JP2003246196A - Method for manufacturing decorative article, decorative article, and timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method capable of removing a processed skin on the inner surface of a recessed part when the recessed part is formed on the surface of a stainless steel material and a decorative article produced by this method, more concretely, to provide a practical method capable of removing a processed mark from the inner surface of the recessed part, capable of preventing the sagging of the difference in level of the recessed part and capable of obtaining the sufficiently deep recessed part. <P>SOLUTION: A mask layer 11 is formed on the surface of the stainless steel material 10 by metal plating or the like and the recessed part 10a is formed to the mask layer 11 simultaneously with the formation of an opening part 11a to the mask layer 11. Thereafter, electrolytic grinding is applied to the inner surface of the recessed part 10a to smooth the inner surface of the recessed part 10a. Finally, the mask layer 11 is peeled using a release agent. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for forming a recess in a stainless steel material, a method for manufacturing a decorative article, and a decorative article, and more particularly,
The present invention relates to a processing method suitable for forming a concave character on the surface of an exterior component such as a timepiece, and a structure suitable for an ornament or a timepiece having a concave portion at a portion visible from the outside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a surface of an exterior member of a decorative article that constitutes a timepiece such as a wristwatch may be provided with a recess for expressing characters, numbers, and other figures in a recessed shape. This recess is usually formed by plastic working (stamping, press stamping, etc.), cutting (machine engraving, etc.)
It is formed by performing chemical processing (etching, touching, etc.) and laser processing.

On the other hand, stainless steel materials (for example, austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, etc.) are frequently used for exterior cases of wristwatches. Since stainless steel has high corrosion resistance and hardness, it is extremely suitable as a constituent material for watches. In addition, since stainless steel materials do not require plating, etc., they are often commercialized in an exposed state. Therefore, by forming the recesses as described above, letters, numbers, other figures, etc. can be surfaced. The method described in is often adopted.

[0004]

However, when a recess is formed on the surface of the stainless steel material, a mold surface remains on the inner surface of the recess when the plastic working is performed, and the cut surface is formed by the cutting. However, there is a problem in that the above chemical processing deteriorates the appearance quality of a product having a decorative property, such as leaving corrosion marks, and impairs a high-class feeling.

Therefore, it is conceivable to polish the inner surface of the recess as well. However, in the buff polishing which is generally used as the exterior case of a timepiece, the buff is difficult to enter into the recess and the polishing itself is difficult. The polishing causes sagging in the step of the recess, which rather deteriorates the texture.

It is also possible to use diamond engraving, but the recesses that can be formed by diamond engraving are shallow, and it is not possible to obtain a sufficient impact on the appearance.

Therefore, the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is a method for removing the processed skin on the inner surface of the recess when forming the recess on the surface of the stainless steel material, and this method. The purpose is to provide ornaments manufactured by. More specifically, the present invention provides a practical method capable of removing machining marks from the inner surface of a recess, preventing the step of the recess from sagging, and obtaining a recess having a sufficient depth. Especially.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for manufacturing a decorative article according to the present invention comprises a step of forming a concave section on the surface of a stainless material forming at least a part of the decorative article, and And an inner surface polishing step of selectively electrolytically polishing the inner surface of the recess.

According to the present invention, by electropolishing the inner surface of the recess formed in the stainless steel material, it is possible to remove the processed skin that may occur in the recess forming step, and even if the recess is narrow. Since the entire inner surface can be surely polished, the appearance of the recess can be easily improved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the electrolytic polishing is electrolytic fluidized complex polishing which is carried out while flowing the electrolytic solution in a state where abrasive grains are dispersed in the electrolytic solution.

According to the present invention, the electrolytic fluidized composite polishing can be used to easily make the inner surface of the recess a mirror surface, and to produce a high-quality appearance.

In the present invention, in the inner surface polishing step,
It is preferable to perform electrolytic polishing in a state where the peripheral surface of the recess of the stainless steel material is covered with a mask.

