TW201620638A - Electronic device housing and manufacturing method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an electronic device housing includes the following steps. A metal plate is provided. The metal plate is forged. In the forging process, the metal plate is maintained in the solid state and not converted to the super-saturated solid solution. The anodizing treatment is performed to the forged metal plate.

Description

Electronic device housing and processing method thereof

The present invention relates to an electronic device housing, and more particularly to an electronic device housing and a method of processing the same.

With the rapid development of technology, mobile phones can not only provide camera and photography functions, but also connect to the Internet to provide users with the information they need at any time, so the demand for mobile phones is also rising.

In order to respond to the beautiful design of the appearance of the mobile phone, more and more mobile phone casings have a curved surface. The manufacturer usually uses a ball milling cutter to mill the metal plate to form a curved surface to form the above-mentioned curved mobile phone case. However, the use of a ball milling cutter to mill out the curved surface often takes a lot of time and reduces the processing efficiency of the mobile phone casing.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for processing an electronic device housing, which can form a curved surface more quickly than a method of milling a curved surface by a ball milling cutter.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of processing an electronic device housing includes the following steps. A metal plate is provided. The metal sheet is forged, wherein during the forging process, the metal sheet is maintained in a solid state and is not converted into a supersaturated solid solution. The forged metal sheet is anodized.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device housing includes a metal plate and an anodized layer. The metal plate includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer. The second metal layer covers the first metal layer. The first metal layer and the second metal layer have the same material. The second metal layer is affected by forging such that the metal particles in the second metal layer are flatter than the metal particles in the first metal layer. The anodized layer is coated on the second metal layer of the metal plate.

In the above embodiment, the manufacturer can use forging to form a metal plate having a curved surface without milling the arc surface with a ball milling cutter, because the time required for forging the curved surface is longer than the time required for milling the curved surface. The processing efficiency of the electronic device housing can be improved.

The above description is only for explaining the problems to be solved by the present invention, the technical means for solving the problems, the effects thereof, and the like, and the specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings.

100‧‧‧Metal plates

101‧‧‧First metal layer

102‧‧‧Second metal layer

110‧‧‧ positive

120‧‧‧Back

122‧‧‧Sinking

130‧‧‧ Groove

132‧‧‧Slot bottom

134‧‧‧Side wall

136‧‧‧ parts

200‧‧‧anodized layer

P1‧‧‧ metal particles

P2‧‧‧ metal particles

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent and understood. 2 to 5 are perspective views of the processing steps of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the processing of the housing of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device housing taken along line A-A'.

The embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the following drawings, and for the purpose of clarity However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the details of the invention are not essential to the details of the invention. In addition, some of the conventional structures and elements are shown in the drawings in a simplified schematic manner in order to simplify the drawings. In addition, the dimensions of the various elements in the drawings are not shown in actual scale for the convenience of the reader.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , in order to form an electronic device housing having a curved surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the processing method of the electronic device housing may include the following steps, wherein the second to fifth embodiments are illustrated in each processing step. The perspective view below. As shown in Fig. 2, first, a metal plate 100 can be provided. The material of the metal plate 100 may be aluminum or an aluminum alloy. For example, the material of the metal plate 100 may be an aluminum alloy of the type 6061 or 6063, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Next, the metal plate 100 is forged for the first time. For example, referring to FIG. 2 first, the metal plate 100 has a front surface 110 and an opposite back surface 120. In the forging process, as shown in Fig. 3, a partial pressure on the front surface 110 of the metal plate 100 (e.g., pressing or tapping a partial area of the front surface 110) may be applied, and a partial area of the front surface 110 may be recessed to form a concave shape. Slot 130. The groove 130 has a groove bottom surface 132 and a side wall 134. The groove bottom surface 132 is recessed from the front surface 110 of the metal plate 100 toward the back surface 120, and the side wall 134 surrounds the groove bottom surface 132 and abuts the groove bottom surface 132 and the front surface 110. By forging, the groove bottom surface 132 can be deformed into a curved surface by the force of forging. In other words, the metal plate 100 can be forged into a curved surface. Further, since the forging can form the arc surface relatively faster than the processing method using the milling cutter, the above embodiment can improve the machining efficiency.

