JP2003096592A - External parts for timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide external parts for timepieces which greatly expand color variations by applying coating thereto. SOLUTION: The external parts for timepieces are formed with a coating film 6 on a ground surface plating layer 4 or an intermediate finish plating layer. As a result, the color variations can be expanded by changing the colors of the coating film 6. The luster, color tone, and brightness of the coating film 6 can be set by the luster and hue of the ground surface plating layer 4 or the intermediate finish plating layer. The color variations can be expanded by changing the color tones even of the external parts for timepieces undergoing a countermeasure against metal allergies.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a timepiece exterior component made of a zinc cast material, and more particularly to Ni.
The present invention relates to a product that is surface-treated by plating that does not contain metal and that is finished by painting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, cases, register rings,
Zinc cast is often used for exterior parts for watches such as bands. This watch exterior component is made of a zinc cast material, and is plated with several types of plating to enhance its corrosion resistance and decorativeness.
It was completed.

The plating layer formed on the surface of the material is a first plating layer formed by Cu plating for the purpose of preventing rust on the surface of the material, and a Cu layer formed on the first plating layer. A second plating layer was formed by Ni plating for the purpose of preventing rust, and a base plating layer was constituted by these. In addition, a finish plating layer formed by applying Pd plating, Au plating, or Au plating on Pd plating for the purpose of providing a noble metal-like decorative property is formed on the base plating layer. .

[0004]

As in the above-mentioned prior art, in the case of a zinc cast material, an undercoat is applied mainly for the purpose of preventing the material from rusting, thereby improving the corrosion resistance of the undercoat and providing high decorativeness. It had been finish plated to give it a luster. For this reason, the color tone of the appearance is almost determined by the color of the finish plating. For example, finishing with Pd plating gives a white metallic color, and finishing with Au plating gives a golden metallic color. The challenge was to expand the variations.

Further, in recent years, as one measure against metal allergies, it is urgently necessary to commercialize a product that does not use Ni metal that causes allergic symptoms. When such measures against metal allergies are taken, it is more difficult to expand the color variation by metal plating because the kinds of metals used are limited.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and provides an exterior part for a timepiece in which the color variation is greatly expanded by applying a coating.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exterior part for a timepiece, wherein a zinc cast material is made of Cu.
A first plating layer formed by plating,
Cu-Sn alloy plating or Cu on the first plating layer
A base plating layer formed of a second plating layer formed by plating —Sn—Zn alloy, and a coating film formed by coating the base plating layer. . In this timepiece exterior component, the first plating layer has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, the second plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 4 μm, and the coating film has a thickness of 5 to 20 μm.
It has a thickness of μm.

Further, as described in claim 3, the timepiece exterior component of the present invention comprises a first plating layer formed by subjecting a zinc cast material to Cu plating, and the first plating layer. Cu-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Z on top
C on the second plating layer formed by performing n-alloy plating and the second plating layer subjected to honing
A base plating layer including a third plating layer formed by applying u-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating, and a coating film formed by applying coating on the base plating layer And have. In this exterior component for a watch, the first plating layer has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, the second plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 10 μm, and the third plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 10 μm. And the coating film has a thickness of 5 to 20 μm.

Further, as described in claim 5, the timepiece exterior component of the present invention comprises a first plating layer formed by subjecting a zinc cast material to Cu plating, and the first plating layer. A second plating layer formed by applying Cu satin plating on the upper surface, and Cu-S on the second plating layer
an undercoat plating layer comprising a third plating layer formed by performing n-alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating, and a coating film formed by applying coating on the undercoat plating layer, have. In this exterior component for a watch, the first plating layer has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, the second plating layer has a thickness of 7 to 12 μm, and the third plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 5 μm. And the coating film has a thickness of 5 to 20 μm. The Cu satin plating in the timepiece exterior component is a composite plating in which solid fine particles are mixed with Cu plating.

