HK1164471B - Method for three-dimensional decoration - Google Patents

Description

Three-dimensional decoration method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method of decorating an element.

Background

Methods of manufacturing decorations as raised portions on a substrate or substrate, such as a dial or bezel of a watch, are known from the prior art. These methods include separately manufacturing the ornament and the substrate, and then fixing them to each other.

Therefore, for fixing the decoration to the substrate, it is known to use adhesive, (soft) soldering or embedding (setting) techniques.

However, these methods are not without disadvantages. In fact, they require, above all, a high precision. This accuracy is due to the fact that decorations often have very small dimensions, i.e. in the order of millimetres. This thus requires that the tools used are suitable for making decorations according to the size of the decorations, since it is known that the smaller the size of the decorations, the more expensive the tools are.

Furthermore, another drawback of these methods is that the assembly process, which must be very precise, generally requires the intervention of personnel, which involves not only an increase in costs, but also a greater risk of assembly errors.

From the FR patent No.1,280,803 there is also known a method of manufacturing decorations on a dial. The method includes placing a mold with a molded cavity on the dial and filling the molded cavity by electroforming. The mold is then removed leaving only the decorated dial.

One drawback of this system is that the markers (indices) are not well fixed. In fact, the marks are made on the surface of the dial without any means of ensuring the proper fixing of the decorations to said dial.

Furthermore, by definition, electroforming does not deposit the elements over large thicknesses, and therefore the technique is limited.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional decoration method which overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a less costly and simpler method.

The invention therefore relates to a three-dimensional decoration method as described above, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

a) an access element comprising an anchoring mechanism for improving the fixation of an ornament on the element;

b) manufacturing a mask having a desired thickness of the decoration and having at least one opening;

c) placing the at least one opening in the mask against a location to be decorated so as to form at least one mold;

d) filling said at least one mould with an at least partially amorphous material by thermoforming;

e) the mask is removed.

One advantage of this method is its simplicity. In fact, the base or substrate and the decoration have previously been manufactured separately and then assembled with each other. With the method according to the invention, the decoration is also assembled to the substrate while it is being manufactured. Advantageously, according to the invention, all decorations can also be manufactured simultaneously.

Another advantage is that the use of a mask not only means that a wide variety of shapes of the ornament can be manufactured, but also means that the height of the ornament can be adjusted very simply. In fact, the shape of the decoration is directly related to the shape of the opening in the mask. Furthermore, the thickness of the mask directly determines the height of the corresponding decoration. Therefore, the shape of the ornament can be easily changed simply by replacing the mask used.

Another advantage is that the method secures the ornament to the substrate.

Another advantage is the use of amorphous metals which enable the decoration to be very precise. In fact, when the amorphous metal is heated to a temperature between the glass transition temperature Tg and the crystallization temperature Tx of the material, its viscosity is greatly reduced without losing the amorphous structure. The amorphous material thus becomes easier to shape and it can perfectly match all the details of the mold into which it is pressed.

Advantageous embodiments of the decoration method form the subject of the dependent claims 3 and 5-13.

One advantage of these embodiments is that they can more securely affix the ornament to the substrate.

The invention also relates to a method for three-dimensional decoration, which is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

a) an access element comprising an anchoring mechanism for improving the fixing of decorations on said element, said anchoring mechanism comprising at least one part mounted in a through cavity of said element, said through cavity being located at a position that must be decorated;

b) manufacturing a mask having a desired thickness of the decoration and having at least one opening;

c) placing the at least one opening of the mask against a location to be decorated so as to form at least one mold;

d) filling said at least one mould with a material by electroforming;

e) the mask is removed.

The invention also relates to a three-dimensional decoration method, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a) an access element comprising an anchoring mechanism for improving the fixation of an ornament on the element;

b) manufacturing a mask having a desired thickness of the decoration and having at least one opening;

c) placing the at least one opening of the mask against a location to be decorated so as to form at least one mold;

d) filling the at least one mold by injecting material into the at least one mold so that the element is at least partially amorphous;

e) the mask is removed.

Drawings

The objects, advantages and features of the method of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of non-limiting example only and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1a-1e schematically illustrate various steps of a method of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2a-2e schematically illustrate various steps of a method of a second embodiment of the invention;

3a-3e schematically illustrate various steps of a method of a third embodiment of the invention; and

fig. 4a-4e schematically show the steps of the method of the first alternative of the fourth embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

The present description relates to a three-dimensional decoration method for the dial of a watch. However, this example will be used as a non-limiting example, it being clear that the method can be applied to any type of element, for example the bezel of a watch or any other element capable of receiving a three-dimensional decoration.

Fig. 1a-1e show a first embodiment of the invention.