In some embodiments, for the coloring and protection of the metal plate 100, after the metal plate 100 is forged, the manufacturer performs anodizing of the metal plate 100. However, the inventors have found that if the metal plate 100 is heated to a high temperature and converted into a supersaturated solid solution at the time of forging, the lattice of the metal plate 100 is changed, so that a partial region of the metal plate 100 is rough, and a partial region is obtained. It is more detailed. Therefore, when the metal plate 100 is subjected to anodization, uneven micropores are easily generated, and when the metal plate 100 is dyed, these uneven holes may cause uneven distribution of dyes, resulting in different metal plates 100. The color of the position is different, resulting in speckles, which leads to defects in appearance.

Therefore, in some embodiments, during the forging process, the metal plate 100 is maintained in a solid state and is not converted into a supersaturated solid solution, thus, Subsequent anodizing of the metal plate 100 does not cause speckles in the metal plate 100. For example, when the material of the metal plate 100 is an aluminum alloy, if the temperature is greater than 530 ° C, it will be converted into a supersaturated solid solution, so the manufacturer can control the temperature T of the forging process to be less than or equal to 530 ° C to make the metal The plate 100 can be maintained in a solid state without being converted into a supersaturated solid solution, while preventing generation of speckles during anodizing. Preferably, the forging process can be carried out at room temperature. In other words, the temperature T of the forging process can be room temperature, so that not only the metal plate 100 can be prevented from being converted into a supersaturated solid solution, but also the metal plate 100 can be omitted. The energy cost required. For example, the temperature T of the forging process can satisfy: 15 ° C ≦ T ≦ 40 ° C, so that the metal plate 100 can be maintained in a solid state without being converted into a supersaturated solid solution. It should be understood that the supersaturated solid solution system described throughout the specification refers to a solid solution in which the amount of dissolved solute at a given temperature is greater than the solubility at equilibrium at that temperature.

In some embodiments, if the first forging does not form the metal plate 100 into a desired shape, the metal plate 100 may be forged several times. Specifically, the metal plate 100 of the type shown in Fig. 3 can be forged a second time and forged into a metal plate 100 of the type shown in Fig. 4. For example, a partial area of the groove bottom surface 132 of the recess 130 may be applied (eg, a partial area of the bottom surface 132 of the groove is pressed or struck) such that a partial area of the bottom surface 132 of the groove continues to be recessed, and a portion is created in the groove 130. 136. The portion 136 can connect the groove bottom surface 132 to the front surface 110. If the metal plate 100 is not formed into a desired shape by two forgings, the metal plate 100 can be forged again until a desired shape is formed.

The above two forgings are performed from the front surface 110 of the metal plate 100. Forging, if the back surface 120 of the metal plate 100 is to be forged, in some embodiments, the third forging can be performed. As shown in FIG. 5, in the forging process, the metal plate 100 is turned over. Forging is performed on the back surface 120 of the metal plate 100. For example, pressure may be applied to the edge of the back side 120 of the metal sheet 100 (eg, pressing or tapping the edge of the back side 120) such that the edge of the back side 120 is recessed to form the depressed surface 122. If the forging has not yet formed the desired shape of the back surface 120 of the metal plate 100, the back surface 120 of the metal plate 100 can be forged again until the desired shape is formed.

The temperature T of the above three forging processes is less than 530 ° C. Preferably, the above three forging processes can be performed at room temperature, so that not only the generation of the spot can be prevented, but also the heating of the metal plate 100 can be saved. Energy costs. For example, the temperature T of the above three forging processes can satisfy: 15 ° C ≦ T ≦ 40 ° C, so that the metal plate 100 can be maintained in a solid state without being converted into a supersaturated solid solution, thereby preventing generation of speckle.

