JP2003039894A - Metal surface processing method, component manufactured by the method, and electronic device equipped with the component - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a low-cost and highly expressive concave / convex pattern on a metal surface without restriction of a metal material. SOLUTION: After forming fine unevenness 13 on the surface of a metal watch case 1, an uneven pattern 2 is formed on the surface of the watch case 1 by embossing of a press device. Therefore, when crushing the metal surface of the watch case 1 by embossing,
Since the fine irregularities 13 serve as relief portions for crushing by embossing, even if the watch case 1 is made of a hard metal material such as stainless steel, the irregular pattern 2 can be easily formed on the surface of the watch case 1. . This allows the wristwatch case 1 to freely express the concave-convex pattern 2 that is rich in expressiveness at low cost without being restricted by the metal material. In the wristwatch using the watch case 1, a hard and expensive metal material can be used as the metal material of the watch case 1, so that a high value-added material excellent in decorativeness and design can be obtained. Can be.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metal surface processing method, components such as a dial and a device case manufactured by the method, and electronic equipment such as a wrist watch and a portable telephone equipped with the component.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a wristwatch, there is a wristwatch case, a dial for a watch or the like, which is provided with an uneven pattern for decoration on the surface of a metal watch component. As a method of forming a concavo-convex pattern on such a metal timepiece component, there are conventionally processing methods such as etching processing, laser processing, embossing processing, powder emission molding processing, and casting processing.

[0003]

However, each of the above processing methods has advantages and disadvantages. For example, etching processing and laser processing can be applied to plate-shaped timepiece parts such as timepiece dials,
Uneven patterns cannot be expressed sufficiently. Also, in embossing, if the metal material is a soft metal such as brass, it can be applied to watch parts such as watch dials and watch cases, but it can be applied to hard metal materials such as stainless steel. However, there are restrictions on metal materials. In addition, powder ejection molding can be applied to thick watch parts such as wristwatch cases, but since metal powder must be used as the metal material, not only are there restrictions on the metal material, but the manufacturing cost is also high. Get higher Further, in the casting process, the metal material is limited as in the powder emission molding process.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to freely form an uneven pattern rich in expressiveness on a metal surface at a low cost without restriction of a metal material.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a metal surface processing method which comprises forming fine irregularities on the surface of a metal member and then forming an irregular pattern by embossing. . According to this invention, when the surface of the metal member on which the fine concavities and convexities are formed is embossed and the surface of the metal member is crushed, the fine concavities and convexities serve as an escape area for crushing by the embossing, so that the metal member is hard Even if it is a raw material, it is possible to easily form an uneven pattern on the surface of a metal material. Therefore, there is no restriction of the metal material, and the uneven surface pattern can be freely expressed on the metal surface at a low cost and with rich expressiveness. be able to.

In this case, when the metal member is a plate-shaped member, the fine unevenness is a small hole penetrating the metal member, so that the surface of the metal member is more easily crushed.
It is possible to form an uneven pattern that is more expressive than that of the invention described in claim 1.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is a component characterized in that the metal member has fine irregularities formed on the surface thereof, and an irregular pattern is formed by embossing. According to the present invention, since the fine irregularities on the surface are easily crushed by embossing, even if the metal member is a hard material, the irregular pattern can be easily formed. Without receiving, it is possible to obtain a component in which a metal surface is provided with an uneven pattern rich in expression at low cost.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is an electronic apparatus characterized in that the metal member is provided with a part having fine irregularities formed on the surface thereof and further having an irregular pattern formed by embossing. According to the present invention, without being restricted by the metal material,
Since parts with a low cost and expressive uneven pattern formed on the metal surface are used, it is possible to use hard and expensive metal materials, which makes it possible to add value with excellent decorativeness and design. You can get a high price.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wristwatch will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a wrist watch according to the present invention. This wristwatch includes a wristwatch case 1. The wristwatch case 1 is made of metal and has an uneven pattern 2 described later on its surface.
A watch glass 3 is attached to the upper part of the wristwatch case 1 through a packing 4, and a watch dial 5 and a watch module 6 are housed inside the wristwatch case 1. A back cover 7 is attached to the lower surface of the wristwatch case 1 via a waterproof ring 8.

In this case, the timepiece module 6 has at least an analog function of an analog function and a digital function, and the pointer shaft 9 projects above the timepiece dial 5 and is attached to the upper end of the pointer shaft 9. A pointer 10 such as an hour hand and a minute hand is configured to move. The timepiece dial 5 is made of a circular metal plate and has a pointer shaft 9 at the center thereof.
Is provided with a through-hole 11 for inserting therein, and an hour character 12 is provided at a peripheral edge portion on an upper surface thereof, and the pointer 10 is configured to move the needle above the hour-mark 12.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a metal surface processing method for forming the uneven pattern 2 on the surface of the wristwatch case 1 will be described. First, FIG.
As shown in (a), fine irregularities 13 are formed on the surface of the metal wristwatch case 1. At this time, first, a resist is applied to the surface of the wristwatch case 1, and the resist is exposed through a photomask and developed to form a resist film having a large number of fine holes. In this case, it is desirable that the fine holes are small holes that are invisible to the naked eye.

