阅读说明：本技术 用于装饰机械部件的方法 (Method for decorating a mechanical part ) 是由 A·奈图希尔 F·邦塔兹 于 2020-06-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于装饰机械部件的至少一个待装饰表面(4)的方法,该方法包括以下步骤：-提供待装饰的机械部件,在该机械部件上按照确定的厚度和轮廓产生至少一个装饰元件(2a,2b)；-在机械部件的待装饰表面(4)上沉积厚度至少等于待产生的装饰元件的厚度的掩蔽层(6)；-在掩蔽层中形成至少一个开口(14a,14b),至少一个开口与所述机械部件的待装饰表面(4)上待产生装饰元件的部位重合,开口的轮廓与待产生的装饰元件的轮廓相同,并与待装饰的机械部件一起限定一容积；-通过填充材料填充由所述掩蔽层和机械部件的待装饰表面限定的容积,以产生装饰元件；以及-去除所述掩蔽层(6)。(The invention relates to a method for decorating at least one surface (4) to be decorated of a mechanical part, comprising the following steps: -providing a mechanical part to be decorated on which at least one decoration element (2a, 2b) is produced according to a determined thickness and profile; -depositing a masking layer (6) on the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part, the thickness of which is at least equal to that of the decorative element to be produced; -forming at least one opening (14a, 14b) in the masking layer, coinciding with a portion of the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part where the decorative element is to be produced, the opening having a profile identical to that of the decorative element to be produced and defining, with the mechanical part to be decorated, a volume; -filling the volume defined by the masking layer and the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part by means of a filling material, so as to produce a decorative element; and-removing the masking layer (6).)

1. Method for decorating at least one surface (4) to be decorated of a mechanical part, comprising the following steps:

-providing a mechanical part to be decorated on which at least one decoration element (2a, 2b) is produced according to a determined thickness and profile;

-depositing a masking layer (6) on the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part, the thickness of which is at least equal to the thickness of the decorative element (2a, 2b) to be produced;

-forming at least one opening (14a, 14b) in the masking layer (6), coinciding with a portion of the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part where the decorative element (2a, 2b) is to be produced, the opening (14a, 14b) having a profile identical to that of the decorative element (2a, 2b) to be produced and defining, with the mechanical part to be decorated, a volume;

-filling a volume defined by the masking layer (6) and the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part by means of a filling material, so as to produce the decorative element (2a, 2 b); and

-removing the masking layer (6).

2. The decoration method according to claim 1, wherein said filler material is a crystalline metal or an amorphous metal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amorphous metal is an amorphous platinum alloy, an amorphous palladium alloy, or an amorphous zirconium alloy.

4. Decoration method according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: etching a cavity (16) in the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part through an opening (14a, 14b) formed in the masking layer (6).

5. Decoration method according to claim 4, characterised in that the openings (14a, 14b) in the masking layer (6) and the cavities (16) in the mechanical part to be decorated are etched simultaneously with a laser beam.

6. Decoration method according to any one of claims 4 and 5, characterised in that the depth of the cavities (16) etched in the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part is substantially equal to 200 μm.

7. Decoration method according to any of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the cavity (16) etched in the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part comprises anchoring means for anchoring the decoration element (2a, 2b) formed by the filling material.

8. Decoration method according to claim 7, characterised in that the chamber (16) is delimited by a wall (20) of which at least one face (18) gradually deviates from a plane (P) perpendicular to the surface (4) to be decorated of the mechanical part as the wall (20) moves away from the surface (4) to be decorated of the mechanical part.

9. Decorating method according to any one of claims 7 and 8, characterised in that at least one conical hole (22) is drilled in the bottom (24) of the chamber (16), the conical hole (22) diverging outwards towards a rear surface (26) of the mechanical part opposite the surface to be decorated (4).

10. Decoration method according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, before depositing the masking layer (6), a bonding layer (8) is deposited on the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part.

11. Decoration method according to claim 9, characterised in that the bonding layer (8) is formed by a chromium layer (10) on which a gold layer (12) is deposited.

12. Manufacturing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the chromium layer (10) and the gold layer (12) each have a thickness substantially equal to 50 nm.

13. Manufacturing method according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the bonding layer (8) and the masking layer (6) are deposited on the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part by electroplating growth.

14. Manufacturing method according to claim 13, characterized in that the masking layer (6) is made of silver, copper or nickel.

15. The manufacturing method according to claim 14, characterized in that the thickness of the masking layer is at least equal to 400 μ ι η.

16. Manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, before filling the volume defined by the masking layer (6) and the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part, the masking layer (6) is flattened so as to obtain a plane parallel to the surface to be decorated (4) of the mechanical part (1).

17. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the top surface of the decorative element (2a, 2b) is machined and finished after filling the volume delimited by the openings (14a, 14b) formed in the masking layer (6) with the filling material.

18. A manufacturing method according to claim 17, characterized in that the decorative element (2a, 2b) is glazed or polished.

19. Manufacturing method according to any one of claims 17 or 18, wherein the remaining thickness of the masking layer (6) and of the decorative element (2a, 2b) is equal to about 200 μ ι η after machining and finishing.

20. Manufacturing method according to one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the masking layer (6) is removed after the mechanical machining and finishing of the decorative element (2a, 2 b).

21. A manufacturing method according to claim 20, characterized in that the masking layer (6) is removed by etching in a chemical bath.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for decorating a mechanical part. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for decorating mechanical parts used in the field of horology or jewellery.

Background

Various methods are known in the prior art for producing raised decorations on the surface of mechanical parts such as dials or watch rings. A certain number of these known methods consist in manufacturing the decorative elements separately from the mechanical parts to be decorated and then in fastening these decorative elements to the mechanical parts they are intended to use.

European patent application EP 2370865 a1 filed by the srowqi group research and development limited company discloses another method of decorating mechanical parts such as dials. The decoration method comprises the following steps:

-providing a mechanical part to be decorated;

-making a plate-type mask, the thickness of which is at least equal to the desired thickness of the decorative element, and in which openings are made, the outline of which corresponds to the shape of the desired decorative element;

-positioning a mask on the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part, so that the opening of the mask coincides with the position of the mechanical part that is to receive the decoration element;

-the mask, the thickness of which corresponds at least to the desired thickness of the decorative element, forms, together with the mechanical part to be decorated, a mould to be filled with the filling material; and

-removing the mask to expose the decorative element on the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated.

One advantage of this method of decoration is that it is relatively simple to implement. More specifically, in the case of various decorating methods, the decorative element is made separately from the mechanical part to be decorated and then fastened only to this mechanical part, in the case of masks used, the decorative element is produced directly and fastened to the mechanical part to be decorated in the same step of the method, thus saving time.

However, it can still be seen as a drawback of the decoration method using a mask placed on the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated, namely that the risk of the mask not coming into close contact with the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated cannot be excluded, and that when filling the different moulds, there is a risk of a small leakage of the filling material on the surface of the mechanical part, which requires discarding some of them. This is particularly problematic when looking for a dial for a decorative timepiece, since such a dial is an expensive mechanical component.

Disclosure of Invention

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned problems and others by proposing a method for decorating mechanical parts such as dials or bezels, which prevents, in particular, the decorative elements fixed on the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated from generating smudges that must be eliminated or even cause some of the mechanical parts to be discarded.

To this end, the invention relates to a method for decorating at least one surface of a mechanical part, comprising the following steps:

-providing a mechanical part to be decorated on which at least one decoration element is produced according to a determined thickness and profile;

-depositing a masking layer on the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part, having a thickness at least equal to the thickness of the decorative element to be produced;

-forming at least one opening in the masking layer, coinciding with a portion of the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part where the decorative element is to be produced, the opening having a contour identical to that of the decorative element to be produced and defining, with the mechanical part to be decorated, a volume;

-filling a volume defined by the masking layer and the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part by means of a filling material, so as to produce the decorative element;

-removing the masking layer.

Thanks to these features, the invention provides a method for decorating a mechanical part, such as a dial or bezel of a timepiece, in which a masking layer is formed directly on the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated. Thus, a close contact of the masking layer with the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated is ensured, preventing the risk of the filling material in which the decorative element is to be produced flowing between the masking layer and the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated, which allows a decorative element to be defined with high precision. In particular, the shape and thickness of the decorative element are carefully adjusted. Furthermore, forming the sacrificial mask directly on the surface of the object to be structured is simpler, faster and less costly than machining the mask separately from the mechanical part to be decorated and then positioning and pressing the mask on the mechanical part. Similarly, once the chamber has been filled with the material in which the decorative element is sought to be produced, the operation for finishing the top surface of the decorative element is easier to carry out than using a mask fixed in position on the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated, which must be mechanically held in place. The decorative element thus produced can also adhere well to the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated. Furthermore, this adhesion strength is further increased when the cavity is machined in the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated at a location where the decorative element has to be received. More specifically, due to the presence of the chamber, the decorative element is anchored deeply inside the mechanical part to be decorated and the risk of its falling off from this mechanical part is very low.

