Plastic products engineering and innovation company Extol, Zeeland, Michigan, has announced that it received a patent for its nanoSTAKE plastic staking technology. NanoSTAKE was developed to tackle the challenge of staking small plastic bosses in tight, hard-to-fit locations while being safe to use on electronics and other sensitive applications. The closed-loop process is fast and easy to use, thanks to the proprietary Smart Respond™ heating system that rapidly heats and cools the punch at the tip of the module.
The process heats and forms a plastic boss into a stake to mechanically capture another component. The methods of heating and forming vary based on which staking technology is being used. The nanoSTAKE process works when a low-current (1.5 A), high-performance heater heats a punch to a programmed melt temperature in seconds. The punch pushes down on the boss and forms it into a stake. Once the punch reaches the correct height, it rapidly cools to a programmed release temperature allowing it to retract without sticking to the plastic. The whole process can happen in less than 5 seconds and can stake bosses as small as 0.5 mm.
Due to its small size, safety, indifference to material color and easy operation, nanoSTAKE works for a wide variety of applications. Additional features include exporting data, validation mode, teach mode and extensive quality monitoring. Examples of applications that benefit the most from the nanoSTAKE process include electronics, lighting, automotive trim and medical devices.
For more information, visit www.extolinc.com.
