Body produced by an in-mold process and process for the production thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753488-B2
Application number	US-201314433984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2013
Priority date	Oct 15, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A body ( 1, 1′, 1 ″) produced by an in-mold process has a first film ( 2, 2′, 2 ″) with at least one electrical or electronic functional layer ( 25 ). In a functional area ( 20 a, 20 a′, 20 a ″) of this functional layer, at least one electrical or electronic component is provided, and at least one electrical connection for this is provided in a contact area ( 20 b, 20 b′, 20 b ″). The first film is partially back-injection molded with a plastic main material ( 3, 3′, 3 ″) such that the contact area ( 20 b, 20 b′, 20 b ″) is at least partially free from this plastic main material ( 3 ). Suitable formation of the first film ( 2, 2′, 2 ″) guarantees that a tab (F) separated from the plastic main material ( 3, 3′, 3 ″) is provided which adjoins a back-injection molded part of the first film in an area of surface ( 20 c, 20 c′, 20 c ″) of the body which is at a distance from an edge ( 31, 31 ′) of the body delimiting the surface ( 30 ) with the first film.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A body which has a first film with at least one electrical or electronic functional layer, wherein at least one electrical or electronic component is provided in a functional area of the functional layer, and wherein at least one electrical connection is provided in a contact area of the at least one functional layer, which electrical connection is galvanically coupled to at least one component, wherein the body furthermore comprises a plastic main material with which the first film is partially back-injection molded such that the contact area is at least partially free from plastic main material, wherein the first film is formed such that a tab separated from the plastic main material is provided by a non-back injection-molded part of the first film, which tab adjoins a back-injection molded part of the first film in an area of surface of the body, which is at a distance from an edge of the body delimiting the surface with the first film.

2. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the plastic main material predefines a shape of the body which makes it possible at least partially to bring the tab up against the surface of the plastic main material on its side with the first film.

3. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the body has a flat surface, on which the first film is arranged, and wherein the tab can be brought into a position or is located in a position in which it protrudes at an angle from the range of from 15° to 90° to the plane from an area of surface which is adjoined on all sides in respect of the surface by plastic main material.

4. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the body has a curved surface, on which the first film is arranged, and wherein the tab can be brought into a position or is located in a position in which it protrudes at an angle from the range of from 75° to 0° to a surface normal of the curved surface at an area of surface which is adjoined on all sides in respect of the surface by plastic main material.

5. The body according to claim 1 , wherein a transition from a back-injection molded part of the first film to a non-back-injection molded part of the film takes place along a line on the surface which is at a distance of at least 8 mm, from an edge contour of the body delimiting the surface with the first film.

6. The body according to claim 1 , further comprising a second film or a lacquer package which is likewise back-injection molded with the plastic main material and has a decoration layer which is over the whole surface or partial and which provides at least one item of information in respect of the at least one electrical or electronic component.

7. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the functional layer comprises capacitive components which provide a touch panel functionality.

8. The body according to claim 1 , further comprising a stiffening element with a thickness from the range of from 140 to 580 μm, or an additional contact element with a thickness from the range of from 1 to 15 μm, on the tab.

9. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the plastic main material is a thermoplastic which comprises polymethyl (meth)acrylate, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polycarbonate or polyamide.

10. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the plastic main material is transparent at least in areas.

11. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the functional layer has a plurality of conductor traces which consist of silver, copper, aluminum, chromium or of a metal alloy, and which have a width of between 1 μm and 40 μm and have a distance from each other of between 10 μm and 5 mm and are provided in a layer thickness of from 30 to 60 nm.

12. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the functional layer has a plurality of conductor traces which consist of silver, copper, aluminum, chromium or of a metal alloy, and which have a width of 100 μm or more.

13. The body according to claim 1 , wherein the functional layer comprises metal nanowires made of silver, copper, gold, metal nanoparticles made of silver, copper or gold, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoparticles, graphene, or organic conductors or polyaniline or provides organic light-emitting diodes, inorganic or organic photovoltaic cells, display elements provided using electroluminescent materials, electrochromic materials or electrophoretic materials, integrated circuits or inorganic or organic memories.

14. The body according to claim 1 , further comprising a substrate carrying the functional layer and made of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polycarbonate, or polyethylene naphthalate, which is provided in a thickness of between 35 and 60 μm.

15. The body according to claim 14 , wherein the substrate is arranged between the functional layer and the plastic main material.

16. The body according to claim 14 , wherein the functional layer is arranged between the substrate and the plastic main material.

17. The body according to claim 1 , further comprising an adhesion-promoter layer at least on the part of the first film back-injection molded with plastic.

18. The body according to claim 17 , wherein the adhesion-promoter layer consists of two partial layers which are formed from different material.

19. An electrical device, with a housing, in or against which the body according to claim 1 is placed, wherein an electrical or electronic component is arranged in the housing, which component is galvanically coupled, via the tab protruding from the plastic main material, to the electrical or electronic functional layer.

20. A process for producing the body according to claim 1 wherein a first film is inserted into an injection mold, wherein the first film, in a first area, has adhesion properties in respect of a predetermined injection-molding material which are qualitatively better than the corresponding adhesion properties in a second area of the first film, wherein the second area has the form of a tongue protruding from the first area, wherein in the process the predetermined injection-molding material is injected into the injection mold with the first film, with the result that the first film is partially back-injection molded and then the produced body is removed, in which, because of the different adhesion properties, injection-molding material adheres to the first film in the first area, but injection-molding material adheres poorly or does not adhere to the first film in the second area.

21. The process according to claim 20 , wherein a film is inserted which comprises an adhesion-promoter layer in the first area.

22. The process according to claim 20 , wherein a film is inserted which comprises, in the second area, a layer suppressing the adhesion.

23. A process for producing the body according to claim 1 , wherein a first film is inserted into an injection mold, which film has a first area from which a second area protrudes in the form of a tongue, and wherein in the process the second area is clamped between two clamping parts and wherein injection-molding material is injected into the injection mold and thus the first area of the first film is back-injection molded.

24. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the injection mold is formed such that injection-molding material is provided on both sides of a transition area from the first area to the second area of the first film.

25. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the clamping elements comprise a mold half of the injection mold and eith

Assignees

• Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co Kg
• Polyic Gmbh & Co Kg
• Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co Kg

Inventors

• Hahn Martin
• Clemens Wolfgang
• Sigritz Rainer
• Schindler Ulrich
• Golling Gerald

Classifications

• H05K2201/026

  Nanotubes or nanowires · CPC title

• B29C45/1418 Primary

  the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure · CPC title

• B29C45/14221

  by tools, e.g. cutting means · CPC title

• B29C45/14377

  using an additional insert, e.g. a fastening element · CPC title

• B29C2045/14155

  using vacuum or suction · CPC title