According to a particular embodiment, the method for decorating a mechanical part according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

-the filler material is a crystalline metal or an amorphous metal;

-amorphous metal is an amorphous platinum alloy, or an amorphous palladium alloy, or an amorphous zirconium alloy;

-etching a cavity in the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part through the opening formed in the masking layer;

-simultaneously etching openings in the masking layer and cavities in the mechanical part to be decorated with a laser beam;

-the depth of the cavities etched in the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part is substantially equal to 200 μm;

the chamber etched on the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part comprises means for anchoring the filling material;

the chamber is delimited by at least one wall which is progressively offset from a vertical plane perpendicular to the surface to be decorated of the mechanical component as it moves away from said surface to be decorated of the mechanical component;

-drilling at least one conical hole which opens into the cavity via a rear surface opposite to the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part;

-depositing a bonding layer on the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part before depositing the masking layer;

-the bonding layer is formed of a layer of chromium (Cr) on which a layer of gold (Au) is deposited;

-the thickness of each of the chromium layer and the gold layer is substantially equal to 50 nm;

-forming a masking layer on the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part by means of galvanic growth;

-the masking layer is metallic or polymeric;

-the masking layer is made of silver (Ag) or copper (Cu);

-the thickness of the masking layer is at least equal to 400 μm;

-before filling the volume delimited by the masking layer and the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part, leveling the masking layer to obtain a flat surface parallel to the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part;

-machining and finishing the surface to be decorated of the masking layer and the filling material after filling the volume delimited by the surface to be decorated of the masking layer and the mechanical part and the cavity underneath with the filling material;

-the remaining thickness of the masking layer and the filling material after machining and finishing is about 200 μm;

-removing the masking layer after machining and finishing;

-removing the masking layer by etching in a chemical bath;

-glazing or polishing the filling material.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention, given for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a top view of a dial decorated according to the method of the invention;

fig. 2 is a front view of a dial on which a masking layer has been deposited on the surface to be decorated;

fig. 3 is a front view of the dial in fig. 2, with a bonding layer interposed between the surface to be decorated of the dial and the masking layer;

fig. 4 is a front sectional view of the dial according to the line IV-IV in fig. 1, in which openings have been made in the masking layer and in the bonding layer at the locations where the decorative elements are to be produced;

fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the circled area in fig. 4, in which cavities have been etched on the surface to be decorated of the dial to improve the anchoring of the decorative element;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, in which the chamber has inclined inner walls to improve the anchoring of the decorative element;

fig. 7 is a view similar to fig. 5, in which a conical hole drilled in the dial and leading to the bottom of the chamber is intended to improve the anchoring of the decorative element;

fig. 8 is a front view of the dial on which it is shown that the openings and the chambers have been filled with a filling material;

fig. 9 is a front view of a dial on which the thickness of the visible masking layer and of the decorative element has been reduced by half during the finishing operation performed on the top face of the decorative element; and

fig. 10 is a front view of the dial, on which the masking layer and the bonding layer have been removed.

Detailed Description

The present invention derives from the general inventive concept which consists in forming on the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated, in particular the dial, and more generally the external elements of the timepiece, such as the bezel, the middle part or even the bracelet, a decorative element other than jewellery. In order to achieve this result, the invention discloses the deposition of a sacrificial mask directly on the surface to be decorated of the mechanical part, that is to say a mask intended to be removed at the end of the operation of decorating the mechanical part. Once the mask has been deposited in intimate contact with the surface of the mechanical part to be decorated and then structured so as to form therein a material to be filled with the material in which the decorative element is to be produced, the surface formed by the top of the mask and the decorative element is machined and possibly trimmed, then the mask is removed, typically by etching in a chemical bath.

According to the invention, a mechanical part to be decorated is first provided. In the example shown in the figures, the mechanical part to be decorated is a dial 1. It goes without saying that this example is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not in any way limit the scope of the invention, wherein the mechanical part to be decorated can be of any type, such as an external element of a timepiece (bezel, bracelet, middle piece, etc.), a bridge, a bottom plate, a pendulum or even a jewel. The only limitation that the mechanical part to be decorated is that it must be made of a material having mechanical properties that do not change within the temperature range implemented by the method of the invention. In other words, the mechanical part must not be deformed, softened or melted during the decoration operation according to the invention.

