Computer case shell machining method based on split type laser etching and computer case shell

Abstract

The invention discloses a computer case shell processing method based on split type laser etching and a computer case shell, and aims to solve the technical problems of high reject ratio and sharp increase of production cost caused by difficulty in controlling local processing precision in a one-step forming laser etching process of an existing integral computer case. According to the method, a case is split into a plurality of independent plates, surface cleaning and baking varnish pretreatment are conducted on the independent plates respectively, then laser etching process parameters are independently set and executed for all the plates to complete split laser etching, and finally qualified plates are assembled into a complete shell. The computer case shell is formed by processing and assembling at least two independent plates according to the method. By means of split machining and independent quality control, the problem of overall scrapping caused by local laser etching defects is completely eradicated, the yield is increased, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic product manufacturing and processing technology, and in particular to a method for processing computer chassis shells based on split laser engraving and a computer chassis shell. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing demand for diverse and personalized computer device designs, surface treatment processes for computer cases have become crucial for enhancing product aesthetics and brand recognition. In mass production, achieving high-precision, highly consistent laser engraving on complex curved surfaces and multi-panel structures while controlling defect rates and reducing production costs has become a key technical challenge in this field.

[0003] Currently, most common laser engraving processes for computer cases involve a single, one-time laser engraving after the entire casing has been formed. For example, Chinese invention patent application CN111604649A discloses a laser engraving process for a laptop keyboard casing, which includes cleaning, polishing, sandblasting, painting, and multi-step laser engraving. While this process improves surface quality through pretreatment and uses step-by-step laser engraving to cover different areas, its core is still laser engraving face-by-face on an assembled or integrally formed casing. This conventional technical solution, which relies on integral laser engraving, has significant limitations in actual production: due to the complex structure of the chassis and the different shapes and curvatures of each panel, it is difficult to uniformly control the laser focusing depth, incident angle, and heat-affected zone when laser engraving in an integral state, easily leading to problems such as insufficient engraving depth, blurred edges, or paint layer damage. Especially when a defect occurs in the laser engraving of a certain panel, it often leads to the scrapping of the entire chassis casing, thus significantly increasing the defect rate and cost.

[0004] In summary, existing technologies, which rely on laser engraving in the overall assembled state, have technical drawbacks such as poor adaptability to laser engraving of complex chassis structures, difficulty in ensuring local processing accuracy, and high defect rate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to propose a computer chassis shell processing method based on split laser engraving, which aims to solve the technical problem of high defect rate in existing technologies.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention proposes a method for processing computer chassis shells based on split-type laser engraving, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1. Panel pretreatment: Provide multiple independent panels that constitute the chassis shell, and perform surface cleaning and baking paint treatment on each panel respectively;

[0008] S2. Separate laser engraving: Fix each of the pre-treated boards to the laser engraving equipment, set and execute the laser engraving process parameters independently according to the design pattern of each board, and complete the laser engraving of the pattern on each board.

[0009] S3. Assembly and molding: Assemble the laser-engraved panels to form a complete computer case shell.

[0010] Furthermore, in the pretreatment step of the board, the baking paint treatment includes sequentially applying primer, color paint and clear varnish.

[0011] Furthermore, the coating thickness of the primer is 16-20 μm, the coating thickness of the color paint is 10-12 μm, and the coating thickness of the varnish is 30-40 μm.

[0012] Furthermore, in the pretreatment step of the board, before the baking paint treatment, the pre-defined areas on the board that do not require baking paint are masked.

[0013] Furthermore, in the split laser engraving step, the laser engraving process parameters include power, frequency, speed, and fill spacing; wherein, the power is set to 36%-40%, the frequency is set to 30-35kHz, the speed is set to 300-400mm / s, and the fill spacing is set to 0.03-0.05mm.

[0014] Furthermore, the laser engraving process parameters are independently adjusted according to the material, thickness, and paint layer characteristics of each of the aforementioned boards.

[0015] Furthermore, the sheet material includes at least two of the following: a left side panel, a right side panel, a front panel, a rear panel, a top cover, and a bottom panel.

[0016] Furthermore, the sheet material also includes a glass sheet.

[0017] Furthermore, prior to the assembly and molding step, there is a step of visual inspection of each of the laser-engraved plates to remove individual plates with laser engraving defects.

