Overview
A custom snap latch holds a housing lid or an access door closed without a screw, so the cover opens again with one hand. The molded body carries two elastic arms that flex as the latch is pressed onto the panel edge, and a metal pin runs through both arms to keep them aligned through repeated use. The hook at the lower end sits under the panel lip, so the parts locate before the arms are engaged.
Because a custom snap latch is molded, the body, the arms and the hook are formed in one cycle, and the metal pin is fitted before packing, so the latch arrives ready to press onto the panel.
The latch is used on instrument housings, equipment panels, small cabinets and toolbox lids. Where those parts are normally molded with a snap-fit lip on the cover itself, a custom snap latch carries the flex in its own arms instead, which leaves the housing wall free of a live hinge.
Key Features & Benefits
– Elastic arms — flex and release by hand
– Metal pin — carries the arms on a steel shaft
– No screws — clips over the panel edge
– Repeated opening — built for daily access
– Glass filled nylon — for higher load duty
Customization Options
Body size, arm length, slot width, pin diameter, hook depth and latch travel are all set by your 3D file. We mold in PA6, POM, ABS and glass filled nylon in any colour, and can fit the metal pin during assembly or supply the body on its own where you press your own pin. A revised custom snap latch usually means only a local tool change, so a new arm length keeps the same body and pin.
Quality & Delivery
Parts are checked for body size, slot width, pin diameter and hook depth, and the arms are worked through a full open and close cycle during inspection. First articles are sent for approval before the run continues, so a custom snap latch arrives ready to clip on. Send your 3D file through our quotation page and we will confirm material, pin and lead time.
Related Capabilities
A custom snap latch works alongside our snap-fit cover, which holds a lid by a molded lip on the part itself, and our transparent plastic cover, which is a plain closing panel. Housings that need a hinged door instead are covered by our hinged lid container. All of them are produced in house under our injection molding service.
