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Plastic hot air staking used inside UK-made cars

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 24, 2001

Simultaneous retention of seat back map pocket assemblies and carpet finisher trims on a newly-launched British made compact family saloon has been achieved using plastic hot air staking technology

The simultaneous retention of seat back map pocket assemblies and carpet finisher trims on a newly-launched British made compact family saloon is the latest application to benefit from the speed and cost-effectiveness of plastic hot air staking technology from Phasa Developments.

The Harlow-based company has recently won an order for custom-engineered assembly equipment and tooling, which features automatic parts sensing and a novel, inverted assembly process.

Unlike most fastening operations, components are loaded into the machine with their finished or 'A' faces uppermost.

On initiation of the automatic cycle, pegs on the polypropylene map pocket assembly and seat back moulding are heated from beneath the workpiece area by precisely controlled jets of air at up to 400 degrees Celsius.

When the stakes reach their plastic state, purpose-designed mould tools clamp the components together, before re-shaping the pegs into rivet heads, which subsequently cool and solidify to produce permanent, low-cost, fixings without the need for additional clips or threaded fasteners.

The equipment's configuration ensures that gaps between assembled components are eliminated and that the resultant vibration and tamper resistant assemblies are produced without risk of damage to the mouldings' all-important top faces.

Nine off 7 mm hollow pegs are employed to secure the map pockets, while a further three off hollow 6 mm pegs are used to secure the carpet trim, all within a single, 20 second machine cycle.

"We are delighted to have been selected for this latest contract," says Phasa's John Neugebauer, "particularly as it has been won in the face of stiff international competition.

It is the latest in a series of applications we have secured on this new vehicle, including the fastening of courtesy light assemblies and safety-critical air bag components.

"It underlines the cost effectiveness and productivity benefits of our process, which is already employed by many of the world's leading automotive manufacturers, including Ford, Toyota, BMW, Nissan, VW, Honda, General Motors, Jaguar, MG and Land Rover.".