Metal Cover with Laser-Treated Coating for PCB Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective arrangements for electronic circuits, such as security modules, face challenges in accuracy and reproducibility due to plastic injection molding processes, which result in high dimensional tolerances and increased costs, and lack detailed methods for insulating and conductive layer production in metallic alternatives.
Innovation Solution
A protective arrangement using a metal or glass cover with a powder or liquid paint coating, where the coating is applied using standard processes and laser-treated to create conductor tracks, followed by electroplating and protective layering, ensuring high reproducibility and accuracy, and a manufacturing method involving machining and electroplating steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic injection molding is used to manufacture the cover, then production cost is reduced for high volumes, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to warping and high dimensional tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to metal (aluminum, stainless steel, brass, or copper) for the cover. This material substitution eliminates the warping issue inherent in plastic injection molding, achieving high manufacturing precision through machining while maintaining cost-effectiveness through the use of readily available metals and standard machining processes.
2Productivity
If plastic injection molding is used to manufacture the cover, then production efficiency is high for large volumes, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to cooling-induced warping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to metal and the manufacturing process from injection molding to machining. This substitution eliminates cooling-induced warping while maintaining high production efficiency through efficient metal machining processes and the availability of pre-formed metal blanks or castings.
3Manufacturing precision
If metal cover with powder or wet paint coating is used, then manufacturing precision is improved with high reproducibility, but device complexity increases due to additional coating and treatment steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface treatment parameter from conventional methods to laser treatment. The laser processing step activates the metallic additive in the powder or wet paint coating, enabling selective electroplating of conductor tracks. This approach maintains high manufacturing precision while simplifying the overall process by using standard coating materials and a single laser treatment step rather than multiple specialized processes.
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
The solution provides a simple, efficient, and cost-effective method for producing protective arrangements with precise conductor track spacing and dielectric strength, ensuring high manufacturing accuracy and scalability for large series production.
Implementation Method 1
the concentration of the organic components, especially the resins, evaporates due to the heating caused by the laser irradiation
Implementation Method 2
In a subsequent electroplating process, the metal ions of the material from which the conductor tracks are to be formed are therefore deposited only in these regions
Data Source
AI summary
A protective arrangement comprises a printed circuit board and a cover (3) with conductive traces (5a, 5b) arranged on at least one side of the printed circuit board. The cover (3) is made of metal or glass. A coating, which is a powder coating or wet paint coating (20), is arranged between the conductive traces (5a, 5b) and the cover (3).