Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
  • B28D—WORKING STONE OR STONE-LIKE MATERIALS
  • B28D5/00—Fine working of gems, jewels, crystals, e.g. of semiconductor material; apparatus or devices therefor
  • B28D5/0058—Accessories specially adapted for use with machines for fine working of gems, jewels, crystals, e.g. of semiconductor material
  • B28D5/0082—Accessories specially adapted for use with machines for fine working of gems, jewels, crystals, e.g. of semiconductor material for supporting, holding, feeding, conveying or discharging work
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B31/00—Bearings; Point suspensions or counter-point suspensions; Pivot bearings; Single parts therefor
  • G04B31/004—Bearings; Point suspensions or counter-point suspensions; Pivot bearings; Single parts therefor characterised by the material used
  • G04B31/008—Jewel bearings
  • G04B31/0087—Jewel bearings with jewel hole only
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B3/04—Cleaning involving contact with liquid
  • B08B3/10—Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
  • B08B3/12—Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B5/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow
  • B08B5/02—Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
  • B28D—WORKING STONE OR STONE-LIKE MATERIALS
  • B28D5/00—Fine working of gems, jewels, crystals, e.g. of semiconductor material; apparatus or devices therefor
  • B28D5/0058—Accessories specially adapted for use with machines for fine working of gems, jewels, crystals, e.g. of semiconductor material
  • B28D5/0076—Accessories specially adapted for use with machines for fine working of gems, jewels, crystals, e.g. of semiconductor material for removing dust, e.g. by spraying liquids; for lubricating, cooling or cleaning tool or work
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B31/00—Bearings; Point suspensions or counter-point suspensions; Pivot bearings; Single parts therefor
  • G04B31/06—Manufacture or mounting processes
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
  • G04D3/0002—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for mechanical working other than with a lathe
  • G04D3/0056—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for mechanical working other than with a lathe for bearing components
  • G04D3/0058—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for mechanical working other than with a lathe for bearing components for bearing jewels
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
  • G04D3/02—Lathes, with one or more supports; Burnishing machines, with one or more supports
  • G04D3/0227—Lathes, with one or more supports; Burnishing machines, with one or more supports for the manufacture of special components for clockworks
  • G04D3/0281—Lathes, with one or more supports; Burnishing machines, with one or more supports for the manufacture of special components for clockworks for bearing components
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
  • G04D3/08—Machines or apparatus for cleaning
  • G04D3/083—Machines or apparatus for cleaning whereby the components to be cleaned are placed in a container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
  • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
  • B24B5/00—Machines or devices designed for grinding surfaces of revolution on work, including those which also grind adjacent plane surfaces; Accessories therefor
  • B24B5/36—Single-purpose machines or devices
  • B24B5/48—Single-purpose machines or devices for grinding walls of very fine holes, e.g. in drawing-dies
  • B24B5/485—Single-purpose machines or devices for grinding walls of very fine holes, e.g. in drawing-dies using grinding wires or ropes

Definitions

• the invention relates to a pivot stone for a watch movement.
• the invention relates to a method for producing such a pivot stone and a machine for polishing such a pivot stone.
• the invention also relates to a method for determining the roughness of a surface of a pivot hole of such a pivot stone.
• the invention also relates to a watch component comprising such a pivoting stone.
• the invention also relates to a watch movement, comprising such a pivot stone or such a watch component.
• the invention finally relates to a timepiece comprising such a watch movement or such a pivoting stone or such a watch component.
• the invention also generally relates to a method of producing a component comprising a hole.
• the invention also concerns:
• a timepiece comprising such a watch movement or such a watch component.
• Watchmaking stones are crucial elements for the proper functioning of a watch movement. Almost all rotational movements are carried out by axes pivoted in bearings, which are made in elements drilled in ruby, also called functional stones or pivot stones.
• a ball of material in particular a ball of synthetic ruby, more particularly a ball of monocrystalline synthetic ruby, is cut by sawing or wire cutting or laser cutting into plates of determined thickness. These plates are then cut to form blanks (preparations) of the stones which are brought to a cylindrical external shape, for example by a turning operation.
• the stones are then drilled, for example by laser or by a broach, so as to obtain the outline of a pivot hole.
• the stones are then subjected to a growing stage which makes it possible to arrive at the final diameter and the desired surface finish of the pivot hole.
• a turning step then brings the stone to its nominal external diameter.
• a possible digging operation makes it possible to form a hollow on one or two sides of the stone to serve as an oiler for lubrication.
• polishing brings the thickness of the stone to its final dimension and the desired surface finish.
• a possible final polishing allows you to obtain the desired exterior surface condition. This polishing does not modify the surface condition of the pivot hole.
• the enlargement step is essential because it determines not only the size but also the surface condition of the pivot hole.
• the stones are threaded onto a wire and secured together, which allows them to rotate around the axis of the pivoting holes and to carry out batch processing.
• the wire is generally conical, with a diameter that increases little by little until the final targeted diameter.
• the rotation speed of the stones is much less than the translation speed of the wire, and the machining is mainly due to the back and forth movement of the wire.
• Residual machining grooves are therefore necessarily oriented along the axis of the pivot stone or the pivot hole, with a possible inclination of the grooves of a few degrees relative to this axis, given the speeds of rotation and movement of the wire compared to stones.
• the equipment used and the very principle of the enlargement process do not make it possible to obtain another orientation of the residual machining streaks.
• it is desirable to obtain an olive hole that is to say with a non-cylindrical hole and having a rounded convex profile minimizing the diameter of the hole towards its middle. Such an olive hole reduces the friction surface of the axle pivots and facilitates lubrication.
• the stones are again strung on a wire then are subjected to a particular olive process described below. Stones with straight or cylindrical holes are not olived and are not subjected to any process other than the growing described above.
• the olive process is illustrated in Figure 4 of this article.
• the operation is carried out on machines by tilting the stones on a roller equipped with a helical groove, using a wire of precise diameter loaded with a diamond suspension.
• the stone is driven by the furrow along the roller, and the wire allows abrasion of the ends of the pivot hole.
• a good choice of parameters makes it possible to reverse the direction of inclination of the stone in the middle of the roller and thus obtain an olive that is as regular and symmetrical as possible.
• Documents CH121766 and CH336311 describe machines for making stones, with a wire coated with a mixture of oil and diamond powder, either for boring/enlarging by going back and forth in the axial direction; either for olive production with an inclination of the stone.
