HK1193070A - System of finishing a part formed of several materials - Google Patents

Description

System for finishing components made of various materials

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a system for finishing components made of multiple materials, more particularly components of this type each material having a different hardness.

Background

It is known to satinize an element to improve its appearance. However, when a part is made of a variety of materials, it is difficult to properly satinize only a portion of the part. Currently, a rotating brush must be used to manually satinize the portions requiring satin. This results in excessive cost and a finished product in which satin portions are not uniform from one another.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome all or part of the above drawbacks by providing a system for finishing (finishing, polishing) components made of multiple (several) materials that enables one or more of the multiple materials to be satinized (satin finish, mechanical polishing) selectively with a high degree of uniformity.

The invention therefore relates to a system for polishing a part of a material having at least two different hardnesses, comprising at least one containing device acting as a container for grinding means (abrasives), a supporting device comprising means for fixing the part, characterized in that it further comprises means for moving the part towards the grinding means, means for moving the part relative to said containing device according to a desired satin line, characterized in that each containing device comprises a box (tank) containing said grinding means in powder form, which is elastic (resilient, telescopic) so as to adapt the height of the powder in the box to the force exerted by the part moving means.

It can thus be seen that the direction of the satin line is taken directly from the relative movement means of the finishing system. Thus, regardless of the number of satinized areas on the same part, the time of satinizing these areas is always the same and the lines are also perfectly uniform with respect to each other.

According to other advantageous features of the invention:

-the particles have a diameter of 0.3mm to 1 mm;

-the grinding means are formed by silica and/or corundum (carborundum) and/or pumice (pumice) and/or diamond and/or nitride and/or carbide and/or alumina;

each containing device further comprises means for vibrating the box for renewing the top layer of the grinding means when the component approaching means move the component away from said grinding means;

-the component approaching device comprises an actuator for pressing the component towards the grinding device;

-the actuator of the component approaching device exerts a force of 1kg-5 kg;

-said relative movement means comprise a motor to reciprocate said part against said grinding means along said desired satin line;

-the reciprocating movement against the grinding means is linear (rectilinear) or concentric;

-the system comprises at least two containing devices to renew said grinding means of one of the other containing devices when said other containing device is used to finish said component;

-said at least two containing devices are mounted on a plate movable via a carriage in order to selectively position one of said at least two devices opposite said supporting device.

Drawings

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description, given in a non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is an embodiment of a component made of various materials;

figure 2 is a cross-section of a containment device according to the invention;

figure 3 is a perspective view of a finishing system according to the invention;

figure 4 is a perspective view of a support device according to the invention.

Detailed Description

The parts made of various materials according to the invention may in particular be integral with the outer part of a timepiece or form all or part of the outer part. It may thus be formed as a whole or as part of a watch case, bracelet, bezel, dial, mirror, push-button and/or crown. It can also be integrated or composed with parts made of various materials for timepiece movements, such as a bridge and/or a plate and/or an oscillating weight.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the invention will be described with reference to an annular body 3 comprising inlaid decorative pieces 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 forming the scale of bezel 1. The bezel 1 thus comprises a body 3 made of a first material, which is embedded with at least one ornamental piece 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 made of one or more other materials. The bezel 1 is intended to form a rather wear-resistant part with an improved visual effect, especially in the case of contrast.

Advantageously, according to the invention, each decorative element can take any form, as shown in fig. 1, for example a geometric figure 7, 9, 11, an alphanumeric figure 5, or even a luminous (phosphorescent) indicator 13.

The body 3 is preferably made of a first hard material having a hardness of more than 800Hv, for example a ceramic. The first material may comprise, for example, an oxide, carbide or nitride of aluminium, titanium, zirconium or silicon based to form all or part of the body 3. Of course, other hard materials are also contemplated.

Preferably, according to the invention, the second or further material for the decorative element 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 has a lower hardness than the first material. Advantageously, therefore, the invention relates to a system 21 for finishing such a component 1, the materials of which have different hardnesses. The system 21 advantageously satinizes the material having the least stiffness without changing the appearance of the material having the greatest stiffness. Thus, other less hard materials may be, without limitation, composite ceramics, glass, enamel (enamel), metals, or metal alloys.

It will be clear, however, that the hardest material may be that of the decorative pieces 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, rather than that of the body 3, as will be explained below.

