1. A method for making a circuit assembly, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising one or more conductors;
forming an integral frame of frame elements about the substrate to provide structural support for the substrate, the frame elements spaced apart to expose intervening regions of the substrate between adjacent frame elements; and
constructing a dielectric layer, over the intervening regions, as a protective barrier for at least one of the conductors and a circuit feature of the substrate.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing comprises:
providing a lead frame as the substrate, the lead frame arranged to support a semiconductor device.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the forming comprises:
molding the integral frame as a lattice structure.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the forming comprises:
molding the integral frame composed of at least one of a polymer and rigid a plastic material.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the constructing comprises:
forming the dielectric layer of a dielectric thickness that is thinner than a frame thickness of the frame.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the constructing comprises:
forming the dielectric layer composed of at least one of flexible polymer and an elastomer.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein providing the substrate comprises providing a flexible substrate that permits flexing of the substrate from a generally planar shape upon exposure to mechanical stress from a conventional molding process.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the forming comprises molding a portion of the frame as a rigid structure along at least an edge of the substrate.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the forming comprises molding a web having a group of ribs as frame elements for holding the substrate in place.
10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing comprises providing a substrate having at least two alignment members for aligning mold sections with respect to the substrate for formation of the frame in a defined orientation with respect to the substrate.
11. A circuit assembly comprising:
a substrate comprising one or more conductors;
an integral frame of frame elements spaced apart to expose intervening regions of the substrate between adjacent frame elements; and
a dielectric layer, over the intervening regions, as a protective barrier for at least one of the conductors and a circuit feature of the substrate.
12. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the substrate comprises a lead frame, the lead frame arranged to support a semiconductor device.
13. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the integral frame comprises a lattice structure.
14. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the integral frame is composed of at least one of a polymer and a rigid plastic material.
15. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the dielectric layer has a dielectric thickness that is thinner than a frame thickness of the frame.
16. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the dielectric layer comprises at least one of a flexible polymer and an elastomer.
17. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the substrate permits flexing of the substrate from a generally planar shape upon exposure to mechanical stress from a conventional molding process.
18. The assembly according to claim 11 wherein the frame comprises a rigid structure along at least an edge of the substrate.
19. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the frame comprises a web having a group of ribs as frame elements for holding the substrate in place.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material formed from a mixture comprising:
a cement in the range of about 40 to 90% by wet weight percent;
a lightweight expanded aggregate in the range of about 5 to 40% by wet weight percent;
a secondary material in the range of about 0.1 to 50% by wet weight percent;
a reinforcement fiber in the range of about 1 to 20% by wet weight percent;
a rheology modifying agent in the range of about 0.5 to 10% by wet weight percent;
a retarder in the range of about 0.1 to 8% by wet weight percent;
a water in the range of 10 to 60% of a total wet material weight; and
the mixture is extrudable.
2. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the lightweight expanded aggregate comprising clay, Perlite, expanded glass, expanded pumice, or a combination thereof.
3. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 2, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice formed from a mixture comprising:
a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for a slurry;
a water in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for the slurry;
a sodium silicate in the range of about 3 to 15% by weight percent for the slurry;
a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.1 to 5% for the slurry;
the ground glass or pumice in the range of about 50 to 80% by weight percent for a granulator; and
the slurry in the range of about 15 to 50% by weight percent for the granulator.
4. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 3, the granulator having a ratio of about 1 part slurry to about 2.5 parts ground glass or pumice.
5. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 2, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice formed from a mixture consisting essentially of:
a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for a slurry;
a water in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for the slurry;
a sodium silicate in the range of about 3 to 15% by weight percent for the slurry;
a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.1 to 5% for the slurry;
the ground glass or pumice in the range of about 50 to 80% by weight percent for a granulator; and
the slurry in the range of about 15 to 50% by weight percent for the granulator.
6. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 2, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice formed from a mixture comprising:
a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for a slurry;
a water in the range of about 45 to 50% by weight percent for the slurry;
a sodium silicate in the range of about 6 to 7% by weight percent for the slurry;
a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.9 to 1.1% for the slurry; and
a granulator having a ratio of 1 part slurry to about 2.5 parts ground glass or pumice.
7. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 2, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice having a diameter of about 0-8 mm, a bulk density in the range of about 0.10 to 0.5 gcm3, a effective density in the range of about 0.10 to 0.8 gcm3, a compressive strength in the range of about 0.5 MPa to 5 MPa, and a heat conductance in the range of about 0.04 to 0.15 WmK.
8. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the lightweight expanded aggregate having a particle size comprising about 0-1 mm, 1-2 mm, 2-4 mm, 4-8 mm or a combination thereof.
9. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the secondary material comprising sand, gypsum, silica fume, fumed silica, fly ash, slag, rock, cellulose fiber, glass fiber, plastic fiber, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, or a combination thereof.
10. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the reinforcement fiber comprising cellulose fiber, glass fiber, polypropylene fiber, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, Dolanit fiber, or a combination thereof.
11. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the rheology modifying agent comprising a polysaccharide, a polysaccharide derivative, a protein, a protein derivative, a synthetic organic material, a synthetic organic material derivative, or a combination thereof.
12. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 11, the polysaccharide comprising a cellulose-based material, a cellulose-based material derivative, a starch-based material, a starch-based material derivative, or a combination thereof.
13. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 12, the cellulose-based material is selected from the group consisting essentially of methylhydroxyethylcellulose (MHEC), hydroxymethylethylcellulose (HMEC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), methylcellulose (MC), ethylcellulose (EC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxyethylpropylcellulose (HEPC) and hydroxypropoylmethylcelluose (HPMC).
14. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 12, the starch-based material is selected from the group consisting essentially of wheat starch, pre-gelled wheat starch, potato starch, pre-gelled potato starch, amylopectin, amylose, seagel, starch acetates, starch hydroxyethyl ethers, ionic starches, long-chain alkylstarches, dextrins, amine starches, phosphate starches, or dialdehyde starches.
15. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the retarder comprising sodium citrate, or a mixture of Plaster of Paris, sodium citrate and crystalline silica.
16. The extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material as recited in claim 1, the extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material having a density in the range of about 0.2 to 1.0 gcm3, a compressive strength in the range of about 0.5 MPa to 10 MPa, and a heat conductance in the range of about 0.05 to 0.3 WmK.
17. An extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material formed from a mixture consisting essentially of:
a cement in the range of about 40 to 90% by wet weight percent;
a lightweight expanded aggregate in the range of about 5 to 40% by wet weight percent;
a secondary material in the range of about 0.1 to 50% by wet weight percent;
a reinforcement fiber in the range of about 1 to 20% by wet weight percent;
a rheology modifying agent in the range of about 0.5 to 10% by wet weight percent;
a retarder in the range of about 0.1 to 8% by wet weight percent;
a water in the range of 10 to 60% of a total wet material weight; and
the mixture is extrudable.
18. A method for manufacturing an extrudable lightweight thermal insulating cement-based material comprising the steps of:
mixing a cement, a lightweight expanded aggregate, a secondary material, a reinforcement fiber, a rheology modifying agent and a retarder with water;
extruding the mixture through a die using an extruder; and
allowing the extruded mixture to set.
19. The method as recited in claim 18, the mixture comprising:
the cement in the range of about 40 to 90% by wet weight percent;
the lightweight expanded aggregate in the range of about 5 to 40% by wet weight percent;
the secondary material in the range of about 0.1 to 50% by wet weight percent;
the reinforcement fiber in the range of about 1 to 20% by wet weight percent;
the rheology modifying agent in the range of about 0.5 to 10% by wet weight percent;
the retarder in the range of about 0.1 to 8% by wet weight percent; and
the water in the range of 10 to 60% of a total wet material weight.
20. The method as recited in claim 18, the mixture consisting essentially of:
the cement in the range of about 40 to 90% by wet weight percent;
the lightweight expanded aggregate in the range of about 5 to 40% by wet weight percent;
the secondary material in the range of about 0.1 to 50% by wet weight percent;
the reinforcement fiber in the range of about 1 to 20% by wet weight percent;
the rheology modifying agent in the range of about 0.5 to 10% by wet weight percent;
the retarder in the range of about 0.1 to 8% by wet weight percent; and
the water in the range of 10 to 60% of a total wet material weight.
21. The method as recited in claim 18, the lightweight expanded aggregate comprising clay, Perlite, expanded glass, expanded pumice, or a combination thereof.
22. The method as recited in claim 21, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice formed from a mixture comprising:
a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for a slurry;
a water in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for the slurry;
a sodium silicate in the range of about 3 to 15% by weight percent for the slurry;
a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.1 to 5% for the slurry;
the ground glass or pumice in the range of about 50 to 80% by weight percent for a granulator; and
the slurry in the range of about 15 to 50% by weight percent for the granulator.
