Process for manufacturing middle frame

Abstract

Provided is a process for manufacturing a middle frame, comprising the following steps: material preparation: preparing a plurality of frame blanks (11); die casting: putting the plurality of frame blanks into a die-casting mold, using molten metal to connect the frame blanks and solidifying molten metal to form a middle plate (20), and performing cutting processing on the middle plate to form plastic overmolding positions; antenna slit processing: before the die-casting step, performing cutting processing on the frame blanks to form antenna slit rough contours, and after the die-casting step, performing cutting processing on the antenna slit rough contours so as to form the antenna slits (50), and / or reserving in the die-casting process some slits between the plurality of frame blanks to serve as the antenna slit rough contours, and after the die-casting step, performing cutting processing on the antenna slit rough contours so as to form the antenna slits, and / or after the die-casting step, performing cutting processing on the frame blanks so as to form the antenna slits; T treatment; injection molding; and secondary processing. The process for manufacturing a middle frame has high processing efficiency and involves a small amount of cutting.

Description

Middle frame preparation process Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a middle frame preparation process. Background Art

[0002] The middle frame is an important component in electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets. The middle frame includes a middle plate for arranging electronic components and a frame surrounding the outer circle of the middle plate. Technical issues

[0003] In the prior art, the preparation process of the mobile phone middle frame is generally to use aluminum ingots for CNC processing to obtain the frame and the middle plate. This processing method has a large amount of cutting, low processing efficiency, low utilization rate of raw materials, and high production cost. Technical Solutions

[0004] The embodiment of the present application provides a middle frame preparation process, which is used to solve the problems of large cutting amount, low processing efficiency, low utilization rate of raw materials and high cost in the middle frame preparation process in the prior art.

[0005] In the embodiment of the present application, the middle frame preparation process includes the following steps:

[0006] Material preparation: preparing a plurality of frame blanks, wherein the plurality of frame blanks have an appearance that can form a frame body after being connected to each other;

[0007] Die casting: multiple frame blanks are placed in a die casting mold, and the frame blanks are enclosed into a ring-shaped frame with a gap. Molten metal liquid is poured into the cavity of the die casting mold through a die casting process. A part of the molten metal liquid solidifies between two adjacent frame blanks to form a bridge. The bridge connects two adjacent frame blanks to connect multiple frame blanks. The remaining molten metal liquid solidifies into a middle plate integrally formed with the frame blank. Cutting is performed on the middle plate to process the rubber encapsulation position;

[0008] Processing the antenna slot: Processing the antenna slot: before the die-casting step, cutting the frame blank to form an antenna slot prototype, and after the die-casting step, cutting the antenna slot prototype to form the antenna slot; and / or

[0009] Part of the gaps between the plurality of frame blanks are retained during the die-casting process to serve as antenna slot prototypes, and after the die-casting step, the antenna slot prototypes are cut to form antenna slots; and / or

[0010] After the die-casting step, the frame blank is subjected to cutting processing to form antenna slots;

[0011] T treatment: using a T treatment process to treat at least part of the surface of the frame and the middle plate to form a nano-scale coral reef structure on the surface of the frame, thereby facilitating the fixation of the encapsulation during the subsequent injection molding process;

[0012] Injection molding: using an injection molding process to form a rubber coating at the rubber coating position and in the antenna seam, thereby obtaining a middle frame blank;

[0013] Secondary processing: performing secondary processing on the middle frame blank to obtain a middle frame.

[0014] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, it also includes the following steps:

[0015] Processing a fastening structure: Before the die-casting step, a fastening structure is processed on the frame blank, and the fastening structure is used to accommodate the molten metal liquid that forms the middle plate, so that the middle plate is partially formed in the fastening structure.

[0016] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, the fastening structure is configured as a dovetail groove.

[0017] As a further optional solution for the middle frame preparation process, in the antenna seam processing step, the antenna seam does not completely interrupt the frame to avoid deformation of the frame on both sides of the antenna seam during the injection molding step.

[0018] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, it also includes the following steps:

[0019] Processing a fixed structure: Before the die-casting step, a fixed structure is processed on the edges of multiple frame blanks, and the fixed structures are distributed on both sides of the position where the antenna seam is predetermined to be cut out of the frame blank. In the die-casting step, the molten metal liquid wraps around the position of the frame blank for cutting out the antenna seam and solidifies to form a coating body, a part of the coating body is formed in the fixed structure, and the dimension of the coating body in the thickness direction of the frame is greater than the thickness of the frame, so that in the cutting step, when the length of the antenna seam is equal to the thickness of the frame blank, the coating body can leave excess material above and below the antenna seam to avoid deformation of the frame on both sides of the antenna seam in the injection molding step.

