Hi,
Can anyone tell me the exact process used to produce the clear on white plastic part on the front of an ipod?
Is it Multi-component, Multi-shot or Over-Moulding or something else??
Thanks
M
I always assumed they painted the interior surface white.
The exact process is patented by Apple. You probably won’t find out how it’s done. All i know it that is is two layers of co-moldedpolycarbonate, not white paint.
FWIW, I once made an appearance model with a similar surface treatment, and I ended up painting the underside of a piece of thick acrylic. Doesn’t have quite the same effect, but it looks almost as good and is much easier to pull off.
do you know which patent this is ?
i see loads of apple patents on ep.espacenet.com , but i can’t find this one
The exact process is patented by Apple. You probably won’t find out how it’s done. All i know it that is is two layers of co-moldedpolycarbonate, not white paint.
Can you confirm this?
I would find that Apple would be hard pressed to patent an over-molding process that has been in existance for some time. What is more likely is that they have a Design Patent on the look of the final outcome when used in conjunction with a mobile music player.
you can search for patents using keywords on google
US patents and applications are searchable here: Patent Public Search | USPTO
I think Google are still indexing all the patents… 
However, the Google service is much easier to use than the USPTO site.
The closest patent I could find was 6746638, which relates to over moulding a transparent layer of elastomer on PC. Not quite PC on PC.
6746638 Abstract
A method of providing a protective barrier between a plastic casing and a rubber layer molded over the plastic casing. The protective barrier is applied to the plastic casing and then the rubber layer molded onto the plastic casing over the protective barrier. The protective barrier prevents the rubber layer from reacting with the underlying plastic casing. In one embodiment, the plastic casing comprises a polycarbonate resin and the protective barrier comprises a polyurethane coating.
I too would be surprised if Apple could patent a standard overmould process that has been around for a long time.
Alan
He’s probably right. The book I read that in I’m a bit unclear on – but it did mention that the exact process (some part of it, at least; the author probably took some creative license) was indeed invented by Apple. Not co-molding in general, but something…
I’m sure you can find a way of doing it somehow. There have got to be other products with that sort of materials.