ThixoForming Process Makes "Light Engine" Possible for LCD Display Remember that little engine that surmounted a seemingly impossible obstacle? Well, earlier this year AFT's ThixoForming business unit was approached by a strategic customer to participate as a partner in this OEM's first foray into the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Rear Projection Television market. The task was to quickly develop the design and manufacturing processes for a "light engine" that would become the heart and soul of the LCD display. After almost four weeks of intensive design reviews, meetings and travel between the OEM and AFT, prototypes were kicked off to astounding success. Molding A Team — and Parts — Fast AFT's skilled base of prototyping suppliers provided both plaster cast and machined from billet parts in two to three weeks, allowing the OEM engineers and AFT's team to finalize the design and release production tooling within eight weeks of concept initiation. Three molds were designed, built, and sampled, including parts post-processed and FPI's submitted to the OEM on four part numbers, within eight weeks. The often difficult and time-consuming phase of tweaking production designs, integrating the supply chain (which in some cases involved four steps) and filling the pipeline for an aggressive commercial launch was completed in record time, with the OEM and its contract manufacturer provided with the parts in less than twenty weeks from the initial prototype phase. 
Vision of the Future Behind the Television Screen The main engine housing (above) of the LCD rear projection television illustrated the part complexity — thin walls (avg. of 1.5 mm) versus part size (200 mm x 180 mm x 60 mm) and high tolerances (less than .05 mm on flatness and parallelism and +/-.025 mm on critical size features) — that is achievable with Thixoforming. The part included fourteen tapped holes, electroless nickel plating, and required precise alignment between the mechanical slides to "fold" the light path inside the housing. AFT also supplied the projection bulb housing, the prism mounting bracket and the digital display mounting base. This family of parts, created using the ThixoForming process, has helped launch an industry segment for low profile (thicknesses of 18" or less), low cost, large display (up to 61") ultra high image quality televisions. ThixoForming is ideal for those products that demand both a high level of complexity and tight dimensional tolerances, such as computer cases, automotive parts, electronic components and telecommunications. | 