Since the metal plate 100 is not converted into a supersaturated solid solution during the above three forging processes, the metal plate 100 does not pass through a solution heat treatment having a hardening effect, and the hardness is low. It should be understood that the above solution treatment refers to a treatment in which the alloy material is first heated to a high temperature state (for example, 500 ° C or higher) and quenched by a high temperature state to form a supersaturated solid solution. Specifically, in the front stage of the solution treatment, the alloy material may be first heated to a unidirectional region above the solvus line, and the alloy material is maintained at a high temperature for a period of time, during which time the alloy material The energy obtained is sufficient for the physical recombination of the alloy material, so that the strengthening elements or intermetallic compounds of the alloy material gradually precipitate. The precipitation element of the alloy material can be A single phase solid solution is formed in a substrate (such as an aluminum substrate) that is incorporated into an alloy material. Briefly, the formation principle of the above unidirectional solid solution is similar to the process of dissolving a salt in water, and an aluminum substrate can be analogized to water, and a precipitation element can be analogized to a salt. Then, in the latter stage of the solution treatment, the single-phase solid solution can be rapidly quenched to a low temperature to form a supersaturated solid solution of the alloy material.

In order to improve the hardness of the metal plate 100 which is not subjected to the solution treatment, in some embodiments, the Vickers hardness value H1 of the metal plate 100 before forging may satisfy: 40 Hv ≦ H1 ≦ 50 Hv, and the above-mentioned Vickers hardness value H1 is higher than that of the conventional electronic The material of the device casing is high in hardness, and the hardness of the metal plate 100 after forging is prevented from being too low.

Further, in order to further increase the hardness of the metal plate 100, in some embodiments, after forging, the metal plate 100 may be subjected to age hardening to harden the metal plate 100. The age hardening treatment may include natural age hardening and artificial age hardening. Natural age hardening treatment refers to the effect of placing the metal plate 100 at room temperature under constant temperature to produce strengthening or hardening. The artificial age hardening treatment refers to the effect of placing the metal plate 100 at a constant temperature in a temperature higher than room temperature to produce an effect of strengthening or hardening. Since the hardness of the metal plate 100 can be greatly improved by the artificial age hardening treatment on the metal plate 100, the age hardening treatment used in the embodiment of the present invention is preferably an artificial age hardening treatment, which may include the following steps. First, after forging, the metal plate 100 can be heated to a high temperature state. Then, the metal plate 100 can be maintained at a high temperature to harden the metal plate 100, wherein the temperature in the high temperature state is greater than 40 ° C and less than or It is equal to 530 ° C to prevent the metal plate 100 from being converted into a supersaturated solid solution. In some embodiments, the metal plate 100 can be maintained at a high temperature of about 160 ° C to 200 ° C to produce a better hardening effect.

When the Vickers hardness value H1 of the metal plate 100 used by the manufacturer before forging satisfies: 40Hv ≦ H1 ≦ 50Hv, the metal plate 100 may be forged first, and then the metal plate 100 may be subjected to age hardening treatment as described in the preceding paragraph. Then, the Vickers hardness value H2 of the metal plate 100 after the age hardening treatment can satisfy: 80 Hv ≦ H2 ≦ 90 Hv. In other words, the age hardening treatment can be performed after forging. In this way, even if the metal plate 100 is not subjected to solution treatment during processing, the hardness requirement of the electronic device housing can be satisfied. It should be understood that the error or range of the "about" index value described in the full text of this specification is within 20%, preferably within 10%, and more preferably at 5%. Within.

In general, referring to FIG. 6 , this figure illustrates a temperature diagram of a process of processing a housing of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, step S1 refers to the first forging (as shown in Fig. 2), and step S2 refers to the second forging (as shown in Fig. 3), and step S3 refers to the third time. Forging, and step S4 means age hardening treatment. Wherein steps S1, S2 and S3 (i.e., forging steps) can be performed at the same temperature, and step S4 (i.e., age hardening treatment) can be performed at a higher temperature, that is, step S4 (i.e., The temperature of the age hardening treatment may be higher than the temperatures of the steps S1, S2 and S3 (i.e., the forging step).

