Living Hinge Plastic Material
Pinless hinges have a flexible joint instead of a pin.
Living hinge plastic material. If plastic is too thin it may not have the necessary strength and the part may tear. Ninjaflex tpu soft pla bendlay and even the injection molded staple material polypropylene. Higher molecular weights and low melt flow rates will work better but are harder to push into the mold. Plastic hinges are a lightweight alternative to metal hinges and provide smooth silent operation.
A living hinge is a thin flexible hinge made from the same material as the two rigid pieces it connects. Since it is very thin it enables the two bodies to move rotationally to angles of 180 degrees and greater. Polypropylene pp part design details were reviewed in the june 2002 imm by design article. It is typically thinned or cut to allow the rigid pieces to bend along the line of the hinge.
Homopolymer pp is often recommended as the first material choice for living hinges. These can flex more than a million cycles without failure. Polyolefin hinges have good resistance to salt water oil solvents and uv rays. Typically the larger plastic pieces and the living hinge bridge will be made of one continuous piece of plastic.
A living hinge is a thin piece of plastic surrounded by thicker plastic that allows a part to fold or bend from 1 to 180 degrees. Hinges with a nonremovable pin deter tampering. Polypropylene is the ideal plastic material for integral injection molded hinges. But fellow plastics technology columnist mike sepe disagrees and i ll defer to his expert opinion.
A living hinge is a thin section of plastic that connects two plastic bodies together. It is only within the last three to four years that materials have been developed to assist in the design of living hinges. The materials used to make a living hinge are usually a very flexible plastic such as polypropylene and polyethylene. These materials include nylon tpe e g.
The purpose of the hinge on a ketchup cap is to keep the cap connected to the main body but also allowing it to move out of the way for dispensing. Polypropylene remains the king material for living hinge applications but it is certainly possible to create unique designs out of different types of plastic wood rubber and as it turns out even metal. The use of these materials has expanded the options for living hinges in a variety of solutions where injection molded hinges relied exclusively on polyethylene and polypropylene. This article discusses how to design strong hinges with extended flex life.
But as the part bends it creates strain called tensile stress. Living hinges are a type of hinge made from an extension of the parent material typically polypropylene plastic. They are very durable and with good design can last for millions of cycles. They are the thin section of plastic that acts as a connection between two larger plastic sections.
Sepe recommends a pp random copolymer or lightly modified block copolymer. The minimal friction and very little wear in such a hinge makes it useful in the design of microelectromechanical systems and the low cost and ease of manufacturing makes them quite common in disposable packaging.