DE102019129952A1 - Method for producing a component with a surface and a galvanically generated metal layer arranged on a limited area of the surface - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a component with a surface and an electroplated metal layer arranged on a limited area of the surface, with the following steps: a. Providing a blank of a film with a visible side and a rear side, which is made of a plastic with a surface that cannot be electroplated; b. Inserting the film into an injection molding tool; c. Injecting a galvanizable plastic at least in a region of the rear side and / or in an edge region of the film; d. Demolding the component; e. Electroplating the component.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a component with a surface, in particular with a visible side, and an electroplated metal layer arranged on at least one limited area of the surface, as well as a component produced by this method and the use of such a component.

Such methods are known, for example, from the publications DE 10208674 A1 and DE 10 2007 015 625 A1 same applicant. These publications describe processes in which components are manufactured from a plastic that can be electroplated by injection molding. Areas that cannot be electroplated are created on the visible side of the components. This is done either by multi-component injection molding, in which galvanizable and non-galvanizable plastics are combined, or the surface of the galvanizable plastic is covered with a non-galvanizable varnish so that this part of the surface remains free during the galvanizing process. With this method, the aim is in particular to produce a component that has a galvanic coating on a large part of the surface and thus creates the optical and haptic impression of a metal component, while a symbol that can or cannot be transmitted through is left out in the recessed areas. This technology is established in particular for control buttons in motor vehicles.

There is a need for components which are used mainly for decorative purposes in motor vehicles, specifically in the form of panels, decorative strips and the like. Such components are provided with foils on the visible side, which can be printed and then create the visual impression of wood or carbon fiber fabric, for example. The foils are plastically preformed according to the required surface curvature and can be hardened on the surface in order to give a permanently appealing visual impression. These foils are then back-injected in the injection molding process so that a component carrying the foil is created which, for example, can carry elements for clipping. The injection-molded components produced in this way are then mounted in a previously galvanized frame, so that the finished decorative component is created and can be installed as a cladding in an opening of a dashboard or a vehicle door, for example. The manufacture of these components is complex, since the components must first be manufactured individually and then have to be joined together with very tight tolerances in order to produce the finished panel. Damage to the surfaces, which can occur not least when assembling the components to form a finished panel, means that the affected parts cannot be used. Assembled assemblies in the vehicle can also cause creaking and cracking noises.

The generic prior art is from the patent US 6,764,626 B2 known. It is proposed there to encapsulate a polycarbonate film (PC film) with ABS in some areas and then to electroplate it selectively. The PC film then remains free of the coating in this case. This technique is currently not well suited for series application. The components do not have sufficient scratch resistance or chemical resistance.

There is therefore a need to produce such components with a visible side and a surface galvanized in some areas, which are simpler and more durable to manufacture and handle. This is accompanied by a lower number of parts and lower costs.

This object is achieved by a method with the features of claim 1. Advantageous features of further method steps emerge from the dependent claims.

1. a) Bereitstellen eines Zuschnitts einer Folie mit einer Sichtseite und einer Rückseite, die aus einem Kunststoff mit einer nicht galvanisierbaren Oberfläche gefertigt ist;
2. b) Einlegen der Folie in ein Spritzgusswerkzeug;
3. c) Einspritzen eines galvanisierbaren Kunststoffs zumindest in einem Bereich der Rückseite und/oder in einem Randbereich der Folie;
4. d) Entformen des Bauteils;
5. e) Galvanisieren des Bauteils,

zusätzlich vorgesehen ist, die Folie zumindest auf ihrer Sichtseite mit einer Beschichtung zur Erhöhung der Kratzbeständigkeit und Medienbeständigkeit zu versehen, kann die Folie bereits vor dem Galvanisieren für die spätere beabsichtigte Verwendung präpariert werden. Aufwändige Nachbearbeitungen des fertigen Spritzgussteils zur Erhöhung der Kratzbeständigkeit sind dann nicht notwendig. Außerdem können nahezu beliebige Kunststoffe für die Herstellung der Folie verwendet werden, da diese ihre hier wesentliche Eigenschaft durch die Beschichtung bekommen.Because in a generic method for producing a component with a surface and an electroplated metal layer arranged on a limited area of the surface and the following process steps:

1. a) providing a blank of a film with a visible side and a rear side, which is made of a plastic with a surface that cannot be electroplated;
2. b) placing the film in an injection molding tool;
3. c) injection of a galvanizable plastic at least in a region of the rear side and / or in an edge region of the film;
4. d) demolding the component;
5. e) electroplating the component,

If the film is additionally provided with a coating at least on its visible side to increase the scratch resistance and media resistance, the film can be prepared for the intended later use before electroplating. Elaborate post-processing of the finished injection-molded part to increase the scratch resistance is then not necessary. In addition, almost any plastics can be used for the production of the film, as these get their essential property from the coating.

