Living Hinge Plastic
Monroe living hinge plastic piano hinge are one piece molded pinless hinges.
Living hinge plastic. Typically the larger plastic pieces and the living hinge bridge will be made of one continuous piece of plastic. Since it is very thin it enables the two bodies to move rotationally to angles of 180 degrees and greater. These living hinges are manufactured for silent maintennance free operation and never need lubrication. But as the part bends it creates strain called tensile stress.
Polyethylene is the second most common living hinge material with similar properties to polypropylene. They are the thin section of plastic that acts as a connection between two larger plastic sections. The living hinge was introduced to the industry as a hinged recipe box at the 1963 npe. A familiar example would be a ketchup cap.
Also used throughout the medical industry and in the military where long life and resistance to harsh environments are essential. Plastic living hinges are typically manufactured in an injection molding operation that creates all three parts at one time as a single piece and if correctly designed and constructed it can remain functional over the life of the part. Over the next 40 years creative design engineers used living hinges in thousands of applications ranging from dispensing closures with hinged caps to automobile gas pedals and carrying cases. A living hinge is a thin flexible web of plastic that connects two or more rigid sections.
The low cost and simplicity of living hinges make them a popular option for many applications. The current trend for parts consolidation and assembly minimization has created a renewed interest in integrally molded hinges. Monroe living hinges plastic piano hinges do not wear fatigue or deteriorate in the harshest conditions including moist and corrosive applications. Typically the larger rigid sections and the living hinge 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. They are very durable and with good design can last for millions of cycles. Living hinges are a type of hinge made from an extension of the parent material typically polypropylene plastic. Due to its toughness and ductility polypropylene is the best material choice and a well designed injection molded pp hinge can have an almost infinite service life reaching several million flexes.