According to the present invention, the electrolytic polishing is performed with the peripheral surface of the recess covered with a mask, whereby the inner surface of the recess can be polished without causing sagging in the step of the recess.

In this case, after the mask is formed on the surface of the recess, the opening is formed in the mask and the recess is formed at the same time by performing hole processing such as cutting or chemical processing on the mask. it can. In this case, patterning of the mask is unnecessary, which is advantageous in reducing the number of steps and manufacturing cost. Also,
In this way, the edge of the opening formed in the mask can be accurately aligned with the step of the recess,
There is also an advantage that it is possible to more reliably prevent the step difference of the recess due to the electrolytic polishing.

In the present invention, the mask is Au, C
It is preferable that the plating layer is made of u or an alloy containing them as a main component.

According to the present invention, since the surface of the stainless material can be surely covered by the plating layer made of the above metal, the peripheral surface of the recess can be surely protected from the polishing action during electrolytic polishing. Can be protected,
Since it can be easily peeled off from the stainless steel material after electrolytic polishing, each treatment can be easily performed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the recesses represent letters / numbers or linear patterns.

In the case of a letter / number or a linear pattern, since the width of the recess is narrow, it is impossible to polish the inner surface of the recess by conventional buff polishing, whereas the present invention According to the method, the inner surface of the recess can be easily polished.

Next, the decorative article of the present invention is characterized in that a concave portion is formed on the surface of the stainless material constituting at least a part of the decorative article, and the concave portion has an inner surface formed by electrolytic polishing.

According to the present invention, since the concave portion has the inner surface formed by electrolytic polishing, the appearance of letters, numbers, and other patterns represented by the concave portion is improved, and a high-quality ornamental article is formed. It becomes possible to do.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the electrolytic polishing is electrolytic fluidized complex polishing which is carried out while flowing the electrolytic solution in a state where abrasive grains are dispersed in the electrolytic solution.

According to the present invention, the inner surface of the recess can be mirror-finished by the electrolytic flow composite polishing, and the appearance of the recess can be further improved. Moreover, the corrosion resistance of the inner surface can be further improved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the electrolytic polishing is not applied to the peripheral surface of the recess.

According to the present invention, since the peripheral surface of the recess is not subjected to electrolytic polishing, the recess can be made more conspicuous and the step difference of the recess does not occur. Therefore, the recess is included. It is possible to further enhance the luxury appearance.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a concave portion is formed on the surface of the stainless material forming at least a part of the ornament, the inner surface of the concave portion is a mirror surface, and the peripheral surface of the concave portion is a non-mirror surface.

When the inner surface of the concave portion is a mirror surface and the peripheral surface of the concave portion is a non-mirror surface, the concave portion can be made conspicuous and the appearance including the concave portion can further enhance the sense of quality.

In the present invention, a depth of 10 μm to 50 μm is formed on the surface of the stainless material which constitutes at least a part of the decorative article.
It is preferable that a recess having a width of 0 μm and a width of 30 μm to 3 mm is formed and the surface roughness (center line average roughness) of the inner surface of the recess is 1 μm or less.

According to the present invention, since the inner surface of the recess having a relatively narrow width is formed to be smooth, the recess can be made conspicuous, and the appearance including the recess can be made more luxurious.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the recesses represent letters / numbers or linear patterns.

In the case of expressing a letter / number or a linear pattern, it is impossible to polish the inner surface of the recess by the conventional buff polishing because the width of the recess is narrow, whereas the present invention According to the method, the inner surface of the recess can be easily polished.

Next, the timepiece of the present invention is any one of the ornaments described above, characterized in that the concave portion of the stainless material is provided in a portion visible from the outside.

According to the present invention, the appearance of the timepiece having the concave portion in the portion which can be visually recognized from the outside can give a higher class feeling, and the smoothness of the inner surface of the concave portion can give a stronger impact. become. Here, as the member provided with the recess of the stainless material in a portion visible from the outside, an outer case of a watch, a band, a rotating bezel, a decorative edge, a glass edge, a case back, a crown,
Examples include dials.

