Transparent fiber composite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701068-B2
Application number	US-201213560980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2012
Priority date	Jul 27, 2012
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A method for forming a relatively transparent fiber composite is disclosed. In one embodiment, the relatively transparent fiber composite can include glass fibers with a relatively low amount of iron oxide. In another embodiment, the transparent fiber composite can include a selected resin, a sizing and glass fibers where the index of refraction of the glass fibers, the sizing and the resin can be similar, within a tolerance amount. In yet another embodiment, the resin can be relatively clear and free from pigments and tints. In one embodiment, the glass fibers can be formed into a mat. In another embodiment, glass fibers can be chopped or milled and a relatively transparent part can be formed through injection molding.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a housing for an electronic device, the housing including a transparent fiber-resin composite, the method comprising:
coating a first sizing on a first group of glass fibers and a second sizing on a second group of glass fibers, the first sizing having a first index of refraction and the second sizing having a second index of refraction that is different than the first index of refraction;
applying a resin having a third index of refraction, different from the first index of refraction and second index of refraction, to the first group coated with the first sizing and the second group coated with the second sizing, wherein indexes of refraction of the first sizing, the second sizing, the resin, the first group, and the second group are within 0.005 of each other.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
bundling the coated first group and the coated second group into a tow having a predetermined diameter, wherein the predetermined diameter of the tow is chosen such that the resin wets the coated first group and the coated second group.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the index of refraction of the first group and the second group is about 1.55.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein an average diameter of first group and the second group is 12 micrometers or less.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the average diameter is between 6 and 7 micrometers.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first group and the second group are comprised of a silica glass characterized as having less than 0.1% iron oxide by volume.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first group of glass fibers and the second group of glass fibers have an average length of less than 0.25 inches.

8. A housing for an electronic device, the housing including a transparent fiber-resin composite, the transparent fiber-resin composite comprising:
a first portion of glass fibers coated with a first sizing and a second portion of glass fibers coated with a second sizing, the first sizing having a first index of refraction and the second sizing having a second index of refraction that is different than the first index of refraction, the coated first portion of glass fibers and the coated second portion of glass fibers encased within a resin having a third index of refraction, different from the first index of refraction and second index of refraction, wherein indexes of refraction of the first sizing, the second sizing, the resin, the first portion, and the second portion are within 0.005 of each other.

9. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are comprised of a silica glass characterized as having less than 0.1% iron oxide by volume.

10. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are comprised of milled glass fibers.

11. The housing of claim 10 , wherein the first portion and the second portion have an average length of less than 0.25 inches.

12. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are bundled in a tow.

13. The housing of claim 8 , wherein an average diameter of first group and the second group is 12 micrometers or less.

14. A method for forming a housing for an electronic device, the housing including a transparent fiber-resin composite, the method comprising:
coating a first sizing to a first group of milled glass fiber and a second sizing to a second group of milled glass fiber, the first group and the second group comprised of a silica glass characterized as having less than 0.1% iron oxide by volume;
forming a composite mixture by mixing the coated first group and the coated second group with a resin, wherein indexes of refraction of the first sizing, the second sizing and the resin are all different and indexes of refraction of the first sizing, the second sizing, the resin, the first group, and the second group are within 0.005 of each other; and
forming the transparent fiber-resin composite by injecting the composite mixture into a mold, the mold having a feature with a predetermined radius, wherein the mixing and the injecting are performed such that the coated first group and the coated second group are uniformly distributed within the transparent fiber-resin composite, and wherein an average length first group and the second group of milled glass fiber is chosen so as to uniformly distribute the coated first group and the coated second group within the feature during the injecting.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the index of refraction of the first sizing is not equal to the index of refraction of the second sizing.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein an average diameter of the first group of glass fibers and the second group of glass fibers is less than 12 micrometers.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the resin does not include pigments.

Assignees

• Choiniere Paul
• Hankey Evans
• Pilliod Michael K
• Russell-Clarke Peter N
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Choiniere Paul
• Hankey Evans
• Pilliod Michael K
• Russell-Clarke Peter N

Classifications

• B29C70/06 Primary

  Fibrous reinforcements only · CPC title

• Y10T428/2967

  Synthetic resin or polymer · CPC title

• B32B17/04

  bonded with or embedded in a plastic substance · CPC title

• B29K2995/0026

  Transparent · CPC title

• B32B2307/412

  Transparent · CPC title