I'm all for Apple protecting their intellectual property, but this is really going to far, IMO.
CF molding is a pretty mature industry. I sure don't see anything new in that patent. It read like a basic description of how most CF stuff is made these days. I realise they are looking at it in terms of mass produced items like phones and computers, but how does Apple think Carbon Fibre bicycles, hockey sticks, and goalie masks are mass produced? There are massive factories in Taiwan that pump out millions of products using a process that looks to me to be exactly the way that Apple describes in their patent application -- two sided pressure molding with hydraulic ejector pins. You end up with glass smooth, incredibly strong parts that can be quickly stamped out in high volume.
CF molding is a pretty mature industry. I sure don't see anything new in that patent. It read like a basic description of how most CF stuff is made these days. I realise they are looking at it in terms of mass produced items like phones and computers, but how does Apple think Carbon Fibre bicycles, hockey sticks, and goalie masks are mass produced? There are massive factories in Taiwan that pump out millions of products using a process that looks to me to be exactly the way that Apple describes in their patent application -- two sided pressure molding with hydraulic ejector pins. You end up with glass smooth, incredibly strong parts that can be quickly stamped out in high volume.
