Thermal ink-jet pen with a plastic/metal attachment for the cover.

摘要

A thermal ink-jet (TIJ) pen (50) including a plastic frame structure (60) and side covers (70, 80). To attach the covers to the plastic frame without the use of adhesives, screws, thermal or ultrasonic processes, protruding metal tabs (72, 82) from the covers are press fit into corresponding recess features (64) of the plastic frame. The tabs are designed to displace plastic surrounding the frame recesses (64) to lock the cover to the frame. The resulting frame/cover seam resists shear, axial and transverse forces that occur as a result of externally applied loads to the pen.