In a first step a), a dial 1 is manufactured. The dial 1 has a top face 2 and a bottom face 3. Dial 1 may be made of metal or metal alloy and/or other commonly used materials such as ceramics or enamel. Dial 1 is made by known methods such as machining, moulding or other techniques.

The top face 2 of the dial 1 may have any shape, i.e. a flat or curved, smooth or engraved profile, for example with notches, for example by mechanical engraving or circular texturing.

In a second step b), a mask 4 is produced, and the mask 4 is then placed on the top face 2 of the dial 1. The mask 4 has a number of openings 4'. These openings 4' define the shape and thickness of the future decorations 5. The mask 4 may also have a non-constant thickness, thus enabling the manufacture of decorations 5 of different thickness.

Thus, when the mask 4 is placed on the dial 1, the opening 4' in the mask 4 is made to be located above the area of the dial 1 that must be decorated. It is therefore clear that the opening 4' forms a mold whose bottom is closed by the dial 1.

Therefore, the shape and size of the mask 4 and the dial 1 may be the same or different.

In a third step, called step c), the mould formed by dial 1 and mask 4 is filled with the material forming decorations 5.

In a first variant, the opening 4' is filled by thermoforming. This technique utilizes the adaptability of the viscosity of the material in order to completely fill the space, so that the ornament 5 can be manufactured identically and precisely.

It is therefore desirable to have a material, such as a noble or non-noble metal or metal alloy, which can be made amorphous, for example. For this purpose, the material is made to form a liquid at a temperature higher than its melting temperature and then cooled rapidly. Thereby preventing atoms from being constructed.

During the production of such an amorphous material, the material is preferably shaped into a preform. The preform has an appearance similar to the part to be manufactured. In this example, the decoration 5 to be made on the dial 1 may be an hour symbol arranged in a ring around the dial 1. Therefore, the preform made of an amorphous material preferably has an annular shape. The width of the preform is at least equal to the width of the hour symbol.

Subsequently, dial 1 is placed in a hot press and then covered with mask 4 so that opening 4' is located above the position where ornament 5 is to be received. A preform made of an amorphous material is placed over the mask 4. The whole assembly is then heated to a temperature between the glass transition temperature Tg and the crystallization temperature Tx of the material. In this temperature range, the viscosity of the amorphous material is greatly reduced without losing the amorphous structure. The amorphous material becomes easier to shape at this point because it can be perfectly molded at this point according to all the details of the mold into which it is pressed.

Once this temperature range is reached, pressure is applied to fill the mold and the material is then cooled sufficiently quickly to maintain the amorphous state.

A surface finishing may be performed before removing the mask 4. In fact, the finishing of the vertical walls of the ornament 5 can be performed by directly sculpting/engraving the walls 4a of the mask 4. Finishing of the horizontal surfaces of the ornament 5 may be performed after removing any remaining material, thereby providing a contrast in finish between the different surfaces of the ornament 5.

In a second variant, the mould formed by dial 1 and mask 4 is filled by electroforming. This technique is used to manufacture the metal ornament 5. For this purpose, baths containing suitable metal ion salts are used. As with the thermoforming method, mask 4 is placed on dial 1 to form a mold, the bottom of which is made conductive. The conductive part of dial 1 is then connected to the electrode and the whole assembly is then immersed in the bath. A counter-electrode (counter-electrode) is used to deliver current for electrocasting electrolysis. This electroforming process causes the metal ions of the bath to migrate to the conductive part of the dial 1, so as to form the decoration 5. Of course, those skilled in the art of electroforming will adjust the parameters according to the material and thickness of the ornament 5 without requiring any explanation thereof in the present invention.

In a third variant, the ornament 5 is made by metal injection. The dial 1-mask 4 unit is placed in an injection moulding machine which is able to fill the mould with liquid metal in order to form said decorations 5. Preferably, the metal used is brought to a temperature at least above the glass transition temperature Tg and the metal is cooled so that it has an amorphous structure. The amorphous structure enables a smaller solidification shrinkage rate than a metal having a crystalline structure.

A fourth step d) may be performed to remove any excess material deposited during step c). The excess deposited material is removed by grinding or any other possible means, for example by a chemical bath.

Finally, in step e), the mask 4 is removed from the dial 1, taking care not to damage the decorations. So as to obtain a dial 1 whose top face 2 comprises decorations 5.

In a second embodiment, shown in fig. 2a-2e, step a) comprises the manufacture of the dial 11 to be decorated. However, this embodiment differs in that the top surface 12 of the dial 11 has several cavities 6. These cavities 6 are made at the location where the decoration 5 is to be formed. Preferably, the cavities 6 have a smaller section than that of the decorations 5. They are intended to form anchoring means 7 for better fixing of the ornament 5.