• Document CH393194 describes a stone manufacturing process which makes it possible to obtain a very low surface roughness, then treatment of the areas friction to obtain a topography/roughness suitable for maintaining the lubricant, by intentionally creating small holes, grooves, roughness or undulations. These inequalities are of the order of magnitude of a few molecules of the lubricant used, that is to say a fraction of a micrometer according to the applicant.
• the document does not cite any value or quantitative element, and does not mention any concrete process making it possible to obtain the surface condition in question.
• Document EP2778801 describes a sintered stone with a hole formed by laser, then finishing by lapping, brushing and/or polishing for a local modification of the roughness, without further details.
• EP3835881 and EP3835882 also relate to different aspects of a manufacturing process by pressing polycrystalline stones. These stones have the particularity of including a flared hole, the smallest diameter of which can be less than 0.1 1 mm. This process aims here to offer an alternative to processes involving a laser which, according to the applicant, would not directly provide a quality surface finish. Producing the stone by pressing would make it possible to obtain a good surface condition, whereas the stone drilled by femtosecond laser would have an unsatisfactory surface condition.
• the aim of the invention is to provide a pivoting stone that is efficient and makes it possible to improve the pivoting stones known from the prior art.
• the invention provides a pivot stone having improved pivot characteristics, particularly improved roughness characteristics, and methods associated with such a stone.
• Pivot stone (1) for a watch movement (100) comprising a pivot hole (5) having a first axis (A1) and capable of pivoting a watch component (98) or capable of pivot around a watch component (98), such as a watch axis, the pivot hole comprising a surface (6) having main grooves (61) for machining by abrasion, in particular main polishing grooves, oriented substantially orthoradially relatively to the first axis (A1).
• Pivoting stone (1) according to proposition 1 or 2, characterized in that the main machining grooves (61) are parallel or substantially parallel to a plane perpendicular to the first axis (A1) and/or form a lower angle at 1° or less than 0.5° relative to a plane perpendicular to the first axis (A1).
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 3, characterized in that the main machining grooves (61) have an orientation dispersion of plus or minus 0, with 0>O.2° , in particular with 0 of the order of 0.5°, around an average orientation.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 4, characterized in that the roughness Ra of the surface, in particular the roughness Ra of the surface (6) measured parallel to the first axis (A1) or perpendicular to the main streaks (61), is less than 20 nm or less than 10 nm or less than 5 nm.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 5, characterized in that the diameter of the pivoting hole (5) is less than 2.5 mm or less than 2 mm or less than 1.6 mm or less than 0.6 mm or less than 0.3 mm.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 6, characterized in that the profile of the surface (6) of the pivoting hole (5), along a plane passing through the first axis (A1), is straight or cylindrical.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 6, characterized in that the profile of the surface (6) of the pivoting hole (5), along a plane passing through the first axis (A1), is convex seen from the first axis (A1) with an arrow less than 1 pm or less than 0.5 pm or less than 0.25 pm.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 8, characterized in that it is made of technical ceramic, in particular ruby.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a rolling surface (7), in particular a rolling surface (7) of first axis (A1), intended to ride on a watch component.
• Pivoting stone (1) according to one of propositions 1 to 10, characterized in that the geometries and/or positioning of the main grooves are uncontrolled.
• Watch movement (100) comprising at least one pivot stone according to one of propositions 1 to 12, in particular at least two pivot stones according to one of propositions 1 to 12 and/or comprising a watch component (100 ) according to proposition 13.
• Watch movement (100) according to proposition 14, characterized in that the at least one stone pivots a watch component, said watch component being:
• Watch movement (100) according to proposition 14, characterized in that the at least one stone pivots a watch component being a mobile of an automaton chain.
• the invention is defined by the propositions which follow.
• Method for producing a pivot stone (1) for a watch movement comprising a pivot hole (5) having a first axis (A1), in particular a straight pivot hole or cylindrical and having a first axis (A1), and capable of pivoting a watch component (98), like a watch axis, or capable of pivoting around a watch component (98), the method comprising a first polishing step in which :
• free abrasive particles (21) are used, in particular diamond particles, rolling between the surface (6) of the pivot hole (5) to be polished and a polishing support (20), such as a wire (20) , and or
• the pivot stone (1) is driven in a rotary movement along the first axis (A1) relative to a polishing support (20) returned towards the surface (6) of the pivot hole (5) to be polished.
• first axis (A1) is parallel or substantially parallel to a surface of the polishing support (20), and/or - in that the first axis (A1) is parallel or substantially parallel to a second axis (A3) of the polishing support (20), the polishing support consisting in particular of a wire (20).
• Polishing machine characterized in that it comprises a polishing support (20) having a second axis (A3) and in that:
• the second axis (A3) of the polishing support and/or the first axis (A1) of the pivot holes is perpendicular to the tangent to the helix of the groove, and/or
• the second axis (A3) of the polishing support and/or the first axis (A1) of the pivoting holes is perpendicular to the osculating plane of the helix of the groove at the level of the contact between the pivoting stone and the groove (32 ).
• Polishing machine according to proposition 30 or 31, characterized in that the helix on the drum (31) has a helix angle less than 0.1° or less than 0.05°.
• Polishing machine according to one of propositions 30 to 32, characterized in that the machine comprises a polishing support (20) of wire shape intended to hold pivot stones at the bottom of the groove (32) and to polish the pivot holes (5) by abrasion.
• Polishing machine according to one of proposals 30 to 33, characterized in that the machine comprises an element (35) for adjusting the orientation of the polishing support (20) relative to the second axis (A2).
• Polishing machine according to one of propositions 30 to 34, characterized in that the machine comprises a gripper (33) for distributing the pivoting stones (1), the gripper being arranged to feed the drum (31) by bringing one by one the pivot stones on the drum.
• Polishing machine according to one of propositions 30 to 35, characterized in that the diameter of the drum (31) is greater than 10 cm and/or in that the profile of the groove is U-shaped or rectangular, in particular without a chamfer at the bottom of the groove, to facilitate good retention of the pivoting stones in their vertical position relative to the drum (31).
• Polishing machine characterized in that it comprises a feed element (38) for depositing, on the polishing support (20), a suspension containing free abrasive particles ( 21).
• the invention is defined by the propositions which follow.
• Method for producing a watch component (1), in particular a pivot stone (1), comprising a hole (5) the method comprising:
• washing step comprises the use of a washing solution, in particular an aqueous solution or an alcoholic solution or an oily solution.
• the washing step comprises soaking the watch component (1) and the machining support (20) in the washing solution.
