iOmounts

Unique mounting device for electronic devices is produced with ingenuity

iOmounts™, a start-up company that produces unique mounting solutions for personal electronic equipment, approached NOVATION Industries to help create their new Nomad product, which secures smartphones, GPS devices and other small mobile devices to bikes, joggers, strollers, treadmills, stationary bikes, and just about any piece of exercise equipment.

The device required specific material properties to withstand outdoor elements and a unique undercut design to provide unfailing hold on mounted devices. NOVATION provided engineering, material selection, tool design, prototyping and testing and injection molding services within an extremely quick go-to-market product launch timeline.

“We were extremely impressed with the Novation team. They brought the technical knowledge and responsiveness we needed to produce and launch our Nomad Product line.” — Tamas Kovacs, President

Project Summary:

• Design modifications
• Material engineering
• Injection molding of all plastic components
• Manufacturing engineering
• Product sampling
• Full-run manufacturing

CHALLENGE: iOmounts needed to partner with a supplier that would provide manufacturing and tool design and assist with production implementation. It was imperative to identify the most optimum material specifications for sun and weather exposure, as well as strap retention, while still holding product color and strength properties. They also had to address an undercut design feature that allows the permanent installation of a magnetic assembly into the Nomad body and provides the required retention force ensuring it will not pull out under the expected high- pull force conditions. iOmounts had to solve these complex design issues in a short lead time as well as produce a small production run, enough to have samples ready for an important product launch.

SOLUTION: Tosolvei Omounts’ requirements, NOVATION engineers suggested design modification to the mounting device component to simplify the wall section and also design a methodology that allowed for the creation of a significant bead around the full perimeter of the pocket, .025 inch. Because the detail was too high to be stripped off with a standard ejection system, the tool design had to include side actions to form the majority of the outer perimeter of the part and internal coreouts for the strap channel. Also, a collapsible core that, during mold close, allows molding of the undercut detail and during the ejection phase, the center core collapses to allow part to be released without deformation of the Nomad body.

NOVATION engineers also addressed the unique demands of outdoor and sports-related product use by suggesting a high modulus polycarbonate, which promises UV protection and low shrinkage during high and low extremes of temperature variation, as well as flexibility and strength to provide reliable, long use for the device strap and the snap tab, which holds the strap in place.

“We were extremely impressed with the NOVATION team,” said Tamas Kovacs, president of iOmounts. “They brought the technical knowledge and responsiveness we needed to produce and launch our Nomad product line.” NOVATION’s unique integrated development process provided iOmounts with a rapid six-week go-to-market design process, as well as a optimum long-term, high quantity manufacturing solution.

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