As described in claim 8, between the base plating layer and the coating film in the timepiece exterior component,
An intermediate finish plating layer formed by applying Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or alloy plating of these metals is provided. The intermediate finish plating layer in this timepiece exterior component has a thickness of 0.1 μm or less.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the timepiece exterior component of the present invention, a coating film is formed on a base plating layer or an intermediate finish plating layer. When the coating film is formed in this way,
It is possible to greatly expand the color variation by changing the color of the coating film. Further, the gloss and color tone of the coating film can be variously set depending on the gloss and color tone of the base plating layer and the intermediate finish plating layer.

Further, in the exterior part for a timepiece of the present invention, after the Cu plating is applied on the zinc cast material, C
Cu-S when u-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating is applied, or when matte finish is used to suppress gloss
Honing the layer formed by n alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating, and then further Cu-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating, or Cu satin plating on Cu plating The Cu-Sn alloy plating or the Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating is applied to form the base plating layer. The intermediate finish plating layer is formed by applying Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or an alloy plating of these metals.

As described above, in the present invention, since Ni metal is not used, it is possible to expand the variation by changing the color tone by providing the coating film while coping with metal allergy.

[0014]

EXAMPLES The construction of the timepiece exterior parts according to the examples of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment structure of a timepiece exterior component according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 2 is a material made of zinc cast, and 4 is a material 2.
Is a base plating layer formed on the surface of. The base plating layer 4 includes a first plating layer 4a formed by subjecting the surface of the material 2 to Cu plating, and Cu-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-plating on the first plating layer 4a. Z
The second plating layer 4b is formed by performing n-alloy plating.

Reference numeral 6 is a coating film formed by coating the base plating layer 4. The coating film 6 in this embodiment is formed by performing color coating such as spray coating, electrodeposition coating or metallic coating.

The first plating layer 4a formed by the Cu plating is provided to prevent corrosion of the material 2 and to improve the adhesion and gloss of the second plating layer 4b. The Cu plating forming the first plating layer 4a is
Cyan-based strike copper plating is followed by copper sulfate plating. The plating thickness at that time is
Strike copper plating is applied to 2 to 3 μm and then copper sulfate plating is applied to set the total thickness to 10 to 23 μm.

Cu is formed on the first plated layer 4a.
The second plating layer 4b formed by -Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating is provided in order to further improve the corrosion resistance of the first plating layer 4a and provide gloss. The thickness of the second plated layer 4b is set to 2 to 4 μm.

Further, the coating film 6 formed by coating is
It is formed to finish various colors.
The thickness is set to 20 μm.

In the above surface treatment structure, the first and second
The base plating layer 4 composed of the plating layers 4a and 4b of
Since it is provided for the purpose of preventing the corrosion of the material 2 and the lower plating layer, the evaluation test for the corrosion resistance and the like while changing the thickness of the first and second plating layers 4a and 4b. I went. Specifically, as a bending test for checking the adhesion of the plating, peeling of the plating when the first and second plating layers 4a and 4b are formed on the material 2 is bent at 360 degrees. I checked and confirmed.

Further, corrosion resistance tests such as an artificial sweat test for observing discoloration and a salt water spray test for observing rust formation were conducted. As an artificial sweat test, sodium chloride 9.9 g /
1, sodium sulfide 0.8 g / l, urea 1.9 g / l,
1.7 ml / l of lactic acid and 0.2 ml / l of ammonia water were mixed to prepare an artificial sweat composition liquid, which was immersed in a liquid temperature of 40 ° C. for 24 hours to confirm the discolored state.

Further, as a salt spray test, a 5% sodium chloride solution was sprayed for 8 hours at a liquid temperature of 35 ° C.,
The generation of rust was confirmed.

As a result of carrying out the above-mentioned tests, if a plating peel-off, discoloration or rust generation is not selected, the first plating layer 4a (Cu plating) has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm.
m, the second plating layer 4b (Cu-Sn alloy plating or C
It was confirmed that the range of 2 to 4 μm is suitable for u-Sn-Zn alloy plating. From the results of each test, the lower limit of each plating thickness can be confirmed as the lower limit of corrosion-free, and the upper limit of each plating thickness is not only the result of the above test, but also the plating cost and size. It is set by considering the management.