• Washing system (84) comprising material means (80, 81, 82, 83) for implementing the step of washing a watch component (1) while a machining support is housed in a hole in a watch component (1) according to the method according to one of proposals 38 to 46, in particular: - a housing (80), for example generally formed by two parts (81, 82) movable relative to each other and/or having a passage for the machining support, and
• Machining machine (30) comprising material means (20, 31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 84) for implementing the method according to one of proposals 38 to 46, in particular comprising a washing system (84) according to proposition 47.
• Watch component (1) in particular pivot stone (1), obtained by implementing the process according to one of proposals 38 to 46.
• Watch movement (100) comprising a watch component (1) according to proposition 49.
• Timepiece (200) comprising a watch component according to proposition 49 and/or a watch movement (100) according to proposition 50.
• the invention is defined by the propositions which follow.
• a first step of preparing the pivot stone (1) comprising an ablation of a first part of the pivot stone (1) including (i) a part of the surface (6) of the pivot hole (5), (ii) part of an external surface (7) of the pivot stone (1) and (iii) part of the volume between the surface (6) of the pivot hole and the external surface (7) in order to obtain a second part of the pivot stone (1), then - a second step of measuring the surface (6) of the pivot hole (5) located on the second part of the pivot stone (1).
• Determination method characterized in that the removal of the first part of the pivot stone is carried out along a plane passing through an axis (A1) of the pivot hole (5) or along a parallel plane to the axis (A1) of the pivot hole (5) and/or in that the first preparation step does not modify the surface (6) of the pivot hole (5) located on the second part of the stone of pivoting (1) but allows access.
• Determination method according to proposition 54 characterized in that a sub-step of assembling several pivoting stones (1) is implemented before ablation.
• Determination method according to one of propositions 52 to 55, characterized in that a sub-step of assembling one or more pivoting stones (1) on a support is implemented before ablation.
• Determination method according to proposition 59, characterized in that a sub-step of making an incision of the pivot stone (1) on one face (2, 4) of the pivot stone (1) is implemented before the breakage.
• Determination method characterized in that the breakage is carried out by applying a shock to a part of the pivot stone (1), the other part of the pivot stone being held on a support, the parts being delimited by the incision.
• Method according to one of propositions 52 to 63 characterized in that the second measuring step comprises a determination of a direction perpendicular to the main machining grooves (61) of the surface (6) of the pivot hole ( 5) of the pivot stone (1).
• Method according to proposition 64 characterized in that the second measuring step is a linear measurement in the direction perpendicular to the main machining grooves (61) of the surface (6) of the pivot hole (5) of the stone of pivoting (1). Unless there is a logical or technical incompatibility, all the characteristics of these different aspects can be combined with each other.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view and in longitudinal section of an embodiment of a pivoting stone according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of several pivot stones according to the invention being polished.
• Figure 3 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a polishing machine according to the invention.
• Figure 4 is a schematic top view of the embodiment of the polishing machine according to the invention.
• Figure 5 is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention.
• Figure 6 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention.
• FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of a washing system according to the invention.
• the applicant's work has shown that the surface condition of the pivoting zones is essential to guarantee the reliability of the watch movement, in particular to guarantee the reliability of the pivoting of the axes in the pivot stones.
• the applicant has noted that it is still possible to improve the wear resistance of the pivots, in particular by the elimination or delayed appearance of a black and viscous deposit capable of causing a loss of performance.
• the depth of the streaks is roughly controlled by choosing an abrasive capable of producing nanometric depths, for example resulting in a roughness Ra of less than 20nm, and
• the orientation of the streaks is roughly controlled with an orientation dispersion of plus or minus 0, with 0>O.2°, in particular with 0 of the order of 0.5°, around an average orientation.
• watch stones are a key component of watch movement reliability.
• the challenge is to obtain a suitable surface condition with optimal reproducibility on all the stones in a manufacturing batch as well as from one batch to another. This is all the more necessary as the Checking the surface condition of the pivot hole is very difficult to carry out and destructive.
• pivots in watch movements are ensured and produced by stones with straight or cylindrical holes. This is the case, for example, for large average, small average, second or even calendar mobile pivots.
• pivoting with an axis provided with a small diameter pivot is ensured by olive stones (i.e. whose pivoting hole has a oliving), while axes of larger diameter (above 0.15 mm, for example) are rotated in straight stones (i.e. with straight holes).
• the roughness measurements show that the stones obtained with the standard coarsening process have high roughnesses with an orientation of the residual polishing streaks in the axial direction (that is to say parallel to the axis of the hole).
• pivoting which is logical given the back and forth movement imposed on the stones in relation to the wire during the process).
• the manual process mentioned above makes it possible to improve the roughness but does not modify the axial orientation of the streaks.
• the inventors have, on the contrary, noted that it is necessary obtain not only the lowest possible roughness, but also an orientation of the residual polishing streaks in the orthoradial direction (to the axis of the pivot hole), in order to minimize the abrasion effects of the pivot stone on the axis that it is intended to receive.
• FIG. 1 An embodiment of a pivot stone 1 for a watch movement 100 is shown in Figure 1.
• the pivot stone 1 generally has a cylindrical shape with axis A1 and includes a pivot hole 5 along the axis A1.
• This pivot hole 5 comprises a surface 6, in particular a cylindrical surface 6 or substantially cylindrical 6, and is intended to pivot a watch component, such as a watch axis, or capable of pivoting around a watch component.
• pivot stone 1 is limited by:
• the pivoting stone may also have a recess 3 made on the upper face 2 and/or a recess made on the lower face 4.
• the pivoting stone may thus not have a recess, present a recess on one of the faces , present a recess on each of the faces, we still present a convex face or two convex faces.
• the diameter of the pivot hole 5 is less than 2.5 mm or less than 2 mm or less than 1.6 mm or less than 0.6 mm or less than 0.3 mm.
• the surface 6 has main polishing striations 61.
• the pivoting stone 1 is preferably made of technical ceramic, in particular corundum or spinel or zirconia or SiC or silica, or possibly other natural or synthetic stones such as diamond.
• the pivoting stone 1 can be made from polycrystalline or monocrystalline corundum, for example from ruby, in particular from alumina doped with Cr, for example from alumina doped with synthetic Cr, or even from alumina doped with monocrystalline Cr.
• the pivot stone 1 can also be made from an alumina-zirconia combination.
• the method of producing a pivoting stone 1 for a watch movement 100 makes it possible to obtain a surface condition inside the pivoting hole 5 of the stone, in particular at the level of the surface 6 , which has the lowest possible roughness and an orientation of the roughness, that is to say an orientation of the main striations, in the direction of the relative movement between the stone and the watch component, in particular the axis, which it is intended to receive.
