JP2008284713A - Decorative member and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize the formation of a gradation design in a background part and also, the easy and stable formation of a design with a sharply defined parting line between the background part and a sheeny part, using a resin base of a three-dimensional curved surface shape. <P>SOLUTION: First, the background layer with a gradation design is formed on the surface of a projecting part, and also, the sheeny layer is formed on the surface of a recessed part, by a screen printing process, using the transparent resin base having the curved surface of a three-dimensional shape. Thus, the parting line between the background layer with a gradation design and the sheeny layer, is sharply defined as the background part is formed using the screen-printing process. Consequently, it is possible to form a three-dimensional design with a sophisticated feeling imparted by a synergistic effect of the gradation design and the sheeny design, without the necessity of skill. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to decorative members such as logo marks, ornaments, and emblems used in automobiles and home appliances, and a method for manufacturing the decorative members.

  For automobiles, decorative members such as a manufacturer's mark, an ornament representing a vehicle type, an emblem, and a front grill garnish are used. These decorative members are generally formed from a resin base material, and often have a design in which a bright portion is lifted and exposed in a background portion.

  When manufacturing such a decorative member, it is important to cut off the bright part and the background part. Therefore, as a conventional method for producing a decorative member, there is a method in which a bright portion is formed on the surface of a resin base material by a vapor deposition method and a background portion is formed by painting. In the vapor deposition method, a metal vapor deposition film is formed on the entire surface of the resin substrate. First, the surface where the bright part is formed is covered with masking, and the background part is formed by painting on the surface other than the bright part, and the masking is removed. After that, the bright part is formed by vapor deposition or the like.

  In recent years, there is a tendency that a high-grade gradation design is adopted as the design of the background portion. In the case of painting, for example, a gradation design can be formed by painting a translucent colored paint while changing the film thickness. However, with this method, reproducibility is low, and in order to ensure equivalent quality, it is necessary to rely on the skill of an expert, and is not practical in mass production.

  Also, when the background and bright areas are formed by painting and vapor deposition, a mask process that masks surfaces other than the painted surface, a painting process that paints the painted surface, a drying process that dries the paint, and a peeling process that removes the mask. A large number of processes are required, such as a process, a mask process for masking a surface other than the vapor deposition surface, and a peeling process for removing the mask. These processes increase as the desired design becomes more complicated, which increases the manufacturing cost.

  Further, when the background portion is formed by painting, the film thickness varies, and the paint may accumulate at the corners of the recesses. In such a case, when viewed from the surface of the transparent resin base material, there may be a case where an appearance defect such as a brilliant portion looks distorted occurs.

  Furthermore, in a front grill garnish disposed in front of a millimeter wave radar device used in an auto cruise system, it is required that the thickness of the resin base material be constant.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to form a background portion by printing. In other words, if the surface of the resin substrate as a background portion is formed in a convex shape and the background portion is formed on the surface by screen printing, masking is unnecessary, and the parting between the convex portion and the concave portion can be sharply formed. . It is also easy to form a gradation design.

  However, since a design with a curved surface shape is preferred over a planar shape, the overall shape of the decorative member is often a three-dimensional curved surface shape. However, when screen printing is performed on a curved surface, the degree of contact between the screen and the printing surface may partially vary, resulting in poor printing.

  Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-251868, a film having a printing surface having a predetermined design and a deposition design surface on which a metal material is deposited is formed, and the film is shaped into a predetermined three-dimensional shape. A method for forming a transparent resin substrate by placing it in a post-molding die has been proposed. According to this method, even if it is a decorative member with a three-dimensional curved surface shape, it is possible to sharply form the parting between the bright part and the background part, and it is possible to easily form a gradation design because it can be screen printed on a flat film. Can do.

  However, in the manufacturing method described in the above publication, a film is required and a shaping step is also required, so that there is a problem that the cost is high.