The anchoring action of the anchoring means 7 can be greater or lesser depending on the inclination of the wall 6a of the housing 6 with respect to the vertical. The walls of the cavity 6 may thus belong to said vertical plane or be inclined with respect to said plane. The anchoring means 7 in the cavity 6 will be of better quality if the slope of the wall 6a of the cavity 6 produces a portion that increases towards the bottom 13 of the dial 11. In fact, the opposite case does not provide good anchoring efficiency.

Step b) comprises placing the mask 4 on the dial 11, but ensuring that the cavity 6 and the opening in the mask 2 communicate with each other to form the mould.

In step c), the mould is filled so as to form the ornament 5 and to form the anchoring means 7. The anchoring means 7 comprise a portion 8 formed in the cavity 6. This portion 8 is formed by the material deposited in step c), so that this portion 8 forms an integral part with the associated ornament 5. The shape of the wall 6a of the cavity 6 thus improves the anchoring of the ornament 5.

Steps d) and e) of this second embodiment are all the same as steps d) and e) of the first embodiment. So as to obtain a dial 11 having a top face 12, which top face 12 comprises an ornament 5 having a portion 8.

In a third embodiment, shown in fig. 3a-3e, step a) comprises manufacturing a dial 21 to be decorated. However, this embodiment differs in that there are several cavities 6 on the top surface 22 of the dial 21 and several holes 6' on the bottom 23 of the dial 21. These cavities 6 and holes 6' communicate with each other to form openings.

Preferably, the cross-section of the hole 6' is greater than the cross-section of the cavity 6. Furthermore, the depth of the cavity 6 is preferably greater than the depth of the hole 6'. The cross-section of the space formed by the cavity 6 and the hole 6 'may also vary in a uniform manner, or the hole 6' may be arranged to form a step with respect to the cross-section of the cavity 6.

Step b) comprises, as in the second embodiment, placing the mask 4 on the dial 21 and ensuring that the opening 4 'in the mask 4 communicates with the cavity 6 and, incidentally, with the hole 6' to form the mould. This step b) also comprises placing a dial 21 on the mechanism 9 for closing one end of the mould substantially at the position of the bottom surface 23.

Step c) comprises filling each mould, i.e. the opening 4 ', the cavity 6 and the hole 6'. The anchoring means 7 of the third embodiment therefore comprise a portion 8 'formed by the cavity 6 and the hole 6'. This embodiment is more efficient than the previous one, since the shoulder present between the cavity 6 and the hole 6' improves the anchoring of the ornament 5.

Step d) of this third embodiment is the same as step d) of the previous embodiment. Step e) comprises removing the mask 4 and the closing mechanism 9. So as to obtain a dial 21 having a top face 22, which top face 22 comprises the ornament 5 having the portion 8'.

In a fourth embodiment, shown in fig. 4a-4e, step a) comprises making a dial 31 with a through cavity 6 ".

Step b) is the same as in the third embodiment, i.e. it comprises placing the mask 4 on the closing mechanism 10 in order to form the mould. The mechanism 10 comprises a plurality of hollows 100, the hollows 100 communicating with the cavities 6 "when the dial 31 is placed on the mechanism 10. The hollow portions 100 may have any shape, i.e. may have straight or inclined sides 100 a. Advantageously, the cross section of the hollow portion 100 is greater than the cross section of the cavity 6 ". Thus, each mold for the ornament 5 includes a space formed by the opening 4', the cavity 6 ″ and the hollow 100 in the mask 4.

Step c) comprises filling the mould with a material forming the decoration 5. Thus, as in the previous embodiment, the openings 4', the mask 4, the cavities 6 "are filled, and the hollows 100 are filled. This configuration fixes ornament 5 in a similar manner to the third embodiment, but does not have the disadvantage of having to penetrate dial 31 with two different sections and through two different sides.

In this embodiment, it is therefore clear that the anchoring means 7 comprise a portion 8 "and a closing means 10.

However, in the alternative in which the support 10 is used only for carrying the dial 31 during step c), the anchoring means 7 also comprise this support 10.

The optional step d) is the same as in all the preceding examples.

Step e) is the same as in the third embodiment, i.e. it comprises removing the mask 4 and the closing means 10. So as to obtain a dial 31 having a top face 32, the top face 32 comprising an ornament 5 having a portion 8 ", a portion of the portion 8" projecting from a bottom face 33 of the dial 31. It is clear that this projecting part can be used as a foot of the dial 31.

However, an alternative to step e) consists in not separating the support 10 from the dial 31. So as to obtain a dial 31 having a top face 32 and a closure mechanism 10, the top face 32 comprising the ornament 5 with the portion 8 ".