• This orientation is therefore in an orthoradial direction relative to the axis A1. It has been observed that this orientation makes it possible to minimize the effects of abrasion and therefore wear at the level of the contact between the pivoting stone and the watch component, in particular the axis.
• the polishing is a three-body polishing illustrated in Figure 2. This polishing is carried out using a free abrasive 21 (in particular diamond grains of determined diameter, suspended in an aqueous or oily base) which rolls between the pivot stone and a polishing support 20 of suitable geometry, in particular a wire.
• the wire may be a metal wire, in particular a metal wire of constant diameter.
• This three-body polishing makes it possible to obtain a neat surface finish and low roughness, as opposed to two-body polishing where the abrasive is fixed on the polishing support and scratches the surface.
• the pivot stone must be kept straight in relation to the polishing support, c that is to say that the axis A1 must be kept parallel to the surface of the polishing support 20 and therefore prevent the stone from getting in the way and/or the axis of the hole in the stone from having an angle not zero compared to the polishing support.
• the stone 1 is threaded onto the polishing support 20, which is covered or loaded regularly with the abrasive 21.
• the stone is pressed by a force applied to the polishing support 20 against a roller or drum 31, which serves as a support surface and as a means of driving the stone into rotation.
• the pivot stone 1 is therefore driven relative to the polishing support 20 by contact (rolling) on its peripheral face 7.
• a furrow 32 (or groove 32) is made on the roller with a well-chosen width, depth, shape and pitch of the furrow.
• the width of the furrow is chosen to guide the stone well, preventing it from becoming slanted, and is determined essentially by the thickness of the stone, taking into account a certain clearance.
• the width The width of the furrow is at least 50 ⁇ m greater than the nominal thickness e of the stone, for example greater than 80 to 100 ⁇ m.
• the depth p of the furrow must allow good guidance of the stone and good positioning of the wire above the roller, with a certain clearance j1 between the wire and the exterior surface of the roller, typically a clearance of at least 200 pm, notably a game between 200 and 400 pm. For example, for a stone with a diameter of 1.2 mm and a hole of 0.2 mm, the depth p of the furrow could be 0.12 mm.
• the profile of the furrow preferably has a rectangular shape (U-shaped or rectangular profile in a longitudinal plane passing through the axis A2), in particular a rectangular shape without broken corners or chamfer at the bottom of the furrow, to facilitate good hold of the stone in its vertical position relative to roller 31.
• the pitch of the furrow could be zero, meaning that each stone would be placed in an individual furrow perfectly perpendicular to the axis of the roller. However, it is much more favorable from an industrial point of view to make a furrow in a helical shape, therefore with a non-zero pitch, which allows the stone to be advanced little by little along the roller when it is rotated.
• the pitch of the furrow can be at least once the width La of the furrow, for example typically 1.5 times the width La of the furrow, for example 0.6 mm for a furrow width of 0.4 mm.
• the pitch also determines the total distance traveled by the stone on the roller: it is advantageous to choose a not as low as possible to maximize the distance and therefore the processing or polishing time.
• the diameter of the polishing support is chosen according to the diameter of the hole in the stone, in particular so as to leave a clearance j2 between the stone and the polishing support 20 while maintaining good tensile strength and limiting the inclination of the stone.
• the clearance j2 is between 5 pm and 20 pm and is for example 10 pm.
• the axis of the polishing support must be very precisely oriented in relation to the furrow.
• the axis of the polishing support must be perpendicular to the orientation of the groove (or be as close as possible). It is therefore necessary to accurately compensate the groove helix angle.
• the required adjustment precision is ⁇ 0.1°.
• the polishing machine or the equipment used to carry out such polishing therefore has a particular construction, with a means allowing such precise adjustment to be carried out. This amounts to tilting an axis A2 of the roller relative to an axis A3 of the polishing support, which axis A3 is parallel to the axis A1 of the pivot holes during polishing.
• This compensation angle a corresponds to the angle of the helix of the groove 32.
• the axis A3 of the polishing support and the axis A1 of the pivoting holes must be perpendicular to the tangent to the helix of the groove 32.
• the axis A3 of the polishing support and the axis A1 of the pivoting holes must be perpendicular to the osculating plane of the propeller of the groove 32 at the level of the contact between the pivoting stone and the groove 32.
• the compensation angle is 0.044°.
• the propeller preferably has a helix angle of less than 0.1° or less than 0.05°. This requires great adjustment precision. In practice, a first adjustment is carried out on the basis of the theoretical value, then a fine adjustment (of the order of a hundredth of a degree) is carried out so as to eliminate any trace of oliveing (i.e. at keep the hole as cylindrical as possible, or minimize the difference in diameter between the center and the edges of the hole) on the stone obtained.
• the axis A1 of the hole 5 of the pivoting stone 1 is parallel to the axis A3 of the polishing support, and/or that the angle between the axis A1 of the hole in the pivoting stone and the axis A3 of the polishing support is as small as possible, in particular less than 0.5°. For this, very good precision in adjusting the compensation angle between axis A3 of the polishing support and axis A2 of drum 31 is necessary.
• polishing process according to the invention is implemented with stones placed on a polishing support and with a roller on which a helical groove is machined, which makes it possible to advance each stone during polishing.
• the differences are numerous and significant:
• the aim of olive milling is to locally machine the hole, and in particular the emerging ends of the hole, so as to obtain a rounded profile of the hole (the aim of olive milling is to minimize the contact surface between the (pin and pivot hole).
• Olive milling is therefore a different type of machining from polishing.
• the quantity of material removed during olive cutting is significant, with the minimum diameter of the hole typically increasing by several micrometers during olive pressing. In the case of olives, the difference between the minimum diameter of the hole before and after olive cutting is typically 2 pm, and is even higher at the ends of the hole (determined according to the axial direction of the stone). Olive work therefore makes it possible to bring the minimum diameter of the hole to the nominal dimension.
• the diameter of the pivot hole is at its nominal value before the polishing step implemented in the process of producing a stone. It is estimated that the difference in diameter is less than 0.1 pm between (i) the state before implementation of the polishing process and (ii) the state after implementation of the process.
• the aim of the polishing process according to the invention is to reduce the peak-to-trough height of the striations produced during drilling and/or enlargement operations by removing as little material as possible, so as to reduce the roughness, trim the roughness and also orient the roughness in the direction favorable to the movement of the component guided by the pivot hole during pivoting.
