DIMIDE 1/4 Series Clamp Engineering & Construction
The patented DIMIDE 1/4 Series Clamp has been relentlessly engineered to make a high-quality clamp as affordable as possible. Through the use of top-quality materials, a structurally efficient design, advanced FEA optimization, and design for manufacturability we have managed to design a clamp that delivers high-performance and impact compatibility at an affordable cost.
Top Quality Materials
If you have ever compared a cheap tool to high-cost tool then I'm sure you know the difference that material quality makes on performance. As engineers, we love high-quality materials. They allow us to deliver excellent performance while minimizing weight. Although we were focused on keeping the cost low, we couldn't resist using our favorite materials in the 1/4 Series Clamp.
Heat-Treated Chromoly Steel Rolled-Thread Screw
The screw is one of the most if not the most critical components to a clamp and we have treated ours accordingly. We start by using high-quality chromoly steel which is commonly used in aerospace and high-performance equipment due to it's high strength to weight ratio and the ability to heat treat it while maintaining ductility. This delivers strength without undesirable brittleness.
We then roll and cold form the screw in order to increase it's durability by bending the grain structure instead of cutting it. This reduces the risk of local fatigue fracturing and prevents the threads from wearing down over time. Cold forming has the added benefit of significantly reducing cost at higher volume.
Heat-treatment delivers a very high-strength screw which can carry the demanding loads of our clamp. Once a part is heat-treated be advised that welding it will anneal the heat treatment greatly reducing the strength and leading to failure.
Heat-Treated Chromoly Steel Nuts
Similar to our screws, our nuts use heat-treated chromoly steel to deliver exceptional performance.
Zinc-Plated High-Strength Steel Arms
In order to prevent rusting while making them friendly to welding, the steel arms are zinc plated. The high-strength steel also delivers the strength and ductility you want in an clamp arm.
Zinc-Plated Carburized Steel Standard Shoes
To give some bite to our standard shoes and prevent them from mushrooming, we carburize them to give a hard surface. The jaws are also zinc plated to prevent rusting.
Thanks to the removable detent pin, our shoes are also interchangeable and replaceable so that you can easily switch them out to best fit your job.
Zinc-Plated Grade 8 Steel Detent Pins & T-handle
The DIMIDE 1/4 Series Clamp is different than other similar clamps. Instead of just using rivet pins that aren't removable, we rely on removable detent pins to allow for increased modularity and customization. These pins are high-strength grade 8 material which allows for reduced diameter while delivering significant strength.
Structurally Efficient Configuration
Tension Screw
Most clamps use a compression screw. Steel screws in compression typically fail by buckling at a far lower stress than their yielding limit. This leads to reduced load capacity due to the screw walking or buckling.
Instead of using a compression screw, we use a tension screw. This allows our screw to have a reduced diameter while carrying the same amount of load as a compression screw because it doesn't buckle. This allows for reduced clamp weight and manufacturing cost while maintaining performance.
Structural Arching
Arching is one of the most efficient structural geometries available. It is commonly seen in bridges that last centuries. We employ structural arching in our clamp arms to allow the clamp to carry large amounts of load while keeping weight minimal.
Smooth Geometry
Stress concentrations at corners can lead to a structural failure point. We have avoided this by using side plates that have smooth curvature.
Shear Plates (not just rivet pins)
Our patented shear plate design provides increased stability to the clamp. The shear plates act similarly to the web of an I-beam or cross bracing in a girder truss. The shear plates carry torsional load from the screw troque between the side plates while the clamp is tightening. This provides significantly increase stability compared to just using riveted pins as is common in competitors.
Non-pinch Nuts
At high loads, even the nut of a clamp can start to bend causing the nut thread to pinch the the screw. To avoid this, we have offset the thread from the ears resulting in a nut that doesn't pinch.
FEA Optimization
The DIMIDE 1/4 Series Clamp has been optimized using advanced Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Using an iterative process of analyzing and revising the design, we have reached an optimal geometry. This method cuts weight while maintaining performance saving on material costs and improving ease of use.
Controlled Failure
FEA also allows for another desired design feature. We have designed the side plate to bend and buckle visibly prior to have the screw fail. This is desired as it allows you to back off on load prior to breaking a screw. A clamp with a slightly large opening capacity is still usable whereas a clamp with a broken screw is not.
Design for Manufacturability
It's one thing to deliver a high-quality product, but it's a lot more difficult to deliver a high-quality product at an affordable cost. This is where design for manufacturability (DFM) comes into play. We start by eliminated all welds from the clamp and instead use riveted construction. We then replace the larger rivets with detent pins which have the added benefit of allowing for modularity and customizability. We then make the design as friendly to manufacturing as possible to using stamped plates as opposed to laser cut plates and a cold formed screw as opposed to a machined screw. All of the machined components are designed to limit setups and thereby increasing their manufacturability.
Results
All of this work has resulted in a clamp that combines high-performance and modularity with affordability. This allows your to outfit your entire shop with high-performing and modular clamps so that you will no longer have struggle with clamps.
Learn more about the DIMIDE 1/4 Series Clamp
Coming to Kickstarter
The DIMIDE 1/4 Series Clamp is coming soon to Kickstarter. We need your help to make it a reality. By becoming a backer you'll save money on your clamps, receive bragging rights that you helped make it a reality, and be able to guide the final design prior to production. Following the Kickstarter will notify you as soon as it launches so that you can become a backer on Day 1 and help us reach the first stretch goal!
Follow the Kickstarter Campaign