[0018] The present invention also proposes a computer chassis housing, which is made of at least two independent plates processed and assembled according to the aforementioned method.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0020] High yield rate: Through separate laser engraving, each board can be inspected and screened individually before assembly. Local defects only result in the scrapping of a single board, avoiding the loss of the entire chassis and significantly reducing the defect rate and production costs.

[0021] High processing precision: Laser engraving is performed on each board in a flat or simply fixed state. Laser parameters can be optimized individually for each board, resulting in stable focusing and better pattern clarity and edge consistency.

[0022] Highly adaptable to different processes: It can flexibly handle boards of different materials, thicknesses, and paint types, and is especially suitable for modern computer chassis with complex structures and multiple material combinations.

[0023] Facilitates production management: Separate processing facilitates parallel processes, quality traceability, and inventory management, thereby improving overall production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a process flow diagram of the computer chassis shell processing method based on split laser engraving of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a computer chassis shell structure in which the method of the present invention is applied. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, vertical, horizontal, longitudinal, counterclockwise, clockwise, circumferential, radial, axial, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0028] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0029] This invention proposes a method for processing computer chassis shells based on split-type laser engraving. In the typical process of existing technology, after the workpiece is formed as a whole, multiple laser engraving steps are required on the surface of the workpiece. Although existing technology improves the quality of the substrate through pretreatment, it is still essentially a whole-piece processing method. When this approach is applied to computer chassis shells with more complex structures, containing multiple independent panels (such as side panels, top panels, front panels, etc.), and with varying material, thickness, and curvature of the sheet metal, its inherent defects become apparent. When performing laser engraving on the assembled chassis, the laser head needs to constantly adjust its angle and focal length to adapt to the spatial position of different panels, making it difficult to ensure the continuous optimization of laser engraving parameters at every point. At the same time, the complex structure may lead to uneven cooling or interference in local areas, affecting processing stability. More importantly, if the laser engraving of a certain panel (such as the front panel) has defects (such as insufficient engraving depth or pattern misalignment), the entire chassis will be scrapped, resulting in a waste of materials, time, and costs. This is a key bottleneck restricting the improvement of production yield.

[0030] This invention addresses the shortcomings of the aforementioned integral processing mode when applied to multi-panel composite products, proposing a novel process route of first processing the components separately and then assembling them into a finished product. The technical solution of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] Please see Figure 1 This embodiment provides a method for processing computer chassis shells based on split-type laser engraving. Taking a computer chassis shell as an example, its shell is mainly composed of independent components such as a left side panel, a right side panel, a front panel, a rear panel, a top cover, a bottom panel, and a glass strip on the left side panel. The method is performed in the following steps in sequence:

[0033] S1. Pre-treatment of sheet materials:

[0034] First, the metal plates (left side plate, right side plate, etc.) and glass plates (left side plate glass strip) that make up the chassis shell are pre-processed as independent processing units.

[0035] Surface cleaning: Place each sheet material separately into an ultrasonic cleaner and clean it using an alkaline degreasing solution at a temperature of 65±5℃. Set the ultrasonic power to 200W and the cleaning time to 8 minutes to thoroughly remove residual grease and dirt from the stamping and cutting process. After cleaning, rinse with deionized water and dry.

[0036] Masking and protection: According to the design drawings, high-temperature resistant paint-resistant tape is used to precisely apply and mask areas on each board that do not require surface painting, such as areas where subsequent connections (e.g., tack connections), installation of functional components (e.g., functional seat positions), or cooperation with other components (e.g., power compartment connections).

[0037] Paint treatment:

[0038] Primer application: Hang each masked panel on the spraying line and apply epoxy resin primer evenly using electrostatic spraying, controlling the wet film thickness to achieve a dry film thickness of 18±2μm after curing. Then, place them in the drying tunnel and bake at 160℃ for 20 minutes.

[0039] Spraying the color paint: After the primer cools, spray the acrylic polyurethane color paint, control the thickness of the paint film after curing to 11±1μm, and bake at 140℃ for 15 minutes.

[0040] Apply clear varnish: Finally, apply a transparent polyurethane clear varnish as a protective layer, controlling the film thickness after curing to 35±5μm, and bake at 150℃ for 25 minutes. After all the paint is baked, carefully remove the masking tape to expose the metal substrate areas that do not require painting.

