[1fastmr2]

Hi....I was there when RIM first started molding plastic. Here are pictures of samples I have.

[greggebhardt]

Originally Posted by 1fastmr2

Hi....I was there when RIM first started molding plastic. Here are pictures of samples I have.

I wish RIM was still using the molded plastic like they used on my 7520. It was near indestructable compared to the light duty componets they use now. Painted or shiney surfaces do not hold up as well.

[PCW]

Or on the old 850 and 950 devices. Even sturdier!

[G M Fude]

Originally Posted by 1fastmr2

Hi....I was there when RIM first started molding plastic. Here are pictures of samples I have.

That's a nice piece of history -- or will be in a decade or two!

What type of plastic do they use? Or, has it changed over the years?

[1fastmr2]

All of the housings are ABS. The raw material came from GE. The 7100T Lens is a different material. Its been so long ago I forget what it is. I hated the 7100V. There a bunch of assembly issues with that unit.

[greggebhardt]

Is a different supplier making the newer Blackberrys compared to the old 7500 series. The thick textured plastic used on these older models was so superior in wear and tear compared to todays units.

Was the older plastic too expensive or what?

[G M Fude]

ABS would be the logical choice I suppose. It is possible to vary the properties of this plastic by varying the ratio of the three constituent monomers -- acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene -- so maybe earlier models had more butadiene for better scratch/scuff resistance, at the expense of outright fracture strength (hmmm... I think that may be the way it works. I'm a chemist, but polymers aren't my specialty). GE, the plastic supplier in this case, could do that, but only at RIM's request.

Price would be irrelevant. The proportional cost of the raw material compared to the overall cost of a BlackBerry device would be tiny. The actual moulding process itself would likely be more expensive than the cost of the plastic used therein. If the plastic is changed, it is because RIM is trying to achieve a case with different properties, possibly with the technical assistance of the polymer supplier and the housing moulder.

EDIT: replaced abbreviation 'RM' with 'raw material' to avoid confusion with RIM.