Optimization for the prepreg compression molding of notebook computer cover using design of experiment and finite element method

Composite materials can be successfully applied to the manufacturing process in the consumer electronics field and can drastically reduce the weight of the several parts. For this reason, it is important to predict the shape change after carrying out compression molding of composite material and to determine the key parameters of the manufacturing process. In this paper, the compression molding process of a notebook computer cover using composite materials was analyzed by the finite element method. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio has been calculated for the warpage deformations that occurred on the surface of the notebook computer cover. The design of experiment method was applied to determine the optimal parameters in the process. Levels of the optimal process factors were selected for minimum warpage deformation and to verify the proposed method; a physical notebook computer cover was manufactured using these optimal conditions. Experimental results, including those on warpage deformations, show that the proposed method can be useful in the manufacturing of lightweight notebook computer covers using a compression molding machine.