JP2006007769A - Article decorated by laser beam and method for decorating this article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an economical article which has a permanent decoration, can be easily manufactured. <P>SOLUTION: The article is formed of a support obtained by molding a material which can be metallized using an electrodeposition process. In the method for decorating the article, the support is coated with a first metallic coating having at least a part of the surface formed of a metallic layer of n (n≥2) and at least a partially formed decorative pattern, and the surface, corresponding to the decorative pattern, of the support is coated with a second metallic coating formed of a metallic layer of n-1 at the best. The color and/or the appearance of an outside metallic layer of the first metallic coating are different from those of an outside metallic layer of the second metallic coating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a stopper as commonly used in containers for decorative articles such as perfumes or other cosmetic products. The present invention also relates to a method for decorating such articles. The decoration is in particular such as consisting of a logo, a brand mark, a design or any other inscription or identified code.

In the field of cosmetics, in particular to accommodate perfumes, decorative stoppers are used, for example stoppers with a gold or chrome finish on the entire outer surface or only part of it so that the decoration or design appears. .
One technique used to apply such decorations or designs consists of metallizing the plastic part and protecting the non-metallized part, in particular with a varnish, which is optionally removed.

In another manufacturing technique, the plastic part to be metallized is obtained by molding two compatible plastics, one metallizable and the other not. However, this technology has tremendous practical difficulties in its implementation. Furthermore, the costs are high, especially for the production of the mold, and what is obtained is not completely satisfactory in that it is difficult to obtain a clear boundary where the two plastics overlap. Furthermore, as far as the choice of decoration that can be formed is concerned, there is little room for manipulation.
French Patent Application Publication No. 2751265 French Patent Application Publication No. 2778919

  U.S. Patent No. 6,057,049 describes a method in which the part is formed from a metallizable material such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PP (polypropylene), POM (polyoxymethylene) or filled polyester. A sheet of non-metallized material, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PC (polycarbonate), is overmolded into the part. A metal coating is then applied to the part area not covered by the sheet using electroforming (galvanoplasty). However, such a method is relatively complex and expensive to implement. Furthermore, as with the method described above, the possibilities for the decoration that can be achieved are limited.

Apart from the methods described above, there are many other methods that vary depending on the materials used. As far as plastics are concerned, mention may be made of methods including screen printing, pad printing, ink jet printing, thermal transfer or molding. The decoration can also consist of a label secured on the part to be decorated.
Laser marking is a specific form of numerically controlled marking. Laser marking is especially economical because of its cleanliness, recyclability of the marked parts, durability of the inscription, the freedom it offers-especially the choice and customization of decorations, the resolution that can be achieved Particularly advantageous. Furthermore, in the case of a laser, the decoration can be performed from a distance, and the decoration object is not in physical contact with the printing member.

Patent Document 2 describes a method of marking or etching a part made of a polymer filled with an inorganic pigment coated with a layer of chitin or a chitin derivative using a laser. Such a method has several limitations, particularly with respect to the color and appearance that can be achieved in decoration.
Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a component that has a permanent decoration, is easy to manufacture and is economical.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a component that can be decorated regardless of the geometry of the component to be decorated.
Yet another object is to provide a method for making thermoplastic articles, especially bottle stoppers, which are simple and economical to implement.
Still other objects will become apparent from the following detailed description.

In the present invention, these objects are achieved by providing an article formed from a support obtained by molding a metallizable material by electrodeposition, wherein the support is at least a portion of its surface. Is coated with a first metal coating formed from n (n ≧ 2) metal layers and at least partly forming a decorative pattern, and the support has at most n−1 on the surface corresponding to the decorative pattern. A second metal coating comprising a metal layer is coated, and the outer metal layer of the first metal coating has a color and / or appearance that is different from the color and / or appearance of the metal outer layer of the second metal coating.
The decorative pattern can consist of letters, brand marks, logos, designs or any other pattern. The metal surface of the decorative pattern, in combination with the metal surface that forms it, provides unprecedented aesthetic features. Many contrast and color combinations can be obtained by simply changing the selection and placement of the metal layers on which the first and second metal coatings are formed, respectively.

