Click on the static images to download a larger image.

This is a clamp which can be used for the injection moulding project. The mechanism used is the crank and slider with the addition of a handle.

The mechanism should lock on when the mid pivot point ("the big end") dips below the line between the other two pivot points - this is a toggle action.

A dovetail slider strip and cutout would be necessary to make this design work in reality.

Aesthetically this design needs improvement - the base can have a different shape, the handle is not comfortable and needs to be rounded and made to fit the hand better (Ergonomics).

The slider is too blocky and the edges too square.

All the silver steel pivot pins should run in bushes made from nylon or bronze.

Their is opportunity to work with a range of materials to produce a good performance and improve the aesthetics.

This is a rendered album of the same design. Materials selected are brass chromium plate, blue glass and red plastic.

Download the zip file containing the parts and assembly for this design by clicking here.

This is a cam operated clamp which could be used for the injection moulding tool. A spring return would be needed and a dovetail strip or key way would prevent the slider from lifting.

Download the zip file containing the parts and assembly for this design by clicking here.

In this design a toggle clamp linkage is being used. By rearranging the linkages the action could be reversed. The dowels guide the clamping plate but have to run though bushes to reduce wear and improve alignment.

Download the zip file containing the parts and assembly for this design by clicking here.

The Injection Moulding Die.

Here are the plates for a Yale key coloured plastic tab. When coloured hot melt glue is injected into the mould it will produce the key tab or cover, Silicone grease is sprayed over the die parts first, this prevents the glue from sticking.

The plates closed up - the steel dowel keeps the key ring hole clear in the tab.

Download the Techsoft 2D Design file for the die parts by clicking here.

Download the Pro/DESKTOP zip file for the die parts by clicking here.

This is an animated Pro/DESKTOP design of the original style embossing tool as used to emboss receipts MOTs or ballot papers.

Click here to download the Zip file for this design in Pro/DESKTOP.

This is an embossing tool animated. This design drawn in Pro/DESKTOP could be manufactured from mild steel plates and plastics such as polypropylene and acrylic. Bearings or bushes to reduce wear could be made from bronze, brass or nylon.

The animation is done by capturing the GL information using a Shareware program called FRAPS, then editing it in Animation Shop Pro. Save as an optimised GIF to drastically reduce the file size.

Click here to download the Zip file for this design in Pro/DESKTOP.

In this album view the side plates have been rendered as glass so that the mechanism can be seen. The spring return is missing from the hole in the base.

This animated model shows how the design could be tested using a simplified design to check the geometry. The return spring has been left out of the design.

Click here to download the Zip file for this design in Pro/DESKTOP.