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Case Studies

MOBILE PHONE INSERT MOULDING

The Problem

The customer, a leading producer of mobile phone antennas in Japan, approached Advanex with a sketch of a small piece of folded wire that would act as an internal antenna in a mobile phone. At the time, in 2001, mobile phone antennae were a ‘pop-up’ design, but if this product could be made to work successfully, the design of mobile phones would be greatly improved, making them smaller. To create a functional internal antenna the customer believed it should be made from a small folded wire spring housed in the body of the phone.

The Solution

From wire spring to flat spring insert moulding, a change in thinking led to huge success. Advanex were able to offer:

  • Innovative solutions to new problems
  • Unrivalled expertise in metal manufacturing methods
  • Meeting a huge production demand

The customer requested that Advanex develop the smallest internal antenna possible, with a high receiving capacity. Advanex developed an antenna utilizing a spiral shape spring with excellent qualities, a world first.

In order to get the spiral spring to fit into the phone housing, Advanex made a prototype resin case. However, the customer could not get a stable signal because the pitch of the spring was disturbed by the phone’s vibrations. Advanex brainstormed the problem and an insert moulding engineer proposed using a press processing method that utilised the spiral shape to get a favourable reception. This lateral thinking was the reason for Advanex’s success.

Based on our sketch the customer cut and bonded copper foil onto a hand made resin prototype and achieved the required reception with the Advanex design. Working with the customer, Advanex then developed trial precision flat springs integrated into an intricate plastic moulding. Using this technique and our automated insert moulding process Advanex were able to give the customer a product that gave both good reception characteristics and ease of assembly into the mobile phone.

The change in design from a wire spring to a flat spring insert moulding ensured high productivity for both Advanex and the customer. It was a world first product and gained the customer a reputation for innovation in the industry.

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Specifications

Product

Insert moulding

Forming Method

Insert moulding

Location

Japanv

Customer

Antenna manufacturer

Application

Internal mobile phone antenna

Market

Mobile phone technology

Leadtime

6 months in development

Purpose

Improving phone design

Solution

Advanced equipment technology, creativity

Customers Benefit

Total sales of over 4 million, huge success