When the support is made of plastic, the support is metallized by electrodeposition or electroforming (galvanoplasty). The support on which the article is formed is obtained by molding a material that can be metallized by electrodeposition or electroforming. Examples include ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PP (polypropylene), POM (polyoxymethylene) or polyester, each of which is filled. Zamak (zamak or zamac) can also be used.
The outer layer of the first metal coating can be formed from a first metal selected from chromium, silver, gold or zinc, and the outer layer of the second metal coating can be chromium, nickel, silver, gold, It can be formed from a second metal different from the first metal, selected from an alloy such as zinc or copper or bronze.

The article obtained by the present invention can be a contained article such as a case, bottle or pot, or an accessory associated with the contained article, in particular a stopper.
Preferably, the article forms a stopper of a container for containing a cosmetic product, for example, which is formed from a side skirt, such as a cylindrical one closed at one end by a transverse wall, The pattern is formed on the transverse wall and / or the side skirt.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method for forming a decorative pattern on an article formed from a support obtained by molding a metallizable material by electrodeposition or electroforming, said method Is
(A) depositing a coating formed from an overlay of at least two metal layers, the outer layer being formed from a first metal, on at least a portion of the support using electrodeposition or electroforming;
(B) using a laser beam to remove at least the outer layer of the coating on the surface corresponding to the decorative pattern, and on the surface a second of a color and / or appearance different from the color and / or appearance of the first metal Resulting in a layer formed from a metal.
Preferably, the laser used is a YAG type laser. This is preferred because of its short wavelength (1.06 μm) that is rapidly absorbed by most non-metallic materials, especially the thermoplastics suitably used in the present invention.

  The method according to the invention has many advantages. Marking is rapid (cycle times depending on decoration and parts can be on the order of seconds). The resolution of the image formed is of good quality (on the order of a few microns). In addition, non-planar surfaces or surfaces that are inaccessible using common screen printing or labeling techniques can be decorated. The article to be decorated is marked from some distance without touching it. Such a decoration method with a laser can be carried out, for example, in an industrial facility that creates parts using conveyors, robot arms, turntables, or any device commonly used in the industry.

When marking with a laser beam, the article to be decorated is kept stationary and moved around depending on the decoration on which the laser beam is formed. Alternatively, the laser beam is stationary and moved according to the decorative pattern on which the article is formed.
In a non-limiting example, the first metal and the second metal are selected from the following metals or alloys: copper, nickel, chromium, silver, gold, zinc and bronze. Still other metals can be used depending on the color, appearance or contrast desired.
Apart from the configurations described above, the present invention includes many other configurations related to non-limiting exemplary embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The article 1 to be decorated in the following description is a stopper for a bottle. The plug 1 is composed of a support 2 obtained by molding a thermoplastic material such as ABS capable of direct current application. The support 2 has a cylindrical side skirt 3 with a circular cross section that is engaged with the neck of the bottle. One end of the side skirt portion 3 is closed by a transverse wall 4 having a square section larger than that of the cylindrical side skirt portion 3.
After being formed, the support 2 is passed through a series of baths, and the surface thereof is coated with a coating composed of a plurality of metal layers by electroforming (galvanoplasty).

Electrodeposition and electroforming are techniques for metallization using the conductivity of the material on which the object is formed. In the case of electroforming, the thermoplastic material used is made conductive by a multi-step process in which an object, which is energized with direct current, is immersed in a series of baths.
In the first stage, known as “satining”, very small rough portions are formed on the surface of the object so as to produce anchor points for metal deposition. Because of this, the organic bridge in the structure is destroyed during this stage. In the case of butadiene-containing materials such as ABS, the butadiene microspheres present on the material surface are destroyed, creating microcavities to form such anchor points.
In the second stage, known as “catalysis”, stable colloidal palladium is incorporated into the microcavity.

In a third stage, known as “acceleration”, the protective colloid is removed to activate the palladium.
In the fourth stage, it is made conductive by an operation known as “chemi-nickel plating”.
Thereafter, one or more metal layers are deposited on the nickel layer using electrolysis. Typically, a copper layer is deposited on which nickel, bronze, chromium or gold is deposited. The copper layer functions to strengthen the thin nickel adhesion layer and improve rigidity.