As a method of printing on a curved surface, Japanese Patent No. 2961153 describes a method of using a curved pad along the printing surface and transferring the ink attached to the pad to the printing surface. However, in this printing method, it is difficult to control the amount of ink adhering to the pad. If the amount is too small, a portion that is not printed is generated.
JP2004-251868 Japanese Patent No. 2961153

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a front grill garnish disposed in front of a millimeter wave radar device by using a resin substrate having a three-dimensional curved surface and making the thickness of the background layer uniform. It is an object to be solved to make it possible to easily and stably form a gradation design that can be used as an image and has a sharp cut-off.

  The feature of the decorative member of the present invention that solves the above problems is a transparent resin base material having a three-dimensional curved surface and concave and convex portions formed on the curved surface, and formed on the convex surface of the curved surface. A background layer and a glitter layer formed on the surface of the concave portion of the curved surface, the background layer has a gradation design formed by screen printing, and passes through the resin base material from the back side of the curved surface. The background layer and the glitter layer are visible.

  A feature of the decorative member manufacturing method of the present invention is that a transparent resin base material having a three-dimensional curved surface and having a concave portion and a convex portion formed on the curved surface is prepared, and the convex portion of the curved surface is obtained by screen printing. A background layer printing process for forming a background layer having a gradation design on the surface of the surface and a glittering layer forming process for forming a glittering layer having a metallic luster on at least the surface of the concave surface of the curved surface.

  In the manufacturing method of the present invention, the background layer printing step is preferably performed by swinging the squeegee along the curved surface with the screen slackened.

  According to the decorative member of the present invention, the background layer formed on the surface of the convex portion on the curved surface is formed by screen printing. Therefore, the cut-off between the background layer and the glitter layer becomes sharp, and it can act synergistically with the gradation design to express a high-quality three-dimensional design.

  According to the method for manufacturing a decorative member of the present invention, masking and a film are not required, and the skill of the operator is not required. Therefore, the decorative member of the present invention can be manufactured easily and stably.

  The decorative member of the present invention includes a transparent resin base material, a background layer, and a glitter layer. The resin substrate can be formed from a transparent resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate. This transparent base material has a three-dimensional curved surface, and a concave portion and a convex portion are formed on the curved surface. The curved surface may be concave or convex.

  The background layer is formed on the surface of the convex portion of the curved surface, and has a gradation design formed by screen printing. The background layer may be a single layer, but is preferably composed of two or more layers having different color tones. When forming a gradation design by screen printing, it is generally performed by changing the density of the through holes formed in the screen. For example, at a portion where the density of the through holes is high, dots are printed at a high density to form a dark color portion, and at a portion where the density of the through holes is low, a dot is printed at a low density to form a light color portion.

  Therefore, if gradation printing is performed using a first ink such as black, and a transparent or translucent second ink of another color is uniformly screen-printed on the surface, it is opposite to the printing surface of the transparent substrate. From the side, the color tone of the second ink appears between the dots of the first ink previously printed. Therefore, since the color tone of the second ink is mainstream in the light color portion and the color tone of the first ink is mainstream in the dark color portion, it is possible to form a gradation design with a three-dimensional effect in which the lightness and color tone gradually change. . Both the first ink and the second ink may be opaque.

  In the case of an automobile decorative member, the design surface is generally convex. In this case, the background layer and the glitter layer are formed on the concave curved surface opposite to the design surface. A concave portion and a convex portion are formed on the curved surface, a background layer is formed on the convex portion, and a bright layer is formed on the concave portion. By doing in this way, it can be easily used as a front grill garnish or the like disposed in front of the millimeter wave radar device. In addition, since the tip surface of the convex portion forms a smooth curved surface as a whole, screen printing can be easily performed.

  By the way, the screen printing method is a printing method suitable for a flat printed material because printing is performed in a state where the screen is stretched flat. Therefore, it is not suitable for printing on the curved surface as it is. Therefore, in order to form the background layer by screen printing on the front end surface of the convex portion forming the curved surface, it is desirable to perform in a state where the screen is loosened. As a result, when the squeegee is moved along the screen, the surface of the screen easily comes into contact with the tip surface of the convex portion, and printing defects can be prevented.

