JPS58221689A - Display member for timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify and speedup the manufacturing process of a dial while designing the dial with superior movelty, by irradiating the surface of a timepiece display member with laser light. CONSTITUTION:A thin plate material is lapped and pressed into the outward shape of a plate 11. The plate 11 is fixed on a flat plate and the laser light is scanned perpendicularly to sublime and remove the material of the plate 11 at the center part of the laser light irradiation, forming a rugged part. The output is increased for large contrast irradiation traces (patterned) and decreased for small contrast irradiation traces (patterned), thus realizing a striped pattern 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to patterning on the surface of a display member used in a wristwatch.

The present invention relates to a novel method for patterning the surface of a display member for a wristwatch using laser light.

The display members of a wristwatch include a dial, hands, a reflector, and the like. These display members are the parts of the watch that are looked at most and attract attention, and their surface conditions, such as surface treatment, surface pattern,
The shape, color, texture, sense of luxury, precision, etc. are immediately linked to the product value of a wristwatch, so we place the utmost importance on the design.
Processing is performed.

Among these, the dial takes up a large proportion of the appearance of the entire watch, and it leaves a strong impression on the viewer, so special attention must be paid to it when manufacturing a watch.

As shown in Figure 1, a dial plate generally consists of a plate 1, letters 2, marks 3, window frame 4, and fixed feet 5, and among them, the main dial has the highest area occupation rate. I will mainly talk about Great 1. The material of the plate 1 is mainly brass, nickel silver, evening bronze, beryllium steel, glass, precious stones, etc., and it is a plate with a thickness of approximately Q, 2 to 0.4 wpr, and the planar shape is round, square, or square.

They were shaped like almonds, and their surfaces were decorated with various patterns, painted, printed, plated, and engraved. The evaluation of a dial is based on four elements: material, shape, patterning, and surface treatment, but since there are enormous restrictions on material and shape, we mainly evaluate it to create a design parfait. The combination of patterning and surface treatment was compatible with XP. However, when comparing patterning and surface treatment in terms of design variety, patterning is relatively more difficult, and some sort of countermeasure is desired. The current method of patterning on the dial slate can be roughly divided into: (1) The coining tool is used to transfer the unevenness drawn on the tool surface onto the slate surface.

(2) Finely uneven grooves are created on the rainbow surface by inserting abrasive particles between the grate and the soft slide I and sliding them to create a hair fin finish.

(3) Spray small particle abrasive onto the plate surface to create irregularities on the plate S surface.

(4) Immerse and pass through a chemical polishing solution to create irregularities on the surface.

(5) Carving, engraving, polishing, etc. are performed using hand tools.

The main method is to make a plate 11 with the outer peripheral part 12 having a satin pattern, the central square part 13 having a striped pattern, and the remaining part 14 having a smooth surface, as shown in the route plan view of FIG. 2. In this case, first, a thin strip of material, which is the raw material for the grate, is wrapped, and then press processing is performed to give the outer shape of the plate 11.

To pattern the outer peripheral part 12, after covering the parts other than the outer peripheral part with a resist, a particulate abrasive or abrasive powder is sprayed simultaneously with a fluid, etc., to form a matte pattern. After the patterning of the outer peripheral portion 12 is completed, the previously applied resist is removed, and then a new resist is applied to the remaining portions, leaving the central square portion 13.

Grate 11f in the above state: Fix it on a flat plate, sprinkle particulate abrasive on top of the grate 11, and slide a soft thick cloth, scrubbing brush, etc. onto the central square part 15. After the stripe coverage is completed, the resist is further removed.
The patterning of step 1 is completed.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of the route in Figure 3, when making a plate 21 with a wrinkled pattern on the entire surface, first wrap the thin plate material that is the raw material for the plate, and then wrap the plate 21 in a way that makes the external shape of the plate 21 larger. A blank is made, and then a coining process is carried out from the direction of the arrow using a punch or die with an engraved crimp pattern, and the crimp pattern 22 is transferred to the blank surface.The crimp pattern 22 is transferred. The blank is further punched out with a center hole (not shown) and an outer shape (not shown), then plated, painted, etc. to complete the process.

To sum up the problems with dial plates manufactured using conventional methods, the current patterning involves the production of coining tools, the type of abrasive material, the method of spraying the abrasive material, the type of chemical polishing liquid, It is difficult to create dials with original and excellent designs due to the many limitations on the skills involved in applying rainbow patterns to hand tools.

■ In order to realize a novel design within the existing patterning method, the number of manufacturing steps and processing time will increase significantly.

■ Due to the above (■), the manufacturing period becomes longer and costs increase.

■ In order to add machining, the material strength, that is, the material thickness, must be at least 0.3 mm, 0.01 m,
It is impossible to manufacture thin dials such as 0.08 m, ■ The number of dials manufactured with the same design (specification) is at least 10.
It is often limited to a few pieces, an average of several hundred pieces, and the design i
It was necessary to change the processing setup for patterning every 4 f, which was inefficient.

