Laser cut snap fit - open to ideas.

Hi everyone,

Been a really long time since I’ve been on here.
I’m running into a little big of design block. I need to create a clear cover that snaps into a part which is housing a sticker/decal inside. The clear cover is to act as a protection layer.
Both the part and the clear cover are to be laser cut from plastic, meaning I can not have undercuts to help retain the clear cover in place. Anyone have any ideas of how I could achieve a secure cover piece using 2 laser cut parts.?

Open to ideas.

Chris

If the plastic is thick enough and high stiffness, say 6mm acrylic, I suggest a zero clearance friction fit keeping in mind the clearance of the laser.
For a thin flexible plastic, say PS, you can design little U shapes at the edges on all sides that keep the cover in place. Make sure there is a small circle at the end of each U stem to prevent tearing.

  • Use a a router to create a recess in the opening.

  • Or use an extruded molding, mitre cut the ends and frame the opening.

Perhaps it’s me, but this thread is a perfect example of how sketches are a far superior communication platform than words.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments. I’m heading down a path of using an adhesive at the moment and this is only because I’m having issues sourcing material in the thicknesses I need. I had a few ideas that used a routed opening and then the clear cover snapped in. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t a cost-effective solution for the product. It added excessive cost to the product because of the machining time.

Thanks again, the comments on here sparked some really good ideas.
Chris

If you are using a plastic that allows hinges you can cut the sheet partially on both sides to create a folding system. You can then fold the sheet into a window frame structure and secure it into itself.