  However, in the above case, it is necessary to move the squeegee along the curved surface. In the production line, the squeegee is configured to move automatically. For example, the rail that guides the squeegee should have a shape that follows the shape of the curved surface, and the squeegee can move up and down on the curved surface. it can. Alternatively, the squeegee may be swung along the curved surface of the resin base material. In the former case, the production line needs to be modified, but in the latter case, only the squeegee needs to be replaced with a swingable one, which is practical for multi-product production.

  After a background layer having a gradation design is formed on the surface of the convex portion on the curved surface by screen printing, a bright layer forming step is performed in which a bright layer having a metallic luster is formed on at least the concave surface of the curved surface. This bright layer forming step can be performed by a PVD method or a CVD method. Vapor deposition, sputtering, ion plating, etc. can be used as the PVD method, and electroless plating can be used as the CVD method. The bright layer can be formed from various metals. In the case of a front grill garnish disposed in front of the millimeter wave radar device, indium, tin, gold, or the like that can transmit millimeter waves is used.

  The bright layer may be formed at least on the surface of the recess, but may also be formed on the surface of the background layer by vapor deposition or the like. That is, a bright layer may be formed on the entire curved surface.

  However, the background layer formed by screen printing and the glitter layer formed by vapor deposition are thin and easily damaged. Therefore, it is desirable to further form a protective coating film on the surface of the background layer and the glitter layer. The protective coating film only needs to have a function of protecting the background layer and the glitter layer, and can be formed by using a known coating method using various known coating materials.

  In the case of a front grill garnish disposed in front of the millimeter wave radar device, a molded resin layer is formed on the surface of the background layer and the bright layer or the surface of the protective coating film. This molded resin layer smoothes the surface of the curved surface of the resin base material and makes the entire thickness uniform. The molded resin layer may be formed by injection molding or the like by placing a resin base in a mold, or a pre-molded resin molded body may be bonded to the curved surface.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically by way of examples. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is applied to an ornament 1 installed on a front grill of an automobile.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ornament 1 includes a bright portion 10 of a metallic glitter design, and a background portion 11 formed between the bright portions 10, and the background portion 11 is a black dark color portion 110 and a blue light color portion. It constitutes a gradation design with 111.

  The ornament 1 includes a transparent resin substrate 2 made of polycarbonate, a glitter layer 3 and a background layer 4 formed on the back side of the resin substrate 2, and a surface of the glitter layer 3, as shown in FIG. And a protective coating film 5 formed on the substrate.

  The resin base material 2 is formed in a dish shape, and as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, a three-dimensional concave curved surface 20 is formed on the back surface side. A concave surface 21 and a convex portion 22 are formed on the curved surface 20 of the resin substrate 2, and the bottom surface of the concave portion 21 and the tip surface of the convex portion 22 constitute a concave curved surface 20. The background layer 4 is formed on the tip surface of the convex portion 22, and the glitter layer 3 is formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 21 and the surface of the background layer 4.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of this ornament 1 is demonstrated and it replaces with the detailed description of a structure.

  First, a dish-shaped resin substrate 2 having a convex surface and a concave back surface is formed by injection molding. The surface of the resin base material 2 constitutes a convex curved surface having a circular arc shape in cross section, and the back surface constitutes a concave curved surface having a circular arc shape in cross section. Concave portions 21 and convex portions 22 are formed on the back surface, and all the front end surfaces of the convex portions 22 constitute a concave curved surface having a continuous arcuate cross section.