That is, the first plating layer 4 formed by Cu plating
In the case of a, the corrosion resistance is improved up to a plating thickness of 10 to 23 μm, but even if it is made thicker, no remarkable improvement in the corrosion resistance is recognized, and on the contrary, the plating cost increases and the dimensional control becomes difficult. The problem arises. Therefore, it was recognized that it is optimal to set the upper limit of the plating thickness to 23 μm. Further, the upper limit of the second plating layer 4b is similarly set. In the case of the second plated layer 4b, if it is formed too thick, cloudiness may occur in the color tone and the gloss may be lowered, so that the gloss is obtained while maintaining the corrosion resistance.

On the other hand, since the coating film 6 formed by coating is for coloring the surface, the thickness thereof is set in consideration of obtaining a desired color tone, guaranteeing corrosion resistance, and cost. As for the thickness of the coating film 6, of course, from the results of the above-mentioned tests, considering the discoloration and the corrosion resistance improved by providing the coating film 6, the lower limit of the film thickness is guaranteed and the discoloration does not occur. Set it to the value that could be confirmed as the lower limit, and set the upper limit of the film thickness to not only the result of the above test but also the film formation cost, dimensional control, gloss, etc. There is.

As described above, the first plating layer 4a formed by Cu plating is formed to a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, and Cu-S is formed.
A second plating layer 4b formed by n-alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating is formed to a thickness of 2 to 4 μm, and a coating film 6 formed by painting is formed to a thickness of 5 to 20 μm to prevent metal allergies. However, it is possible to obtain sufficient corrosion resistance, and further it is possible to form a timepiece exterior component having various colors.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second plating layer 4b of the base plating layer 4 and the coating film 6 are formed.
By providing an intermediate finish plating layer 8 formed by plating Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, or an alloy of these metals between the above and, it is possible to change the color tone. Thus, the intermediate finish plating layer 8 is formed under the coating film 6.
By providing, the color tone and brightness of the coating film 6 can be delicately changed by the metal color and the metallic luster of the intermediate finish plating layer 8. For example, when the intermediate finish plating layer 8 is formed by Au plating, the color of the coating film 6 formed on the intermediate finishing plating layer 8 can be made to have a slightly greenish tone, and Ag, P
When the intermediate finish plating layer 8 is formed by d or Pt plating, the color of the coating film 6 can be made a bright tone.

The intermediate finish plating layer 8 formed by plating Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or an alloy of these metals has a thickness of 0.
The thickness is preferably 1 μm or less. Although this intermediate finish plating layer 8 is useful for improving the corrosion resistance, it is provided here mainly for changing the color tone of the coating film 6. Therefore, even if the thickness is thicker than 0.1 μm, there is no significant difference in the effect, so the thickness is set to 0.1 μm or less in consideration of plating cost and the like. It has been confirmed by the above-mentioned experiment that the corrosion resistance is improved even when the plating thickness is set to 0.1 μm or less.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a timepiece exterior component showing a surface treatment configuration for finishing in a satin finish. In order to finish the exterior parts for a watch with a satin finish, the surface of the second plating layer 4b formed by Cu—Sn alloy plating or Cu—Sn—Zn alloy plating shown in FIG. 1 is subjected to honing such as sandblasting. A satin-finished pattern 4d is formed.

Further, Cu-S is formed on the second plated layer 4b having a satin-finished pattern 4d formed on the surface by honing.
The third plating layer 4c is formed by performing n-alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating, and the first to third plating layers 4a to 4c form the base plating layer 4.
Since the third plating layer 4c is made of the same alloy as the second plating layer 4b, the third plating layer 4c is well adapted to the pattern 4d of the second plating layer 4b and does not impair the satin feeling. A coating film 6 made of coating is formed on the third plated layer 4c, and a satin-finished pattern appears on the surface of the coating film 6 to finish it in a satin-finished state.