[0033]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a method for manufacturing a decorative article, a decorative article and a timepiece according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the contents of a concave portion forming step for forming a concave portion and an inner surface polishing step for polishing the inner surface of the concave portion, which are a part of the embodiment of the method for manufacturing a decorative article according to the present invention. It is process explanatory drawing (a)-(d).

The stainless material 10 is a welded material formed of stainless steel (austenitic stainless steel, martensitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, etc.). Specifically, as materials with particularly high corrosion resistance, JIS standards SUS304, SUS303B, SU
Examples thereof include S316 and SUS316L. Although the surface of the stainless material 10 is flat in the illustrated example,
It may have a curved surface, or it may be a streak (a state in which a large number of fine lines are formed on the surface, or it is formed by making fine scratches in the same direction) or a satin (a fine concave portion on the surface or It may have a predetermined surface state such as a state in which a large number of convex portions are formed, or formed by honing or blasting.

First, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), for example, Au, Cu, S is formed on the surface of the stainless material 10.
A mask layer 11 made of metal plating such as n, Cr, Ni, or various alloys containing these as main components is formed by an electroless plating method or the like. These metal platings are preferable because they have good adhesiveness and coverage with the surface of the stainless steel material 10 and can be easily formed. In particular, Au,
Cu or alloys containing these as the main components (for example, 2
A metal plating layer formed of a 2K alloy or the like is more preferable because it can be removed extremely easily after electrolytic polishing described later. In particular, Au or Au
It is desirable that the alloy is mainly composed of Al because of its high resistance to electrolytic polishing described later. The mask layer 11 made of metal plating preferably has a thickness of 5 μm or more, and particularly preferably about 15 to 20 μm in terms of resistance to electrolytic polishing and manufacturing cost.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, a recess 10a is formed on the surface of the stainless material 10 by cutting such as mechanical engraving, chemical processing such as etching, laser processing and the like. At this time, the opening 1 is formed in the mask layer 11 on the surface.
1a is formed at the same time, and the recess 10a is exposed underneath. In this way, the patterning process of the mask layer 11 is not required, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the opening 11a that exactly matches the step of the recess 10a can be obtained.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the step difference of the concave portion 10a from sagging in the electrolytic polishing step described later.

Next, on the stainless steel material 10 in which only the inner bottom surface 10a-1 and the inner side surface 10a-2 constituting the inner surface of the recess 10a are exposed by the opening 11a of the mask layer 11, the electrolytic polishing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 is used for electrolytic polishing as shown in FIG.

In electrolytic polishing, generally, the surface of the object to be polished is polished by the electrolytic action of the electrolytic solution by bringing the electrolytic solution into contact with the object to be polished and applying a voltage between the object to be polished and the electrolytic solution. Is the way. As shown in FIG. 3, the electrolytic polishing apparatus 20 includes an electrolytic polishing tank 21, an electrolytic solution 22 contained in the electrolytic polishing tank 21, a stirrer 23 for stirring the electrolytic solution 22, and a vertical reciprocating motion. And an elevating / rotating means 24 configured to rotate. While being held by the carrier 25, the object to be polished 30 is rotated while being reciprocally moved up and down by the elevating and rotating means 24 connected to the carrier 25.

In the electrolytic polishing apparatus 20, the object to be polished 30 is used as an anode, and the cathode is brought into contact with the electrolytic solution 22 to perform polishing. More specifically, the elevating and rotating means 24 and the carrier 25 have conductive portions, so that the object to be polished 30 is given an anode potential, and the inner surface of the electrolytic polishing tank 21 serves as a cathode.

