Manufacturing Computer Mouse - Essay Example

There are standard, trackball, optical, and USB mice. Outside of the mice are either two or three buttons. The outside buttons are used to click on icons or links, while a three-button mouse has the capability of double-clicking. "When we move the mouse, a ball rolls in the direction of the movement. This moves a roller which moves the chopper gear. These components are housed inside a cavity underneath the mouse. The mouse ball is the main component inside and allows the user to move the mouse cursor on the screen.

The cursor would be motionless without the ball. And the ball uses two Choppers and Gears to transmit its movement to the computer" (Cooper, 2009, pg. 1). In an optical or USB mouse, the ball is replaced with a laser beam. The trackball mouse is the same as the standard mouse, except for the fact that the ball is located on the top of the device and operated with a finger. Also significant is the fact that standard and trackball mice have a cord, while USB mice are definitely cordless, including many optical mice (Cooper, 2009).

There are several manufacturing processes that are employed simultaneously in order to produce a computer mouse. Steps one through three encompass these tasks, while steps four through seven marks the point where the mouse is brought together for final assembly: 3. 1. The circuit board for the mouse is cut and prepared. This is done almost completely by machine. The soldered boards that are produced are cooled before the next step.2. The encoder mechanism is assembled as a separate process.

It includes the rubber-covered ball, support wheel, both spoked wheels and their axles, the LED, and its detector.3. "The mouse's tail-its electrical cable-has also been manufactured using a set of wires, shielding, and the rubber cover. The cable has two additional pieces of molded rubber called overmolds. These are strain relief devices that prevent the cable from detaching from the mouse or its connector plug if the cable is tugged" (How Products are Made, 2009, pg. 1).4. The outer shell's pieces are inspected for quality after molding, trimming, and surface treatment are completed.

There are four steps to assembling the outer shell:a. The encoder assembly and PCB are inserted into the bottom of the shell.b. The buttons are snapped onto the top part of the housing.c. The cable is attached.d. The top and bottom are screwed together using screwdrivers that are automated.5. When assembly is finally complete, the final electronics and performance quality check is performed.6. During the progress of the above steps, the programming team has been working on the driver for the mouse.7. The mouse is labeled per FCC requirements.

Figure 1: Standard Computer Mouse ComponentsSource: How Products are Made (2009)Figure 2: Manufacturing EquipmentSource: Abstrax, 2009Figure 3: CAD Model of a MouseSource: Wikimedia, 2009Figure 4: Improved VersionSource: SparkFactorDesign, 2009ReferencesCAD model of a mouse. (2009). Wikimedia. Retrieved January 15, 2009, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Cad_mouse_1.svg/180px-Cad_mouse_1.svg.pngComputer mouse. (2009). How Products Are Made. Retrieved January 15, 2009, from http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Computer-Mouse.

htmlCooper, O.F. (2009). Components of