PLASTIC

PLASTIC PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS

DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR LIVING HINGE

Living hinges are thin sections of plastic that connect two
segments of a part to keep them together and allow the part to
be opened and closed. Typically these are used in containers that
are used in high volume applications such as toolboxes, CD boxes
etc.

PLASTIC
PLASTIC PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS

DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR LIVING HINGE

The materials used to make a living hinge are usually a very flexible
plastic such as polypropylene and polyethylene. These can flex more than
a million cycles without failure.
Besides meeting the design guidelines, the hinges have to be processed
properly. The molecules have to be oriented along the hinge line for the
hinge to have acceptable life.
As molded the fibers of the plastic are somewhat random in orientation.
In order to orient the fibers to aid in prolonging the hinge life, some or all
of the following practices should be followed:
The gate location should be such as to allow the plastic to flow across the hinge
for maximum strength. As the part comes out of the mold, it needs to be flexed
a minimum of 2 times while it is still hot, for optimum strength
Coining is often done to give the hinge, enhanced properties. The coining
process compresses the hinge to a pre-determined thickness.
The strain induced is greater than the yield stress of the plastic. This will
plastically deform the hinge (i.e. place it outside the elastic range into the
plastic range). The amount of coining (compression) should be less than the
ultimate stress, to keep the hinge from fracturing.

PLASTIC
PLASTIC PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS

DESIGN GUIDELINES
FOR LIVING HINGE
The
finished
thickness

after
coining should be from 0.25 to 0.5
mm (0.010 to 0.020 inch). This
keeps the stress in the outer fibers
from exceeding the yield strength
when being flexed.
This process can also be done by
heating the hinge or the coining tool
to a temperature below the glass
transition temperature of the plastic.
This allows for easier coining and
somewhat enhanced properties, as
the plastic "flow" easier when being
heated.

Sheet Metal

Hole Diameter to Thickness Ratio

For most materials hole diameter should not be less than
material thickness. As tensile strength increases the punch
diameter must also increase

Hole Taper
When a hole is punched, it does not have a
constant radius through the entire thickness
of the part. The taper in the bottom side of
the hole is relative to the die clearance. Die
clearance is the difference between the
punch diameter and die diameter. It is
usually about 10% of the material thickness.
To get a constant diameter through the
entire material thickness the part must be
drilled or machined at far more costly
operation.

Effect of clearance, c, on the deformation zone in shearing.

Note that, as clearance increases, the material tends to be
pulled into the die, rather than being sheared.

Bending & Minimum Bend

Radius

Minimum bend radii for various

materials at room temperature

Bend Relief

When a bend is made close to an edge the material

may tear unless bend relief is given. Part 1 shows a
torn part. Part 2 shows a bend relief cut into the part,
the depth of the relief should be greater than the
radius of the bend. The width of the relief should be a

Forming and Bending Near Holes

When a bend is made too close to a hole the
hole may become deformed. Hole 1 shows
a hole that has become teardrop shaped
because of this problem. To save the cost of
punching or drilling in a secondary operation
the following formulas can be used to
calculate the minimum distance required:
For a slot or hole < 25mm in diameter the
minimum distance "D" = 2T + R (see below)

Hole to Raw Edge Clearance

A good rule of thumb for hole placement is to keep
the hole at least one material thickness away from
any raw edge. If the hole gets too close to an edge
a bulge can form as shown below.

eature placement restrictions

When placing formed features next to
one another, care should be taken allow
clearance between features. If the
station does not clear a form already
placed in the part, the form could be
flattened out. An example of good vs.
bad placement is illustrated below.
Relieving the stripper can overcome
this problem in some cases.

Notches and Tabs- should not be

narrower than 1.5X the material
thickness. Length of notches can
be up to 5X length of material
thickness.