JPH0745111B2 - Iridescent metal ornaments - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is a metal with a unique decoration in which the hue of the reflective gloss is varied in a rainbow-like manner depending on the angle of incident light and the viewing direction. Regarding ornaments.

(Prior Art) As a decorating means for giving a beautiful multicolor variable coloring that is impossible by painting or chemical coloring on a metal surface, the present applicant has previously filed Japanese Patent Application Nos. 1-84326 and 1-229567. There is a laser processing method proposed as a publication, that is, a method of forming fine irregularities corresponding to the intensity distribution of interference fringes on a metal surface by irradiation with laser interference light.

That is, the fine irregularities formed by the above method, on the scanning line for each time of the laser interference light, the bright portion of the interference fringe is concave,
Hundreds of ridges and valleys with the dark part protruding are usually visible in the wavelength range of visible light (3800-7800) of about 1 μm or less.
Å) densely assembled at a pitch interval close to. Therefore, the metallic surface having such fine irregularities should disperse and reflect the incident light in the same manner as a diffraction grating, and the hue of the reflection gloss should change in various colors depending on the direction of the incident light and the viewing angle. become.

Incidentally, as a structure similar to the above, which obtains a rainbow-like reflection gloss, by forming fine irregularities on the back surface of the transparent synthetic resin plate and providing a reflection layer such as an aluminum foil on the back surface side,
Spectral reflection due to the so-called prism effect, or a film photosensitive film formed on a transparent film is removed by irradiation with a laser beam in a striped pattern, and this film is irradiated with light by overlapping it on the surface of a metal plate on which a masking film is formed. Then, the unexposed portion of the masking film is removed, and then a portion of the surface of the metal plate where the masking photosensitive film is not present is eroded by etching. It is known that this uneven surface is used as a diffraction grating to perform spectral reflection (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-11697).

However, in these structures, the unevenness for performing spectral reflection is significantly larger than the fine unevenness corresponding to the intensity distribution of the interference fringes of the laser light described above, so that the reflection gloss of the laser interference light is Compared with the reflective gloss obtained when fine irregularities are directly formed on the metal surface, the sharpness, glitter, and saturation of spectral color are all significantly inferior.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) A beautiful iridescent color can be obtained by forming fine irregularities corresponding to the interference fringes of laser interference light on the metal surface as described above. As a metal material that can easily and reliably form the fine irregularities with a general laser processing machine such as a YAG laser that is widely used in
Examples include stainless steel and Ni-Cr alloys.

However, in the above-mentioned stainless steel and Ni-Cr alloy, the spectral rainbow-like reflection gloss is very beautiful,
The scattered light reflection, that is, the cheapness of the background color is undeniable, and there is a dislike that it lacks a high-class feel when used as an ornament.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention uses stainless steel or a Ni-Cr alloy as a metal material to be subjected to iridescent coloring, and imparts a sufficient sense of luxury as an ornament without impairing its iridescent coloring. Is intended.

(Means for Solving the Problem) As a means for achieving the above object, the iridescent metal ornament of the present invention has a strength of interference fringes of laser light on the surface of a metal made of stainless steel or Ni-Cr alloy. Fine irregularities corresponding to the distribution are formed, and on the surface on which the fine irregularities are formed,
Thickness 1μ consisting of one kind of metal selected from gold, silver and platinum
A noble metal coating having a thickness of m or less is provided while leaving the irregularities on the surface.

In the present invention, the noble metal coating in the above decorative article is a thin film having a thickness of 1 μm or less made of one kind of metal selected from gold, silver and platinum as a preferred embodiment.

(Function) The fine unevenness provided on the surface of the metal made of stainless steel or Ni-Cr alloy corresponds to the intensity distribution of the interference fringes of the laser beam, and is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-84326 and Japanese Patent Application No. 1-84326. It can be easily formed by the laser processing method by irradiation of laser interference light disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-259567.

Thus, the metal surface having the fine irregularities exhibits a reflective gloss whose hue varies in a rainbow-like manner depending on the direction in which the angle of incident light is viewed, as described above. Also, in the above, since the fine irregularities are exposed on the surface of the coating film, a beautiful iridescent reflection gloss is generated. However, the hue of scattered light reflection, that is, the hue of the metal surface that does not cause the above-mentioned iridescent coloring based on the spectrum, reflects the ground color of the precious metal itself, for example, gold is gold, silver and platinum are reflections. It shows a dull white silver color with a low feeling, and fully expresses a high-class feeling as an ornament. In addition, the influence of the background color of the precious metal also appears on the hue of the rainbow-like emission gloss due to the spectrum. For example, when the precious metal is gold, the entire changing color is reddish, and with silver or platinum, there is little glare. A color is produced, and any one of them has a more profound beauty than the tint produced on the surface of the stainless steel and the Ni-Cr alloy.

The thickness of such a noble metal coating is preferably 1 μm or less, and if it is too thick, the fine irregularities of the base are filled up, and the irregular stripes on the surface are blurred to make it difficult to produce a good rainbow color. The thickness may be so thin that the ground color of the underlying stainless steel or Ni-Cr alloy can be seen through.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 shows a laser processing step. A metal plate M made of stainless steel or a Ni—Cr alloy is placed on an XY table T, and a laser beam of a laser beam is generated by a processing condenser lens L provided above the metal plate M. The interference light B ₁ is converged and applied to the surface of the metal plate M at a position farther than the focal point of the lens L. Therefore, by moving the XY table T in the X direction, the surface of the metal plate M is scanned with the converged interference light B ₂ .
By moving the XY table T in the Y direction each time this scanning is completed, a parallel line or plane scanning pattern can be obtained. Therefore, the surface of the metal plate M corresponds to the bright part of the interference fringes of the interference pattern on the surface of the metal plate M for each scanning as shown in the enlarged view within the phantom line circle in FIG. 1 within the width of the irradiation spot diameter. Hundreds of concave lines 1 are formed.

