Precisely Locating Components in an Infrared Welded Assembly

An elastic averaging infrared welded assembly, comprising:

• a first component comprising:
• a left longitudinal sidewall having a left inner sidewall surface;
• a right longitudinal sidewall having a right inner sidewall surface;
• and
• a first base wall integrally connecting to said left and right longitudinal sidewalls;
• a second component comprising:
• a second base wall having a left longitudinal edge and a right longitudinal edge;
• a plurality of left locating features integrally connected with said left longitudinal edge, said plurality of left locating features being disposed in substantially mutually equidistant relation along said left longitudinal edge, each left locating feature of said plurality of left locating features having a left facing locating surface;
• and
• a plurality of right locating features integrally connected with said right longitudinal edge, said plurality of right locating features being disposed in substantially mutually equidistant relation along said right longitudinal edge, each right locating feature of said plurality of right locating features having a right facing locating surface;
• a plurality of first ribs disposed on said first base wall disposed between said left and right longitudinal sidewalls;
• and
• a plurality of second ribs disposed on said second base wall disposed between said left and right longitudinal edges, wherein said first and second ribs mutually a infrared welded to each other;
• wherein said first and second components are mutually self-aligned with respect to each other by elastic averaging in which said left longitudinal sidewall is flexed leftwardly due to said left inner sidewall surface thereof abutting the left locating surface of each said left locating feature, and further in which said right longitudinal sidewall is flexed rightwardly due to said right inner sidewall surface thereof abutting the right locating surface of each said left locating feature;
• and
• wherein the infrared welded elastic averaging assembly has an inherent stiffness such that a localized torsional load from one of said first and second components to the other of said first and second components is transferred longitudinally with respect to said elastic averaging assembly.

A method of self-aligning an assembly, comprising the steps of:

• providing a first component comprising a left longitudinal sidewall and a right longitudinal sidewall, a first base wall integrally connecting to the left and right longitudinal sidewalls, and a plurality of first ribs formed on the first base wall;
• providing a second base wall having a left longitudinal edge and a right longitudinal edge, a plurality of left locating features being integrally connected with the left longitudinal edge, a plurality of right locating features being integrally connected with the right longitudinal, and a plurality of second ribs formed on the second base wall;
• and
• mutually mating the first component to the second component where during the first and second components mutually self-align with respect to each other by elastic averaging in which the left longitudinal sidewall is resiliently flexed leftwardly due to abutment with the plurality of left locating features and the right longitudinal sidewall is flexed rightwardly due to abutment with the plurality of right locating features.