• the angle between the polishing support and the orientation of the furrows is not compensated but exaggerated when producing an olive, with a value typically of the order of 5 to 10°, or even 30°, which allows the stones to be inclined relative to the axis of the polishing support in order to break the edges of the edges of the hole and create the rounded profile inside the hole. Precise control of the angle is not important for olive work.
• the axis of the hole of the pivoting stones is not parallel to the axis of the polishing support, but has a marked inclination, for example an angle of the order of 5 to 10°.
• the intersection of the roller cylinder with the vertical plane which includes the polishing support forms an ellipse, which causes the stone to "rise” on the first half of the roller, then " descends” on the second half of the roller, with a tilt of its inclination at the top, which makes it possible to produce a regular and symmetrical profile.
• the shape of the furrow is preferably V instead of a U or rectangular shape, to facilitate the skewing and inclination of the stone.
• the olive is carried out after the machining of the recess, because this makes it possible to obtain an olive which is directly centered in relation to the emerging ends of the hole, and it is easier to tilt the stone into the groove with a shorter hole length.
• the step of polishing the hole is therefore preferably carried out before the possible machining of the recess and before the possible polishing of the upper and lower faces.
• the digging and polishing steps are therefore preferably reversed with the polishing process according to the invention compared to an olive process.
• the method of producing a pivot stone 1 for a watch movement 100 comprises a first polishing step in which:
• the pivoting stone 1 is driven in a rotary movement along the axis A1 relative to the polishing support 20 which is returned towards the surface 6 of the pivoting hole 5 to be polished. This reminder allows direct or indirect contact action (via the abrasive particles) of the polishing support 20 against the surface 6.
• the pivoting stone 1 is held in position relative to the polishing support 20 by contact with the peripheral face 7 of the pivoting stone 1 on the bottom of groove 32.
• face 7 extends parallel or substantially parallel to the first axis A1.
• the polishing support is a wire whose axis A3 is substantially parallel to the axis A1, and the angle between the axis of the support of polishing A3 and the axis A1 of the stone hole is less than 0.5°.
• the pivoting stone 1 is driven in a right rotary or helical movement along the axis A1 relative to the polishing support 20, and/or
• a helical movement is produced with a helix angle less than 0.5°
• the angle between the axis A1 and the axis of the polishing support A3 is less than 0.5°, and/or
• polishing machine makes it possible to implement the method industrial polishing on large batches of stones (several thousand, even tens of thousands of pieces), in a reproducible and repeatable manner.
• the machine allows the simultaneous polishing of several stones.
• the main elements of one embodiment of the polishing machine are shown schematically in Figures 3 and 4.
• the polishing machine mainly comprises:
• the polishing machine further includes:
• an actuator 40 comprising a motor and allowing the roller to rotate relative to the frame 39 around the axis A2,
• module 34 for adjusting the position of the polishing support relative to the roller in order to maintain a constant distance between the polishing support and the roller over the entire length of the roller.
• the polishing support can be maintained at the correct tension to ensure that the support force of the stones on the roller is constant.
• the tension adjustment module 36 can be produced simply and effectively by an adjustable weight fixed at the end of the polishing support and therefore exerting a calibrated traction on the polishing support.
• the distribution module 37 can for example include clamps 33 making it possible to ensure such uniform distribution.
• the dimensions of the roll can be:
• Module 35 for adjusting the angle a between the axes A2 and A3 allows very fine adjustment of the angle to ensure perpendicularity between:
• the adjustment module 35 therefore makes it possible to ensure, through the adjustment of the angle a, the perpendicularity between the axis A3 of the polishing support and the tangent to the helix of the groove.
• the adjustment module 35 makes it possible to ensure, through the adjustment of the angle a, the perpendicularity between the axis A3 of the polishing support and the osculating plane of the helix of the groove at the level of the contact between the pivoting stone and the groove 32.
• the adjustment module 35 comprises a plate which carries the roller 31 and the actuator 40 and which is adjustable relative to the frame 39 which carries the polishing support 20.
• the module 35 adjustment further comprises a rolling coupling which allows adjustment of the angle a with a precision of the order of 1/100°, or even ⁇ 1/100°. This adjustment is carried out for example using a mechanical slide system also part of the adjustment module 35.
• the adjustment of the angle a is carried out initially to the theoretical value, in particular to the theoretical value of the angle of the propeller, then adjustment stones are made.
• the angle is then adjusted if the pivot hole of the stones made is not cylindrical, and/or if a variation in diameter is detected along the pivot holes of the stones made, and/or if the presence of an arrow is detected (for example an arrow greater than 0.5 pm) along the pivot holes of the stones produced, and/or if a significant portion of the surface of the pivot hole of the stones produced is not modified (polished) by the process .
• the aim is to remove areas and traces of the drilling or enlarging operation over the entire length of the pivot hole. When the axis A1 of the hole in the stone is parallel to the polishing support, the entire surface 6 of the hole, going from the lower face 4 to the upper face 2 of the stone, is uniformly polished or substantially uniformly polished. .
• the polishing support In relation to the roller, it is important that the polishing support is in contact with the hole of the stones. Precise adjustment of the position of the polishing support, in particular of the angle of the axis of the polishing support relative to the surface of the roller, is not necessary, since it is guided by the stones and held in place. position by the tension applied to the polishing support.
• the depth of the furrow should not be too great to keep the polishing support away from the roller, but sufficient to ensure good guidance of the stone and avoid vibrations.
• the important thing is that the stone is well supported on the bottom of the furrow with the force exerted by the polishing support also allowing uniform polishing.
• the speed of the roller is between 800 and 1500 rpm and is typically 1200 rpm. With a roller diameter of around 25 cm and a stone diameter of typically 1 mm, this results in a very high stone rotation speed, of the order of 300,000 rpm or even 5' 000 rpm (assuming that the stone does not slide on the roller).
• the rotation speed is therefore much higher than the speed of advance of the stone on the polishing support: at the level of the hole, for a hole diameter of 0.2 mm for example, the speed at the point of contact between the polishing support polishing and the hole is 3.15 m/s in the orthoradial direction relative to the axis A1, against 9.2 mm/s in the axial direction relative to the axis A1, or more than 300 times higher.
• the angle of the polishing grooves relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis A1 is in this case of the order of 0.2°, which is negligible.
• the speed of the pivoting stone 1 at the level of contact with the polishing support 20 and in the orthoradial direction relative to the axis A1 relative to the polishing support 20 can be between 1 m/s and 20 m/s, in particularly between 1 m/s and 10 m/s.