[0041] S2, Split-type laser engraving:

[0042] This is the core step: laser engraving is performed on a flat workbench while the boards are completely separated.

[0043] Equipment and parameter settings: A UV laser engraving machine was used. For painted metal sheets, a set of optimized laser engraving parameters were set: laser power 38% (relative to full power), pulse frequency 32kHz, scanning speed 350mm / s, and fill line spacing 0.04mm. These parameters aim to effectively vaporize and remove the paint layer to the metal substrate, forming a clear pattern, while avoiding an excessively large heat-affected zone that could lead to carbonization at the paint layer edges or deformation of the substrate.

[0044] First-piece debugging and positioning: Taking the front panel as an example. Fix a front panel on the laser engraving machine's worktable, and use a machine vision system to identify the panel's boundaries and pre-made positioning marks (or use a fixture for physical positioning). Import the designed laser engraving graphic file (such as a logo or ventilation mesh pattern) and perform the first-piece trial engraving. After engraving, use film to compare the pattern's position and use a colorimeter to compare the exposed metallic background color with the standard sample color to ensure accurate positioning and color consistency. After the first piece is confirmed to be qualified, lock the processing program and parameters for that panel.

[0045] Batch processing and online inspection: All front panels in the same batch are laser-engraved according to the confirmed procedure. After each panel is completed, a rapid visual inspection is performed using an industrial camera to determine if there are any defects such as incomplete engraving, incomplete graphics, or obvious positional misalignment. The purpose of this step is to ensure that when a defective panel is found, it is only rejected as a single unqualified part, without affecting other panels (such as side panels and back panels) or the already processed qualified front panels.

[0046] Application of differentiated parameters: Laser engraving parameters need to be adjusted independently for boards of different materials or in different states. For example, for the left side glass strip, due to its glass material and different paint adhesion characteristics, the laser power needs to be slightly reduced to 36%, the frequency increased to 35kHz, and the speed adjusted to 380mm / s to prevent the glass from cracking due to thermal stress and to ensure that the paint layer is cleanly removed. All boards (right side board, back board, top cover nameplate position, etc.) are programmed and processed independently according to this one-board-one-parameter principle.

[0047] S3. Assembly and molding:

[0048] All laser-engraved boards that pass inspection are transferred to the assembly station.

[0049] Assembly: According to the chassis structure design drawing, the left side panel, right side panel, front panel, rear panel, top cover, and bottom panel are assembled into a complete computer chassis shell using screws, rivets, or clips. Since all components have already undergone surface processing (including laser engraving and reserved areas for unpainted areas) in their separate state, the assembly process is only a physical connection, requiring no further surface treatment or precision positioning engraving, resulting in high efficiency and no risk of secondary damage.

[0050] Final visual inspection: A final visual inspection is conducted on the assembled chassis, focusing on confirming the continuity of the laser-engraved patterns on each panel (if there are designs spanning multiple panels), the overall visual effect, and any damage from the assembly process. Because the quality of individual boards has been strictly controlled in the preceding processes, the pass rate for this step is extremely high.

[0051] This invention departs from the traditional approach of processing the whole system first, instead employing a reverse path of processing individual components first and then assembling the whole. Its core working principle for improving yield lies in dispersing and proactively managing the failure risks of complex systems across individual subsystems.

[0052] The risk of laser engraving failure in a multi-panel chassis is broken down into the failure risk of each individual panel. In step S2, if any panel (subsystem) fails to process, only the cost of that panel is lost, and it is promptly isolated through online detection, preventing contamination of the entire chassis (system) as in traditional whole-system processing. This avoids the amplified effect of local defects leading to overall scrap.

[0053] The split configuration allows each sheet to be processed in the most stable and simplest orientation (usually a flat surface). The laser beam can always maintain optimal focus and perpendicular incidence, and parameters (such as power and speed) can be customized according to the specific material (metal / glass), paint thickness, and color of the sheet. This results in uniform and consistent engraving depth and edge quality across the entire surface, which is difficult to achieve when engraving complex three-dimensional workpieces as a whole.

[0054] Upfront and refined quality control: Online inspection is applied to individual boards, with a single inspection target and simple background, making it easier to achieve high-precision and high-reliability defect identification through automated vision systems. This upfront and refined quality control ensures that every component entering the assembly stage is qualified, thereby guaranteeing a high yield rate for the final product.