■ It is necessary to make special molds for each different design.
The present invention solves all of these drawbacks, and its purpose is to enable a highly novel design and to simplify and speed up the dial manufacturing process. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on Examples.

Needless to say, laser light has already been put to practical use in other fields, and its characteristics include the provision of high energy, the ability to easily narrow down the area of energy, and the addition of microcontrollers, etc. It would be possible to accurately illuminate any location by operating a mirror or table. When making the plate 11 shown in FIG. 2 using such a laser beam, two thin plates, which are the raw materials for the grate, are spun together and pressed into the external shape of the plate 11, as in the conventional method. The grate 11 after the press processing is fixed on a flat plate, and first, in order to apply a satin pattern on the outer peripheral part 12, the laser spot diameter is narrowed down to 10 to 20 μm, the output is 5 W to 30 W, and the pitch between spots is approximately 10μm～
The laser beam was scanned approximately perpendicularly to the plate 11 to sublimate and remove the material of the plate 11 at the center of the laser beam irradiation, creating a concave portion and convex portions in other areas. do - can do. Furthermore, the stripe density of the central square portion 13 is set such that the pitch in the vertical direction is approximately 5 μm.
The horizontal pitch is 5 μm, 10 μm, and 15 μm, and the total output is variable in the range of 5 W to SOW.

By setting the output high for areas that require strong tone irradiation traces (patterned) and low output for areas requiring weak tone irradiation traces (patterned), it is possible to achieve a rainbow-streak pattern. .

The pattern range for the satin pattern and stripe weight is set using a microcomputer, but the output adjustment depends on the surface condition of the irradiated material, as the reflectance of the laser beam varies greatly depending on the surface condition of the irradiated material. Next, to obtain the same patterned surface without any scratches, the rough surface should have a low power, and the closer it gets to a mirror surface, the higher the power should be. In addition, as a method to reduce reflection from the surface, a thin film that prevents the reflection of laser light at the stage when the raw material or external shape of the plate 11 is prepared, that is,
After black nickel plating, coloring by heating and oxidation, or black painting, it is possible to easily create patterns by irradiating laser light and later removing the thin film. The basic method for making the irradiation traces look like a matte finish and the striped area as a pattern is to irradiate a rainbow laser beam on the method described above, and to make the irradiation marks look like a satin finish and the striped area as a pattern, the laser beam is irradiated on a part of the material of Grate 11, and the irradiated part of the material is Part of the plate is sublimated and part of it is melted, resulting in a pattern of regular irregularities on the surface of the plate 11.

Figure 3 shows Great Untalented. 210 When surface patterning is to be carried out using a laser beam, a thin plate is first wrapped, shaped into an external shape, and fixed onto a flat plate in the same manner as in the case of making the route 11 in FIG.

A spot diameter of 2 is placed on the surface of the grating 21 fixed on a flat plate.
The wrinkled pattern 22 can be formed on the surface of the 7-layer plate 21 by repeatedly irradiating random positions with laser light in the direction of the arrows, with a diameter of 0 to 50 μm and an output of 5 to 3 ow.

Furthermore, another method is to use a non-metallic material such as opaque glass, sapphire, agate, crystal containing impurities, and trametite for the 7-rate 31, as shown in the plan view of the gray plate in Figure 4. Irradiating light and heating the grate partially and rapidly may cause fine particles on the surface layer2.
The crack pattern 32 or internal thermal stress is generated, and the original refraction and light scattering are caused in the crack pattern 32 or the internal stress generated portion to form a pattern. Naturally, the laser light output, irradiation time, Zubot diameter, and contrast interval will vary depending on the material to be processed, surface condition, and required pattern.
Generally, the output is 5 to SOW, and 0.01 to 0.51
1&! can be irradiated with a spot diameter of 10 to 50 μm.

Still another method is to provide a surface thin film layer 42 made of an organic thin film layer, a metal plating layer, etc. on the surface of the plate 41, as shown in the fifth (2) grade cross-sectional view, and then remove the plate 4.
1. Laser light is irradiated from the back side in the direction of the arrow, and a rapid heating operation is performed locally, and the conductive heat through the grate 41 sublimates and melts the L-surface thin film layer 42, or applies thermal stress to the surface of the grate 41. You can make it by adding patterns to it. In addition to making it possible to form a desired pattern on the surface of the plate 41 without repeating such operations, it is also possible to create a design with even more depth by inscribing the pattern on the surface of the plate 41 in advance. . Further, it goes without saying that laser beam irradiation can be directly irradiated onto the surface if there are no special problems such as +7c7' signs or if the surface thin film layer is not susceptible to heat.

