Award-winning plastic construction in IRONCAD became a global sales success.

Back home, the real product development continued in the 3D program IRONCAD where I normally work with machine designs. It turned out that the path to the finished product included most of the modern product development and also led to a patented technical solution. The story can also be a stylistic study in how it can be done in practice from idea to finished product.

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The unique TriBall technology is very user-friendly

The idea was to hold the moving parts of the clamp together with plastic hinges. To test the function, I extruded the different parts in the CAD program as separate parts. I could then easily move them to different positions with the universal tool in IRONCAD; TriBall, to simulate the function. An extrusion profile is easily made in IRONCAD, it is just as easy to adjust and test the profile. The functions of the CAD program make it easy to make the necessary adjustments to achieve optimum performance. The unique TriBall technology is very user friendly and makes it easy to move and copy etc. The next step was to make an authentic function test in the computer of the assembled parts.

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Creation of physical models - 3D printing

For this I used the Mechanism function in IRONCAD. The clamp "arms" that open and close the jaws have integrated knee joints that stay in a stable position when the clamp closes. This provides a high locking force in the jaw section. After a large number of computer simulations, it was time to develop physical models and make a first sharp test of the function.

In parallel with the data modulation, I produced a number of 3D models from the raw extrusion profile. Here we had an exciting collaboration with Solidmakarna as an expert in the 3D printing field. The 3D models can be exported from IRONCAD to STL files in which most 3D printers accept. These were then printed with very high resolution and detail accuracy. In addition, we could have the models in our hands the very next day.

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High detail accuracy

The models have very high detail accuracy but are brittle and cannot bend without breaking. The solution was to cast them in silicone moulds. The silicone moulds were then used to cast prototypes in various two-component casting compounds. After 8 or 9 SLA models (3D prints) we had a basic function that met my ambitions. In parallel with the functional testing, work was ongoing to create a clean design and to trim away excess material and replace it with thin reinforcing ribs. The function and strength of the hinges were also optimised. IRONCAD's extrusion tool came in handy again as I could easily produce a sketch of the section to be trimmed down and then remove material to a certain depth.

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The clamp was modulated as ¼

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Now 3D printing came back into use as it is possible to quickly produce different iterations of the model to study. The clamp was modulated as ¼ part of the final part, then this part was mirrored and copied in batches using the TriBall function until we had a complete detail. In this way it was sufficient to make the necessary cut-outs, add curves, bevel, release angles, reinforcements, etc. on one part instead of four.

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First trial series was a fiasco

Finally, it was time for the next step, making a prototype injection moulding tool in aluminium and testing different plastic raw materials. Expectations were of course very high when I received the first test batch. But what a fiasco it was, the jaws couldn't squeeze hard enough and lost power even more when they were clamped for a few hours. Also, the plastic hinges broke because the plastic was too brittle. For every problem there is at least one solution. In this case, the solution was to use two different plastic materials with unique properties. With such a design, the jaw part of the clamp can withstand high permanent loads. At the same time, the hinges of the clamp are so flexible that they have an almost infinite life without breaking.

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Simulation

To min help me, I had the plastic supplier DuPont, which has solid expertise in high-performance UV-resistant plastics. The clamp's plastics are UV stabilized and can therefore sit in the sun for many years without degrading. DuPont helped to computer simulate the injection moulding process and suggested some changes to the injection moulding tools to maximize the properties of the plastics. The two different plastics that make up the clamp cannot be chemically joined. To join the two different parts, a mechanical locking function was created.

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All challenges were now solved - the product was ready!

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The final version can lock clothes, towels, canvases etc. to washing lines, for example, but also to boat pulpit tubes up to a diameter of 32mm. The clamp does not let go even in the most extreme gusts of wind and the towel hangs securely even when going at high speed with the boat. In addition, since the clamp is made entirely of plastic, there is no need for conventional metal springs, which often rust and come loose.

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Result: award-winning and patent-protected solution!

The result was FIXCLIP - an innovative lockable clip/clothespin that holds its grip even in the toughest conditions. The clamp's patented double knee joint lock and self-locking friction arms provide unique gripping properties. It has no metal springs and therefore no problem with rust. FixClip keeps a firm grip on towels, clothes, tarpaulins etc., even in strong winds. The flexible grip range of 5-32 mm allows a wide use. One size fits all.

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Mechanical design in IRONCAD - automatic assembly equipment

Two parts will now become one! To make the project profitable, the two parts must be assembled automatically. Back to the drawing board and IRONCAD to design a machine that assembles the two parts into a complete FixClip. I find that what sets IRONCAD apart from other solutions is that the 3D environment really encourages creativity.

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Easy to sketch, test, modify and simulate the functions

This is very important for a product developer because it is so easy to sketch, test, modify and simulate the functions. You also don't have to spend energy keeping track of previous data history in the design, just adding or removing parts without problems. IRONCAD's tools are simple and user-friendly, making it easy to model different alternative solutions in a short time. This made designing the nifty assembly kit with many moving parts quick and efficient. "The machine I designed in IRONCAD has now replaced manual assembly and spits out 3,000 complete clamps per hour." Göran Ewerlöv - Fixclip