Self fixturing assembly techniques

• US 8,333,862 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Thompson, Peter M., Adamcyk, Martin, Van Vorhis, Timothy G., Lucchesi, Arthur J., Moore, Thomas A., Morris, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crispino, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Royston, Elizabeth
• Application Number:
  US12/580,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20110088838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 156/273.3, 156/273.7, 428/116, 428/117, 295/921, 361/679.01, 312/223.1, 349/58
• US Class Current: 156/273.7
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1406 Ultraviolet [UV] radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/483 Reactive adhesives, e.g. chemically curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4845 Radiation curing adhesives, e.g. UV light curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/485 Multi-component adhesives, i.e. chemically curing as a result of the mixing of said multi-components
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/21 said joint lines being formed by a single dot or dash or by several dots or dashes, i.e. spot joining or spot welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/3452 Making complete joints by combining partial joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/742 to metals or their alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9241 by controlling or regulating the pressure, the force or the mechanical power
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/944 by controlling or regulating the time
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/949 characterised by specific time values or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 2301/21 the adhesive layer being formed by alternating adhesive areas of different nature
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 5/04 involving separate application of adhesive ingredients to the different surfaces to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 11/006 by gluing gluing of plastics material B29C65/48
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24331 including nonapertured component

Abstract

A process, apparatus, and system for joining at least two work pieces together using at least two adhesives each having substantially different cure times. A first adhesive having a first cure time is used to form a first bond between the two workpieces, the first adhesive having a first cure time. A second adhesive having a second cure time, the second cure time being substantially shorter than the first cure time is used to form a fixturing bond. The fixturing bond maintaining the first and second workpieces in position prior to the first adhesive curing.

Claims

1. A self-fixturing method for bonding a metal frame to an electronic device housing, comprising:

receiving the metal frame, the metal frame having at least a first part of a permanent attachment feature mold used to form a permanent attachment feature used to bond the metal frame to the electronic device housing, the permanent attachment feature mold comprising a semi-spherical cross-sectional perforation having a diameter D1 at a first surface of the metal frame and a diameter D2 at a second surface of the metal frame wherein D2 is greater than D1;

applying a thermal cure epoxy adhesive on a portion of the first surface of the metal frame;

placing the first surface of the metal frame in contact with a first surface of an electronic device housing;

compressing the metal frame and electronic device housing together using at least a compression force C1; and

forming the permanent attachment feature by,

injecting an amount of UV cure adhesive into the permanent attachment feature mold at the second surface that does not overfill the permanent attachment feature mold thereby allowing the permanent attachment feature to remain below the level of the second surface of the metal frame, and

curing the UV cure adhesive by exposing the amount of UV cure adhesive in the permanent attachment feature mold to UV light.

2. The self-fixturing bonding method as recited in claim 1, wherein the cure time of the thermal cure epoxy adhesive is about 24 hours at about 25 degrees Celsius.

3. The self-fixturing bonding method as recited in claim 2, wherein the UV cure adhesive has a cure time of about 5 seconds.

4. The self-fixturing bonding method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plug constrains the metal frame and the electronic device housing such that the metal frame and the electronic device housing are maintained under a compressive force applied prior to the application of the UV cure adhesive after compression force C1 is removed.

5. A method for joining a metal frame and an electronic device housing together, comprising:

applying a thermal cure epoxy adhesive to the metal frame at an application region, the thermal cure epoxy adhesive having an associated first cure time;

placing the metal frame and the electronic device housing in contact with each other at the application region;

applying an externally generated compression force to the metal frame and the electronic device housing;

applying a UV cure adhesive having an associated second cure time shorter than the first cure time to the metal frame at a permanent attachment feature mold, the permanent attachment feature mold comprising;

a semi-spherical cross-sectional perforation having a diameter D1 at a first surface of the metal frame and a diameter D2 at a second surface of the metal frame wherein D2 is greater than D1, and further wherein the UV cure adhesive applied to the permanent attachment feature mold does not overfill the permanent attachment feature mold thereby allowing the UV cure adhesive to remain below the level of the second surface of the metal frame;

curing the UV cure adhesive; and

removing the externally generated compression force.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

further processing of the conjoined metal frame and electronic device housing immediately after the externally generated compression force is removed.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the permanent attachment feature mold comprises:

a perforation sized to accept an amount of the UV cure adhesive sufficient to wet both the metal frame and the electronic device housing.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein when the UV cure adhesive cures, the cured UV cure adhesive forms an attachment feature, the attachment feature acting to secure the metal frame and the electronic device housing independent of the bond formed by the thermal cure epoxy adhesive.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the thermal cure epoxy adhesive is a two part epoxy having a cure time of about 1 hour at room temperature and wherein the UV cure adhesive is a UV cure glue having a cure time of about 10 seconds when exposed to UV light of an appropriate wavelength.