Case Study
Fenner Precision Multi Use Flexible Hinge
Challenge
A Fenner Precision customer was redesigning a component of a zone control damper used in heating and cooling systems. The goal was to replace the gear train in order to eliminate the wear and frictional loads associated with a gear system and increase the life of the drive. Another concern was to reduce the number of parts in the drive system and increase the efficiency.
Approach
Fenner Precision's engineers worked closely with the customer and developed a flexible polyurethane hinge. The hinge was used to transfer linear motion to rotary motion, and vice versa. This was accomplished through a wrap-and-pull motion used to open and close the zone control damper. This approach replaced a gear train and the preformance improved by reducing efficiency loss due to fewer interacting components within the system. The total cost of the system was also reduced due to the decreased number of parts required in the drive.
Results
The final product was a soft hinge made from polyurethane, that allowed for flexibility, and reinforced with Kevlar which increased tensile strength. Other customers use similar flexible hinges in ATM and currency counting machines. Fenner Precision has the ability to customize not only aspects such as length and width but can design custom end features as well to mate with application-specific clamping devices, or give a higher contact area to increase shear strength to handle higher loads. This is an example of how Fenner Precision can expand upon our standard products to customize a creative solution that is designed to fit your needs exactly!