In this state, the surface of the wristwatch case 1 is etched through the resist film to form fine irregularities 13 on the surface of the wristwatch case 1. The fine irregularities 13 have a large number of concave portions corresponding to the small holes of the resist film, and are thus formed in an irregular shape. After this, FIG. 2 (b)
As shown in FIG. 2, the surface of the wristwatch case 1 is embossed with a press device, and the surface of the wristwatch case 1 is embossed with decorative patterns 2
To form. At this time, since the fine irregularities 13 are formed on the surface of the wristwatch case 1 in advance, when the surface is embossed, the surface of the wristwatch case 1 is crushed according to the embossing to form the decorative irregular pattern 2. .

As described above, according to this metal surface processing method, after the fine concavities and convexities 13 are formed on the surface of the wristwatch case 1 made of metal, the wristwatch case 1 is pressed by the pressing device.
Since the concavo-convex pattern 2 is formed on the surface of the wristwatch case 1, when the surface of the wristwatch case 1 is crushed by embossing, the fine irregularities 13 serve as an escape area for the crushing by the embossing.
Even if the material is a hard metal material such as stainless steel, the uneven pattern 2 can be easily formed on the surface of the wristwatch case 1. As a result, in this wristwatch case 1, it is possible to freely express the concavo-convex pattern 2 that is low in cost and rich in expression on the metal surface without being restricted by the metal material. Further, in a wristwatch using such a wristwatch case 1, since a hard and expensive metal material can be used as the wristwatch case 1, it is possible to obtain a high value-added product excellent in decorativeness and design. it can.

[Second Embodiment] Next, FIG. 3A to FIG.
A second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a timepiece dial will be described with reference to (c). 1 and 2
The same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. This timepiece dial 15 has a structure in which a large number of fine small holes 17 are formed in a metal plate 16 such as stainless steel, and a concavo-convex pattern 18 is formed on the surface by embossing with a pressing device. Other than that, it is shown in FIG. Also, it has the same structure as the timepiece dial 5 of the first embodiment. That is, in the timepiece dial 15, a metal plate 16 is formed in a disk shape, and an hour character 12 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface of the metal plate 16 as shown in FIG. It is housed together with the timepiece module 6 and has a through hole 11 in its center.
The pointer shaft 9 is projected upward through the pointer shaft 9, and the pointer 10 attached to the upper end of the projected pointer shaft 9 is configured to move the needle.

The uneven pattern 1 is formed on the timepiece dial 15 as described above.
8 is formed, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, a resist is applied to the surface of the metal plate 16, and the resist is exposed through a photomask and developed,
A resist film 19 having a large number of fine holes 19a is formed. Also in this case, it is desirable that the fine holes 19a be formed with a hole diameter that is invisible to the naked eye. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3B, the metal plate 16 is etched through the resist film 19 to form a large number of fine holes 17 in the metal plate 16 in the vertical direction. These fine holes 17 have fine holes 19 a of the fine holes 19 a of the resist film 19.
Are formed corresponding to. After that, the resist film 19 is peeled off from the surface of the metal plate 16, and the surface of the metal plate 16 is embossed by a pressing device as shown in FIG. To form. At this time, many fine holes 17 are formed in the metal plate 16 in advance, so when the surface of the metal plate 16 is embossed, the surface of the metal plate 16 is crushed in response to the embossing and a decorative concavo-convex pattern 18 is formed. The dial plate 15 is obtained.

As described above, according to the surface processing method of the timepiece dial 15, after forming a large number of fine holes 17 in the metal plate 16, the embossing pattern 18 is formed on the surface of the metal plate 16 by the embossing of the pressing device. The metal plate 1 is formed by embossing.
When the surface of 6 is crushed, a large number of minute holes 17 serve as relief areas for crushing by embossing, so even if the metal plate 16 is a hard metal material such as stainless steel, the surface of the metal plate 16 is uneven. The pattern 18 can be easily formed. As a result, the timepiece dial 15 can freely express the concavo-convex pattern 18 that is low in cost and rich in expression on the metal surface without being restricted by the metal material. In a wristwatch using such a timepiece dial 15, the timepiece dial 1
As 5, a hard and expensive metal material can be used, which also makes it possible to obtain a material with high added value that is excellent in decorativeness and design.

