In many industries, from advanced ones such as automotive to simple household products, injection molding is gradually becoming a predominant production method. With superb production cycles and precision, coupled with the capability to manufacture products at scale, injection molding can take on even the most challenging projects without fail. Even now, the injection molding market is an extremely vibrant one, with lots of mergers, rebrands, and developments.
One of the biggest challenges in the industry is NFC coil encapsulation, which refers to creating a protective layer around an NFC coil. This process requires a great deal of technical knowledge, patience, and technology to accomplish.
What is NFC Coil Encapsulation?
Let’s go over the NFC technology first before we move forward. NFC is a technology that is often integrated into mobile devices. It enables you to scan cards or chips in close approximation. The technology only works if the mobile device is located extremely close to the card for data privacy.
The most important part of the NFC technology is the NFC coil, which is located within the mobile device. The NFC coil will help to read the data on the chip located on the card, making sure that the mobile device can read, process, and display the data to the end users.
The NFC coil will have to be encapsulated in a protective capsule for its protection against shock as well as other factors. This proves to be a major challenge because the mold for the finished products will have to be perfectly precise to contain both the NFC coil as well as the capsule. Thus, only injection molding, which enables microscopic precision, can take on this task.
Some other challenges to consider: The NFC coil will have to be waterproof and sweatproof throughout the use period by the end users. This is because the coil is extremely susceptible to water damage, which could fry the circuits inside. The next issue is glue bonding. Glue bonding is a technique used to glue thermoplastic materials with metal parts, ensuring a strong bond that does not break down easily. If the bonding glue is not of high quality, it is likely that the whole product could come apart one day.
How to Improve the Encapsulation Process?
The encapsulation process for NFC coil is a complex and difficult one, so you should always let professionals such as Art Tangent handle these kinds of projects for you! Here are some other things you could do or keep in mind if you would prefer to handle these projects on your own.
Choose the Correct Glue
As mentioned above, glue bonding will be a major issue in the production process. You will have to pick the correct glue that is compatible with not just the metal parts but also the thermoplastic parts as well. For this reason, you will have to take into account the chemical properties of both surfaces. Pay special attention to the plastic surface, which might require pre-treatment steps to increase the adhesion exponentially.
There are three main types of glue available for this type of project. Which one to choose will have to depend on your current budget as well as other related factors.
- 1k Glue (One-component glue): This type of glue is made from just one component. Thus, it is generally not as tough as two-component glue. That said, it is quite easy to use, and there is still a certain degree of flexibility with it, making sure that you can easily work with it for different projects.
- 2K Glue (Two-component glue): Made from two components instead of one, this type of glue boasts amazing adhesion and impact resistance. However, they are quite expensive and difficult to apply, as you will have to find modern machinery that can work with this type of glue. Thus, this glue is generally used for high-value products such as NFC coil encapsulation.
- CA (Cyanoacrylate) Adhesive: Otherwise known as superglue, CA adhesive is a quick and simple solution to the issue of glue bonding, as employees can easily apply them to the surfaces. It would then take a few minutes for the adhesive to stick, gluing the two surfaces together neatly.
Pay Extra Attention to the Encapsulation Techniques
The next step is to take a look at the encapsulation techniques themselves. This is a delicate process that would require not just the best technicians but also the top-of-the-line technologies. First, ensure that you have the top experts onsite to ensure that the encapsulation process is going smoothly. One single error could ruin the entire batch, so it is better to pay close attention to the quality control step of the process.
Next, you can actually improve the production process by designing great molds. Injection-molded products depend a great deal on the mold, as the finished products will look exactly the same as the mold cavity. Thus, if you design a great mold that enables easy encapsulation, the production process will be much easier.
Why Choose Art Tangent?
With over 20 years of experience in the injection molding industry, Art Tangent is your reliable partner in your injection molding projects. We offer a wide range of injection molds, from complex automotive molds to simple household object molds. We will also help you to start up your injection molding project with our team of experts. Contact us now for more information!
NFC coil encapsulation is a technique that not only protects the NFC coil better but also opens up many doors to different use cases of the component. To smoothen this process, you will have to pay extra attention to the quality control process as well as choose the correct bonding glue so that it sticks the surfaces together with ease.
References:
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/diversified-plastics-rebrands-aprios-custom-mfg
