A register box for an HVAC installation has a body with a plurality of side panels arranged in a generally rectangular or square configuration and a wall extending in generally transverse relation to the plurality of side panels, and an expandable polymeric material affixed to an inner side of the side panels and across the wall. The wall has a plurality of concentric circular areas cut into the wall. Each of the concentric areas is formed of a first partial circle having ends in spaced relation to a second partial circle. The circular area can be removed from the wall so as to allow a user to cut through the polymeric material at the wall so as to form a hole opening to an interior of the register box. This hole can receive a collar therein. The collar can be connected to the HVAC system.

A process for forming an insulated register box includes forming an insulation across the interior surface of a register box, placing a locating collar onto an outer surface of the register box, marking the outer surface of the register box so as to present a representation corresponding to an inner diameter of the collar, separating a portion of the outer surface of the register box from a remainder of the register box corresponding to the marked representation, penetrating the exposed insulation with the collar until an end of the collar opens to an interior of the insulated register box, and positioning the flange against the outer surface of the register box.

A process for forming a register box has a body formed with a plurality of side panels arranged in a generally square or rectangular configuration with a wall extending transverse to the side panels. A plurality of circular areas are cut into the wall. An expandable polymeric foam material is introduced into an interior of the body. The body is positioned in a fixture such that the wall is juxtaposed against a surface of the fixture. A plug is inserted into the interior of the body. The expandable polymeric foam material is expanded in the interior of the body such that the expandable polymeric foam material solidifies across the wall and around the plug. The plug is then removed from the body and the body is then removed from the fixture.

Described herein is a molded printed circuit board. The printed circuit board may be placed inside of a mold and a material is injected therein. The material hardens in the mold around the printed circuit board thereby forming an overmolded printed circuit board. The overmolded material may have apertures in it to allow access to the leads on the printed circuit board so that components to be connected to it. The overmolded printed circuit boards may allow a plurality of electrical components to selectively and removably attach to it. Further, the printed circuit board may be attached in a housing which may itself removably and selectively connect to components.

Representative implementations of devices and techniques provide improved electrical access to components, such as chip dice, for example, disposed within layers of a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB). One or more insulating layers may be located on either side of a spacer layer containing the components. The insulating layers may have apertures strategically located to provide electrical connectivity between the components and conductive layers of the PCB.

A method making a three-dimensional inductor, the method including: forming a plurality of vias in a substrate or a molding compound, wherein the vias are arranged with spacings among them; forming a metal layer having interconnects, wherein the interconnects of the metal layer connect the plurality of vias on one end of the vias; forming a plurality of wires to connect the plurality of vias on the other end of the vias to form the 3D inductor; and tuning one or more of the plurality of wires to adjust a physical configuration and inductance value of the 3D inductor.

A method of encapsulating a panel of electronic components such as power converters reduces wasted printed circuit board area. The panel, which may include a plurality of components, may be cut into one or more individual pieces after encapsulation with the mold forming part of the finished product, e.g. providing heat sink fins or a surface mount solderable surface. Interconnection features provided along boundaries of individual circuits are exposed during the singulation process providing electrical connections to the components without wasting valuable PCB surface area. The molds may include various internal features such as registration features accurately locating the circuit board within the mold cavity, interlocking contours for structural integrity of the singulated module, contours to match component shapes and sizes enhancing heat removal from internal components and reducing the required volume of encapsulant, clearance channels providing safety agency spacing and setbacks for the interconnects. Wide cuts may be made in the molds after encapsulation reducing thermal stresses and reducing the thickness of material to be cut during subsequent singulation. External mold features can include various fin configurations for heat sinks, flat surfaces for surface mounting or soldering, etc. Blank mold panels may be machined to provide some or all of the above features in an on-demand manufacturing system. Connection adapters may be provided to use the modules in vertical or horizontal mounting positions in connector, through-hole, surface-mount solder variations. The interconnects may be plated to provide a connectorized module that may be inserted into a mating connector.

A method of insulating a register box in which the register box has a body and a duct. The method includes accessing the register box such that the interior of the register box can be reached, removing existing insulation from the interior of the body of the register box, injecting an expandable polymeric material into the interior of the body of the register box, and allowing the expandable polymeric material to cure for a period of time. The opening of the duct of the register box is blocked during the step of curing. The step of injecting includes inserting a foam gun into an interior of the body of the register box and directing the expandable polymeric material from the foam gun toward a wall of the body of the register box.

A plug assembly for use in a process for manufacturing an insulated register box has a body having a bottom and at least one side wall extending upwardly from the bottom, a rotatable element at the bottom of the body, and an actuator connected to the rotatable element and positioned above the rotatable element. The rotatable element is adapted to seal an end of a duct in an interior of the box of the insulated register box. The rotatable element is movable between an installation position and a sealing position. The actuator is cooperative with the rotatable element so as to move the rotatable element between the installation position and the sealing position.

A plug apparatus for sealing an interior of a duct for use in a process for forming an insulated register box has a frame, a shaft extending outwardly of the of the frame, and a plurality of layers of flexible material radiating outwardly of the shaft adjacent to an end of the shaft opposite the frame. The plurality of layers of flexible material are adapted to have an outer periphery bearing against an interior surface of the duct. Each layer of flexible material has an outer diameter greater than an inner diameter of the duct. The flexible material is formed of a neoprene material. The frame is affixed to a support surface having an opening therein. The opening is adapted to receive an outer diameter of the duct therein.