• Another advantageous element for the repeatability of the polishing process according to the invention is to ensure good separation of the stones on the roller, preventing the stones from sticking together during treatment, with a constant spacing of one stone to another. This ensures equal support force from stone to stone and along the roller.
• a solution to ensure good distribution is the use, in the distribution module 37, of precision gripping means, in particular pliers, which take and then release exactly one stone at a time and at identical intervals on the polishing support and the roller.
• the polishing support advances at very low speed along axis A1 relative to the roller to advance the stones to the distribution module.
• the feed speed is typically of the order of one stone thickness per distribution period.
• the module is set to distribute one stone every 6 seconds on the roller, and the thickness of the stone is 0.315 mm, the resulting feed speed of the polishing support is typically of the order of 0.2 mph.
• the forward movement is not useful for the structure of the pivot stone obtained by the production process. This movement is only necessary to obtain progression of the pivoting stone outside of the roller 31 in the described mode of execution of the production process.
• a reliable distribution module which ensures the correct advance of the polishing support and the correct distribution of the stones, is an advantageous element so that each stone has the required surface finish in the pivot hole.
• the implementation of the process must be robust and repeatable because the control of the surface state is destructive as it is and is therefore difficult or not routinely carried out on stones or on a sample of stones during the stone manufacturing process.
• a machine 30 for polishing pivot holes 5 of pivot stones 1 for watch movement 100 comprises the drum 31 driven in rotation around the axis A2 and having the groove 32 which forms a helix on the drum 31, the groove 32 ensuring both
• the polishing process makes it possible on the one hand to orient the polishing lines or striations of the surface of the pivot hole orthoradially relative to the axis A1 of the pivot hole 5 This orientation is much more favorable because it coincides with the orientation of the movement of the component, in particular of the pivot, guided. in the stone, compared to the stone, and thus avoids a “file” effect which causes faster wear of the pivot.
• the polishing process one mode of execution of which has been described above, makes it possible to obtain low roughnesses in a repeatable manner, with values which can be less than 5 nm for optimized conditions. As the orientation of the lines is orthoradial relative to the axis A1, a measurement of the roughness in the orthoradial direction is not relevant, and the values given are measured in the axial direction.
• the method described above can also be applied to pivot stones produced by other processes or process steps, such as for example stones produced by pressing, and/or with hollowing carried out by laser machining, and/or with other elements such as a clearance zone as described in document WO2021032552A1.
• the above method can also be applied to other watch components comprising a hole, in particular a cylindrical hole, such as a tube, such as for example a ceramic tube or a metal tube, or a watch component such as a pavement.
• a method of producing a watch component 1 may comprise a step of polishing or machining the hole 5 by abrasion using free abrasive particles 21 relative to the machining support 20 rolling between the surface 6 of the hole to be machined and the machining support 20 housed in the hole, and/or using abrasive particles capable of being released from the machining support, the component being driven in a rotary movement along the axis of the hole relative to the polishing or machining support.
• a pivot stone 1 for a watch movement 100 comprising a hole of pivot 5, in particular a cylindrical pivot hole, having a first axis A1 and capable of pivoting a watch component or capable of pivoting around a watch component.
• the pivot hole comprises a surface 6 having main abrasion machining grooves 61, in particular main polishing grooves, oriented substantially orthoradially relative to the first axis A1.
• the orientation of a streak is the orientation of its length or greatest dimension, and can be determined by inspection of an image, or even by using surface texture determination procedures such as described below.
• the machining process described neither the number of machining grooves, nor their geometry, nor their location is controlled, but the process results in a preferential orientation which is substantially orthoradial relative to the axis A1 of the hole.
• the main machining and/or polishing grooves 61 advantageously have an average helix angle of less than 1° or less than 0.5° or, more generally, are such that:
• - a plane perpendicular to axis A1 are parallel or form an angle between them of less than 1° or less than 0.5°.
• the main machining and/or polishing grooves 61 are parallel or substantially parallel to the plane perpendicular to the axis A1. In other words still, the main machining and/or polishing grooves 61 (or their tangents) form an angle less than 1° or less than 0.5° relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis A1.
• the roughness Ra of the surface 6, in particular the roughness Ra of the surface 6 measured parallel to the first axis A1 or perpendicular to the main streaks 61, is less than 20 nm or less than 10 nm.
• the profile of the surface 6 of the pivot hole 5, along a plane passing through the axis A1 can be:
• the pivoting stone 1 is intended to:
• the watch component can be in particular:
• a mobile of a finishing gear such as a center mobile or a large average or a small average or a seconds mobile, or
• pivoting stone 1 is intended to:
• the watch component 98 or the other watch component may in particular be a mobile of a finishing train, such as a center mobile, a large average or a small average or a seconds mobile.
• two pivot stones can be used to guide the watch component relative to the frame 99 or relative to another watch component.
• the pivot stone 1 is intended to receive, in the pivot hole 5, a tenon of a watch component 98, such as a seesaw.
• a watch component 98 such as a seesaw.
• the pivoting stone is used as a roller and its external surface 7 is intended to roll on another watch component.
• the external surface 7 is in this case intended to come:
• the external surface 7 may not be cylindrical. It can, for example, be generally frustoconical. Furthermore, it can present, in a plane perpendicular to the axis A1, a convex, or concave, or complex profile such as for example a cam profile.
• the invention also relates to a watch component comprising a hole, in particular a cylindrical hole, such as a tube, such as for example a ceramic tube or a metal tube, or a watch component such as a roadway.
• the pivot hole comprising a surface having main abrasive machining grooves, in particular main polishing grooves, oriented substantially orthoradially relative to the axis of the hole.
• the invention also relates to a watch movement 100 comprising at least one pivot stone as mentioned above, in particular at least two pivot stones as mentioned above and/or comprising a watch component 98 comprising a pivot stone 1 as mentioned above, and/or comprising a component as mentioned above.
• the invention also relates to a timepiece 200, in particular a wristwatch, comprising:
• Confocal laser scanning microscopy allows precise measurement of surface roughness even at low magnification, complying with standards ISO 25178 (surface roughness) and ISO 4287 (linear roughness).
• the surface roughness measurement takes an average over the surface and is relevant when the surface state is uniform and non-directional, but is less suitable in the present case of application where the notion of roughness orientation is present. It is therefore appropriate to consider the linear roughness Ra, i.e. the arithmetic mean deviation of the evaluated profile.
• the preferential orientation of roughness can be quantified by considering the parameters Str and Std.
