Patent Application
20120069498
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to device housings and particularly, to a metal housing of an electronic device and a fabrication method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical electronic device usually includes a housing and a display screen fixed on the housing. The housing is usually made of one or more metal materials. A thickness of the housing is reduced to minimize the weight of the electronic device. However, upon impact, the display screen is easily detached from the housing due to the minimal structural strength of the thinner housing.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views, and all the views are schematic.
The bottom shell 11 is substantially rectangular, and includes a bottom plate 111 and four side plates 112. The bottom plate 111 is substantially rectangular. The four side plates 112 extend from a periphery of the bottom plate 111, respectively. Each side plate 112 is substantially curved. A connecting portion of two adjoining side plates 112 is also substantially curved. The bottom shell 11 is aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel, or other metal. A thickness of the bottom shell 11 is less than 1.2 mm.
The reinforcement frame 12 includes four reinforcement walls 121 connecting in order. The four reinforcement walls 121 are integrally formed on the corresponding side plates 112 of the bottom shell 11. The reinforcement frame 12 is metal such as aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel, or other.
In step S401, a bottom shell 11 and a reinforcement frame 12 are formed by stamping.
In step S402, a mold 500 is provided, and the mold 500 includes an upper die 50 and a lower die 60. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper die 50 is a substantially rectangular plate. The lower die 60 defines a cavity 61 in the center thereof, which is shaped to conform to the bottom shell 11. The cavity 61 has four inner walls 611.
In step S403, the reinforcement frame 12 is fixed on the bottom shell 11 by the mold 500, via interference fit. The bottom shell 11 is received in the cavity 61. The side plates 112 of the bottom shell 11 resist the corresponding inner walls 611. The upper die 50 impels or pushes the reinforcement frame 12 to be received in the bottom shell 11, via interference fitting therewith.
The reinforcement frame 12 is fixed to the bottom shell 11 to increase the structural strength and shock resistance of the metal housing 10. Lowered thickness of the bottom shell 11 allows the reinforcement frame 12 to be assembled to the bottom shell 11 by the mold 500 with protection from damages despite of the thinner profile.
It is to be understood that the bottom plate 111 can also be substantially circular or polygonal. The side plates 112 can also extend perpendicularly to the bottom plate 111.
Finally, while the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is illustrative of the disclosure and is not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Therefore, various modifications can be made to the embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201010283433.4 | Sep 2010 | CN | national |
