Low-Pressure Molded Articles With Support Seals for Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low pressure molding processes struggle to control the flow and position of fragile electronic components within articles, leading to exposure and potential damage from environmental factors, and require costly and impractical modifications to the mold or enclosure.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of support seals within the enclosure that match the inner geometry of void sections to form a seal against the inner wall and components, controlling the flow of low pressure mold material and stabilizing the position of electronic components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If low pressure molding is used to encapsulate electronics, then the electronics are protected from environmental factors, but the flow and position of electronic components cannot be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
A support seal is introduced as an intermediary component between the low pressure mold material and the electronic components. The support seal has an inner geometry that matches the void section and forms a seal against the inner wall, creating a controlled environment that allows the mold material to flow and cure around the electronics without uncontrolled movement, thereby achieving both protection and positional control
2Manufacturing precision
If support seals are incorporated to control mold material flow, then component position is stabilized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support seal serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a sealing barrier to control mold material flow, provides structural support to stabilize electronic component positions, and defines the geometry of the void section. By combining these functions into a single component, the solution achieves precise component positioning without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
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
Effectively seals off sections from mold material flow and stabilizes components, protecting them from environmental factors while avoiding costly mold modifications.
Implementation Method 1
The temperature of the injected hot melt material is high enough that the hot melt material has a low viscosity and can flow easily around the electronics
Implementation Method 2
After the hot melt material flows around the electronics, it quickly cools and hardens
Implementation Method 3
The support seal defines a sealing barrier on one side of the low pressure mold material
Data Source
AI summary
An article includes a hollow enclosure defining a void. The void has a first section and a second section separate from the first section. An electronic component is housed in the first section and the second section of the void. A low pressure mold material is molded into the first section of the void and cured around a first segment of the electronic component to encapsulate the first segment of the electronic component. A support seal is inserted into the second section of the void adjacent a second segment of the electronic component. The support seal defines a sealing barrier on one side of the low pressure mold material that limits the flow of low pressure mold material out of the first section of the void.