April 3, 2020 Smartphone Accessories

The manufacturing processes behind every day smartphone accessories.

Our smartphones have become, essentially, our third arm. These pieces of technology that virtually no one can live without are used by consumers and businesses alike throughout every industry. In our day-to-day routines, our phones are with us everywhere we go, whether at home, at the grocery store, at work, and everywhere in between.

Since we take them with us everywhere, it’s important to uniquely identify our phones from the next person’s device with accessories. As we all want to know more about how our goods are made, looking into how smartphone accessories are manufactured is just as important.

Here’s everything you need to know about the smartphone accessory manufacturing process.

Cases and Covers

What They’re Made Of

One of the most distinct ways to identify and protect our mobile phones is to use a case or cover. Cases for mobile phones are made from a variety of materials like polycarbonate, polyurethane, synthetic rubber, leather, wood, and metal.

How They’re Made

Polycarbonate and polyurethane phone cases are one of the most common types of mobile phone cases and are made by using an injection mold, which is made from several chromium steel bars. They are then merged together to form a block.

This block is used to form a mold maker to shape the metal mold into a specific design. Once achieved, the plastic (polycarbonate or polyurethane) is poured into the injection mold, creating the mobile case or cover.

Each type of material is manufactured using unique equipment like a compression mold machine, a CNC machine, and a heavy-duty sewing machine for cases made from synthetic rubber, wood, and leather, respectively. Metal cases also utilize a CNC machine during the manufacturing process.

Screen Protectors

What They’re Made Of

Screen protectors are typically purchased together with a mobile case or cover. A screen protector offers another layer of protection for our mobile phones, particularly protecting one of the most important components, the screen. Screen protectors are also made from a variety of materials like tempered glass, thermoplastic polyurethane, and polyethylene terephthalate.

How They’re Made

Tempered glass screen protectors are manufactured using high-temperature ovens. Glass is heated to ultra-high temperatures then is quickly followed by fast cooling. The temperatures are specific as it determines its strength and flexibility.

There is also another method to manufacture tempered glass screen protectors. The second method also uses a high-temperature oven. The difference is that the second method will chemically treat the glass by submerging it into a solution and heating it for hours at lower temperatures.

Mobile Phone Grips

What They’re Made Of

Other popular phone accessories are mobile phone grips. Mobile phone grips are used to help us hold our phones conveniently and more comfortably. Like cases and screen protectors, phone grips are also made from a variety of materials that include polyurethane, polycarbonate, rubber, wood, metal, and fabric.

How They’re Made

The manufacturing process for polyurethane and thermoplastic polyurethane-based phone grips also involves using injection molds. Similar to manufacturing plastic mobile phone cases, these molds are used to form a specific design of a plastic-based mobile phone grip.

Mobile Phone Vehicle Mounts and Cradles

What They’re Made Of

With regulations and stiff penalties for noncompliance of hands-free driving, mobile phone vehicle mounts and cradle sales have been surging. This particular mobile phone accessory allows us to drive to a destination safely without sacrificing the safety of our phone or our selves. Generally, plastic, metal, and magnets are the most common materials used to manufacture this type of mobile phone accessory.

How They’re Made

With a wide range of styles and designs of mobile phone mounts and cradles offered in the market, there are several pieces of equipment that can be used to manufacture this accessory. 3D printers, welding machines, and presses are only a few of the many types of equipment used during the manufacturing process.

Headphones

What They’re Made Of

Another widely popular, and often necessary, mobile phone accessory is headphones. Headphones create a unique and personal environment where one can enjoy listening to their favorite songs, podcasts, news channels, and more.

Standard wired headphones use metal, plastic, rubber, and other materials during the manufacturing process.

How They’re Made

This particular accessory also uses an injection molding machine to create a headphone’s vital components. Another machine encircles metal like copper wiring to produce the headphone’s voice coil, which emits sound.

Wireless or Bluetooth headphones are manufactured similar to standard wired headphones with peripheral components added in order to send and receive signals to compatible devices during its manufacturing process.

Learn More About Your Phone Accessories

These are five of the different types of mobile phone accessories and how they are manufactured. Top-quality manufacturing of each type of accessory can only be possible using special industrial equipment and highly skilled employees, so be sure to read reviews prior to purchasing your next phone accessory.

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