtures to ensure reliable fixation. If a soft rubber material is used between the front and rear shells, the front, and rear shells and the soft rubber material should use an interference fit and a certain preload to protect the internal components.
Ensure good sealing of the product structure.
A sealed or semi-sealed structure is adopted for some parts or the whole to isolate the internal components of the product from the external environment. For example, in the treatment of the sealing surface of the shell of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product, the sealing surface should be made of silicone material with good sealing and elasticity, and try to use flat contact instead of complex curved surfaces to simplify the design and improve reliability. The rubber seal of the external interface can be multi-layered to improve the sealing performance. All sealing parts of the plastic case must be polished, including the mating surface with double-sided tape and silicone material. The sealing part must not have traces of ejector pins, sliders, gates, etc., and must not have molding defects such as lack of material, weld lines, shrinkage, etc., and ensure that the sealing surface has sufficient strength and rigidity.
Ensure the reliability of the product structure.
Try to use screws to fix it into one piece, and fix it on the front and rear shells and the middle fixing bracket to increase reliability. The screws should be pre-tightened to prevent loosening and ensure that the whole machine has good strength and rigidity. Screws with hexagon head M1.66 or higher are used to ensure the tightening force. The distribution and arrangement of the screws should be reasonable and the force should be uniform. Self-tapping screws should not be used. The insert that fits with the screw needs to be insert-molded on the plastic case. The insert and the plastic must be tightly and reliably fitted, and it needs to pass the pull-out test of the insert.
Considering the size of the product, it is necessary to leave enough space for the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof design, especially for telecommunication products with many external interfaces, the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof solution must be considered in the definition of the width and height of the fuselage after the plan, the specific size requirements are determined. For example, in the form of regular structural modeling, the four sides of the fuselage and the corners of the outer contour are made of highly wear-resistant rubber material to avoid the impact of the product during the drop, and at the same time, it has a good feel and prevents slipping out.
In the mechanical design of the three-proof product, there are many details that need to be considered. According to the general requirements of protection and the actual use environment of the product, advanced design ideas, reliable materials, optimized structure, surface treatment, sealing, and drying measures should be adopted. Carry out the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof design for the whole machine, parts, and components, comprehensively grasp the details of all aspects, and improve the environmental adaptability and reliability of the product.