Here, the interference light B ₁ is overlapped with the bright pattern components in the low-order multimode laser beam as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-84326, or is split from a single laser beam. Alternatively, it may be formed by overlapping a plurality of beams with each other, or the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 1-2295.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 67, a part of the laser beam may be laterally displaced and superposed on the original beam component. Therefore, specific device configurations for generating the interference light B ₁ are also disclosed in both the above patent applications.

By interlocking the movement of the XY table T in both XY directions, or by changing the optical axis direction of the interference light B ₁ by an optical control mechanism such as an XY scanner, the scanning line is curved or has a complicated pattern. You can set it to draw a trajectory that makes
Further, by combining the Z-direction displacement means, it becomes possible to perform fine concavo-convex processing on a three-dimensionally shaped metal surface such as a curved surface.
The irradiation position of the interference light B ₂ may be set to a position shallower than the focal point F of the lens L. Therefore, a concave mirror can also be used as a means for converging the interference light B ₁ .

Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, fine irregularities U ₁ composed of a large number of dense ridges I are formed on the surface of the metal plate M, and in order to make the decorative article of the present invention, a precious metal film is formed on the surface. To form. In addition, although it is schematically shown in the figure, each fine uneven portion
Actually, there are several hundred recessed lines I of U ₁ as described above.

The noble metal coating needs to have a thickness that allows fine irregularities due to the fine irregularities of the underlying layer to remain on the surface thereof, and is preferably 1 μm or less in order to leave clear irregular stripes.

As means for forming such a thin noble metal film, a thin film forming method such as vacuum deposition, sputtering, or ion plating deposition in a high vacuum, or an electrochemical method such as electrolytic plating can be adopted. However, the former thin film forming method is particularly preferable in terms of the uniformity of the film.

Gold, silver and platinum are preferable as the noble metal forming the thin film.

FIG. 3 is an iridescent metal ornament of the present invention obtained as described above, which covers the entire surface of the metal plate M made of stainless steel or Ni-Cr alloy having the fine irregularities U ₁ . A noble metal thin film G is formed, and on the surface of this thin film G, there are fine irregularities U _{2 in} which the grooves due to the respective concave stripes I faithfully appear at the positions of the fine irregularities U ₁ . The fine unevenness U ₂ has a reflective gloss whose hue varies in a rainbow-like manner depending on the angle of incident light and the viewing direction. Exhibits a metallic luster.

Note that such fine uneven portions U ₂ may be densely formed to form an iridescent color in a planar shape, instead of being formed in a linear shape such as a picture or a geometric pattern. The ornaments to which the present invention is applied include, for example, tie pins, earrings, piercings, high-grade metal accessories such as rings, clock dials, hands, exterior cases, figurines and other metal arts and crafts,
All metal products and parts with decorative function, such as high-grade metal tableware such as spoons, forks, knives, plates, exterior metal parts for various home appliances, metal parts for high-end furniture, various metal industrial products and parts, etc. Includes.

(Effects peculiar to the invention) According to the present invention, an inexpensive metallic material made of stainless steel or a Ni-Cr alloy is used as a base, and the color pattern is iridescent depending on the angle of the incident light or the viewing direction as the surface line pattern or surface pattern. A unique and beautiful decoration that changes in various ways,
Moreover, the noble metal luster peculiar to noble metals is exhibited as the scattered light reflection on the surface including the decorative portion, and it is possible to provide a metal ornament with a very high-class feeling.

Further, according to the configuration of claim (2) of the present invention, there is an advantage that the rainbow-like coloring of the decoration is particularly clear and adds a high-class feeling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a step of forming fine irregularities by laser processing for obtaining a metal ornament of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a metal plate on which fine irregularities are formed, and FIG. 3 is obtained. It is sectional drawing of the said metal ornament. B ₁ , B ₂ …… Laser interference light, G …… Noble metal thin film, M ……
Metal plate made of stainless steel or Ni-Cr alloy, U ₁ , U
₂ ... Fine irregularities.

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Ichiro Oshima 1-9-1, Jokoji, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture Osaka Fuji Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tokihiko Oshima 1-1-9, Jokoji, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Osaka Fuji Industrial Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Shigekazu Hirata 1-9-1, Jokoji, Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture Osaka Fuji Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Okano 1-9-1, Jokoji, Amagasaki, Hyogo Osaka Fuji Kogyo Co. Ltd. (56) References JP-A 59-165428 (JP, A) Actually opened 62-11697 (JP, U) Actually opened 60-162099 (JP, U) Actually opened 56-108713 (JP, U) Japanese Patent Publication Sho 56-36222 (JP, B2)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Fine irregularities corresponding to the intensity distribution of interference fringes of laser light are formed on the surface of a metal made of stainless steel or Ni-Cr alloy, and the fine irregularities are formed on the surface.
Thickness 1μ consisting of one kind of metal selected from gold, silver and platinum
An iridescent metal decorative article provided with a noble metal coating having a thickness of m or less, leaving the irregularities on the surface.