According to the invention, the finishing system 21 comprises at least one containing device 23, 23' acting as a container for the grinding means 20 and a supporting device 25 comprising means 22 for fixing the component 1. Furthermore, the system 21 comprises means 27 for moving the part 1 towards the grinding means 20 and means 29 for relatively moving the part 1 with respect to the containing device 23 along the desired satin line.

Advantageously, according to the invention, the component approaching device 27 and the relative movement device 29 can be equally mounted on the supporting apparatus 25 or on the containing apparatus 23. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the component approaching device 27 and the relative moving device 29 are mounted on the support apparatus 25.

Each containing device 23, 23 'comprises a box 24, 24' in which said grinding means 20 in powder form are housed, into which the part approaching means 27 at least partially sink the part 1.

Preferably, the powder of the grinding device 20 consists of particles having a hardness greater than that of the satin-requiring material but less than that of the satin-free material. Therefore, it is preferred that the component 1 be finished (ground, polished) prior to being finished by the system 21. It is clear that only a part of the surface state of the component 1 is modified, i.e. that at least one material is used which is not surface modified. For example, particles having a diameter of 0.3-1mm may be silicon and/or corundum and/or pumice and/or diamond and/or nitride and/or carbide and/or alumina.

As described above, the component approaching device 27 applies a sufficient force to sink a part of the component 1 into the powder of the grinding device 20. Preferably, according to the invention, the box 24, 24 'has elasticity to adapt to the height of the powder in the box 24, 24' with respect to the force exerted by the component approaching device 27. Whereby the box 24, 24 'exerts a counter force B pressing the powder 20 between the box 24, 24' and the component 1. Indeed, during the development of the system 21, it has been demonstrated that the rigid box enables the powder to move and cover the component 1, making the finishing imperfect. It follows that, thanks to the elastic box 24, 24', advantageously even when pressure is applied by the component approaching device 27, the powder 20 does not cover the whole component 1, ensuring an optimal finishing.

Further, with each finishing operation, the particles of the grinding apparatus 20 may become dull after finishing the component 1. Advantageously, therefore, according to the invention, each containing device also comprises means 26, 26 'for oscillating the box 24, 24' for renewing the top layer of powder when the component approaching means 27 move the component 1 away from the grinding means 20. In effect, the diameter of the top layer of particles participating in the finishing is reduced in the box 24, 24'. As a result, in the vibration C, these smaller particles are mechanically moved to the bottom of the boxes 24, 24'. It is thus clear that the powder of the surface is replaced by particles with a larger diameter, i.e. particles that have not become blunt.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the means 22 for fixing the support device 25 comprise a fastener 30 consisting of three movable fingers which are moved close to each other to hold the component 1. This fastener 30 is mechanically connected to the component approaching device 27. Preferably, in order to apply the force a required for the finishing operation to the grinding device 20, the component approaching device 27 comprises an actuator 28 to press the component 1 against the grinding device 20 in the direction D. Preferably, the actuator 28 applies a force of 1-5 kg.

Finally, in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the relative movement means 29 comprise a motor 31 which can belong to the actuator 28 of the component approaching means 27, causing said component to reciprocate along said line of desired satin towards said grinding means 20.

For the ring component 1 shown as an example in fig. 1 and 4, the satin lines are preferably concentric. The reciprocating movement E will now be an alternating triangular and backward rotation. In fact, during the development of the system 21, it has been demonstrated that a simple rotation makes the finishing more uniform. The reciprocating movement E may be performed within an amplitude of 5-20mm depending on the size of the component 1. In the course of the development, it has been demonstrated that, in the case of a rotationally reciprocating movement E, an amplitude of 20 to 40 ° yields a high-quality satin-finish uniformity.

As can be seen from the above description, the desired satin line may be linear. In this case, the motor of the relative movement device causes a translatory reciprocating movement E.

The finishing method according to the invention thus comprises the following steps. In a first step, a component 1 is produced having at least two materials with different hardness, and then at least one surface of the component is finished. In a second step, the component 1 is mounted on the fastener 30 of the fixture 22, with the finished surface ready to be brought into contact with the grinding device 20. In a third step, the actuation member moves closer to the device 27 to move it D until the member 1 contacts the grinding device 20.

