Aluminum Chassis Alumite Layer Etching and Polishing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost of existing techniques such as sand blasting, alumite treatment, and clear coating makes it economically unfeasible to mass produce chassis members with aesthetic designs for electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A method involving etching an aluminum alloy substrate, followed by an alumite treatment to form a controlled crystal grain size alumite layer, which is then polished for use as the outermost layer of the chassis member, eliminating the need for sand blasting and clear coating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If sand blasting, alumite treatment, and clear coating are performed sequentially to achieve refined depth in appearance, then aesthetic design quality is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the clear coating step from the traditional three-step process. By performing alumite treatment directly on the aluminum alloy substrate without the intermediate clear coating layer, the invention simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining aesthetic appearance quality, thus reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The alumite treatment layer is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides corrosion resistance, aesthetic appearance with refined depth, and serves as the final outermost layer. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate clear coating, reducing both steps and costs.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional multi-step processes (sand blasting, alumite treatment, clear coating) are used to produce chassis members with aesthetic designs, then appearance quality is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the clear coating step from the traditional sequence, reducing the number of process steps from three to two. This extraction simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining the desired aesthetic appearance through direct alumite treatment on the aluminum alloy substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs surface preparation and etching as preliminary actions before alumite treatment, creating an optimized surface that enhances the final aesthetic appearance. This preliminary preparation allows the alumite layer to achieve better quality directly, eliminating the need for subsequent clear coating.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method reduces production costs while achieving a higher gloss and aesthetic appearance with reduced visibility of fingerprints and enhanced scratch protection.
Implementation Method 1
a surface of an aluminum alloy substrate is etched
Implementation Method 2
An alumite treatment is then performed on the surface of the aluminum alloy substrate to form an alumine layer on the surface of the aluminum alloy substrate
Implementation Method 3
The alumite layer is polished to allow the polished alumite layer to be used as an outermost layer of a chassis member
Data Source
AI summary
A chassis member for a chassis of an electronic device is disclosed. The chassis member includes an aluminum alloy layer and an alumite layer serving as an outermost layer of the chassis member and disposed on a surface of the aluminum alloy layer. A grain size of an aluminum alloy in the aluminum alloy layer is between 40 μm and 50 μm.