In the world of manufacturing, weight matters. Lighter components not only put less stress on equipment, but often require less raw material and are cheaper to manufacture. When designing for performance and efficiency, hollow contact pins provide a highly effective solution for a range of electro-mechanical applications.

How Bead Electronics Innovates with its Custom Hollow Contact Pins

At Bead Electronics, we’ve been manufacturing custom Hollow Pins using swaging since 1920. Unlike traditional machining, swaging forms pins by plastically deforming the metal. When compared to machined contacts, our custom hollow contact pins provide the functionality you need while using  30-70% less material.

Advantages of Hollow Contact Pins in Mechanical Applications

• Reduced weight: A swaged hollow contact pin weighs about 80% less than a solid machined contact pin. This reduces the overall weight of your end product without compromising performance. 
• Less material: Hollow contact pins provide the functionality you need while using  30-70% less material, compared to machined contact pins. Because less raw material is required, this also leads to a lower carbon footprint during manufacturing. 
• Cost savings: Compared to solid machined connectors, swaged hollow contact pins cost 70-80% less, which can be passed directly to customers or reinvested into other aspects of production. 
• Improved assembly efficiency: Thanks to their lighter weight and high precision, hollow contact pins make assembly more efficient and reduce strain on equipment. Additionally, because they can be easily customized to meet unique design specifications, this makes them incredibly easy to integrate.

Hollow Contact Pin Application Examples in Mechanical Design 

Hinge Pins: Hollow contact pins are ideal for hinge pins. Not only are they lightweight, but they also use less material making them a cost-effective solution. Hinge pins are commonly used in HVAC applications to mount the louvers on air handlers. 

The louvers are installed on hinge pins and can be adjusted as needed. In applications requiring rotation, the roundness of our Hollow Contact Pins helps them rotate better than sheet metal, making them ideal for hinge pins. 

Mechanical stops: Our black oxide brass hollow pin makes a simple, functional, and elegant low-cost stop pin when mechanically staked to the back of a display panel.

Mechanical alignment: Our stainless steel alignment pin is press fit into the connector body thanks to the feature at the end of the pin. Bead leverages our swaging technology to provide a cost-effective component that is lighter and uses less material than machined pins.

Rivets and fasteners: Hollow pins outperform solid alternatives when used as rivets and fasteners. Their lightweight yet strong design makes hollow pins ideal for mechanically joining components.

Why Choose Bead for Your Custom Contact Pin Needs

At Bead Electronics, our custom, precision-engineered pin solutions are tailored to your specific needs, including new and challenging mechanical designs. Our Hollow Contact Pins are easily customizable, from the outer dimensions to the overall metal thickness. For custom pin solutions that are delivered on time, under budget, and meet your unique needs, trust Bead. 

Contact us today to learn more!