The timepiece dial 1 according to the second embodiment.
In No. 5, a large number of fine holes 17 are formed in the metal plate 16 vertically in advance, but it is not always necessary to vertically penetrate the fine holes 17, and fine recessed holes are formed on the surface of the metal plate 16. It is also possible to form a large number of fine irregularities (the same as the fine irregularities 13 of the first embodiment). Even if the unevenness is formed on the surface of the metal plate 16 as described above, the uneven pattern 18 can be easily formed as in the second embodiment. Further, although the wristwatch case 1 or the timepiece dial 5 is described in the first and second embodiments, the invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a metal bezel attached to the outer peripheral surface of the wristwatch case 1, for example. You can In this case as well, similar to the first embodiment, fine unevenness may be formed in advance on the surface of the metal bezel, and then an embossing pattern may be formed on the surface of the bezel by embossing with a pressing device. Even in such a bezel, the wristwatch case 1 of the first embodiment
Has the same effect as. In this case, the wristwatch case 1 does not necessarily have to be made of metal, and may be made of synthetic resin.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, FIG.
The same parts as those of the second embodiment shown in (c) are designated by the same reference numerals and described. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the mobile phone, and FIG.
Is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the device case. This mobile phone
As shown in FIG. 4, the device case 20 is formed by joining an upper case and a lower case. As shown in FIG. 6, the device case 20 has a two-layer structure in which a metal plate 22 is provided on the surface of a synthetic resin case portion 21, and an uneven pattern 23 for decoration is formed on the surface of the metal plate 22. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the upper surface of the equipment case 20, a protective glass 24 is attached to an opening provided at a predetermined position on the upper side thereof, and various keys necessary for a telephone function are provided. The button 25 is provided so as to be exposed upward. An antenna 26 is attached to the side surface on the upper side of the device case 20 so as to be retractable. further,
Inside the equipment case 20, as shown in FIG. 5, a module 27 for a telephone is housed. The module 27 includes various parts necessary for a telephone function such as a liquid crystal display device 28. The liquid crystal display device 28 is arranged corresponding to the lower side of the protective glass 24.

As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal display device 28 is provided with a reflection / transmission plate 30 on the lower surface of a liquid crystal display panel 29, and a backlight device 31 is provided below the reflection / transmission plate 30.
Is arranged. The liquid crystal display panel 29 is
A liquid crystal cell 34 having a liquid crystal (not shown) sealed between a pair of upper and lower transparent electrode substrates 32 and 33 is provided, and polarizing plates 35 and 36 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the liquid crystal cell 34, respectively. There is. The reflective / transmissive plate 30 is a metal plate provided with a large number of fine through holes, and is configured to reflect external light on the surface thereof and transmit light from the backlight device 31 through the large number of through holes. . Backlight device 31
Is a structure in which light from a flat light emitter such as an EL element or a light source such as a light emitting diode is introduced from a side surface of a flat light guide plate and is substantially uniformly emitted from an upper surface of the light guide plate.

The liquid crystal display device 28 of such a mobile phone
Then, external light is taken in through the protective glass 24 in a bright place, the taken-in external light is transmitted through the liquid crystal display panel 29, and the transmitted light is reflected by the reflection / transmission plate 30, so that the backlight is illuminated in a bright place. Without turning on the device 31
The displayed information can be visually recognized. In a dark place, when the backlight device 31 is turned on, the light passes through the through hole of the reflective / transmissive plate 30, so that the lower surface side of the liquid crystal display panel 29 can be illuminated, thereby displaying in a dark place. The displayed information can be viewed through the protective glass 24.

Next, a case of manufacturing the device case 20 of this mobile phone will be described. In this case, first,
An uneven pattern 23 is formed on the metal plate 22. At this time,
Similar to the second embodiment, a resist is applied to the surface of the metal plate 22, and the resist is exposed through a photomask and developed to form a resist film having a large number of minute holes that are invisible to the naked eye. Form. In this state,
The metal plate 22 is etched through the resist film to form a large number of fine holes 37 shown in FIG. A large number of these fine holes 37 are formed in correspondence with the small holes of the resist film.

After that, the surface of the metal plate 22 is embossed by a pressing device to form a decorative concavo-convex pattern 23 shown in FIG. 6 on the surface of the metal plate 22. At this time, since a large number of fine holes 37 are formed in the metal plate 22 in advance, the surface of the metal plate 22 is crushed in response to the embossing when the embossing is performed by the pressing device, and the decorative uneven pattern 23 is formed. To be done. And
The case portion 21 is injection-molded with the metal plate 22 having the concavo-convex pattern 23 formed therein being placed in a mold for injection-molding the synthetic resin case portion 21 of the device case 20.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the device case 20 in which the metal plate 22 is fixed to the surface of the case portion 21 is obtained.

