As the core structural material of home appliances, the performance of home appliance panels directly affects the durability, safety, and aesthetics of home appliances. With the development of the home appliance industry towards intelligence, lightweight, and environmental protection, the materials, processes, and application scenarios of home appliance panels are becoming increasingly complex. How to efficiently use home appliance panels requires systematic planning from four aspects: selection and adaptation, processing, installation and use, and daily maintenance. This article will analyze the entire process strategy for efficient use of home appliance panels from three aspects: technical principles, operational standards, and optimization techniques.

1.Selection and adaptation: Choose the material and specifications of the home appliance panel according to the type of home appliance

The material and specifications of the home appliance panel need to be accurately matched with the functional requirements, usage environment, and cost budget of the home appliance, in order to avoid performance degradation or resource waste caused by unsuitable materials.

1. Material selection: Balancing performance and cost

The main materials of household appliance boards include cold-rolled sheets, galvanized sheets, stainless steel sheets, and laminated sheets. Their characteristics and applicable scenarios are as follows:
-Cold rolled sheet: Low cost, good processability, but weak corrosion resistance, suitable for internal structural components of household appliances in dry environments;
-Galvanized sheet: surface galvanized layer thickness of 5-20 μ m, corrosion resistance increased by 3-5 times, suitable for humid environments;
-Stainless steel plate: SUS304 with a nickel content of ≥ 8%, strong acid and alkali resistance, suitable for high-end household appliances (such as oven liners and coffee machine casings); SUS430 has a chromium content of 16% -18%, low cost, and is suitable for scenarios with moderate corrosion resistance requirements (such as microwave oven doors);

-Laminated board: Covering PVC, PET or PCM film on the surface of steel plate, it has both corrosion resistance and decorative properties, suitable for exterior parts (such as refrigerator door panels, air conditioning panels).

2. Specification matching: The thickness and strength must meet the load-bearing requirements

The thickness (usually 0.3-2.0mm) and yield strength (usually 180-550MPa) of the home appliance panel need to be selected according to the load-bearing requirements of the home appliance:
-Light load scenarios (such as small household appliance casings and internal partitions): Use cold-rolled or galvanized sheets with a thickness of 0.3-0.8mm and a yield strength of 180-250MPa;
-Medium load scenarios (such as refrigerator doors and washing machine inner tubes): Use galvanized or laminated sheets with a thickness of 0.8-1.5mm and a yield strength of 250-350MPa;

-Heavy duty scenarios (such as oven liners and commercial air conditioning brackets): Use stainless steel plates or thickened galvanized plates with a thickness of 1.5-2.0mm and a yield strength of ≥ 350MPa.

3. Environmental certification: meets international safety standards

Home appliance panels need to pass environmental certifications such as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) to ensure that the content of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium is below the limit (such as lead content ≤ 0.1%). When making a purchase, it is necessary to request the supplier to provide material testing reports and certification certificates.

2. Processing: Optimizing processes to improve the performance of home appliance panels

The processing technology of home appliance panels directly affects their forming accuracy, surface quality, and durability, and suitable processing methods need to be selected based on material characteristics.

1. Cutting process: reduce the heat affected zone

-Laser cutting: suitable for precision cutting of thin plates (≤ 3mm), with a cutting width of ≤ 0.1mm, a small heat affected zone, but high equipment cost;
-Plasma cutting: suitable for rapid cutting of medium and thick plates (3-20mm), with low cost, but the roughness of the cut is relatively large (Ra ≥ 6.3 μ m), requiring subsequent polishing;

-Clipper cutting machine: suitable for linear cutting, high efficiency, but the edges are prone to burrs and require deburring equipment.

2. Molding process: Control rebound and cracking

-Stamping forming: suitable for complex shaped parts (such as refrigerator door handles, air conditioning vents), stamping molds need to be designed based on material ductility (such as cold-rolled sheet elongation ≥ 30%), and stamping speed should be controlled (≤ 50 times/minute) to reduce rebound;
-Bending Forming: Suitable for bending flat parts (such as washing machine top covers, oven side panels), the bending radius should be selected according to the material thickness (usually 1-2 times the plate thickness) to avoid cracking at the bending point;

-Stretch forming: suitable for deep cavity parts (such as microwave oven liners and water dispensers), the stretch ratio (usually ≤ 2.0) and stretch speed (≤ 10mm/s) need to be controlled to prevent wrinkling or cracking.

