EP2258457A1 - Bauelement - Google Patents

Bauelement Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP2258457A1
EP2258457A1 EP09161663A EP09161663A EP2258457A1 EP 2258457 A1 EP2258457 A1 EP 2258457A1 EP 09161663 A EP09161663 A EP 09161663A EP 09161663 A EP09161663 A EP 09161663A EP 2258457 A1 EP2258457 A1 EP 2258457A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
building element
metal
element according
moulded part
anyone
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP09161663A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Albertus Antonius Theodoor Gebbing
Martinus Louis Maria Bos
Hans Wilderbeek
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mitsubishi Chemical Europe GmbH
Original Assignee
Mitsubishi Chemical Europe GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mitsubishi Chemical Europe GmbH filed Critical Mitsubishi Chemical Europe GmbH
Priority to EP09161663A priority Critical patent/EP2258457A1/de
Publication of EP2258457A1 publication Critical patent/EP2258457A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H33/00—Other toys
    • A63H33/04—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
    • A63H33/042—Mechanical, electrical, optical, pneumatic or hydraulic arrangements; Motors

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a building element comprising a moulded part that further contains plated metal areas.
  • building elements are used, for example, for educational, instructional, entertaining and/or playing purposes. Uses include educational kits for electrical engineering students and toys for children.
  • the plated metal areas may fulfill a decorative, aesthetic, reflecting, electrical conductive and/or protective purpose.
  • the present invention in particular relates to connectible building elements which may be removable attached to each other. By connecting a first building element to a second building element, either identical or non-identical, a plated metal area of the first building element can be connected to a plated metal area of the second building element thereby forming for example plated metal pathways.
  • the moulded part must provide the required aesthetical and mechanical characteristics to the building element, such as strength, durability, and ductility characteristics.
  • Such a building element is known from US2008/0166926 .
  • the building element described there contains conductive paths and mechanical cylinders which may be conductive.
  • the conductive paths may be located on the top surface of the building block and/or inside the building block.
  • This patent publication describes that in one embodiment the conductive paths are a plated metal such as copper, nickel or tin.
  • a disadvantage of the use of metal plating for providing plated metal areas on a building element is that it is difficult or even impossible to obtain plated metal building elements of which the moulded part has a low wall thickness.
  • the object of the invention is being able to obtain a building element of a moulded part that further contains plated metal areas of which the moulded part possesses a low wall thickness.
  • the moulded part comprises a layer consisting of a composition comprising a polymer and a metal compound having a spinel structure.
  • the building element according to the invention can have a wall thickness of 5 mm or less, even a wall thickness of 4 mm or less, even a wall thickness of 3 mm or less and even a wall thickness of 2 mm or less and still have the required mechanical properties and a sufficient high resolution of the metallization can still be obtained.
  • Another advantage of the building elements according to the invention is that the plated metal areas can be provided onto the moulded part easily and with high selectivity (i.e. providing the metallization at the desired place with the desired resolution). In particular with a trend of miniaturization and downsizing in dimensions, a very high selectivity is advantageous. Furthermore, a high selectivity is advantageous as the metal plated areas of the building elements can be connected with each other in a robust and selective way.
  • Another advantage of the building elements according to the invention is that the plated metal areas can be provided onto the moulded part easily and at high selectivity at places of the building elements which are difficult to reach, such as for example curved or sharp edges, resulting in that building elements with complex geometry can be provided with plated metal areas.
  • the metal plated areas are electrically conductive areas that are provided onto the building elements for constructing electrical circuits in particular between at least two building elements that are connectible with each other.
  • the electrically conductive area becomes in electrical communication as soon as an electrical power source is added to at least one such building element and activated.
  • the metal plated areas are connected such that metal plated pathways are provided.
  • the building elements are toy building elements such as for example building blocks, base plates, gears, shafts, wheels and figures.
  • a building element may be removable attached to a second building element, either identical or non-identical, by means of for example protruding cylinders located on the top of the building elements.
  • the moulded part consists of a composition comprising a polymer and a metal compound having a spinel structure. This is advantageous as the moulded part can be manufactured using the standard moulding processes (1K-moulding process).
  • the composition comprising a polymer and a metal compound having a spinel structure includes a composition comprising a polymer and laser sensitive metal complex that may be activated when exposed to the laser light.
  • the laser sensitive metal complex is a metal compound that is capable of being activated by electromagnetic radiation, thereby forming elemental metal nuclei.
  • the metal compound that is capable of being activated by radiation is a metal-containing (inorganic or organic) compound which as a consequence of absorption of electromagnetic radiation liberates metal in elemental form, in a chemical reaction. It is also possible that the electromagnetic radiation is not directly absorbed by the metal-containing compound, but is absorbed by other substances which then transfer the absorbed energy to the metal-containing compound and thus bring about the liberation of elemental metal.