[0020] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, the fixing structure is configured as a through hole, a semicircular hole, a square groove or a T-shaped groove.

[0021] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, in the die-casting step, the molten metal forms an inner bridge between the middle plate and the frame blank, and the inner bridge is distributed at least around the periphery of the antenna slot.

[0022] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, it also includes the following steps:

[0023] Welding: Before the die-casting step, the frame blanks are welded to each other to preliminarily form a frame structure.

[0024] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, it also includes the following steps:

[0025] Connecting the frame blanks: before the die-casting step, two adjacent frame blanks are connected using a connecting piece.

[0026] As a further optional solution to the middle frame preparation process, secondary processing of the middle frame blank includes: cutting the middle frame blank to ensure that at least one of the size or surface finish of the middle frame blank meets the requirements; and / or processing a functional structure on the middle frame blank, wherein the functional structure can be used in a subsequent production process of the electronic device.

[0027] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, performing secondary processing on the middle frame blank includes: performing surface treatment on the middle frame blank so that the surface performance and / or surface finish of the middle frame blank meets the requirements.

[0028] As a further optional solution for the middle frame preparation process, the surface treatment method includes at least one of electroplating, chemical plating, thermal diffusion, anodizing, thermal spraying, low-pressure ion process, surface alloying, magnetron sputtering, ion plating, PVD, ion oxidation and nano-processing.

[0029] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, the material of the metal blank is one of titanium alloy, aluminum alloy or stainless steel.

[0030] As a further optional solution for the middle frame preparation process, in the die-casting step, the molten metal liquid solidifies at the corners of the frame blank to form a cladding, and the cladding is used to compensate for the dimensional deviation of the metal blank during bending.

[0031] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, the frame blank is formed by bending a long strip of metal blank.

[0032] As a further optional solution of the middle frame preparation process, the frame blank is formed by cutting a metal blank. Beneficial effects

[0033] Implementing the embodiments of this application will have the following beneficial effects:

[0034] The middle frame preparation process uses a metal blank to bend to form a frame blank. The frame blank is formed into an external bridge through a die-casting process to connect with each other to form a frame. The middle plate is also formed during the die-casting process. The processing efficiency is high, the cutting amount is small, and the waste of raw materials is avoided, which can greatly save production costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0036] in:

[0037] FIG1 is a flow chart of a middle frame preparation process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG2 is a flow chart of a middle frame preparation process according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG3 is a flow chart of a middle frame preparation process in another embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an intermediate product of a middle frame preparation process in one embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another intermediate product of the middle frame preparation process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another intermediate product of the middle frame preparation process in one embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another intermediate product of the middle frame preparation process in one embodiment of the present application;

[0044] In the figure: 10-frame; 11-frame blank; 20-middle plate; 30-cladding body; 40-cladding body; 50-antenna seam. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0045] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] The embodiment of the present application provides a middle frame preparation process, which is used to solve the problems of large cutting amount, low processing efficiency, low utilization rate of raw materials and high cost in the middle frame preparation process in the prior art.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , the middle frame preparation process includes the following steps:

[0048] Material preparation: prepare a plurality of frame blanks 11, wherein the plurality of frame blanks 11 have an appearance that can form a frame after being connected to each other.

[0049] Taking a rectangular frame (suitable for mobile phones, tablets, etc.) connected by two frame blanks 11 as an example, both frame blanks 11 can include a first section extending in a straight line and a second section vertically connected to the two ends of the first section. The first section corresponds to the long side of the rectangular frame, and the second section corresponds to a part of the short side of the rectangular frame. In the subsequent steps, when the two frame blanks 11 are connected, the second parts of the two frame blanks 11 are connected to form the short side of the complete rectangular frame, thereby splicing out a complete frame 10.

[0050] It should be noted that the rectangular frame in the above example is merely an example of the outer shape of the frame 10 for ease of explanation. As usage scenarios and needs change, the outer contour of the frame 10 can also be configured as a frame body in other shapes, such as circular, elliptical, triangular, polygonal, or teardrop-shaped. To suit the outer shape of the frame 10, the number of metal blanks and the shape of the frame blank 11 formed after bending can be changed as needed and are not specifically limited here.

[0051] Die casting: multiple frame blanks are placed in a die casting mold for die casting. The frame blanks are enclosed into a ring-shaped frame with gaps. The molten metal liquid is poured into the cavity of the die casting mold through the die casting process. A part of the molten metal liquid condenses between two adjacent frame blanks to form an external bridge. The external bridge connects the two adjacent frame blanks so that multiple frame blanks are connected to each other to form a frame body. The remaining molten metal liquid solidifies into a middle plate 20 integrally formed with the frame blank. Cutting is performed on the middle plate 20 to process the rubber encapsulation position.

