Final Injection Mold Inspection

This month, we visited the injection molding factory and inspected all of Pocket PC’s injection molds before mass production. They opened each of the molds for us so that we could ensure that everything matched what was specified when we placed the order. The molds have been in storage for quite some time and we also wanted to ensure that they did not experience any rusting. The molds were in good condition and were well maintained.

Pocket P.C. requires three injection molds in total. There are two halves of the same mold for the back battery cover on the left side of the metal table. Two mold halves in the middle for the back plastic that the battery sits into and the big injection mold on the right for the front plastic. The front plastic mold is the biggest because it contains various sliders that move into and out of position during the injection process to allow for holes in the left, right and top sides for the connectors.

Here we can see an up close inspection of the back plastic injection mold. The mold in the middle and the one on the right are two halves of the same mold. In the middle plastic mold, there is an indentation where the battery sits as well as horizontal and vertical lines for what are known as ribs that are used to strengthen the plastic. The molds are sprayed with white silicone grease that protects against rusting while in storage.

Here we can see an up close inspection of one half of the back cover plastic mold. This is the simplest of the three molds. The Source Parts “picker” logo is embossed in the back cover.

After we approved the condition of the molds, we provided the factory with a golden sample unit and instructed them of two things that needed to be corrected before production.

1. A cutout was necessary for the GPS module to ensure proper clearance when the enclosure is screwed together. We had previously moved the GPS module from the top side to the bottom of the unit, near the keyboard, which allows for greater signal reception for both the LoRa module and GPS module.
2. The back cover was too tight and was quite difficult to remove. We requested that the fit be adjusted to make it easier to remove when replacing the battery or to access the screw holes to open the unit.

Within a week’s time, the back plastic mold was modified and the GPS module fit precisely without clearance issues. Inside the red box in the photo below shows the new cut out in the bottom of the back plastic for the GPS module. A perfect fit!

Inside the red box in the photo above shows the new cut out in the bottom of the back piece for the GPS module. A perfect fit!

Next Steps

The back plastic cover injection process started this week. It will take a few days each to complete the injection process for the three plastic enclosure pieces. Next week, when the front piece is injected, we will be on site to take video of the process. We chose the front piece to video because it should be the most interesting to see being produced due to the various sliders in the mold. Once the plastics are finished being injected, our manufacturer will schedule the painting which they have informed us will be completed 2-3 weeks after.

Our next production update will be next week once we have captured and edited the plastics production video. Make sure to keep an eye out for our next update because we have a lot of exciting developments and a new type of computer to share with you. We will also share the timeline for production and shipping all Original Popcorn, Kettlepop and Stovetops orders. To anyone who has emailed support or sales, our apologies for the delay in our response, we plan on getting all caught up and reply to all emails to date by early next week.

We look forward to sharing the last laps of our Pocket P.C. development journey with you soon!