The surface coating, also called “hardcoat”, is applied during the production of the film. This can then be printed on the back, for example, and then preformed by thermoforming or high pressure forming. The blank is then punched out, for example, and the hardcoat is then hardened by heat and / or UV radiation, the hardening also being able to take place after the injection molding process. The preform can then be back-injected in the injection molding tool and galvanized after removal from the mold.

In the context of the present description, a “blank” is to be understood as meaning not only a flat film, but also a three-dimensional molded article produced from a flat film for the injection molding process, a so-called insert.

The film is preferably printed with a decoration before it is cut to size. The film is then provided with a decorative surface evenly and without edge effects, right down to the edge areas created during cutting.

It is further preferred that the film is plastically preformed before the above-mentioned step c, the injection of an electroplatable plastic, at least in a region of the rear side and / or an edge region of the film. This step minimizes mechanical stresses in the later completed component.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, in addition to the injection of a galvanizable plastic in regions, the injection of a transparent or translucent, non-galvanizable plastic is also provided. It is then a two- or multi-component injection molding process, in which the injection molding material connected to the film can be electroplated in some areas in order to create a corresponding optical impression and a corresponding surface quality, but in other areas it can be illuminated to provide interior lighting in a motor vehicle, To be able to generate actuation symbols or information symbols. It can also be provided in particular that the translucent or transparent plastic that cannot be electroplated is arranged in a region of the rear side of the film. If this plastic is backlit or backlit, there is the option of providing the film with a wood decor, carbon fiber decor or a similar surface design when the lighting is switched off, which offers a uniform visible side when the lighting is switched off, while writing on the film in the dark when the backlighting is switched on , Symbols or other graphic elements can be generated. Furthermore, there is advantageously the possibility of hydrophobizing and / or sealing the component after electroplating, at least on the visible side, so that the adhesion of dirt to the surface is minimized during use. Finally, it can be provided that in step c the edge area of the film is surrounded on its outer circumference by the electroplatable plastic, so that the visible side of the film adjoins the surface of the injected plastic without a shoulder, i.e. the edge region is formed flat and flush with the film . In the subsequent electroplating process, the result is a precise, well-defined border of the film that was not electroplated in the process.

It can also be advantageous to inject a second, opaque and non-electroplating plastic in the area of the rear side of the film. This second plastic can be a hard or soft plastic, which can be used for a more flexible and stable fastening of the component, better noise dampening or as a seal. The second plastic can also protrude from the component as an edge and then serve to sew textiles or leather.

Due to the special durability of the component produced in this way, it is suitable for use in the interior of a motor vehicle because it does not corrode, for example, when it comes into contact with the skin of a passenger. The component is also particularly insensitive to mechanical loads. It is also advantageous to use components produced in this way as decorative elements in the exterior of motor vehicles, since stresses occurring there during operation and when cleaning the vehicle do not lead to damage to the component within the scope that usually occurs. The same applies when used as an element of an electronic device.

Two exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described schematically below with reference to the drawing.

• 1: einen schematischen Aufbau im Querschnitt eines Bauteils, welches aus zwei Komponenten (Folie und galvanisierbarer Kunststoff) gefertigt ist; sowie
• 2: einen schematischen Querschnitt ähnlich 1, jedoch mit einem zusätzlichen nicht galvanisierbaren, durchleuchtbaren Kunststoff als dritter Komponente.

Show it:

• 1 : a schematic structure in cross section of a component which is made of two components (foil and plastic that can be electroplated); as
• 2 : a schematic cross section similar 1 but with an additional, non-electroplatable, translucent plastic as a third component.

In the 1 a component produced by the method according to the invention is shown schematically in a cross section from the side. In this case, the component is made of a film 1 and one with the foil 1 connected galvanizable plastic 2 manufactured.

