A Case Study on GORE® Pressure Vents in a Smartphone

Learn how we solved the speaker distortion problems of a Chinese smartphone OEM, sampled products, and ramped up mass production - all within one month.
Case Study
image of a person using their phone on an airplane near the window

Situation

Imagine: Only one month before the big launch of your new smartphone, you realize that the pressure vent installed does not provide adequate airflow. You know this will cause speaker distortion issues for the end user, damaging the reputation of your company which in turn would impact device sales drastically unless rectified.

A Chinese OEM found themselves caught up in this exact predicament and approached Gore for help. Rapid action was required to resolve the issue and minimize disruption for the client.

Solution

Our venting experts quickly identified that the airflow needed to be significantly higher in order to provide satisfactory speaker quality. Therefore, the engineers suggested using GORE® Pressure Vent product model PE12, which would provide three times the airflow of the competitor’s current vent product. The Gore product was able to effectively equalize the pressure between the inside and outside of the device to eliminate distortion issues in the speaker/receiver module.

Implementing GORE® Pressure Vent model PE12 also made for a prompt solution since it’s an established design that can be used as a quick and easy “drop-in replacement” – Gore was able to provide a design and samples to the client within only 4 days making the upcoming product launch a timely success.

Moreover, Gore’s deep material knowledge and mobile electronic design expertise enabled the project team to specify a differentiated membrane technology providing exceptional reliability through a well-refined balance of airflow and water protection.

The Vent: GORE® Pressure Vent PE12

The vent used here was the GORE® Pressure Vent product model PE12 suited for application in smartphones, two-way radios, and scanners. With an average airflow of 10,000 ml/min/cm², the PE12 vent combines consistently high airflow with a IP67 and IP68 rating that enables shallow immersion. For more information on our standard pressure vents please visit www.gore.com/products/gore-pressure-vents.

graphic representing airflow through the product model PE12 vent

Results

Gore was able to support the client’s needs by providing a complete service that immediately identified and solved the root cause of the problem, quickly sampled the products, and ramped up mass production all within one month.

With our help, the smartphone OEM was able to

  • increase performance by tripling vent airflow
  • eliminate speaker and receiver distortion
  • improve the consumer experience
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FOR INDUSTRIAL USE ONLY 

Not for use in food, drug, cosmetic or medical device manufacturing, processing, or packaging operations.