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the device case 20, after forming a large number of fine holes 37 in the metal plate 22, the embossing pattern 23 is formed on the surface of the metal plate 22 by the embossing of the pressing device. Therefore, when the surface of the metal plate 22 is crushed by embossing, a large number of minute holes 37 serve as relief portions for crushing by embossing. Therefore, even if the metal plate 22 is a hard metal material such as stainless steel. It is possible to easily form the uneven pattern 23 on the surface of the metal plate 22, and then,
When the case part 21 made of synthetic resin is injection-molded, the metal plate 22 having the concavo-convex pattern 23 is inserted to form the case part 21, so that the metal plate 22 is integrally formed on the surface of the case part 21. The fixed device case 20 can be easily obtained.

In such a device case 20, even if the metal plate 22 provided in the case portion 21 is made of a hard metal material such as stainless steel, the uneven pattern 23 is formed on the surface of the metal plate 22.
Since it is possible to easily form the concave-convex pattern 23, it is possible to freely express the concavo-convex pattern 23 that is low in cost and rich in expressiveness on the metal surface without being restricted by the metallic material. Further, in a mobile phone using such a device case 20, the device case 2
Since the metal plate 22 having the concavo-convex pattern 23 formed on the surface of 0 is provided, the metal plate 22 can provide a decorative effect, and particularly, the metal plate 22 is made of a hard and expensive metal material. As a result, it is possible to obtain a product with a high added value that is more excellent in decorativeness and design.

The device case 20 of the third embodiment described above.
In the above, a large number of fine holes 37 are formed in advance in the metal plate 22 in the vertical direction. However, it is not always necessary to pass the fine holes 37 in the vertical direction, and fine concave-shaped holes are formed on the surface of the metal plate 22. A large number of fine irregularities (the same as the fine irregularities 13 of the first embodiment) may be formed. Even if unevenness is formed on the surface of the metal plate 22 in this way, similar to the third embodiment.
The uneven pattern 23 can be easily formed. Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the invention is applied to the wristwatch case 1 of the wristwatch, the timepiece dial 5, the timepiece component such as the bezel, or the device case 20 of the mobile phone is described, but the invention is not limited to this. It can also be widely applied to parts such as device cases of electronic devices such as electronic notebooks and electronic dictionaries.

[0027]

As described above, according to the metal surface processing method of the present invention, since fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the metal member, the irregular pattern is formed by embossing, so that the surface of the metal member is When crushed by embossing, fine irregularities serve as relief areas for crushing by embossing. Therefore, even if the metal member is a hard material, an uneven pattern can be easily formed. It is possible to freely express a low-cost and highly expressive concavo-convex pattern on the metal surface without any restriction. In this case, when the metal member is a plate-shaped member, if it is a small hole through which fine irregularities penetrate, it is easier to crush the surface of the metal member, and therefore a more expressive irregularity pattern should be formed. You can

Further, according to the component of the present invention, since the fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the metal member and the irregular pattern is formed by embossing, the metal material is not restricted and the metal surface can be produced at a low cost. It is possible to obtain a part having a highly expressive concave-convex pattern. Furthermore, according to the electronic device of the present invention, since a component in which a metal surface is formed with an uneven pattern rich in expressiveness at low cost by the metal surface processing method, a hard and expensive metal material is used as the metal member. By using it, it is possible to obtain a product with high added value that is excellent in decorativeness and design.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wrist watch.

2A and 2B show a manufacturing process of metal surface processing of the wristwatch case of FIG. 1, FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part where fine irregularities are formed on a metal surface, and FIG. The expanded sectional view of the principal part which formed the uneven | corrugated pattern on the metal surface by embossing of a press device.

FIG. 3 shows a manufacturing process of metal surface processing in a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wristwatch dial plate of a wristwatch, (a) shows a resist film formed on the surface of the metal plate by a photolithography method. An enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part, (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part in which a large number of fine holes are formed in a metal plate using the resist film as a mask, and (c) is a surface of a metal plate in which a large number of fine holes are formed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part in which a concavo-convex pattern is formed by embossing with a press device.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a third embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone.

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the device case of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 watch case 2, 18, 23 uneven pattern 5 Clock dial 13 Fine recess 16,22 Metal plate 17,37 Fine holes 20 equipment case 21 Case

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Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for processing a metal surface, which comprises forming fine unevenness on the surface of a metal member and then forming an uneven pattern by embossing. 2. The metal surface processing method according to claim 1, wherein when the metal member is a plate-shaped member, the fine irregularities are small holes penetrating therethrough. 3. A component comprising a metal member having fine irregularities formed on the surface thereof and having an irregular pattern formed by embossing. 4. An electronic device comprising a metal member having fine irregularities formed on a surface thereof and further having a concave and convex pattern formed by embossing.