The foil 1 consists of a non-coatable and galvano-resistant plastic or of another plastic with a non-coatable and galvano-resistant coating. A film made of ABS with at least one-sided scratch-resistant coating made of PVDF, PTFE, acrylates, PUR, PUA or compounds / mixtures in combination with, if necessary, is preferred. Additives for UV resistance. ABS that has not been pretreated can be electroplated. Plastic 2 is a plastic that can be electroplated, as is known from the prior art. In this embodiment it is used as plastic 2 used in accordance with ABS.

A possible surface coating to increase scratch resistance is offered by AKZO NOBEL COATINGS INC., USA, under the product number 807171 and the product name FLUOREX CLEAR PVDF / ACRYLIC.

The foil 1 points in the 1 a visible side above 3 , one of the visible side 3 averted back 4th and a surrounding edge 5 on. The foil 1 is from the viewing side 3 or the back 4th printed with a decoration or a symbolism.

In the process, the slide was 1 so inserted into an injection molding tool that the visible side 3 is not facing the mold cavity. The surrounding edge 2 and the back 4th however, are completely or partially open to the mold cavity. Plastic 2 was then injected into the mold cavity in the process, into which the previously printed, cut and, if necessary, plastically preformed film 1 was inserted. Plastic 2 then surrounds the film on the back 4th and on the edges 5 , but not in the area of the visible side 3 .

If the process is carried out appropriately, the injection molding process enables an integral connection between the film 1 and the plastic 2 to achieve, in particular without remaining cavities or air pockets. In this exemplary embodiment, the design of the injection mold is chosen so that the top 3 the slide 1 flush and without a shoulder to the parallel to the surface 3 running top of the plastic 2 on the edge 5 connects. In this embodiment, no steps or steps are formed at this point. The surface is in the transition between the film 1 and the plastic 2 Smooth within the manufacturing tolerances.

This in 1 The component shown can be electroplated immediately after demolding from the injection molding tool and without further processing, but it may still be deburred beforehand. For electroplating, the component is electrically contacted and placed in a corresponding electroplating bath where the plastic 2 is galvanically coated on its outer surface with a metal layer, for example chromium. The metal layer is deposited on the outer surface of the plastic 2 off, more precisely on a bottom 7th , at an edge area 8th and on one visible side 9 . The visible side 9 of the plastic 2 surrounds the visible side like an edge 3 the slide 1 . The metal deposit on the top 9 of the plastic 2 so forms a metallic edge from the visible side, which the foil 3 framed. According to the method according to the invention, this design is achieved on a multi-component component without individual components having to be joined together after electroplating.

In the 2 Another component produced by the method according to the invention is illustrated. Elements that are the same or have the same effect have the same reference numerals as in FIG 1 .

The component after 2 as in 1 the foil 1 with the visible side 3 , the back 4th and the edge area 5 on. Here, too, is the slide 1 made of ABS and on the visible side 3 printed. The foil 1 is translucent. This property is off for the component 1 irrelevant. In the embodiment of 2 however, it is used.

Plastic 2 is only partially on the back 4th the slide 1 sprayed on. It is limited by an inner border 10 an area on the back 4th the slide 1 on which the electroplatable plastic 2 is not upset. The area at the back 4th that is inside the edge 10 of the plastic 2 is, however, with a transparent or translucent plastic 11 filled that like the slide 1 cannot be electroplated. In a preferred embodiment, the plastic is 11 also a polycarbonate.

In the method according to the invention for producing the component according to 2 a multi-component injection molding process is used in which the film 1 is inserted into the mold cavity so that the visible side 3 the slide 1 is not facing the mold cavity. Then the plastics 2 and 11 injected into the mold cavity and together surround the film 1 at the back 3 and in the edge area 5 , like those already for 1 has been described.

After curing, this can be done in 2 The component shown can be demolded and galvanized. In the electroplating process, however, the metal layer is only applied to the plastic 2 deposited, so in the area of its back 7th , on the circumferential edge 8th and at the approximately ring-shaped front 9 that is the face side 3 the slide 1 surrounds. Plastic 11 remains uncoated. This results in a component that, from the visible side, is the one on the visible side 3 the slide 1 Attached decoration shows which on the annular area 9 the front of the plastic 2 is provided with a galvanic coating so that the viewer can see the decoration of the film from the visible side 1 with a surrounding metallic frame.