Finally, please refer to FIG. 1 for the anode treatment of the metal plate 100. Specifically, the base metal may be formed on the surface of the metal plate 100 The main anodized layer 200 not only increases the mechanical strength of the metal plate 100, but also allows the dye to penetrate into the surface of the metal plate 100 to achieve the effect of coloring the housing of the electronic device. The anodizing treatment can be performed by placing the metal plate 100 in the anode of the electrolytic cell and applying a certain voltage and current to cause the back surface 120 of the metal plate to form the well-attached anodized layer 200. Further, since the metal plate 100 is not converted into a supersaturated solid solution during the forging process, even if the anodized layer 200 is formed on the back surface 120 of the metal plate 100, no spots are generated.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the electronic device casing of Fig. 1 taken along line A-A'. As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device housing may include a metal plate 100 and an anodized layer 200. The metal plate 100 includes a first metal layer 101 and a second metal layer 102, and the second metal layer 102 covers the first metal layer 101. The anodized layer 200 is coated on the second metal layer 102 of the metal plate 100. The first metal layer 101 and the second metal layer 102 have the same material. For example, the materials of the first metal layer 101 and the second metal layer 102 are all aluminum alloys, but the invention is not limited thereto. The first metal layer 101 contains metal particles P1, and the second metal layer 102 contains metal particles P2. The second metal layer 102 is affected by forging such that the metal particles P2 in the second metal layer 102 are flatter than the metal particles P1 in the first metal layer 101. In other words, if the cross section of the electronic device housing is viewed by a microscope, the metal particles on the surface of the metal plate 100 can be seen to be flatter than the metal particles in the inner layer of the metal plate 100, and the difference in shape of the metal particles is due to The surface of the metal plate 100 is caused by the pressure of forging. Therefore, the user can know by observing the difference in shape between the surface layer of the metal plate 100 and the metal particles in the inner layer of the metal plate 100. Whether the metal plate 100 is forged.

In some embodiments, the first metal layer 101 has a second metal layer 102 on opposite sides thereof. In other words, the opposite sides of the metal plate 100 are affected by forging, and two second metal layers 102 are produced.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

100‧‧‧Metal plates

120‧‧‧Back

200‧‧‧anodized layer

Claims (10)

A method of processing an electronic device housing, comprising: providing a metal plate; forging the metal plate, wherein the metal plate is maintained in a solid state without being converted into a supersaturated solid solution during the forging process; and after forging The metal plate was anodized. The processing method of the electronic device housing according to claim 1, wherein the temperature T of the forging process satisfies: 15 ° C ≦ T ≦ 40 ° C. The processing method of the electronic device casing according to claim 1, further comprising: after forging, performing an age hardening treatment on the metal plate, the age hardening treatment comprising heating the metal plate to a high temperature state, and the metal is heated The sheet is maintained at the elevated temperature to harden the metal sheet, wherein the temperature in the high temperature state is greater than 40 ° C and less than or equal to 530 ° C. The processing method of the electronic device casing according to claim 3, wherein the temperature in the high temperature state is about 160 ° C to 200 ° C. The processing method of the electronic device casing according to claim 1, wherein the Vickers hardness value H1 of the metal plate before forging satisfies: 40 Hv ≦ H1 ≦ 50 Hv. The processing method of the electronic device housing according to claim 3, wherein The Vickers hardness value H2 of the metal sheet after the age hardening treatment satisfies: 80 Hv ≦ H2 ≦ 90 Hv. The processing method of the electronic device casing according to claim 1, wherein the forging the metal plate comprises performing a forging process for the metal plate a plurality of times, wherein the forging process of the metal plate is performed multiple times including the metal plate The forging process is performed twice on the front side and a forging process is performed on the back side of the metal plate. The method of processing an electronic device housing according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate is forged with a curved surface. An electronic device housing comprising: a metal plate comprising: a first metal layer; and a second metal layer overlying the first metal layer, the first metal layer and the second metal layer having the same material And the second metal layer is affected by forging such that the metal particles in the second metal layer are flatter than the metal particles in the first metal layer; and an anodized layer covering the metal plate On the second metal layer. The electronic device casing according to claim 9, wherein the Vickers hardness value H2 of the metal plate after the age hardening treatment satisfies: 80 Hv ≦ H2 ≦ 90 Hv.