In a fourth step, the component approaching device 27 applies the force required for the finishing operation between the component 1 and the grinding device 20. Advantageously according to the invention, this force and the elastic reaction B of the box 24 oppose the grinding means 20 in powder form. After the third or fourth step, the relative movement means 29 are also actuated to perform a reciprocating movement E. The fourth step may last for several seconds to obtain a satisfactory satin finish.

In a fifth step, the part approaching means 27 and the relative moving means 29 are deactivated to move the part 1 away from the grinding means 20. At the same time, the vibrating device 26 is actuated to renew the top layer of the grinding device 20 in powder form. The fifth step may last for a few seconds to get a satisfactory update.

After the fifth step, a new cycle is started with a new or the same component, i.e. from the first step or the third step.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, it is noted that the finishing system 21 comprises two containing devices 23, 23'. This embodiment tends to improve productivity. Indeed, as shown in fig. 3, while the component 1 is being processed with the first containing device 23, the second containing device 23' may have its grinding means renewed. Therefore, the new cycle described above is started using the carriage 33, which can move the plate 32 to position the second device 23' in a position opposite to the support device 25.

It follows that it is possible to envisage finishing the components 1 by successively applying to each component 1 at least two containment devices 23, 23' and/or at least two different grinding means of the system 21.

It can be seen that advantageously, according to the system 21 of the invention, the time required to satinize these areas is always the same, regardless of the number of areas to be satinized on the same part. Moreover, the lines, whether curved or straight, are also very uniform with respect to each other.

The invention is of course not limited to the embodiments shown, but various modifications and alterations can be made by a person skilled in the art. In particular, it is also possible to finish parts 1 of very different shapes, not limited to the annular shapes shown in fig. 1 and 2, both for timepiece elements and for fields outside the horological manufacturing technique, such as table art or jewellery.

Still further, each system 21 may include more or fewer containment devices 23, 23' and/or more or fewer support devices 25, and such embodiments are within the scope of the present invention. For example, the same finishing system 21 may comprise two supporting apparatuses 25 for finishing two components simultaneously and six containing apparatuses 23, 23' with three different grinding devices 20 mounted on a single plate 32 movable by a carriage 33.

Finally, the grinding device must be adjusted to the material used for the part. The material is not limited to the materials listed in the present specification.

Claims (12)

1. A system (21) for finishing a component (1) having at least two materials with different hardnesses, the system (21) comprises at least two containing devices (23, 23') containing grinding means (20), a supporting device (25) comprising means (22) for fixing said part (1), part approaching means (27) for approaching said grinding means (20) to said part (1), a relative movement means (29) for moving said part (1) with respect to said containing devices (23) along a desired satin path, characterized in that each containing device (23, 23 ') comprises a box (24, 24') containing said grinding means (20) in powder form, the box (24, 24 ') is resilient so as to adapt the height of the powder inside the box (24, 24') to the force exerted by the component approaching device (27).

2. The system (21) of claim 1, wherein the particles have a diameter of 0.3mm to 1 mm.

3. System (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that said grinding means (20) are formed by silica and/or corundum and/or pumice and/or diamond and/or nitride and/or carbide and/or alumina.

4. A system (21) according to claim 1, wherein each containing device (23, 23 ') further comprises means (26, 26 ') for vibrating the box (24, 24 ') for renewing the top layer of the grinding means (20) when the component approaching means (27) moves the component (1) away from the grinding means (20).

5. A system (21) according to claim 1, wherein the component approaching device (27) comprises an actuator (28) for pressing the component (1) towards the grinding device (20).

6. The system (21) according to claim 5, wherein the actuator (28) of the component approaching device (27) applies a force of 1kg-5 kg.

7. System (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that said relative movement means (29) comprise a motor (31) to reciprocate (E) said part (1) against said grinding means (20) along said desired satin line.

8. The system (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reciprocating movement (E) against said grinding means (20) is linear.

9. The system (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reciprocating movement (E) against said grinding means (20) is concentric.

10. A system (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least two containing devices (23, 23') in order to renew said grinding means of one containing device when the other is used for finishing said component.

11. System (21) according to claim 10, characterized in that said at least two containing devices (23, 23') are mounted on a plate (32) movable by means of a carriage (33) to selectively position one of them in a position opposite to said supporting device (25).

12. System (21) according to claim 1, characterized in that said component (1) is an element of an external part of a timepiece.