Plastic 11 but can in contrast to the embodiment according to 1 be backlit, so that the light generated by a largely arbitrarily designed light source through the plastic 11 and the slide 1 passes through and at least in the dark from the visible side 3 is visible from here. Special contours of the illuminated areas can be generated on the one hand by the design of the injection mold by the area in which the second plastic 11 is injected, is designed accordingly, while the remaining area of the electroplatable and preferably non-translucent plastic 2 is covered. On the other hand, however, it can also be provided that the film 1 already on their viewing side 3 or their back 4th is printed accordingly, for example, to free a limited and graphically designed area that can be x-rayed. So z. B. on the visible side 3 a lettering with translucent letters or numbers and an opaque area or border can be printed, which is through the plastic when the back is illuminated 11 becomes visible through it.

An advantageous use of a component produced in this way with one in the area of the visible side 3 decorated foil 1 and a circumferential edge with a metallic coating exists in the area of equipping motor vehicle interiors. There, panels are often attached as decorative elements, which are inserted into corresponding cutouts in door panels, dashboards or instrument panels. The embodiment according to is also particularly here 2 advantageous, since lighting effects in motor vehicles can be desirable.

In the 1 and 2 it is not shown that the components manufactured by the method according to the invention can have a wide variety of shapes within the scope of the possibilities in the injection molding process. For example, cladding elements can be produced which run below the window opening in motor vehicle doors over the entire length of the door, the length of which is therefore significantly greater than its dimension transverse to the longitudinal extension. The foil 1 can be flat, but it can also be curved in one or two directions in order to be adapted to the contour of the carrier in which the component is inserted during later use. The edge area 9 of electroplatable plastic 2 can be of uniform width all round, so that the film 1 is surrounded by an evenly wide metallic edge after electroplating. But the width can also vary.

In addition, in practice the plastic 2 and possibly also the plastic 11 be provided with other functional elements, such. B. with hooks, tabs or clips that can be used for fastening or other mechanical treatment of the component or other elements on the component (e.g. light guides).

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent literature cited

• DE 10208674 A1 [0002]
• DE 102007015625 A1 [0002]
• US 6764626 B2 [0004]

Claims (13)

Method for producing a component with a surface and an electroplated metal layer arranged on a limited area of the surface, comprising the following steps: a. Providing a blank of a film (1) with a visible side (3) and a rear side (4), which is made of a non-electroplatable plastic or another plastic which is provided with a non-electroplatable coating; b. Inserting the film (1) into an injection molding tool; c. Injection of a galvanizable plastic (2) at least in an area of the rear side (4) and / or in an edge area (5) of the film; d. Demolding the component; e. Electroplating the component; characterized in that the in step a. provided film (1) is provided on its surface at least on one side with a coating which increases the scratch resistance and / or the media resistance. Procedure according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the film (1) is printed with a decoration on the visible side (3) and / or the rear side (4) before being cut. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the film (1) before step c. is plastically preformed. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in addition to the injection of a galvanizable plastic (2) in areas, a transparent or translucent, non-galvanizable plastic (11) is also injected. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in addition to the injection of a galvanizable plastic (2) in regions, an opaque, non-galvanizable plastic is also injected. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in addition to the injection of a galvanizable plastic (2) in regions, a non-galvanizable soft plastic is also injected. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in addition to the injection of a galvanizable plastic (2) in regions, a reinforced, non-galvanizable plastic is also injected. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component before step e. is hardened, hydrophobized and / or sealed at least on the visible side (3). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step c. the edge area (5) of the film (1) is partially or completely surrounded on its outer circumference by the electroplatable plastic (2), so that the visible side (3) of the film (1) without a shoulder on the surface of the injected plastic (2) connects. Component produced by a method according to one of the preceding claims. Use of a component which is produced by a method according to one of the preceding Claims 1 - 9 is made as a cladding element in the interior of a motor vehicle. Use of a component which is produced by a method according to one of the preceding Claims 1 - 9 is made as a decorative element in the exterior of a motor vehicle. Use of a component which is produced by a method according to one of the preceding Claims 1 - 9 is made as a control element or decorative element of an electronic device.

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