As can be seen from the cross-sectional view of the plug 1 shown in FIG. 2A, the direct current energizing coating is composed of a multilayer of a nickel layer 10, a copper layer 11, and a chromium layer 12. The thickness of the three layers of metal Ni / Cu / Cr deposited in this way can range from 10 μm to 30 μm.
After this electroforming step, the cylindrical side skirt portion 3 of the plug 1 is decorated using a laser 7 of Nd: YAG type. For this purpose, the surface corresponding to the decoration 6 is scanned with a laser beam 5 so that at least the outermost layer 12 of the article to be decorated is literally “baked”. Therefore, in our embodiment of the electroforming method comprising the nickel layer 10, the copper layer 11 and the chromium layer 12, the laser beam is removed from the surface chromium layer 12 corresponding to the decoration 6 to be manufactured, so that the decoration is appear. FIG. 2B shows a cross section of the side skirt 3 of the plug after marking using a laser beam. Since the chromium layer 12 has been removed from the surface corresponding to the decoration 6, this surface has the color of the copper layer 11. Alternatively, the two outermost layers can be removed to produce a nickel-colored decoration.

In one particular embodiment, the wavelength of the laser beam 5 is 1064 nm. Its power is 9W. The surface to be decorated is at a distance of about 200 mm from the laser and the focal length is 160 mm.
The aesthetic appearance of the decoration obtained by carrying out the method according to the invention is perfectly compatible with the market demand for goods known as “luxury” products such as perfumes or other cosmetics of the same kind.
In the foregoing detailed description, several preferred embodiments of the invention have been described. Obviously, modifications may be made to the embodiments described in the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is a figure which shows typically the main process of one embodiment of the method concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows sectional drawing of the direct current energized article before laser marking ((a)) and after laser marking ((b)).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Goods, plug 2 Support body 3 Cylindrical side skirt part 5 Laser beam 6 Decoration 7 Laser 10 Nickel layer 11 Copper layer 12 Chrome layer

Claims (8)

  In an article (1) formed from a support (2) obtained by molding a material that can be metallized by electrodeposition, the support (2) has at least a part of the surface thereof being n ( coated with a first metal coating formed from a metal layer (10, 11, 12) with n ≧ 2) and at least partially forming a decorative pattern (6), the support (2) The surface corresponding to 6) is coated with a second metal coating consisting of at most n-1 metal layers (10, 11), the outer metal layer (12) of the first metal coating being the second metal coating. Articles having a color and / or appearance that is different from the color and / or appearance of the outer metal layer.   The support (2) is formed of a material that can be metallized by electrodeposition or electroforming, such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PP (polypropylene), POM (polyoxymethylene), or polyester. The article according to claim 1, wherein the article is obtained.   The outer layer (12) of the first metal coating is formed from a first metal selected from chromium, silver, gold or zinc, and the outer layer (11) of the second metal coating is chromium, nickel, silver, gold 3. An article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article is formed from a second metal different from the first metal, selected from alloys such as zinc, copper or bronze.   4. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a stored article such as a case, a bottle or a pot, or an accessory attached to the stored article, in particular a stopper.   The article forms a stopper of a container for containing a cosmetic product, the stopper being formed from a side skirt part (3) such as a cylindrical skirt part closed at one end by a transverse wall (4); 5. Article according to claim 4, characterized in that the decorative pattern (6) is formed on the transverse wall (4) and / or the side skirt (3). In a method of forming a decorative pattern (6) on an article (1) formed from a support (2) obtained by molding a material that can be metallized by electrodeposition or electroforming,
(A) At least two metal layers (10, 11) in which an outer layer (12) is formed from a first metal on at least a part of the support (2) using electrodeposition or electroforming. , 12) depositing a coating formed from a multilayer;
(B) using a laser beam (5) to remove at least the outer layer (12) of the coating on the surface corresponding to the decorative pattern (6), on the surface, the color of the first metal and / or A method comprising the appearance of a layer (11) formed from a second metal of a different color and / or appearance than the appearance.   Method according to claim 6, characterized in that said step (b) is carried out using a YAG type laser (7).   The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first metal and the second metal are selected from the following metals or alloys: copper, nickel, chromium, silver, gold, zinc and bronze.

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