Retention Features
Electropin makes pins with a diverse array of retention features to make sure you get all the advantages automatic die rolling has to offer without sacrificing any functionality.
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Electropin has developed several retention features that can be made through automatic die rolling. These make sure you can rely on your pins’ performance, regardless of how many you manufacture. Not sure which, if any, of these retention features are what you need? Electropin’s DFM experts will work with you to design a custom pin for your project.
Star
Electropin’s most popular feature, a star provides the highest retention and anti-rotational strength for your pin. It can achieve a diameter about 50% greater than that of the wire used as your raw material. When used in plates, through holes guide these star pins to keep them straight, but also allow for a solder fill or fillet. This results in unmatched strength for your circuit board.
Tabs
A spline offers strong retention with minimal expansion of the pin’s diameter. These are often your best option when a pin is post-inserted into a molded plastic part or is pressed into another metal part. Splines can be created in the rolling die and so do not slow down your production rates.
Inscribed Square
Inscribed squares offer retention and anti-rotation without any protrusion from the diameter of the pin. This feature is better where high-speed automation is used, and pins need to slide down a track without being orientated. This is an ideal option when you need less retention or anti-rotation pressure than a star provides.
Flat
Flat features make a pin that, once inserted, is hard to pull out or rotate. These are often oriented 90 degrees from each other on opposite ends of the pin, which means you have a flat on the end of the pin facing “north-south” while the other flat runs “east-west.” Pins with flat features are ideal when you are looking to maximize the anti-pullout pressure and the anti-rotational force.