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Chris Foresman - May 1, 2009 5:01 pm UTC

Apple has filed a patent application on an improved process for forming carbon fiber reinforced "plastic housings for electronic equipment, such as enclosures for computers and portable electronic devices." The application—first filed in October of 2007 but just published this week—describes a way to add an additional layer to the standard carbon fiber forming process, extending its aesthetic qualities beyond the usual carbon fiber "look."

The problem with carbon fiber, from Apple's point of view, is this:

Despite the many benefits of carbon fiber composites, such composites are typically black and the carbon fibers are typically visible on the composite surface. In addition, the fibers (either as a unidirectional, woven, or nonwoven substrate) are typically variable in their construction and therefore are variable in their surface presentation. As a result, the resulting carbon fiber composite can have cosmetic imperfections that reduce the aesthetic appearance of the molded article formed therefrom. Further, carbon fiber composites, often being black, provide a narrow range of surface appearance to the molded article and therefore may give a "tired," unexciting look.

Now, as any auto racing enthusiast can tell you, carbon fiber parts can shave off considerable weight compared to identical steel or aluminum parts. They might also argue that the look of carbon fiber (as illustrated above) is also part of the appeal, but the same might not be said for a laptop user—and clearly Apple isn't so thrilled with the look, either. And it certainly wouldn't release a product that looks "tired," oh no.

Apple's improved process for forming a carbon fiber composite is rather straightforward. It simply adds an additional layer, which the application describes as a "scrim," to the traditional carbon fiber laminating process. This additional layer can be made to have specific aesthetic properties which would mask the carbon fibers themselves and impart a color other than the usual black. Further, the scrim material would be chosen to add additional impact resistance to the composite, as traditional carbon fiber has a tendency to shatter into a million deadly shards if it suffers a damaging impact.

Of course, Apple would most likely use this process to shave weight off its notebook computers. As AppleInsider notes, the patent filing corroborates a rumor from last year that Apple was exploring carbon fiber as a housing material for the MacBook Air. Replacing just the bottom panel of the Air would shave about a quarter of a pound off its already svelte weight.

This process wouldn't be useful for all parts of current MacBooks, though. The complex CNC carving process used for the top half of the unibody notebooks, with all the structural elements for assembling the laptop, can't be easily replicated by a molded carbon fiber composite laminate. But any relatively simple molded part could be replaced with such a material for weight savings.

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