The electrolytic solution 22 is mainly composed of concentrated phosphoric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid and the like, and is basically a liquid which does not dissolve the object to be polished 30 in a state where no electrolytic action occurs. More specifically, for example, an electropolishing liquid “Electro Glow (EG300)” (trademark) manufactured by Uemura Kogyo Co., Ltd. is used,
Electroglow EG300 is 25% by volume,
Both are mixed and used so that 85% phosphoric acid becomes 75% by volume.

Further, particularly when high smoothness is required for the inner surface of the recess 10a, electrolytic fluidized composite polishing is performed by mixing abrasive grains in the above-mentioned electrolytic solution and using it as a slurry. When abrasive particles are mixed with the electrolytic solution, the physical polishing action of the abrasive particles is added to the electrolytic action due to the flow of the electrolytic solution with respect to the object to be polished. It becomes possible to satisfactorily polish the remaining portion. More specifically, the weight ratio is 5 to 40% with respect to the electrolytic solution having the above specific composition (for example, calcined alumina P-900 manufactured by Uemura Kogyo (average particle size 0.4 μm.
m)) are mixed and used. Abrasive grain weight ratio is 20-40%
If so, the physical polishing action will be strengthened and the polished surface will be easily mirror-finished.

More specifically, the electrolytic polishing step will be described. First, the object to be polished 30 is electrolytically degreased, washed with water, once dried, and then immersed in the electrolytic polishing tank 21. Perform electrolytic polishing. As the electrolytic polishing conditions, for example, the temperature of the electrolytic solution is 30 to 50 ° C. and the current density is 1 to 1.
The polishing time is 0 A / dm ² and the polishing time is 30 to 60 minutes. The current density is 3 to 5 especially in the case of electrolytic flow composite polishing.
By setting A / dm ² , an extremely smooth mirror surface state can be obtained. Then, it is washed with water and dried.

FIG. 4 shows a part of the surface of the object 30 to be polished, which is polished by the electrolytic polishing (electrolytic fluidized composite polishing). A concave portion 30a is formed in advance on the surface of the object to be polished 30 as shown on the left side of the drawing. Here, in FIG.
The case where 0a represents a concave character (number) is shown.
On the inner surface of the recess 30a, a processed skin generated when the recess 30a is processed is seen. The shape of the concave portion 30a is configured as a linear pattern as a whole, and a processed skin such as a cut skin mainly composed of scratches extending in the long side direction (refers to the direction in which characters and patterns extend. The same applies hereinafter). Exists. The width W of the concave portion 30a in the short-side direction (which means the direction orthogonal to the long-side direction. The same applies hereinafter) varies depending on the location, but is in the range of about 30 μm to 3 mm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the surface of the object to be polished 30 was polished by the electrolytic fluidized composite polishing in the state where a mask layer was formed on the portion other than the concave portion 30a to cover it.
As shown on the right side of FIG. 4, the inner surface of the recess 30a was smoothed. The surface roughness data are shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.

FIG. 6 shows the results of examining the surface profile before and after polishing when the concave portion 30a is formed by cutting (for example, mechanical engraving) and the surface roughness meter is scanned in the long side direction. is there. A cutter that has been used to some extent is used as the cutter that performs this cutting process. By this electrolytic fluidized composite polishing, large undulations in the long side direction are almost completely removed. As the surface roughness, the center line average roughness is about 0.1 to 0.3 μm.

FIG. 7 shows the results of examining the surface profile before and after polishing when the surface roughness meter was scanned in the short side direction on the inner surface of the recess 30a same as in FIG. When viewed in the direction of the short side, there is unevenness of the cut surface caused by the cutting work, but it can be seen that this unevenness is greatly reduced and the surface becomes a substantially smooth mirror surface. As the surface roughness, the center line average roughness is 0.3 to 0.6 μm.
It has become a degree.

FIG. 8 shows the results of examining the surface profile before and after polishing when the concave portion 30a is formed by cutting (for example, mechanical engraving) and the surface roughness meter is scanned in the long side direction. is there. A new cutter is used for this cutting. By this electrolytic fluidized composite polishing, large undulations in the long side direction are almost completely removed.
As the surface roughness, the center line average roughness is 0.2 to 0.4 μ.
It is about m.