According to the invention, dial 1 is intended to be equipped with at least one decorative element, the size and thickness of which depend on the requirements. For example, in the case where the mechanical part to be decorated is a dial 1, the decoration element can be used to form an hour symbol: as shown in fig. 1, four first decorative elements 2a of a first size can be used to mark, for example, noon, three, six and nine points on the dial 1, while eight second decorative elements 2b of a second size can be used to mark other whole points and complete hour rotations.

Once the dial 1 is provided, a masking layer 6 intended to form a sacrificial mask is deposited on the surface 4 to be decorated of the dial 1, typically the top surface of the dial 1 (see fig. 2). The term "sacrificial" is understood herein to mean a masking layer that is intended to be removed after it has served its purpose. This masking layer 6 will have a thickness depending on the desired height, above which the decorative elements 2a, 2b will eventually protrude above the surface 4 to be decorated of the dial 1 once the machining operation has been performed. For illustrative purposes only, the thickness of the masking layer 6 is determined to be 400 μm. This masking layer 6 is deposited on the dial 1 by any suitable technique, such as electroplating.

As just a preferred example, the masking layer 6 may be formed of a polymer layer or a metal layer. In case the masking layer 6 is a metal, it may be made of silver, copper or even nickel, among others. It should be noted that, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, before the deposition of the masking layer 6, a bonding layer 8 is deposited on the surface 4 to be decorated of the dial 1, in order to optimize the adhesion of the masking layer 6 (see fig. 3). Preferably, the bonding layer 8 is formed from a chromium layer 10, on which chromium layer 10 a gold layer 12 is deposited. A series of tests has determined that a thickness of about 50nm of each of the chromium layer 10 and the gold layer 12 provides excellent results in terms of the strength of adhesion of the masking layer 6 on the dial 1. The bonding layer 8 is also preferably deposited by electroplating.

Once the bonding layer 8 and the masking layer 6 have been deposited in succession on the surface to be decorated 4 of the dial 1, at least one opening is made in the masking layer 6 and the bonding layer 8 (see figure 4) at a location coinciding with the location on the surface to be decorated 4 of the dial 1 where the decorative element is to be produced, and whose profile and height correspond to the shape and size of the decorative element required. In the case described here, there are twelve such openings, four openings 14a corresponding to the four first decorative elements 2a of dial 1 for representing noon, three, six and nine, and eight openings 14b corresponding to the second decorative elements 2b of dial 1 for representing the other whole hour and completing the hour rotation. The twelve openings 14a, 14b can be considered to have the same shape, e.g., square or rectangular, but the size of the four openings 14a can be considered to be larger than the size of the eight openings 14 b. These twelve openings 14a, 14b are cut into masking layer 6 and bonding layer 8 by any suitable means, such as a laser beam.

According to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a cavity 16 is etched in the surface to be decorated 4 of dial 1 through openings 14a, 14b made in masking layer 6 and bonding layer 8 (see fig. 5). These cavities 16, preferably machined simultaneously with the openings 14a, 14b, are intended to improve the fixing of the decorative elements 2a, 2b on the surface 4 to be decorated of the dial 1. For illustrative purposes only, the depth of these chambers 16 is chosen to be equal to about 200 μm.

In order to further improve the fixing of the decorative elements 2a, 2b, the chamber 16 is provided with anchoring means. According to a first embodiment of the invention (see fig. 6), these anchoring means are formed by at least one face 18 of a wall 20 of the chamber 16, which is progressively offset from a vertical plane P perpendicular to the surface 4 to be decorated of the dial 1 as it moves away from said surface 4 to be decorated of the dial 1. Thanks to the presence of such inclined surface 18, it can be understood that once the cavity 16 has been filled with the filling material, the resulting decorative element 2a, 2b is no longer able to be removed from the cavity 16 and is therefore permanently anchored to the dial 1.

Another embodiment of the invention, also aimed at improving the anchoring of the decorative elements 2a, 2b on the surface to be decorated 4 of the dial 1, envisages drilling in the bottom 24 of the cavity 16 at least one conical hole 22, these conical holes 22 flaring out towards a rear surface 26 of the dial 1 opposite the surface to be decorated 4 (see fig. 7). It will also be understood in this case that once the cavity 16 and the conical hole 22 have been filled with the filling material, the decorative element 2a, 2b can no longer be removed.