It will be clear that various modifications and/or improvements and/or combinations which are obvious to a person skilled in the art may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The cavities 6, 6 "or holes 6' may have additional anchoring means, for example in the form of ridges. These elevations are located on the wall 6a or bottom of the cavity 6. The ridges are filled with the same material as the ornament 5 and simultaneously with the ornament 5 to provide a more effective anchoring point.

Furthermore, it is of course clear that the filling operation performed in step c) is not limited to the listed method, and any other material filling method may be used.

Claims (29)

1. A method of decorating an element (1, 11, 21, 31), characterized in that the method comprises the steps of:

a) -accessing said element (1, 11, 21, 31) comprising anchoring means (7) for improving the fixing of the ornament (5) on said element;

b) -manufacturing a mask (4) having the desired thickness of the decoration (5) and having at least one opening (4');

c) -placing said at least one opening of said mask (4) against a location to be decorated so as to form at least one mould (4 ', 6', 6 ");

d) filling the at least one mould with an at least partially amorphous material by thermoforming;

e) the mask (4) is removed.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the anchoring means (7) comprise at least one portion (8, 8 ', 8 ") mounted in at least one cavity (6, 6', 6") of the element, said at least one cavity being located at the position to be decorated.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the cross-section of said at least one cavity is smaller than the cross-section of said at least one opening in said mask (4).

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one cavity is a through cavity.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the cross-section of said at least one cavity is non-uniform.

6. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the cross-section of said at least one cavity is smaller on the top surface (22, 32) of said element than on the bottom surface (23, 33) of said element.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises, between steps d) and e), a step f) comprising removing excess filling material to align the top surface of the decoration (5) with the top surface of the mask (4).

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the different surfaces of the decoration (5) do not have the same surface state.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a timepiece dial.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said component is a timepiece bezel.

11. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that said element (31) is placed on the closing means (10) so that at least one hollow (100) in the support communicates with said at least one cavity (6 ") in said element.

12. A method of decorating an element (1, 11, 21, 31), characterized in that the method comprises the steps of:

a) -accessing said element (1, 11, 21, 31) comprising anchoring means (7) for improving the fixing of decorations on said element;

b) -manufacturing a mask (4) having the desired thickness of the decoration (5) and having at least one opening (4');

c) -placing said at least one opening of said mask (4) against a location to be decorated, so as to form at least one mould (4 ', 6 ' ', 100);

d) filling the at least one mold by injecting a material to form a decoration such that the decoration has an amorphous structure;

e) the mask (4) is removed.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the anchoring means (7) comprise at least one portion (8, 8 ', 8 ") mounted in at least one cavity (6, 6', 6") of the element, said at least one cavity being located at the position to be decorated.

14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the cross-section of said at least one cavity is smaller than the cross-section of said at least one opening in said mask (4).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one cavity is a through cavity.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the cross-section of the at least one cavity is non-uniform.

17. A method according to claim 13, characterized in that the cross-section of said at least one cavity is smaller on the top surface (22, 32) of said element than on the bottom surface (23, 33) of said element.

18. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that it further comprises, between steps d) and e), a step f) comprising removing excess filling material to align the top surface of the ornament (5) with the top surface of the mask (4).

19. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the different surfaces of the decoration (5) do not have the same surface state.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the component is a timepiece dial.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein said component is a timepiece bezel.

22. Method according to claim 15, characterized in that said element (31) is placed on the closing means (10) so that at least one hollow (100) in the support communicates with said at least one cavity (6 ") in said element.

23. A method of decorating an element (1, 11, 21, 31), characterized in that the method comprises the steps of:

a) -accessing said element (1, 11, 21, 31) comprising anchoring means (7) for improving the fixing of the ornament (5) on said element; the anchoring means comprise at least one portion (8, 8 '') mounted in at least one cavity (6, 6 '') of the element, which is a through cavity, which is located at the position to be decorated, the cross-section of which is smaller on the top face (22, 32) of the element than on the bottom face (23, 33) of the element;

b) -manufacturing a mask (4) having the desired thickness of the decoration (5) and having at least one opening (4');

c) -placing said at least one opening of said mask (4) against a location to be decorated so as to form at least one mould (4 ', 6', 6 ");

d) filling the at least one mould with a material by electroforming;

e) the mask (4) is removed.

24. Method according to claim 23, characterized in that the cross-section of said at least one cavity is smaller than the cross-section of said at least one opening in said mask (4).

25. Method according to claim 23, characterized in that said element (31) is placed on the closing means (10) so that at least one hollow (100) in the support communicates with said at least one cavity (6 ") in said element.

26. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that it further comprises, between steps d) and e), a step f) comprising removing excess filling material to align the top surface of the ornament (5) with the top surface of the mask (4).

27. Method according to claim 23, characterized in that the different surfaces of the decoration (5) do not have the same surface state.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the component is a timepiece dial.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said component is a timepiece bezel.