  Next, black gradation is printed on the tip surface of the convex portion 22 by screen printing using black ink. In the screen, a through hole having a gradation pattern is formed in advance by a resist or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, the screen 6 is placed in a relaxed state along the back side of the resin base material 2, and black ink is screen-printed with a rubber squeegee 7.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the squeegee 7 has a tip shape along a concave curved surface having a circular arc cross section, and is arranged in the printing apparatus so as to be swingable about the shaft 70. That is, the squeegee 7 swings in parallel with a concave curved surface having a circular arc shape including the tip surface of the convex portion 22 at the tip. Therefore, when the squeegee is swung by a driving source such as a motor, the black ink disposed on the screen 6 passes through the through-hole and is printed on the front surface of the convex portion 22, and the black gradation is formed on the front surface of the convex portion 22. The pattern is printed out with good parting.

  Next, the screen 6 is replaced, and a blue color is superimposed on the front end surface of the convex portion 22 on which the black gradation pattern is printed, using a semi-transparent blue ink. At this time, blue ink is printed uniformly over the whole, not gradation.

  According to this printing apparatus, the pressing force of the squeegee 7 becomes uniform even on the concave curved surface 20 having an arcuate cross section, so that it is possible to perform screen printing with good appearance without causing printing defects. As a result, a background layer 4 is formed. From the surface side of the resin base material 2, the background portion 11 is composed of a gradation design in which the color tone gradually changes from the dark color portion 110 to the light blue color portion 111. Visible.

  Next, the resin base material 2 on which the background portion 11 is formed is placed in a vapor deposition apparatus, and aluminum is vapor-deposited on the entire back surface. The vapor deposition film is formed on the entire back surface of the resin substrate 2, and is formed on the surface of the background layer 4 of the convex portion 22, both side walls of the concave portion 21, and the bottom surface of the concave portion 21. Thereby, the glitter layer 3 is formed, and the glitter layer 3 formed on both side walls and the bottom surface of the concave portion 21 is visually recognized from the surface of the resin base material 2, and the glitter portion 10 is visually recognized between the background portions 11 with good visibility. .

  Finally, an acrylic resin paint is spray-coated on the entire back surface of the resin base material 2 to form a protective coating film 5.

  Therefore, according to the ornament of the present embodiment, the gradation background portion 11 and the three-dimensional brilliant portion 10 are visually recognized, and the background portion 11 and the brilliant portion 10 both express a three-dimensional design. Excellent design.

  And according to the manufacturing method of a present Example, the design with the above-mentioned three-dimensional effect can be formed easily and stably without the need for skill, and the production cost is also low.

It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the motor vehicle with the ornament which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a top view of the ornament which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the ornament which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the ornament which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the screen printing apparatus in the case of manufacturing the ornament which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the screen printing apparatus in the case of manufacturing the ornament which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Ornament 2: Resin base material 3: Bright layer 4: Background layer 5: Protective coating 6: Screen 7: Squeegee 20: Concave surface 21: Concave
22: Convex

Claims (5)

A transparent resin base material having a three-dimensional curved surface with concave and convex portions formed on the curved surface;
A background layer formed on the surface of the convex portion of the curved surface;
A bright layer formed on the surface of the concave portion of the curved surface,
The decorative member, wherein the background layer has a gradation design formed by screen printing, and the background layer and the glitter layer are visually recognized through the resin base material from the back side of the curved surface.   The decorative member according to claim 1, wherein a protective coating film is further formed on the surface of the background layer and the glitter layer. Prepare a transparent resin base material having a three-dimensional curved surface, with concave and convex portions formed on the curved surface,
A background layer printing step of forming a background layer having a gradation design on the surface of the convex portion of the curved surface by screen printing;
A bright layer forming step of forming a bright layer having a metallic luster on at least the surface of the concave portion of the curved surface is performed in this order.   The said background layer printing process is a manufacturing method of the decoration member of Claim 3 performed by rocking | fluctuating a squeegee along the said curved surface surface in the state which slackened the screen.   The method for producing a decorative member according to claim 3, wherein after the bright layer forming step, a coating step of forming a protective coating covering the surfaces of the background layer and the bright layer is performed.

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