[0052] Processing the antenna slot: before the die-casting step, cutting the frame blank 11 to form an antenna slot prototype, and after the die-casting step, cutting the antenna slot prototype to form the antenna slot 50; and / or

[0053] Part of the gaps between the plurality of frame blanks 11 are retained during the die-casting process to serve as antenna slot prototypes. After the die-casting step, the antenna slot prototypes are cut to form antenna slots 50; and / or

[0054] After the die-casting step, the frame blank 11 is cut to form the antenna slot 50 .

[0055] In the above description, the antenna slot prototype refers to a slot structure that is smaller than the final antenna slot 50 in at least one of its length and width dimensions. Only the antenna slot prototype is machined before the die-casting step, leaving a margin for further trimming of the antenna slot prototype after the die-casting step to form the desired antenna slot 50. This prevents the die-casting process from affecting the final dimensions of the antenna slot 50 and improves product yield. Furthermore, the phrase "and / or" indicates that the three aforementioned methods for machining the antenna slot 50 can be used individually, in any combination of two, or even all three simultaneously.

[0056] Injection molding: The injection molding process is used to form a rubber coating at the rubber coating position and in the antenna slot 50 to obtain a middle frame blank.

[0057] Secondary processing: The middle frame blank is subjected to secondary processing to obtain the middle frame.

[0058] The middle frame preparation process uses a metal blank to bend to form a frame blank. The frame blank is formed into an external bridge through a die-casting process to connect with each other to form a frame. The middle plate is also formed during the die-casting process. The processing efficiency is high, the cutting amount is small, and the waste of raw materials is avoided, which can greatly save production costs.

[0059] Regarding the formation of the frame blank 11 , in one embodiment, the frame blank 11 is formed by bending a long strip of metal blank.

[0060] It should be added that, in this step, in order to facilitate bending of the metal, the metal can be appropriately heated to soften it before bending.

[0061] In another embodiment, the frame blank 11 is formed by cutting a metal blank. During cutting, technicians can reasonably set the cutting position according to the length, width and height characteristics of the metal blank. On the one hand, the reasonable arrangement of the frame blank can improve the material utilization rate, and on the other hand, the cutting surface can be minimized to reduce the use of cutting energy and reduce costs.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 2 , in one embodiment, the middle frame preparation process further includes the following steps:

[0063] Processing a fastening structure: Before the die-casting step, a fastening structure is processed on the frame blank 11. The fastening structure is used to accommodate the molten metal liquid that forms the middle plate 20, so that the middle plate 20 is partially formed in the fastening structure.

[0064] In a specific embodiment, the fastening structure is configured as a dovetail groove. The dovetail groove may be one or more, and may extend in different directions on the frame blank. It is contemplated that the dovetail groove may be replaced with a groove body having other shapes. Preferably, the opening of the groove body should be smaller than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the groove body cavity. This allows the groove body structure (including the dovetail groove) to limit the adapter when the middle plate 20 is subsequently connected by die-casting, thereby enhancing the stability of the connection.

[0065] In another specific embodiment, the fastening structure is configured as a tenon.

[0066] In one embodiment, during the antenna slot 50 forming step, the antenna slot prototype does not completely interrupt the frame 10 to prevent deformation of the frame on both sides of the antenna slot 50 during the injection molding step. Specifically, excess material is left at both ends or in the middle of the antenna slot prototype to ensure that the material of the frame 10 on both sides of the antenna slot remains connected.

[0067] In this step, there are two specific situations in which there is excess material left at both ends or in the middle of the antenna seam prototype. One is that the length of the antenna seam 50 is less than the thickness of the frame, as shown in Figure 6. At this time, there is naturally excess material left above and below the antenna seam 50 after cutting. However, since the antenna seam 50 on the middle frame finally obtained needs to separate the frame, the frame needs to be cut in the subsequent secondary processing step to remove the excess material at both ends or in the middle of the antenna seam prototype; the other way is that the length of the antenna seam 50 is equal to the thickness of the frame, as shown in Figure 7. At this time, in order to avoid deformation of both sides of the antenna seam 50 in the injection molding step, it is necessary to form a wrapping body 30 that wraps the processing position of the antenna seam 50 in the die-casting step, so that after cutting out the antenna seam prototype, the wrapping body 30 serves as the excess material at both ends or in the middle of the antenna seam prototype. In the subsequent secondary processing step, only the excess wrapping body needs to be removed.