  • the electromagnetic radiation may be UV light (wavelength from 100 to 400 nm), visible light (wavelength from 400 to 800 nm), or infrared light (wavelength from 800 to 25 000 nm).
  • Other preferred forms of radiation are X-rays, gamma rays, and particle beams (electron beams, [alpha]-particle beams, and [beta]-particle beams).
  • the metal compound is capable of being activated by electromagnetic radiation and thereby forming elemental metal nuclei within the composition.
  • the metal compound capable of being activated by radiation is comprised of electrically non-conductive high-thermal-stability organic or inorganic metal compounds which are preferably insoluble and stable in aqueous acidic or alkaline metalizing baths. Particularly suitable compounds are those which absorb a very large proportion of the light at the wavelength of the incident light. Compounds of this type are described in EP-A-1 274 288 . Preference is given here to compounds of metals of the d and f group of the Periodic Table of the Elements with non-metals.
  • the metal-containing compounds are particularly preferably metal oxides, in particular oxides of the d-metals of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Higher metal oxides which contain at least two different kinds of cations and have a spinel structure or spinel-related structure, and which remain unchanged in non-irradiated areas of the moulded part that contains the composition of the present invention are particularly suitable.
  • the higher oxides are spinels, in particular copper-containing spinels, such as CuCr 2 O 4 . Suitable copper-containing spinels are commercially available, an example being PK 3095 from Ferro (DE) or 34E23 or 34E30 from Johnson Matthey (DE).
  • Copper oxides of the formula CuO or Cu 2 O are also particularly suitable, and use is preferably made here of nanoparticles, such as NANOARC(R) Copper Oxide from Nanophase Technologies Corporation, Illinois, USA.
  • the higher spinel oxide is a manganese-containing spinel.
  • a mixture of metal compounds having a spinel structure can be used.
  • the metal compound is represented by the chemical formula AB 2 O 4 or B(AB)O 4 .
  • the A component of the formulas is a metal cation having a valence of 2 and is selected from the group consisting of cadmium, zinc, copper, cobalt, magnesium, tin, titanium, iron, aluminum, nickel, manganese, chromium, and combinations of two or more of these.
  • the B component of the formulas is a metal cation having a valence of 3 and is selected from the group consisting of cadmium, manganese, nickel, zinc, copper, cobalt, magnesium, tin, titanium, iron, aluminum, chromium, and combinations of two or more of these.
  • the building element according to the invention comprises a moulded part that comprises a layer consisting of a composition comprising polymer and metal compound having a spinel structure.
  • a composition comprising polymer and metal compound having a spinel structure.
  • such composition comprises polymer and laser sensitive metal complex that may be activated when exposed to the laser light.
  • the polymer composition has dispersed therein metal compound(s), where the metal compound preferably comprises two or more metal oxide cluster configurations within a definable crystal formation.
  • the overall crystal formation when in an ideal (i.e., non-contaminated, non-derivative) state, has the following general formula: AB 2 O 4 , where
  • the concentration of these metal components present in the polymer composition is from 0.5 up to 20 mass%, preferably from 1 up to 20 mass%, preferably from 3 up to 10 mass%, more preferably from 4 up to 10 mass%, and particularly preferably from 5 up to 10 mass% (relative to the total polymer composition of the laser direct structuring material).
  • the polymer is preferably selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonate, styrene containing polymers and blends thereof. More preferably, the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polycarbonate, ABS and blends thereof.
  • the metal compound and optionally other compounds and additives may be introduced into the polymer by means of suitable mixing devices such as single-screw or twin-screw extruders, preferably a twin-screw extruder is used.
  • suitable mixing devices such as single-screw or twin-screw extruders, preferably a twin-screw extruder is used.
  • polymer pellets are introduced into the extruder together with at least the metal compound and extruded, then quenched in a water bath and then pelletized.
  • the invention relates in particular to building element that comprises a moulded part produced by injection moulding of the polymer composition as described above.
  • the invention further relates to a process for producing a building element according to the present invention which process comprises the steps of providing a composition comprising a polymer and a metal compound having a spinel structure, moulding said composition into a moulded part comprising a layer of said composition, irradiating areas of said layer with electromagnetic radiation to break down the metal compound and releasing metal nuclei (by chemical reduction), and subsequently metallizing the irradiated areas.
  • the process comprises the steps of providing a composition comprising a polymer and a metal compound having a spinel structure, moulding said composition into a moulded part, irradiating areas of said part with electromagnetic radiation to break down the metal compound and releasing metal nuclei (by chemical reduction), and subsequently metallizing the irradiated areas.
  • electromagnetic radiation is used to simultaneously release metal nuclei and effect ablation of the part while forming an adhesion-promoting surface.
  • a laser is used to produce the electromagnetic radiation to release the metal nuclei.
  • the electromagnetic radiation is preferably laser radiation.
  • the wavelength of the laser is advantageously 248 nm, 308 nm, 355 nm, 532 nm, 1064 nm or of even 10600 nm.
  • the deposition of further metal onto the metal nuclei generated by electromagnetic radiation preferably takes place via plating (solution-chemistry) processes. Said metallizing is preferably perfomed by immersing the moulded part in at least one electroless plating bath to form electrically conductive pathways on the irradiated areas of the moulded part.
EP09161663A 2009-06-02 2009-06-02 Bauelement Withdrawn EP2258457A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP09161663A EP2258457A1 (de) 2009-06-02 2009-06-02 Bauelement