• the Str parameter sometimes referred to as "isotropy" is a measure of the uniformity of surface texture and takes a value between 0 and 1 without units, depending on the definition of the standard. If the surface has the same characteristics in all directions (isotropic surface), the Str value will be close to 1, while a strongly anisotropic or textured surface will have a Str value close to 0.
• the surface is anisotropic (Str value close to 0)
• Std parameter it is interesting to determine the preferential direction of the texture, expressed by the Std parameter.
• An interesting tool for this purpose is the polar spectrum, i.e. the Fourier spectrum integrated in polar coordinates.
• the angle that corresponds to the strongest spectrum corresponds to the main texture direction, and the main direction of the spectrum gives the parameter Std, which is the trigonometric angle of this main direction from a reference axis of the image. It is therefore important to always orient the images in the same way relative to this reference axis.
• it is preferable to carry out these measurements by excluding the edges of the image or component, to plan the surface to remove shape effects and if possible to have a suitable acquisition step and an image size square.
• This preferential orientation of the roughness, quantified by the parameters Str and Std, and in particular the preferential direction of the texture expressed by the parameter Std which is the trigonometric angle of this main direction from a reference axis of the image, corresponds to the orientation of the main striations which determine the roughness of the surface.
• the main striations are oriented substantially orthoradially relative to the first axis A1 if the trigonometric angle of the preferential direction of the texture as expressed by the parameter Std is substantially a right angle relative to the first axis A1.
• a device equipped with a confocal diaphragm optical system can be used, for example, such as the VKX-1 100 device from the company Keyence.
• the key parameters are resolution in vertical direction and lateral resolution, and a 50x objective with an aperture of 0.95 used on the aforementioned device achieves optimal optical resolution with a sufficient working distance to measure the area of interest stones prepared according to the process described below.
• the measurement is taken in the central area of the stone.
• the length of the segment is chosen according to the ISO 4287 standard, and, for example, 30 different segments are measured successively, each segment being cut into five sub-segments according to the standard to minimize the effect of the profile shape.
• the measuring segments are oriented perpendicular to the residual polishing striations 61, and/or perpendicular to the preferential direction of the texture expressed by the parameter Std, so as to obtain a characteristic measurement of the roughness.
• the measuring segments are oriented in the orthoradial direction when the residual machining or polishing lines are oriented in the axial direction (as for example after enlargement), and the measuring segments are oriented in the direction axial when the residual machining or polishing lines 61 are oriented in the orthoradial direction (as for example after the polishing process according to the invention described above).
• the roughness values obtained can of course vary with the equipment and measurement technique used.
• the values indicated in this document were all acquired on a confocal laser scanning microscopy device, at a magnification of 50x, by measuring 30 segments and calculating the roughness Ra.
• To carry out a measurement one can for example place half a stone from the preparation described below in a vice, then focus in the measurement zone, for example successively with the different objectives until arriving sharp image at 50x magnification.
• An image definition of 2048x1536 pixels can be used with a step between segments of 0.10 pm.
• the segment length can be 65 pm with 30 lines spaced 2 pm apart.
• Roughness is measured in the direction perpendicular to the residual machining or polishing grooves. According to the standard, the measurement of roughness Ra is valid if and only if the ratio between the standard deviation and the Ra value obtained is strictly less than 0.2.
• the residual polishing streaks are oriented in the orthoradial direction, the measurement lines are oriented in the axial direction and the measured roughness is 4.0 ⁇ 1.6 nm.
• the surface texture is pronounced in both cases, with a comparable Str (isotropy) value close to 0.
• the isotropy (Str) is, however, always strictly greater than 0, notably greater than 1%. It is of the order of 20% for the standard enlargement process, compared to less than 10%, or even less than 3%, for the process according to the invention.
• the method according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a roughness Ra of less than 5nm with a preferential orientation of the texture of 90° +/- 0.5° relative to a direction parallel to the axis of the hole and a greater isotropy at 1% and less than 10%, notably less than 3%.
• the measurement process described above can be used for all types of stones, and also for olive stones.
• the goal of olive milling is to achieve a rounded pivot hole profile, not a straight pivot hole profile.
• the edges of the hole are softened and an arrow (difference in diameter between the center and the edges of the hole) is measurable, of at least 3 pm, more typically of at least 5 pm.
• This deflection value is not specified on the plans, because no possibility of measuring this characteristic was available until now, and the presence of the olive is usually noted only by visual inspection, by the oval shape of the reflection in the hole.
• the value of the arrow will also depend on the diameter and length of the hole.
• the edges of the hole are well defined, and the deflection of the hole profile is 0.175 pm.
• the measured deflection was between 0.1 and 0.2 pm, over the 150 pm distance from the chimney of the hole.
• the deflection can be even lower because the length of the hole can be reduced by possible digging.
• the measurement method described above can also be applied to other watch components comprising a hole, such as a tube, such as for example a ceramic tube or a metal tube, or a watch component such as a roadway.
• a hole such as a tube, such as for example a ceramic tube or a metal tube, or a watch component such as a roadway.
• the geometry of the stones makes the quantitative measurement of the surface condition 6 of the pivot hole 5 very delicate. This surface is only directly visible in strongly tilting the stone, and measurement on an inclined and/or confined surface is difficult.
• one mode of execution of a phase of preparation of a pivot stone 1 comprises an ablation of a first part of the pivot stone 1 including a part of the surface 6 of the pivot hole 5, as well as 'a part of the external surface 7 and a part of the volume between the surface 6 of the pivot hole and the external surface 7, in order to obtain a second part of the pivot stone 1.
• This phase of preparing a stone makes it possible to obtain, quickly and reproducibly, a measurable element with direct and unobstructed access to an area of the surface 6 to be measured.
• the representation in Figure 1 can constitute a good image of the second part of stone obtained by the preparation process.
• the removal of the first part of the pivoting stone can be carried out along the plane passing through the axis A1 of the pivoting hole 5 or along a plane parallel to the axis A1 of the pivoting hole 5.
• the aim is to allow direct access to an entire profile of the surface of the pivot hole in the axial direction, in particular access with a light or laser beam perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to said profile.
• a first method involves removing material from part of the stone, in particular by abrasion. This method is particularly interesting when a certain quantity of stones from the same source must be checked, for example a sampling check of 20 pieces out of a batch of 1000 pieces. The quality of the abraded part is not important because it is not measured. However, it is necessary to ensure that the cutting process does not alter the samples at the hole level.
• a grinding process is for example adapted to be able to quickly prepare the parts by cutting. To position the stones at the same level and protect the pivot hole, in particular to avoid the presence of coating resin in the hole if such a resin is used, it is favorable to thread the stones on a wire with a very large diameter.
