Back cover

The back cover is the plastic shell you see when you turn the TV around. It protects the boards and wiring inside from dust and fingers, carries vents that let warm air out, and frames the sockets, buttons and wall-mount holes.

It is made from ABS plastic, often a flame-retardant grade, in one shot of injection molding. Dried pellets are melted in a heated barrel and forced by a screw into a huge steel mold cut to the exact shape of the cover, with its ribs, vents, clips and screw posts. A large TV's cover needs some of the biggest molding machines in use, which clamp the mold shut with a force of well over a thousand tons. Water flowing through the mold cools it, the plastic hardens within a minute or so, and the mold opens to release the part. It may then be painted or textured, and labels and small metal inserts are added.

In the television, the back cover is screwed to the back chassis. Thin ribs molded inside make it stiff without adding weight. Some makers use other plastics, such as polystyrene or polycarbonate blends, and some premium TVs have metal backs instead.