Week 8 - Challenge 2 - Switch Bezel Design

Aim - Create the Switch Bezel Plastic component through the given Class - A surface

Objective - The objective of the project is to design the switch bezel and to do a draft analysis for it by creating the required tooling direction with the help of Bisecting method

Introduction - The control panel bezel is the frame part of the window switch that holds its switch covers and buttons into a place. moulding is the method used to manufacture the plastic trims of an automotive by most OEM's hence by considering the manufacturing consideration the switch bezel is designed.

Design Consideration -

1. Class - A surface should be aesthetically smooth and good.

2. Class - B surface should have all the supporting features like ribs.

3. Parting line should coincide with the B surface since flashing couldn't affect the aesthetic of Class - A.

4. Class - C surface should also pass the draft analysis.

Procedure For Creating the Switch Bezel

First the given styling is checked for any irregularities and if found any then it is correct by using Trim, extrapolate,Split and Join commands.The below image shows that the class - a surface is clean and no irregularities present , so lets move on to the next step

Creation of Tooling Direction -

1. considering the ejection from the cavity of the mound after manufacturing the interior trim(switch bezel0 must have the nominal 3- degree draft angle

2. Hence the tooling direction is created by considering the above factor and bisecting method is used.

3. The base surface of the class - A was extracted and a point at the centre is created and an axis system was inserted to the point with the current feature is disabled.

4. Then,usingproject intersection along yz plane is created and the two inclined lines were drawn inside the positioned sketch.

5. Then bisecting lines with the two iclined lines were drawn

6. Now thw same procedures is done along the xz plane but on one side we don't have iclined lines so the centre point is used to extrude a line along the z- direction and gave a measurement of 5 degree (Tentatively).

7. With these two lines frm sketches 1 and 2, the bisecting line is created and published as tooling axis( tooling direction)

Creation of Class - B surface -

1. For creating the class - B surfcae the required surface except the offset surface have been extracted and then untrimmed all the surface.

2. Then all the surfaces have been extrapolated to get intersections between them.

3. Since the thickness of the Switch bezel is 2.5 mm the B- Surface was offset to 2.5mm and the required trim operations must be carried out.

4. Finally, the required corners have been filleted 12.5mm ( 15mm-2.5).

Creation Of Class - C surface -

1. The requred outer edges of the A- surface were extracted using Multiple Extraxt. Then for avoiding the patches the curve is smoothened using the curve smooth option.

2. Then by using the sweep command the surface was created with following feature controls.

• Profile type - line
• subtype - With Draft direction
• Guide curve - smooth curve
• Draft Direction - Tooling axis
• Draft computation Mode - Square
• Angle - 3 degree
• Angle Sector - Positive Downwaed
• Length - 20mm

3. Then by using extrapolate command the edges were intersected between the surface corners which eases the trimming operation

4. Now the requred portion of the c - surface were trimmed out.

Creation Of Closed Surface-

1. Now the class - A and Class - c surfaces were joined together by removing the gaps in between them with the help of extrapolation ( tangent continuity ) and trim surface.

2. Then the exact surface of the switch Bezel was trimmed from the above - resulted trim surface with the class - b surface.

3. Then by defining the part body by using the closed surface command ib Part Design, the component's solid body is created.

Procedure For Draft Analysis -

• First the class - A surface is checked before creating the Class - B & C surface and finally the solid body must be analysed . Both cab be done by following the below procedures.
• By changing the view mode to custom view parameters - Material mode then the feature draft analysis is enabled.
• Then the compass was activated and placed with the tooling axis by dragging the redpointer and then lockes it
• Then, by selecting the quick analysis mode, the nominal value will be 3 degrees and checked for the component's draft angle
• The green colour area shows that it satisfies the 3 degree draft angle. If not satisfied then by using the Runnind point the area is measured and then altered to get a succesful draft for the created tooling direction.

Conclusion - Finally the Class - A , B& C surfaces with the tooling direction have been publised and the switch bezel is moved on to the designing of the next operation - the creation of B - side features.