Product design and improvement of a stop mount using a computer-aided engineering tool

The advent of three-dimensional computer graphics has allowed the use of the computer as a computer-aided engineering tool to analyse the design of mechanical components. In the case study, a stop mount, which is a component used in the tape drive, is analysed because of its frequent breakage during assembly. Following the modelling, meshing and analysis of the original design of the stop mount, the problem was identified. Two alternative designs were evaluated through the same procedures. One design was eventually recommended. Following this recommendation, the company has since changed the design of the stop mount. The result is a new design that not only solved the breakage problem, but also holds a torque of 5.6-6.5 lbf/in as opposed to the old design´s torque of 1.5-2.0 lbf/in