Bent Sheet Metal Case 5 -- design concept

[dusan]

This is version 5 of the design concept of a bent sheet metal case. It's the next step from version 4 which have been presented some years ago here on GH [keyword: PLUM matrix keyboard]. Considerable effort was made to simplify the design and, by taking into account tolerances of the metal bending process, I hope it's an evolution toward reality.

The construction is very simple so there is not much interesting about it. Here notable facts:

-- Dimensions: 309 x 191 x 20 mm.

-- Parts: two parts, plate and shell, each is made from a separate metal sheet but both of the same material of the same thickness (1.1 mm).

-- Fastening mechanism: leaf spring. Namely, two standard 15 mm binder clips that are placed perpendicular each to other, preventing the plate from all horizontal movements.

Thank you for critics and suggestions.

[dusan]

Changed construction. The leaf springs are now placed in parallel, not mutually perpendicular and they're not perpendicular to the respective edges of the plate anymore. The total number of bends reduces from 13 to 9.

Compared to the original construction, the new one is less efficient in leaf spring's force. In the other hand it makes production easier and more accurate.