[0055] Example 2

[0056] The main difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 lies in the adjustment of the laser engraving process parameters, in order to demonstrate the adaptability of this method to different design requirements.

[0057] When processing another chassis panel requiring a deeper engraving texture and a thicker paint layer, in step S2, the laser engraving parameters are adjusted as follows: the laser power is increased to 40%, the frequency is fine-tuned to 30kHz, the scanning speed is reduced to 300mm / s, and the fill spacing is reduced to 0.03mm. This set of parameters enhances the single-pulse energy and increases the overlap rate, enabling the engraving of patterns with sharper contours and cleaner bottoms on thicker paint layers, while ensuring complete engraving and avoiding residual paint spots. This demonstrates the advantage of the principle of independently setting process parameters in the method of this invention: it can flexibly respond to different product design specifications and always ensure optimal single-board processing quality.

[0058] Example 3

[0059] This embodiment illustrates a possible variant, further demonstrating the scalability of the invention.

[0060] In the baking paint treatment of the board pretreatment step S1, the three-layer system of primer, color paint, and clear varnish in Example 1 can be omitted. Instead, a single-coat baking paint with special effects (such as metallic shimmer) can be used, with a thickness of approximately 40-50 μm after one-time spraying and curing. In the separate laser engraving step S2, the laser parameters are adjusted accordingly (e.g., a higher peak power may be required) to engrave the desired pattern on the special coating. This also follows the core process of separate pretreatment-separate laser engraving. As long as the surface treatment and pattern engraving of the individual boards are performed before assembly, and the laser engraving parameters are independently optimized according to the specific coating characteristics of the board, it should be considered an equivalent substitution of the technical concept of this invention.

[0061] In summary, this invention, through process reconfiguration, liberates the precision machining step of laser engraving from the complex and constrained post-assembly environment to a simple and controllable single-board processing environment, achieving a systematic improvement in processing accuracy, quality stability, and production yield. Furthermore, this method is also applicable to other similar multi-panel housing products, such as server chassis, speaker enclosures, and industrial control cabinets. As long as the board material is split and the process is adapted according to the specific structure, all such applications should be considered extensions of the equivalent technical solutions of this invention.

[0062] The present invention also proposes a computer case housing, such as Figure 2 As shown, the computer case is constructed from at least two separate plates, processed and assembled according to the aforementioned method. Since this computer case employs all the technical solutions of all embodiments of the aforementioned computer case processing methods, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0063] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for processing computer chassis shells based on split-type laser engraving, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. Panel pretreatment: Provide multiple independent panels that constitute the chassis shell, and perform surface cleaning and baking paint treatment on each panel respectively; S2. Separate laser engraving: Fix each of the pre-treated boards to the laser engraving equipment, set and execute the laser engraving process parameters independently according to the design pattern of each board, and complete the laser engraving of the pattern on each board. S3. Assembly and molding: Assemble the laser-engraved panels to form a complete computer case shell.

2. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: In the pretreatment step of the board material, the baking paint process includes sequentially applying primer, color paint and clear varnish.

3. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the primer coating is 16-20 μm, the thickness of the color paint coating is 10-12 μm, and the thickness of the varnish coating is 30-40 μm.

4. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: In the pretreatment step of the board, before the baking paint process, the areas on the board that do not require baking paint are masked.

5. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: In the split laser engraving step, the laser engraving process parameters include power, frequency, speed, and fill spacing; wherein, the power is set to 36%-40%, the frequency is set to 30-35kHz, the speed is set to 300-400mm / s, and the fill spacing is set to 0.03-0.05mm.

6. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The laser engraving process parameters are adjusted independently based on the material, thickness, and paint layer characteristics of each of the aforementioned materials.

7. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The sheet material includes at least two of the following: left side panel, right side panel, front panel, rear panel, top cover, and bottom panel.

8. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The sheet material also includes glass sheets.

9. The computer chassis shell processing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Before the assembly and molding step, there is also a step of visual inspection of each of the laser-engraved boards to remove individual boards with laser engraving defects.

10. A computer chassis shell, characterized in that: It is made of at least two separate plates processed and assembled according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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