Assembly EndUser: Using Design of Experiments to Trim Plastic Bonding Times

To learn if assembly throughput times could be shortened, researchers recently conducted a series of design of experiments (DOE) studies at a cell phone design and prototype manufacturing facility. In this DOE, experimenters analyzed a cell phone's design, in which a clear viewing lens, treated with pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), was machine-pressed into the back of a housing. Restraining pins and the PSA are designed to keep the lens in place during repeated drop tests.

The existing assembly procedure called for 30 psi to be applied for nine seconds to affix the lens to its housing. The DOEs were designed to learn whether the nine-second pressure time could be reduced to achieve the following improvements.