3. Surface treatment: Improve corrosion resistance and aesthetics

-Electroplating: Galvanizing, nickel or chromium on the surface of steel plates increases corrosion resistance by 5-10 times, but the coating thickness needs to be ≥ 8 μ m to avoid scratches;
-Spray coating: using epoxy resin or polyester powder spray coating, with a thickness of 60-120 μ m, strong acid and alkali resistance, suitable for kitchen appliances (such as range hoods and stoves);

-Film coating: Covering the surface of steel plates with PVC or PET film, with a thickness of 0.1-0.3mm, strong scratch resistance, suitable for exterior parts such as refrigerator door panels and air conditioning panels.

3. Installation and use: Standardize operation to extend the lifespan of home appliance panels

The installation and use of home appliance panels should follow operating procedures to avoid performance degradation caused by external damage or environmental corrosion.

1. Installation specifications: Avoid stress concentration

-Fixed method: When using bolts for fixation, flat washers and spring washers need to be added to disperse pressure; During riveting, the spacing between rivets should be controlled (usually 10-15 times the thickness of the plate) to avoid local deformation;
-Splicing treatment: TIG welding or MIG welding should be used during welding, with a weld width of ≤ 3mm, and polished flat after welding; When assembling bolts, a 2-3mm gap should be reserved to prevent cracking caused by thermal expansion and contraction;

-Protective measures: Install rubber or plastic pads at the contact points between the household electrical panel and the wall or floor to avoid scratches caused by direct metal friction.

2. Operating environment: Control temperature, humidity, and corrosive substances

-Temperature: Avoid long-term exposure to high temperatures (>60 ℃) or low temperatures (<-20 ℃) to prevent material brittleness or deformation;
-Humidity: Maintain a relative humidity of ≤ 70% in the usage environment to avoid electrochemical corrosion caused by condensation water;

-Corrosive substances: Keep away from salt spray, acid mist, or organic solvents (such as kitchen fumes and chemical workshop gases) to prevent surface coating from peeling off.

4. Daily maintenance: Regular inspection and cleaning maintenance

The daily maintenance of household appliance boards can significantly extend their service life, and it is necessary to establish a regular inspection and cleaning system.

1. Inspection cycle: graded management

-High frequency household appliances (such as refrigerators and washing machines): Check the integrity of the surface coating and the looseness of the fixing parts every 3 months;
-Low frequency household appliances (such as air conditioners and ovens): Check the deformation and weld cracking of structural components every 6 months;

-Outdoor household appliances (such as solar water heater brackets): Check the anti rust coating peeling and corrosion degree once a month.

2. Cleaning method: Gentle stain removal

-Surface dust: Wipe with a dry cloth or use a soft bristled brush to clean, avoiding scratching with hard objects;
-Oil stains: Use a neutral cleaner (pH 6-8) mixed with warm water to wipe, and do not use strong acid or alkali cleaners;

-Rust: Gently polish the rust spot with sandpaper (particle size ≥ 400 mesh), and then spray anti rust paint. It is strictly prohibited to use steel wire balls or corrosive rust removers.

3. Repair technique: Local processing

-Coating damage: When the area is less than 1cm 2, the same color repair paint can be applied by spot coating; When the area is greater than 1cm 2, it needs to be sprayed as a whole;
-Deformation repair: Minor deformations can be slowly corrected using a hydraulic press; Severe deformation requires replacement with a new board;

-Weld cracking: Remove the original weld and re weld it. After welding, perform X-ray testing (RT) or ultrasonic testing (UT) to ensure the quality of the weld.

The efficient use of home appliance panels is a system engineering that involves selection, adaptation, processing, installation, use, and daily maintenance. Enterprises and users need to select the most suitable materials, specifications, and processes based on the type of household appliances, usage scenarios, and cost budget, and establish standardized installation and maintenance processes. Through scientific management, the optimal balance between the performance, service life, and economic benefits of home appliance panels can be achieved, providing solid guarantees for the reliable operation of home appliance products.