23. The method as recited in claim 22, the granulator having a ratio of about 1 part slurry to about 2.5 parts ground glass or pumice.
24. The method as recited in claim 21, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice formed from a mixture consisting essentially of:
a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for a slurry;
a water in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for the slurry;
a sodium silicate in the range of about 3 to 15% by weight percent for the slurry;
a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.1 to 5% for the slurry;
the ground glass or pumice in the range of about 50 to 80% by weight percent for a granulator; and
the slurry in the range of about 15 to 50% by weight percent for the granulator.
25. The method as recited in claim 21, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice formed from a mixture comprising:
a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent for a slurry;
a water in the range of about 45 to 50% by weight percent for the slurry;
a sodium silicate in the range of about 6 to 7% by weight percent for the slurry;
a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.9 to 1.1% for the slurry; and
a granulator having a ratio of 1 part slurry to about 2.5 parts ground glass or pumice.
26. The method as recited in claim 21, the expanded glass or the expanded pumice having a diameter of about 0-8 mm, a bulk density in the range of about 0.10 to 0.5 gcm3, a effective density in the range of about 0.10 to 0.8 gcm3, a compressive strength in the range of about 0.5 MPa to 5 MPa, and a heat conductance in the range of about 0.04 to 0.15 WmK.
27. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of making the lightweight expanded aggregate comprising the steps of:
mixing a ground glass or pumice in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent with water in the range of about 40 to 60% by weight percent to produce a slurry;
adding a sodium silicate in the range of about 3 to 15% by weight percent to the slurry;
adding a NaNO3 in the range of about 0.1 to 5% to the slurry;
forming aggregates in a granulator by feeding the ground glass or pumice in the range of about 50 to 80% by weight percent with the slurry in the range of about 15 to 50% by weight percent;
drying the formed aggregates;
heating the dried aggregates together with about 30% finely ground kaolin to a temperature of about 800 to 1400 degrees Celsius; and
cooling the heated aggregates.
28. The method as recited in claim 18, the lightweight expanded aggregate having a particle size comprising about 0-1 mm, 1-2 mm, 2-4 mm, 4-8 mm or a combination thereof.
29. The method as recited in claim 18, the secondary material comprising sand, gypsum, silica fume, fumed silica, fly ash, slag, rock, cellulose fiber, glass fiber, plastic fiber, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, or a combination thereof.
30. The method as recited in claim 18, the reinforcement fiber comprising cellulose fiber, glass fiber, polypropylene fiber, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, Dolanit fiber, or a combination thereof.
31. The method as recited in claim 18, the rheology modifying agent comprising a polysaccharide, a polysaccharide derivative, a protein, a protein derivative, a synthetic organic material, a synthetic organic material derivative, or a combination thereof.
32. The method as recited in claim 31, the polysaccharide comprising a cellulose-based material, a cellulose-based material derivative, a starch-based material, a starch-based material derivative, or a combination thereof.
33. The method as recited in claim 32, the cellulose-based material is selected from the group consisting essentially of methylhydroxyethylcellulose (MHEC), hydroxymethylethylcellulose (HMEC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), methylcellulose (MC), ethylcellulose (EC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxyethylpropylcellulose (HEPC) and hydroxypropoylmethylcelluose (HPMC).
34. The method as recited in claim 32, the starch-based material is selected from the group consisting essentially of wheat starch, pre-gelled wheat starch, potato starch, pre-gelled potato starch, amylopectin, amylose, seagel, starch acetates, starch hydroxyethyl ethers, ionic starches, long-chain alkylstarches, dextrins, amine starches, phosphate starches, or dialdehyde starches.
35. The method as recited in claim 18, the retarder comprising sodium citrate, or a mixture of Plaster of Paris, sodium citrate and crystalline silica.
36. The method as recited in claim 18, the extruded mixture having a density in the range of about 0.2 to 1.0 gcm3, a compressive strength in the range of about 0.5 MPa to 10 MPa, and a heat conductance in the range of about 0.05 to 0.3 WmK after being set, cured or dried.
37. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the extruded mixture is allowed to set for up to 2 to 3 hours.
38. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of curing the extruded mixture.
39. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of drying the extruded mixture.
40. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of molding, cutting, trimming, sanding or routing the extruded mixture into a specified shape.
41. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of spraying the extruded mixture with a water repellent.