[0068] By adopting this embodiment, the strength of the frame can be reduced, so that the shaping of the middle frame in the subsequent processing is mainly based on the internal die-cast material, reducing the deformation of the frame in the subsequent processing.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 , in a specific embodiment, the middle frame preparation process further includes the following steps:

[0070] Processing a fixed structure: Before the die-casting step, a fixed structure is processed on multiple frame blanks 11. In the die-casting step, the molten metal liquid is wrapped around the position of the frame blank 11 for cutting the antenna seam 50 and solidified to form a packaging body 30. A part of the packaging body 30 is formed in the fixed structure. The size of the packaging body 30 in the direction of the frame thickness is greater than the thickness of the frame, so that in the cutting step, when the length of the antenna seam 50 is equal to the thickness of the frame blank 11, the packaging body 30 can leave excess material above and below the antenna seam 50 to avoid deformation of the frames on both sides of the antenna seam 50 and external bridging during the injection molding step.

[0071] In a more specific embodiment, the fixing structure is configured as a through hole, a semicircular hole, a square groove or a T-shaped groove opened on the frame blank. It should be noted that these fixing structures are only listed and not exhaustive, and those skilled in the art can also configure different forms of fixing structures as needed.

[0072] In this embodiment, when the outer bridge is formed by die casting, a portion of the outer bridge is formed in the through hole, so that the outer bridge can be better combined with the frame blank 11, that is, the frame blanks 11 on both sides of the outer bridge are more firmly connected together.

[0073] In one embodiment, during the die-casting step, the molten metal forms inner bridges between the middle plate and the frame blank, and the inner bridges are distributed at least around the periphery of the antenna slot 50 .

[0074] When an internal bridge exists near the position of the antenna slot 50, the frame blank 11 can be completely cut off when the antenna slot 50 is cut out. At this time, the internal bridge can protect the antenna slot 50 from deformation during the die-casting process.

[0075] In one embodiment, the middle frame preparation process further includes the following steps:

[0076] Welding: Before the die-casting step, the frame blanks 11 are welded to each other to preliminarily form a frame structure.

[0077] In one embodiment, the middle frame preparation process further includes the following steps:

[0078] Connecting the frame blanks: before the die-casting step, two adjacent frame blanks are connected using a connecting piece.

[0079] The material used for the connector can be a material with a melting point lower than the melting point of the metal used for die casting, so that it will melt and be discharged during the die casting process and will not fuse with the die-cast aluminum, thereby not affecting the die casting quality; the material used for the connector can also be a high-temperature resistant material with a melting point higher than the die casting temperature. During the die casting process, the connector is not affected and is always connected to the frame blank 11. In this case, the connector can be set at a position that needs to be removed in subsequent processing, such as the position where the antenna seam needs to be processed, so that it can be removed in subsequent processing, thereby not affecting the final product.

[0080] In a specific embodiment, the connector is configured as an "H" shape. The "H"-shaped connector includes a first opening and a second opening. The first opening is used to connect to one frame blank 11, and the second opening is used to connect to another frame blank 11. Thus, before the die-casting step, the frame blanks 11 are preliminarily connected into a frame structure to facilitate placement into the die-casting mold. More specifically, the connector and the frame blank 11 are connected by a snap-fit ​​connection.

[0081] It is conceivable that the connecting piece can also be set to other shapes, such as a "U" shape, as long as it can connect the two frame blanks 11.

[0082] In one embodiment, secondary processing of the middle frame blank includes: cutting the middle frame blank to ensure that at least one of the size or surface finish of the middle frame blank meets the requirements; and / or processing functional structures on the middle frame blank, which can be used in the subsequent production process of the electronic device. Among them, the size of the frame generally refers to one or more of its length, thickness, thickness, angle and curvature; processing the surface finish of the frame refers to removing burrs and burrs, or grinding the surface; functional structures include but are not limited to: USB port, headphone jack, SIM card port, side key hole and other structures that can be used in the subsequent production process.

[0083] In one embodiment, performing secondary processing on the middle frame blank includes: performing surface treatment on the middle frame blank so that the surface performance and / or surface finish of the middle frame blank meet requirements.

[0084] In a specific embodiment, the surface treatment method includes at least one of electroplating, chemical plating, thermal diffusion, anodizing, thermal spraying, low-pressure ion processing, surface alloying, magnetron sputtering, ion plating, PVD, ion oxidation and nano-processing.

[0085] In one embodiment, the metal blank is made of titanium alloy, aluminum alloy or stainless steel.

