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Tab? Notch? How to make small feature in 1/4" plate

ME Newb

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
The below feature is about 3/16" wide in 1/4" A36 plate. It's only purpose is to keep a plate that's spring loaded from rotating around the hex hole. Tab location isn't important besides being inline with the hex hole. How do I make it or are there ways to accomplish this that I haven't thought about? Currently I'm welding a short piece of 1/4" rod into a hole on the plate. It looks cheap and is a pain because of how small it is. I don't have a press brake but do have a press.

Screen Shot 2018-09-12 at 9.43.42 PM.jpg
 
If you have a press, you can backyard-mechanic a very simple die to bend the tab. To cut the slots, if you have 1 to do, do it by hand on a vertical bandsaw. If you have 10 to do, gang them in a vise and use a slitting/slotting saw. If you have 100 to do, have someone think about a punch&die, although with 1/4" thickness and a 3/16" width that's not real fun. Maybe farm them out to a laser or waterjet cutter?

Other options: use a spot welder. Cut/punch a notch in the plate and spot weld a piece of unplaced 3/16 keystock for a nicer appearance. Actually, from your description, the notch is unnecessary. Just spot weld a small block of appropriate size to the face of the plate. If you take the time to make a simple fixture and a custom electrode tip, you could bang them out pretty quickly
 
If you have a press, you can backyard-mechanic a very simple die to bend the tab. To cut the slots, if you have 1 to do, do it by hand on a vertical bandsaw. If you have 10 to do, gang them in a vise and use a slitting/slotting saw. If you have 100 to do, have someone think about a punch&die, although with 1/4" thickness and a 3/16" width that's not real fun. Maybe farm them out to a laser or waterjet cutter?

Other options: use a spot welder. Cut/punch a notch in the plate and spot weld a piece of unplaced 3/16 keystock for a nicer appearance. Actually, from your description, the notch is unnecessary. Just spot weld a small block of appropriate size to the face of the plate. If you take the time to make a simple fixture and a custom electrode tip, you could bang them out pretty quickly

Sorry should have mentioned these were being cnc plasma cut. I do like the spot weld idea to eliminate the need for the hex hole and welding a bolt from the backside.


Could you just drill and tap for a setscrew to poke up high enough? Or press in a roll pin?

Hadn't thought about a roll pin. Great suggestion
 
I like notches that get bent up in thinner materials its easy, simply cut your self a notch in a bit of flat and use it like a spanner to bend up the tag, but it kinda is not the way to go on much over 1/8" plate, the self clench studs - pins are the better option from there. But only if your plasma is accurate enough to pop the hole in. If you need to drill - do any qty probably more cost effective to look at laser cutting the item in moderate qtys to get the hole for less effort?
 
Use a Pem Self Clinching Stud:

Part # TPS-25-8, Self-Clinching Pilot Pins - Type TPS™, TP4™ - Unified On PennEngineering

Just put a .272 +.003/-.000 hole in the material and press it in. We tons of these and the work great.

It's worth noting those tolerances are only what is required to get the torque/ pullout/ etc ratings listed for the fastener. In our case we use 5/16 nuts and press them into plasma cut holes that are +-0.005 and they hold just fine. We only do this for prototypes, but I have no doubt they are plenty strong for the application. (5052 Aluminum)
 








 
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