FIG. 9 shows the results of examining the surface profile before and after polishing when the surface roughness meter is scanned in the short side direction on the inner surface of the recess 30a, which is the same as in FIG. When viewed in the short side direction, there is unevenness of the cut surface caused by the cutting work, but it can be seen that this unevenness is greatly reduced and the surface becomes a substantially smooth mirror surface. As the surface roughness, the center line average roughness is 0.4 to 0.8 μm.
It has become a degree.

By carrying out the above electrolytic polishing, FIG.
The inner surface of the recess 10a shown in (c), that is, the inner bottom surface 10a
-1 and the inner side surface 10a-2 are both formed smoothly,
The processed skin such as the cut skin and the etched skin caused by the above various processes is removed. In particular, by performing electrolytic fluidized composite polishing, the inner surface can be made a mirror surface regardless of the original state of the inner surface of the recess.

After that, as shown in FIG. 1D, the mask layer 11 is stripped with a stripping solution. As a stripping solution, as is well known, it is possible to use H ₂ O ₂ for the Cu plating layer and an aqueous cyanide solution such as KCN or NaCN for the Au plating layer.

Next, a manufacturing method when the recess 10a is formed in the stainless material 10 by stamping (press stamping) will be described. When the recess 10a is formed by plastic working such as stamping, as shown in FIG.
The concave portion 10a is directly formed by pressing the die (punch) 12 against the surface of the stainless material 10. After that, as shown in FIG. 2B, the filling material 13 is placed inside the recess 10a.
To fill. As the filling material 13, a material on which the mask layer 11 formed on the peripheral surface of the recess 10a is not deposited (attached), for example, when the mask layer 11 is a metal plating layer, a synthetic resin material such as an epoxy resin is used. , Melanin resin, urethane resin and the like can be used. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2C, the mask layer 11 is formed on the surface of the stainless material 10 in the same manner as above. At this time, the mask layer 11 is formed so as to avoid the concave portion 10a in which the filling material 13 is arranged.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 2D, the recess 13 is formed by removing the filler 13 with a solvent or the like.
a is exposed, and the surrounding surface is covered with the mask layer 11. Then, by performing the above-described electrolytic polishing in the same manner as described above, the mold surface generated on the inner surface of the recess 10a is removed and the inner surface is smoothed.

FIG. 5 shows the appearance of the timepiece 40 formed by the above manufacturing method. The watch 40 includes a watch body 41 and a watch band 42. Watch body 4
1 is an outer case 411, a display window 412, a pointer 413,
A dial 414, a glass edge 415, and a crown 416 are provided. Further, although not shown, inside the outer case 411, a movement including a base plate, a holding plate, etc., a battery, a middle frame, a dial ring, etc. are accommodated as necessary.

Examples of the stainless material 10 (or the object to be polished 30) include the above-mentioned various parts constituting the timepiece 40. Particularly, the outer case 411, the pointer 413, the dial plate 414, the glass edge 415, and the crown 416 are parts that can be visually recognized from the outside, and these parts can be made of a stainless material, so that the recesses 10a and 30 can be formed.
It is preferable as a component provided with a. Although not shown, similar parts include a rotating bezel, a decorative edge, a metal band, a back cover, and the like.

In the illustrated example, a concave portion 411a forming a linear pattern is formed on the surface of the outer case 411. Further, on the dial plate 414, a concave portion 414a forming a number indicating time and the like is formed. Further, a concave portion 415a forming a character is formed on the surface of the glass edge 415. Further, although not shown, a recess may be provided on the outer end surface of the crown or the surface of the watch band (in the case of a metal band made of stainless steel) 42. In addition, a recess may be provided in the timepiece movement component.

According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to greatly improve the appearance quality of the surface provided with the concave portion, and it is possible to extremely easily form a high-quality appearance. It also greatly expands the freedom of the design element constituted by the recess.

