US Patent 9402319 Panel-molded electronic assemblies

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. The mold may be used to form part of the finished product. 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. Wide cuts may be made in the molds after encapsulation reducing thermal stresses. 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.