[0086] In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 5 , in the die-casting step, the molten metal solidifies at the bend of the frame blank 11 to form a cladding 40 , which is used to compensate for the dimensional deviation of the metal blank during bending.

Claims

1. A middle frame preparation process, characterized in that, The following steps are involved: Material preparation: preparing a plurality of frame blanks, wherein the plurality of frame blanks have an appearance that can form a frame body after being connected to each other; Die casting: multiple frame blanks are placed in a die casting mold, the frame blanks are enclosed into a ring-shaped frame with gaps, molten metal is poured into the cavity of the die casting mold through a die casting process, a part of the molten metal solidifies between two adjacent frame blanks to form an outer bridge, the outer bridge connects two adjacent frame blanks, so that multiple frame blanks are connected to each other, and the remaining molten metal solidifies into a middle plate integrally formed with the frame blank, and cutting is performed on the middle plate to process the rubber encapsulation position; Processing the antenna seam: before the die-casting step, cutting the frame blank to form an antenna seam prototype, and after the die-casting step, cutting the antenna seam prototype to form the antenna seam; and / or Part of the gaps between the plurality of frame blanks are retained during the die-casting process to serve as antenna seam prototypes, and after the die-casting step, the antenna seam prototypes are cut to form antenna seams; and / or After the die-casting step, the frame blank is cut to form an antenna slot; T treatment: using T treatment process to treat at least part of the surface of the frame and the middle plate, so as to form a nano-scale coral reef structure on the surface of the frame, so as to facilitate fixing the encapsulation in the subsequent injection molding process; Injection molding: using an injection molding process to form a rubber coating at the rubber coating position and in the antenna seam, thereby obtaining a middle frame blank; Secondary processing: The middle frame blank is subjected to secondary processing to obtain a middle frame.

2. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The following steps are involved: Processing a fastening structure: before the die-casting step, a fastening structure is processed on the frame blank, and the fastening structure is used to accommodate the molten metal liquid that forms the middle plate, so that the middle plate is partially formed in the fastening structure.

3. The method for preparing the frame according to claim 2, wherein, The fastening structure is configured as a dovetail groove.

4. The middle frame manufacturing process according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the step of processing the antenna seam, the antenna seam prototype does not completely interrupt the frame, so as to avoid deformation of the frame on both sides of the antenna seam during the injection molding step.

5. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 4, characterized in that, The following steps are involved: Processing a fixed structure: Before the die-casting step, a fixed structure is processed on the plurality of frame blanks. In the die-casting step, molten metal is wrapped around the position of the frame blank for cutting the antenna seam and solidified to form a coating body. A portion of the coating body is formed in the fixed structure. The dimension of the coating body in the thickness direction of the frame is greater than the thickness of the frame. In the cutting step, when the length of the antenna seam is equal to the thickness of the frame blank, the coating body can leave excess material above and below the antenna seam to avoid deformation of the frame on both sides of the antenna seam in the injection molding step.

6. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fixing structure is configured as a through hole, a semicircular hole, a square slot or a T-slot.

7. The middle frame manufacturing process according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the die-casting step, the molten metal forms an inner bridge between the middle plate and the frame blank, and the inner bridge is distributed at least around the periphery of the antenna slot.

8. The middle frame manufacturing process according to claim 1, wherein The following steps are involved: Welding: Before the die-casting step, the frame blanks are welded to each other to preliminarily form a frame structure.

9. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The following steps are also included: Connecting frame blanks: Before the die-casting step, adjacent two of the frame blanks are connected by connecting pieces.

10. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The secondary processing of the middle frame blank includes: performing cutting processing on the middle frame blank so that at least one of the size or surface finish of the middle frame blank meets the requirements; and / or processing functional structures on the middle frame blank, and the functional structures can be used in the subsequent production process of the electronic device.

11. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The secondary processing of the middle frame blank includes: performing surface treatment on the middle frame blank so that the surface properties and / or surface finish of the middle frame blank meet the requirements.

12. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 11, wherein, The methods of the surface treatment include at least one of electroplating, electroless plating, thermal diffusion, anodic oxidation, thermal spraying, low-pressure ion process, surface alloying, magnetron sputtering coating, ion coating, PVD, ion oxidation, and nano-treatment.

13. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the metal blank is one of titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, or stainless steel.

14. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that In the die-casting step, a slurry body is formed by solidification of molten metal liquid at the corner of the frame blank, and the slurry body is used to compensate for the dimensional deviation generated when the metal blank is bent.

15. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame blank is formed by bending a long-strip metal blank.

16. The middle frame preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame blank is formed after cutting a metal blank.

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