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    Laptop Chassis Material???

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by metril, Jun 19, 2007.

  1. metril

    metril Notebook Deity

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    What kind of materials are laptop chassis made of? What's the strongest/weakest? I've heard of cabin fiber, brushed aluminum,...am I missing any?
     
    metril, Jun 19, 2007
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  2. wobble987

    wobble987 Notebook Virtuoso

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    the most common material is ABS plastic, then magnesiun, not sure about alumunium (they do not brushed finish the alumunium, brushed alumunium is a type of finish, you know... for aesthetic purposes) the rarest is carbon fibre, which is used on sony top of the range ultraportable.


    edit:

    i forgot to list the pros and cons.

    =ABS plastic:
    -intro: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - a thermal resistance plastic

    -Pros:
    cheap
    easy to mold
    wide range of finish
    (medium) resistance to high temperature
    do not dent

    -Cons:
    can be altered (warping, distort, etc.) under "extreme" cirumstances (heat)
    (depend on the design, but usually) medium rigidity (might have some chassis flex)
    not so good heat dissipation

    =Magnesium:
    -intro: very lightweight metal. plastic like in feel.

    -Pros:
    lightweight
    strong (usually little to no, chassis flex)
    the ideal material

    -Cons:
    more expensive than plastic to manufature

    =Carbon fibre:
    -intro: isn't the ultimate always expensive? if i remember correctly, this carbon fibre is not the same to the one most people often relate to high-performance automobile.

    -Pros:
    very strong!
    very lightweight!
    the ultimate

    -Cons:
    Expensive

    edit: oh i just remebered, that apple macbook pro, uses sand-blasted alumunium finish, not sure if they use it for the chassis or for the covering only.
    macbook uses polycarbonate, again i'm not sure if they use it for the chassis.
    i also remember that the first powerbook is made from titanium.
    in anycase i will list the pros and cons.

    =alumunium:
    -a lightweight metal.

    -pros:
    very good heat dissipation!
    lightweight

    -cons:
    dent easily
    scratch easily

    =titanium:
    -a metal with very good weight to strength ratio. very corrosion resistant, hard to manufacture (eg. to form)

    -pros:
    very strong
    lightweight

    -cons:
    expensive
    hard to manufacture
    scratch easily

    =polycarbonate
    -a type of plastic, rugged and shock resistance, but scratch easily

    -pros:
    lightweight
    strong
    wide range of attractive finish

    -cons:
    sratch very easily if glossy finish is used (as in the white macbook)
     
    wobble987, Jun 19, 2007
    #2