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP09161663A EP2258457A1 (de) 2009-06-02 2009-06-02 Bauelement

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2258457A1 true EP2258457A1 (de) 2010-12-08

Family

ID=41139009

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP09161663A Withdrawn EP2258457A1 (de) 2009-06-02 2009-06-02 Bauelement

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2258457A1 (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10143932B2 (en) 2013-11-28 2018-12-04 Lego A/S Building plate for a toy building set and a toy building set including such building plate

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0117846A1 (de) * 1983-02-14 1984-09-05 Interlego AG Bauelement für Baumodelle, insbesondere Bauspielzeuge
US4883440A (en) * 1986-02-05 1989-11-28 Interlego A.G. Electrified toy building block with zig-zag current carrying structure
EP1274288A1 (de) 2001-07-05 2003-01-08 LPKF Laser & Electronics Aktiengesellschaft Leiterbahnstrukturen und Verfahren zu ihrer Herstellung
US20080166926A1 (en) 2007-01-06 2008-07-10 Arthur Seymour Stackable electonic blocks and a method for stacking the same

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0117846A1 (de) * 1983-02-14 1984-09-05 Interlego AG Bauelement für Baumodelle, insbesondere Bauspielzeuge
US4552541A (en) * 1983-02-14 1985-11-12 Interlego Ag Toy building block with electrical contacting portions
US4883440A (en) * 1986-02-05 1989-11-28 Interlego A.G. Electrified toy building block with zig-zag current carrying structure
EP1274288A1 (de) 2001-07-05 2003-01-08 LPKF Laser & Electronics Aktiengesellschaft Leiterbahnstrukturen und Verfahren zu ihrer Herstellung
US20080166926A1 (en) 2007-01-06 2008-07-10 Arthur Seymour Stackable electonic blocks and a method for stacking the same

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10143932B2 (en) 2013-11-28 2018-12-04 Lego A/S Building plate for a toy building set and a toy building set including such building plate

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20120183793A1 (en) Method for selectively metallizing a substrate and interconnect device produced by this method
US9103020B2 (en) Metalized plastic articles and methods thereof
CN103589065B (zh) 含二茂金属酰腙型配合物的复合材料及制备方法
JPH06502746A (ja) 欠乏反応金属酸化物還元を用いて基板を金属被覆する方法
JP2013535580A (ja) プラスチック基材の表面を金属化する方法及び前記方法を用いて製造されるプラスチック製品
DE102017106913A1 (de) Verfahren zur Herstellung von elektrisch leitenden Strukturen auf einem Trägermaterial
TWI507467B (zh) 用於形成導電圖案之組成物和方法、及其上具有導電圖案的樹脂結構體
CN105283925A (zh) 用于形成导电图案的组合物和方法，以及其上具有导电图案的树脂结构
WO2015076633A1 (ko) 도전성 패턴 형성용 조성물 및 도전성 패턴을 갖는 수지 구조체
CN105543813A (zh) 一种塑料表面制作精密金属线路的方法
TWI544499B (zh) 用於形成導電圖案之組成物及方法，以及其上具有導電圖案之樹脂結構
DE19510855A1 (de) Verfahren zum selektiven oder partiellen elektrolytischen Metallisieren von Substraten aus nichtleitenden Materialien
EP2258457A1 (de) Bauelement
Abdulrhman et al. Routes towards manufacturing biodegradable electronics with polycaprolactone (PCL) via direct light writing and electroless plating
CN109486165B (zh) 一种聚苯醚/聚苯乙烯组合物及其制备方法和用途
US10354774B2 (en) Composition for forming conductive pattern and resin structure having conductive pattern
CN105493200A (zh) 用于形成导电图案的组合物以及其上具有导电图案的树脂结构
WO2015160209A1 (ko) 도전성 패턴 형성용 조성물, 이를 사용한 도전성 패턴 형성 방법과, 도전성 패턴을 갖는 수지 구조체
CN106575540A (zh) 用于形成导电图案的组合物、利用其形成导电图案的方法及具有导电图案的树脂结构
KR20160030713A (ko) 도전성 패턴 형성용 조성물, 이를 사용한 도전성 패턴 형성 방법과, 도전성 패턴을 갖는 수지 구조체
CN102296292A (zh) 一种塑料制品的制备方法及一种塑料制品

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL BA RS

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20110609