The plating thickness of the first plating layer 4a formed by the Cu plating and the film thickness of the coating film 6 formed by coating are set similarly to those of the timepiece exterior component shown in FIG. Also, Cu-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn
The plating thickness of the second and third plating layers 4b and 4c formed by -Zn alloy plating is set to 2 to 10 μm in consideration of the deterioration of corrosion resistance due to honing. From the results of each test, set the lower limit of the plating thickness to the value that could be confirmed as the lower limit of corrosion-free, and regarding the upper limit of the plating thickness, not only the results of the above test but also the plating cost and dimensions. The value is set considering the management and gloss.

When the ground plating layer 4 is subjected to honing to provide a satin-finished pattern as described above, the gloss of the coating film 6 can be suppressed and the color tone can be changed. Further, the surface of the timepiece exterior component can be finished in a satin finish, and even when the finish is finished in a satin finish, it is possible to provide the exterior component for a watch to which various colors are applied by painting.

Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, between the third plating layer 4c of the base plating layer 4 and the coating film 6, Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or a metal thereof is used. By providing the intermediate finish plating layer 8 formed by applying alloy plating, the color tone can be changed. Also in this case, the color tone and brightness of the coating film 6 can be delicately changed by the metallic color and metallic luster of the intermediate finish plating layer 8.

Further, as described above, even if the thickness of the intermediate finish plating layer 8 is thicker than 0.1 μm, there is no remarkable difference in the effect of changing the color tone of the coating film 6,
It is set to 0.1 μm or less.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a timepiece exterior component showing a surface treatment constitution in the case of finishing in a satin finish only by plating without using honing. In this timepiece exterior component, the second plating layer 4e is formed by performing Cu satin plating on the first plating layer 4a formed by Cu plating as in the case of the timepiece exterior component described above. The second plating layer 4e is formed by composite plating in which solid fine particles are mixed in Cu plating, and solid fine particles 4g project from the surface of the Cu plating layer 4f to form fine irregularities on the surface, This is the satin finish.
A Cu-Sn alloy plating or a Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating is applied on the second plating layer 4e to form a third plating layer 4c, and further, a coating is applied on the third plating layer 4c. The coating film 6 is formed, and a satin-finished pattern appears on the surface of the coating film 6, so that the finish is finished.

The plating thickness of the first plating layer 4a formed by the Cu plating is set to be the same as that of the timepiece exterior component shown in FIGS. Also, the plating thickness of the second plating layer 4e formed by Cu satin plating is 7 to 12 μm.
m, the plating thickness of the third plating layer 4c is set to 2 to 5 μm, and with respect to each plating thickness, the lower limit of each plating thickness is confirmed to be the lower limit of corrosion-free from the results of the above-mentioned tests. In addition to the above test results, the upper limit of each plating thickness is set in consideration of the plating cost, dimensional control, gloss and the like.

The Cu matte plating is the Cu plating layer 4f.
4 g of solid fine particles made of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, zirconium carbide, boron carbide, boron nitride, chromium boride, etc. are mixed with Cu for forming It is something to give. The particle size of the solid fine particles 4 g used in the present embodiment is 3 to 5 μm, but 0.01 to 10 μ in consideration of the thickness of the second plating layer 4 e and the like.
It is possible to use 4 g of solid fine particles having a particle size of about m.

The base plating layer 4 is formed by plating as described above.
Even when the satin-finished pattern is provided on the surface, the gloss of the coating film 6 can be suppressed and the color tone can be changed. Further, the surface of the timepiece exterior component can be finished in a satin finish, and it is possible to provide a satin finish exterior component for a watch that is colored in various colors by painting.

Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, between the third plating layer 4c of the base plating layer 4 and the coating film 6, Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or a metal thereof is used. By providing the intermediate finish plating layer 8 formed by applying alloy plating, the color tone can be changed. Also in this case, the color tone and brightness of the coating film 6 can be delicately changed by the metallic color and metallic luster of the intermediate finish plating layer 8.