Furthermore, another method is to apply a thin film Ifi of a different material to the surface of the grade 510, as shown in Fig.
After providing a plurality of layers of 52.53, a laser beam is irradiated from the surface of the grate 510 in the direction of the arrow to form the thin film layer 52.53.
remove. In this case, the intensity of the laser beam output varies, the outermost 5 thin film layers, one layer, or multiple thin film layers 52.5
3 can be selected. Therefore, when multiple thin film layers with different colors are provided, it is possible to create multiple colors and patterns on the surface of the plate 51 by adjusting the output of the laser beam irradiated to the relevant portion and the thickness of the thin film layers 52 and 53. becomes.

By patterning the grate using laser light in this way, compared to conventional methods, it is possible to create a pattern using a collection of minute dots with a spot diameter of 10 μm to 50 μm, making it possible to create patterns outside of the framework of conventional methods. A unique and innovative design is now possible.

■ Since any pattern can be easily and quickly applied to any part of the grate, the period from deciding the design to completing the processing of the product is extremely short, reducing the conventional 1X to IXo days (required for actual processing). The time required for this is at least half a day).

■ Since no special jigs, tools, or auxiliary tools are required for each design, it is possible to save costs and, as a result, reduce the cost of dials. In particular, when the number of processed dial plates of the same specifications is small, the cost reduction effect is particularly excellent, and the production can be performed at a cost of 50 to 50 inches compared to the conventional method.

■ Due to the method of instantaneous heating of a small area, there is almost no thermal effect on the grate, and no warpage, bending, or twisting of the grate due to heat can be detected. Therefore, since there is no mechanical stress or thermal stress that would be a problem in machining, the thickness of the material that becomes the grate material is reduced to ~%, that is, 50 μm ~
b) The design can be made as thin as 100 μm. Changes in the design can be made extremely easily by selecting the laser light output, speed, spot diameter scanning regularity, etc. This modification work can be accomplished in about 10 hours, which is the time required for conventional machining, and is highly flexible.

As described above, the patterning of dials, especially plates, using laser light has been described, but it goes without saying that these methods can be applied to letters, hands, and reflectors in the same way.

The laser light suitable for the above method is YAG laser light with a wavelength of 1.06 μm.

Since the wavelength of YAG laser light is transparent (not absorbed) by non-metallic materials, especially transparent glass, it is easy to handle, structure, and maintain the optical system of the laser device.
After providing a plurality of thin film layers on the surface of the plate, YAG
When patterning is performed by irradiating laser light, using a transparent vitreous layer as a thin film layer allows other thin film layers to absorb energy without any effect on the layer.

In this method of use, a transparent glassy layer is provided as the outermost thin film layer, and the other thin film layers are made of a laser beam absorbing material (for example, an Or plating layer, etc.) and YAG is irradiated with light. There is no change in the outermost transparent glassy layer, but
It is a laser source with very useful properties that can be patterned on the intermediate layer between the transparent glass layer and the gray base material, creating a new design and improving the corrosion resistance of the dial. It can be said that.

Laser Mate 50, manufactured by Fuji Electric and manufactured by mm, is a representative laser device used for such purposes. Quickly irradiate any location and at the same time simplify the device 1. It is a useful device that has economical running costs and can be used in a variety of ways in the future.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional dial plate, 1...Grate 2...Character 3...Threat 4...Window frame 5...Fixed foot Figure 2 is a plan view of a conventional dial , 11...Flate 12...Nashiji pattern 13...
・Striped pattern 14...Flat side Figure 3 is a sectional view of the conventional grate, 21...Plate 22...Crinkled pattern Figure 4 is an external view of the plate of the present invention, 31...Slate 32.・Clutch pattern No. 5
The figure is a 7° rate cross-sectional view of the present invention, 41...Grate 42...Thin film layer Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the plate of the present invention, 51...Plate 52.55...Thin film layer
Applicant Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Mutsuko Mogami 1M Product 2 Kantaku 31ri

Claims (8)

[Claims] (1) A display member for a watch, characterized in that the surface of the member is irradiated with laser light to provide regular irregularities on the surface of the member. (2) A display member for a watch, characterized in that the surface of the member is irradiated with laser light to cause thermal stress in the surface layer of the member. (3) After forming a thin film layer on the surface of the member in advance,
A display member for a watch, characterized in that the thin film layer portion is irradiated with laser light, and the thin film layer in the laser light irradiated portion is melted or removed. (4) After forming a plurality of thin film layers on the surface of the member, the thin film layer portion is irradiated with laser light, and one or more of the thin film layers in the laser light irradiated portion is melted or removed. Display components for watches. (5) A display member for a watch, characterized in that a thin film layer is formed on the surface of a thin plate member in advance, and then a laser beam is irradiated from the back side of the member to melt, remove or heat stress the surface thin film layer. (6) A display member for a timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a pulsed laser beam is used. (7) Adjust the laser beam spot diameter to 10μm to 50μm.
F) %i! characterized by J! 'F A display member for a timepiece according to claims 1 to 6. (8) Materials for parts include brass, nickel silver, bronze, and IJ.
. Claim 1, characterized in that aluminum copper, stainless steel M, fulminium, gold, and silver ceramics are used.
A display member for a watch according to items 7 to 7.