The method of manufacturing a decorative article, the decorative article, and the timepiece of the present invention are not limited to the above illustrated examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course. Particularly, the ornaments of the present invention include ornaments such as watches, pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings, headbands, belts, bags, pocket watches, mobile phones, pagers, electronic notebooks and other portable information terminals, wallets, etc. It also includes portable items.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the inner surface of the recess can be processed to be smooth, it is possible to improve the appearance of the stainless steel material and
Since the processing can be easily performed, it is possible to prevent an increase in manufacturing cost and sagging of the step of the recess.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is schematic process explanatory diagrams (a) to (d) showing an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a decorative article according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is schematic process explanatory views (a) to (d) showing a part of a manufacturing process when a recess is formed by stamping.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing a structure of an electrolytic polishing apparatus used in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing front and back surface states of an object to be polished, which is polished by the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a timepiece to which the embodiment can be applied.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a surface profile (long side direction) of an inner surface of a recess formed by a used cutter before and after electrolytic polishing.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the surface profile (in the short side direction) of the inner surface of a recess formed by a used cutter before and after electrolytic polishing.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a surface profile (long side direction) of an inner surface of a recess formed by a new cutter before and after electrolytic polishing.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the surface profile (short side direction) of the inner surface of a recess formed by a new cutter before and after electrolytic polishing.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Stainless steel material, 10a, 30a ... Recessed portion,
10a-1 ... inner bottom surface, 10a-2 ... inner side surface, 3
0 ... Polished object, 40 ... Watch, 41 ... Watch body, 42 ... Watch band, 411 ... Exterior case,
412 ... Display window, 413 ... Pointer, 414 ...
Dial 415 ... Glass edge, 416 ... Crown

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G04B 37/22 G04B 37/22 J 45/00 45/00 V

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A recess forming step of forming a recess on a surface of a stainless material constituting at least a part of an ornament, and an inner surface polishing step of selectively electrolytically polishing the inner surface of the recess. A method of manufacturing a featured decorative article. 2. The decorative article according to claim 1, wherein the electrolytic polishing is electrolytic flow composite polishing performed while flowing the electrolytic solution in a state where abrasive grains are dispersed in the electrolytic solution. Production method. 3. The method for producing a decorative article according to claim 1, wherein in the inner surface polishing step, electrolytic polishing is performed with a peripheral surface of the recess of the stainless material covered with a mask. Method. 4. The method of manufacturing an ornamental article according to claim 3, wherein the mask is a plating layer made of Au, Cu, or an alloy containing them as a main component. 5. The method for manufacturing an ornamental article according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion represents a letter / number or a linear pattern. 6. A decorative article, wherein a concave portion is formed on a surface of a stainless material forming at least a part of the decorative article, and the concave portion has an inner surface formed by electrolytic polishing. 7. The decorative article according to claim 6, wherein the electrolytic polishing is electrolytic fluidized complex polishing performed while flowing the electrolytic solution in a state where abrasive grains are dispersed in the electrolytic solution. 8. The electrolytic polishing is not applied to the peripheral surface of the recess, and the surface of the recess is not polished.
The ornaments described in. 9. A decorative article, wherein a concave portion is formed on a surface of a stainless material forming at least a part of the decorative article, an inner surface of the concave portion is a mirror surface, and a peripheral surface of the concave portion is a non-mirror surface. . 10. A stainless steel material forming at least a part of the decorative article, having a depth of 10 μm to 500 μm and a width of 3 μm.
A decorative article characterized in that a concave portion having a size of 0 μm to 3 mm is formed, and the surface roughness (center line average roughness) of the inner surface of the concave portion is 1 μm or less. 11. The decorative article according to claim 6, wherein the concave portion represents a letter / number or a linear pattern. 12. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 11.
Item 5. The watch according to item 4, wherein the recess of the stainless material is provided in a portion visible from the outside.