Further, as described above, even if the thickness of the intermediate finish plating layer 8 is thicker than 0.1 μm, there is no remarkable difference in the effect of changing the color tone of the coating film 6,
It is set to 0.1 μm or less.

The plating processing conditions for each of the above-mentioned platings are set as shown in Table 1 (base plating) and Table 2 (intermediate finish plating). The plating thickness of each plating is determined by the immersion time in the bath liquid under the plating conditions shown in Tables 1 and 2, and the plating thickness can be adjusted by changing the current value.

[0043]

[Table 1]

[0044]

[Table 2]

[0045]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a base plating layer is formed on a material made of zinc cast, and a coating film is formed by coating on it. Therefore, the color can be changed by changing the color of the coating film. The variation can be greatly expanded. Further, the gloss and color tone of the coating film can be variously set depending on the gloss and color tone of the base plating layer and the intermediate finish plating layer.

Further, in the present invention, since Ni metal is not used, it is possible to cope with metal allergies, and by providing a coating film also in the exterior parts for a timepiece having such metal allergy countermeasures, it is possible to obtain a color tone. Can be changed to expand the color variation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment structure of a timepiece exterior component according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a part of the surface treatment configuration of the timepiece exterior component shown in FIG. 1 is modified.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment configuration of a timepiece exterior component according to another embodiment of the invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a part of the surface treatment configuration of the timepiece exterior component shown in FIG. 3 is modified.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment structure of a timepiece exterior component according to another embodiment of the invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a part of the surface treatment structure of the timepiece exterior component shown in FIG. 5 is modified.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 material 4 Underplating layer 4a First plating layer 4b, 4e Second plating layer 4c Third plating layer 4d pattern 4f Cu plating layer 4g solid particles 6 coating film 8 Intermediate finish plating layer

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A first plating layer formed by subjecting a zinc cast material to Cu plating, and a Cu—Sn alloy plating or Cu—Sn—Zn on the first plating layer.
A timepiece having a base plating layer formed of a second plating layer formed by alloy plating, and a coating film formed by coating the base plating layer. Exterior parts. 2. The first plating layer has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, the second plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 4 μm, and the coating film has a thickness of 5 to 20 μm. The exterior part for a watch according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 3. A first plating layer formed by subjecting a zinc cast material to Cu plating, and Cu—Sn alloy plating or Cu—Sn—Zn on the first plating layer.
Cu is formed on the second plating layer formed by alloy plating and the second plating layer subjected to honing.
-Sn alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating, a base plating layer formed of a third plating layer, and a coating film formed by coating the base plating layer. An exterior part for a watch characterized by having. 4. The first plating layer has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, the second plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 10 μm, and the third plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 10 μm. The exterior component for a timepiece according to claim 3, wherein the coating film has a thickness of 5 to 20 µm. 5. A first plating layer formed by subjecting a zinc cast material to Cu plating, and a second plating layer formed by subjecting the first plating layer to Cu satin plating. And Cu-Sn on the second plating layer.
A base plating layer comprising a third plating layer formed by applying alloy plating or Cu-Sn-Zn alloy plating; and a coating film formed by applying coating on the base plating layer. An exterior part for a watch characterized by having. 6. The first plating layer has a thickness of 10 to 23 μm, the second plating layer has a thickness of 7 to 12 μm, and the third plating layer has a thickness of 2 to 5 μm. The exterior component for a timepiece according to claim 5, wherein the coating film has a thickness of 5 to 20 μm. 7. The Cu matte plating comprises solid fine particles of C
The exterior component for a timepiece according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the exterior component is made of composite plating mixed with u plating. 8. An intermediate finish plating layer formed by plating Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or an alloy of these metals between the base plating layer and the coating film. The timepiece exterior component according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The timepiece exterior component according to claim 9, wherein the intermediate finish plating layer has a thickness of 0.1 μm or less.