Modeling and simulation of the assembly of snap joints

Snap fasteners are being increasingly used as joints for parts mating. Due to their simple fitting, the application of snap joints has become widespread in automated assembly. Two aspects are important concerning the design of snap joints, mating forces during the assembly and forces during the disassembly. The former have to be applied for the insertion and the latter are responsible for the function of the snap fit. In this paper the authors present the modeling and the simulation of the insertion and the extraction of snap fasteners. Therefore the authors are able to predict the forces and moments acting during the assembly and the maximum force which can be carried by the snap joint. The approach is verified experimentally.