• a threading thread made of Nylon or other polymer.
• a wire which leaves a clearance greater than 10 pm and to melt the ends to plug the hole in the stones at the ends, which ensures the absence of pollution in the hole.
• a metal wire for example brass, particularly for small diameter wires, for example for diameters less than 0.2 mm. With a metal wire, it is important that the wire is well adjusted to the diameter of the hole to prevent the potting resin from penetrating the hole and making subsequent measurement impossible.
• the coating has been completed, it is easy to grind the stones, for example until there is a difference in height of the order of the radius of the hole, for example 0.2mm, between the bottom of the hole and the cutting face or the abraded face to have easy access to the area to be measured for the measuring instrument.
• the wire can remain in place throughout the grinding stage and only be removed just before cleaning and measuring. Stones can be aligned, with surfaces to be measured at comparable heights, in a configuration that lends itself well to automated measurement. Series of several dozen, or even a few hundred stones, can thus be measured automatically. Thus, a sub-step of assembling several pivoting stones 1 can be implemented before ablation.
• a second method is particularly suitable for the preparation of individual stones, for example single stones, in particular stones taken apart from a movement blank.
• This second method consists of performing a breakage ablation.
• the procedure allows simple, repeatable cutting of the stone to access the interior walls of watchmaking stones, including synthetic rubies, for roughness measurement.
• the principle is to incise the stone on one of the upper or lower faces (for example on a non-excavated face) with a diamond tool, such as a diamond chisel or a diamond point, in order to create an initial fracture and then break the stone by a small shock.
• the stones are, if necessary, dusted and cleaned, for example by washing in an aqueous phase or with a solvent.
• the flat side of the stone is first placed on the operator side and is incised with a diamond tool.
• the incised stone is then positioned to apply a small shock, for example with a hard metal riveting point placed on a bracket.
• a light blow for example applied with a watchmaker's hammer on the stem of the stem, allows the stone to break according to the beginning of rupture.
• the stones can be held on a stand or a vice or any other support or means suitable for holding them in place.
• the two half-stones are then collected, possibly cleaned to remove any residue or particles, then measured. Note that this method by incision and impact breakage produces much less particles and debris than traditional wire cutting. This second method is also repeatable and does not depend on the dexterity of the person carrying it out.
• the stone or batch of stones could also be cut with a saw or wire.
• This third method is, however, less favorable given the risk of chipping induced by cutting in areas close to the surface to be measured.
• a method makes it possible to determine the roughness of the surface 6 of the pivot hole 5 of the pivot stone 1. This process includes:
• the preparation of the stone, and in particular the removal of a first part of the pivot stone does not modify the pivot surface located on the second part of the pivot stone, so that the roughness measurement obtained is well representative of the surface condition of the pivot hole obtained following the production, in particular following machining and polishing, of the watch component.
• the preparation process described above can be used for all types of stones, and also for olive stones.
• the preparation process can also be applied to other watch components comprising a hole, such as a tube, for example a ceramic tube or a metal tube, or a watch component such as a roadway.
• the invention also relates to the washing of a watch component.
• a mode of execution of a step of washing the watch component 1 and the machining support 20 while the machining support is housed in the hole of the watch component 1 is described below in detail.
• This washing step is advantageously implemented in the process for producing the pivot stone described above and comprising a step of polishing the pivot hole.
• a washing step can be implemented in any process for producing a watch component comprising a hole, the process comprising:
• the washing step can also be applied to a process for producing an olive stone after the olive machining step.
• abrasive particles can get stuck in the pivot hole and cause streaks in the axial direction when unthreading or when extracting the component from the machining support. These lines or streaks deteriorate the surface condition of the hole, causing significant roughness oriented in the axial direction and/or possibly breaking the regularity of the rounding of the olive, which is not desired.
• washing or cleaning can be carried out in different ways, for example in an aqueous or solvent medium, with or without detergent, with or without ultrasound, or by blowing water vapor, or by cleaning with water or a solvent. .
• This cleaning can be carried out directly on the equipment for cleaning the stones directly at the outlet of the roller 31, or outside the equipment once the machining support has been dismantled.
• washing is carried out using a flow of fluid allowing the abrasive particles used during machining or polishing to be carried away.
• the fluid may be a washing solution, in particular an aqueous solution or an alcoholic solution or an oily solution.
• the washing step may include soaking the watch component 1 and the machining support 20 in a washing solution. Soaking may include emitting ultrasound into the wash solution.
• the washing step may include spraying the watch component 1 and the machining support 20 with a washing solution.
• the washing step may include blowing a gas or water vapor.
• a washing system 84 can be placed just after the roller.
• the washing step can be carried out directly on the machining machine, in particular on the polishing machine which made it possible to carry out the step of machining the hole by abrasion.
• the washing system 84 may be part of the machining machine 30. This washing system makes it possible to wash or clean the stones and the machining support immediately after polishing or olive milling or any other machining.
• the washing system advantageously comprises nozzles 83 and/or channels for projecting a washing fluid, such as a washing solution.
• these nozzles and/or these channels are arranged so as to produce jets directed both in the direction of advance and in the opposite direction to the advance of the stone on the machining support, cleaning the stone first on both sides, then in the direction of advance at the end of the washing system for its exit from the washing system.
• the washing system is advantageously designed so as to form a housing 80 in two parts 81, 82 so that it can be partially opened, for example to place a new machining support or adjust the position of the washing system relative to the support machining and the rest of the machine.
• the washing system 84 can take the form of a housing 80 as shown in Figure 7. This housing 80 can be crossed right through by the assembly consisting of the watch component 1 and the machining support 20 The housing 80 therefore has a passage for the machining support.
• the washing step can be carried out after removal of the assembly consisting of:
• the assembly consisting of the watch component 1 and the machining support 20 is dismantled from the machining machine, then the assembly constituted by the watch component 1 and the machining support 20 is washed, then the watch component 1 is dismantled or separated from the machining support 20, in particular the machining support 20 is removed from the hole in the watch component 1.
• a process for producing a watch component 1 can include:

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• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Finish Polishing, Edge Sharpening, And Grinding By Specific Grinding Devices (AREA)

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• 2023
  • 2023-11-16 EP EP23805625.3A patent/EP4619829A1/de active Pending
  • 2023-11-16 CH CH001282/2023A patent/CH720235A2/fr unknown
  • 2023-11-16 WO PCT/EP2023/082151 patent/WO2024105214A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2023-11-16 CN CN202380090248.9A patent/CN120457396A/zh active Pending

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