Once the openings 14a, 14b have been cut and the cavity 16 possibly etched, they are filled with a filling material (fig. 8). The filler material may be a crystalline metal or an amorphous metal, as the case may be. In the case of an amorphous metal type filler material, an amorphous platinum alloy or an amorphous palladium alloy or an amorphous zirconium alloy is preferably used.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the filling of the openings 14a, 14b and of the cavity 16 is carried out by thermal processing, which technique consists in adjusting the viscosity of the filling material for allowing the openings 14a, 14b and of the cavity 16 to be completely filled and for allowing the decorative elements 2a, 2b to be manufactured uniformly and precisely.

The production of the decorative elements 2a, 2b by hot working requires the use of materials such as metals or metal alloys (noble metals or other metals). More specifically, it is known that a metal or metal alloy having an amorphous structure undergoes a smaller contraction phenomenon during cooling and solidification thereof than a metal having a crystalline structure. It will therefore be appreciated that for the purposes of the present invention, it is of particular interest to use materials having an amorphous structure. For this purpose, the material chosen to produce the decorative elements 2a, 2b is transformed into a liquid state at a temperature above its melting point and then cooled very rapidly to prevent the atoms from reforming into a crystalline structure.

During the manufacture of the amorphous material, it is preferentially shaped as desired. Since the decorative elements 2a, 2b are intended to form hour symbols in the example described here, these decorative elements 2a, 2b will in most cases be arranged in a ring-shaped manner on the dial 1. It is therefore advantageous to have the amorphous material in the form of a ring, the width and thickness of which are adapted to the size of the openings 14a, 14b to be filled.

Dial 1, covered in masking layer 6, is then placed in a hot press, and a ring of amorphous material is placed over dial 1, in alignment with openings 14a, 14b to be filled. The assembly is then heated to a temperature in the range between the glass transition temperature Tg and the crystallization temperature Tx of the amorphous material. In this temperature interval, the viscosity of the amorphous material increases significantly without losing its amorphous structure. Thus, the ring of amorphous material becomes more easily shaped so that it can be pressed against the openings 14a, 14b and assume its geometric configuration. Once the openings 14a, 14b have been filled, the amorphous material is cooled sufficiently quickly to retain its amorphous state.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the openings 14a, 14b formed in the masking layer 6 are filled by electroplating. This technique is used in the case of attempts to produce decorative elements 2a, 2b made of crystalline metal. For this purpose, baths are used in which the relevant metal ions and salts are dispersed. The dial 1 to be decorated is electrically conductive, the dial 1 being connected to an electrode and then immersed in a bath. Using the auxiliary electrodes, an electric current is passed through the bath under the effect of the migration of the metal ions to the conductive part of the dial 1, thus forming the decorative elements 2a, 2 b.

According to a third embodiment of the invention, the decorative elements 2a, 2b are made by injecting metal. Dial 1 covered by masking layer 6 is placed in an injection machine capable of filling cavities 16a, 16b with liquid metal in order to produce decorative elements 2a, 2 b. Preferably, the metal used is brought to a temperature at least above its glass transition temperature Tg and cooled sufficiently fast to prevent its atoms from recombining into a crystalline structure.

It should be noted that, before filling the volume delimited by the masking layer 6 and the surface to be decorated 4 of the dial 1, the masking layer 6 can be leveled to obtain a plane parallel to the surface to be decorated 4 of the dial 1.

As described above, the thickness of the masking layer 6 may be determined to be, for example, 400 μm. Therefore, at this stage of the invention, the thickness of the decorative elements 2a, 2b is equal to about 400 μm. If it is finally desired that the thickness of the decorative elements 2a, 2b is 200 μm above the surface 4 to be decorated, this means that an excess of filling material of about 200 μm thickness is provided in order to machine the decorative elements 2a, 2b and to perfect their surface finish, in particular by polishing or polishing them (see fig. 9).

Once the finishing operation of the decorative elements 2a, 2b is completed, the masking layer 6 is removed, typically by etching in a chemical bath, and the decorative elements 2a, 2b are completely exposed (see fig. 10).

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and that various simple alternatives and modifications can be considered by the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Reference numerals

1. Dial plate

2a, 2b, decorative element

4. Surface to be decorated

6. Masking layer

8. Bonding layer

10. Chromium layer

12. Gold layer

14a, 14b, opening

16. Chamber

18. Noodle

20. Wall(s)

22. Conical hole

24. Bottom part

26. Rear surface