Laser texturing of a surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9629271-B1
Application number	US-201414499142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 27, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an enclosure for an electronic device using laser texturing to create a first surface having different surface characteristics than a second surface adjacent to the first surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a surface on an item comprising the steps of:
finishing an external surface of said item including a first surface portion and a second surface portion, said second surface portion adjacent to said first surface portion, and
laser etching at least a part of said first surface portion to create a random texture.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a said first surface portion has a different texture than said second surface portion.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of finishing includes the step of polishing at least a part of said external surface.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of finishing includes the step of bead blasting at least a part of said external surface.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further including the step of laser etching said external surface including said first surface portion and said second surface portion.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said item includes an enclosure for an electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second surface portion extends above said first surface portion.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second surface portion is recessed below said first surface portion.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second surface portions are approximately coplanar.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first surface portion includes a rough matte finish.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said second surface portion is highly light reflective.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second surface portion is configured in a predetermined shape.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said item includes an aluminum enclosure.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of laser etching includes programming a computer to control said laser etching.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein said step of programming includes directing said step of laser etching to emulate a bead blasted texture.

16. The method according to claim 14 , where said step or programming a computer includes the step of generating a surface texture according to a random number sequence.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first surface portion and said second surface portion each include multiple discrete surface portions.

18. A method for manufacture of an enclosure for a device including a first surface portion and a second surface portion adjacent to the first surface portion, said method comprising the steps of:
bead blasting a part of said first surface portion to produce a bead blasted texture; and
laser etching the second surface portion to produce a laser-etched texture that emulates the bead blasted texture.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein a third portion of the surface is adjacent to the first and second portions, and wherein the third portion having different surface characteristics than said first and second surface portions.

20. An enclosure for an electronic device comprising:
an exterior portion including a first surface portion and a second surface portion;
said second surface portion adjacent to said first surface portion, and
said first surface portion having been laser etched such that it has a more random texture than said second surface portion.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Lancaster-Larocque Simon R
• Montplaisir Sarah J
• Chan Collin D

Classifications

• H05K5/04

  Metal casings · CPC title

• B23K26/0084

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B24C1/08 Primary

  for polishing surfaces, e.g. {smoothing a surface} by making use of liquid-borne abrasives · CPC title

• B24C1/06

  for producing matt surfaces, e.g. on plastic materials, on glass · CPC title

• H05K5/0004

  Electricity · mapped topic