Injection molding is a manufacturing process in which a material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed and then forced into a mold cavity. The material cools and then hardens into the configuration of the mold cavity, thereby generating a desired product. This process has been used to manufacture handset housings for many years. To keep up with trends in the industry, many mobile device manufacturers have used materials in the injection molding process that will produce housings of various colors. In addition to the creation of colored housings, this practice is relatively simple to implement and does not lead to a significant increase in manufacturing costs.
However, many designers and consumers believe that these housings have little luster and are essentially flat when compared to those made of metal. In an effort to make the housing surface more polished-looking, manufacturers have resorted to painting the housing following the injection molding process. To do so, however, any metal surfaces that may be part of the housing must be masked to prevent the paint from being applied to them. This masking procedure slows down and adds expense to the manufacturing process.