• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The invention relates to a one-piece piece (17) having an electroformed metal body. According to the invention, the outer surface (19) of the body comprises, only on a predetermined depth (E 1), another form of the electroformed metal providing a hardening relative to the rest of the body to improve the wear resistance of the monoblock piece while maintaining a relative magnetic permeability less than 10 and the possibility of being driven. The invention also relates to a timepiece comprising such a one-piece piece and to a method of manufacturing such a piece.
    公开号:CH710265A2
    申请号:CH01594/14
    申请日:2014-10-17
    公开日:2016-04-29
    发明作者:Dubois Philippe；Charbon Christian
    申请人:Nivarox-Far S A；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Field of the invention
    The invention relates to a one-piece piece of electroformed metal and in particular such a piece having improved wear resistance.
    Background of the invention
    It is known to form one-piece metal parts using a LIGA process, that is to say a process combining the formation of a mold for example by photolithography with the filling of said mold to the using electroplating.
    However, these electroformed parts are generally too soft and have unsatisfactory wear resistance.
    Summary of the invention
    The object of the present invention is to overcome all or part of the disadvantages mentioned above by providing an electroformed monobloc piece whose wear resistance is improved while maintaining a relative magnetic permeability less than 10 and the possibility of being removed and a manufacturing process comprising a superficial hardening step whose depth is easily controllable.
    For this purpose, the invention relates to a one-piece piece comprising an electroformed metal body characterized in that the outer surface of the body comprises, only to a predetermined depth, another form of electroformed metal providing a hardening relative to to the rest of the body to improve the wear resistance of the one-piece piece while maintaining a relative magnetic permeability less than 10 and the possibility of being driven.
    According to other advantageous variants of the invention:the predetermined depth is between 0.1% and 10% of the total thickness of the one-piece piece;the metal is electroformed in amorphous form and the outer surface has an at least partially crystalline phase of the electroformed metal or a larger grain size than the electroformed metal of the rest of the body;the electroformed metal comprises nickel, gold or platinum such as a nickel-phosphorus, nickel-tungsten or nickel-cobalt-phosphorus alloy.
    In addition, the invention relates to a timepiece characterized in that it comprises a part according to one of the preceding variants, said part forming part of the covering or part of the movement of the timepiece.
    Finally, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a one-piece part comprising the following steps:<tb> a) <SEP> forming a mold on an electrically conductive substrate;<tb> b) <SEP> fill the mold by electroplating to form at least one piece metal piece;<tb> c) <SEP> releasing said at least one one-piece metal part of said substrate and said mold; characterized in that the method further comprises:<tb> d) <SEP> desorbing the hydrogen trapped in said at least one piece metal piece during the electroplating to form, only to a predetermined depth of the outer surface of the body, another form of the electroformed metal by bringing a hardening compared to the rest of the body.
    According to other advantageous variants of the invention:the predetermined depth is between 0.1% and 10% of the total thickness of the one-piece piece;the metal is electroformed during step b) in amorphous form and the outer surface comprises an at least partially crystalline phase of the electroformed metal or a larger grain size with respect to the electroformed metal during step b);the electroformed metal in step b) comprises nickel, gold or platinum such as a nickel-phosphorus, nickel-tungsten or nickel-cobalt-phosphorus alloy;step d) is carried out under a controlled atmosphere at low hydrogen partial pressure as formed at 95% of dinitrogen and 5% of dihydrogen at atmospheric pressure;step d) is carried out under vacuum;step d) lasts between 15 and 240 minutes at a temperature between 250 ° C and 450 ° C.
    Brief description of the drawings
    Other features and advantages will become apparent from the description which is given below, for information only and not limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:<tb> Figs. 1 to 4 <SEP> are representations of steps of the process according to the invention;<tb> fig. <SEP> is a graph for understanding the consequences of factor variations of the desorption step of the process according to the invention;<tb> fig. 6 <SEP> is a representation of applications of the invention for dressing a timepiece;<tb> figs. 7 and 8 <SEP> are representations of applications of the invention for the movement of a timepiece.
    Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
    As explained above, the electroformed parts are very satisfactory with respect to their ribs, especially when they are obtained by a LIGA process, but they are generally too soft and, incidentally, have a wear resistance which is not satisfactory.
    Following a recent development which is better explained below, it was found surprisingly that it was possible to harden the outer surface of the electroformed parts to an easily controllable depth.
    This surprising possibility goes against the technical prejudice that a heat treatment is always homogeneous, that is to say that the hardening is effective between the outer surface and the core of the piece, especially for watch parts of which the thickness rarely exceeds 200 μm.
    However, the one-piece piece formed of an electroformed metal body comprises, advantageously according to the invention, an outer surface which, only on a predetermined depth, comprises another form of the electroformed metal by providing a hardening compared to the rest. from the body.
    Indeed, depending on the material used, it is possible to electroform a metal part insensitive to magnetic fields. However, the hardening superficially transforming the metal initially electroformed homogeneously, has a different shape that can itself be sensitive to magnetic fields but also make its plastic domain too small to allow hunting.
    Therefore, using the surprising surface hardening of the electroformed metal body, it is thus advantageously possible according to the invention to improve the wear resistance of the single piece while maintaining a permeability relative magnetic less than 10 and the possibility of being hunted.
    The manufacturing method according to the invention comprises a first step a) for forming a mold 1 on an electrically conductive substrate 3 as shown in FIG. 1. The substrate 3 may be intrinsically electrically conductive, such as doped steel or silicon, or may be coated with an electrically conductive layer such as glass, ceramic or silicon coated with gold and / or chromium.
    In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the mold 1 is formed by a resin obtained by photolithography forming a central portion 2 and a peripheral portion 4 whose interstice will be used to form precisely the negative impression 5 of the future piece. Of course, the advantage of such a mold is not to be limited to a single footprint 5. Thus, several indentations 5 may advantageously be made on the same substrate, said plurality of indentations being identical or not.
    The process continues with a second step b) for filling the mold 1 by electroplating to form at least one piece metal piece. The electroplating will be performed by connecting the electrically conductive surface of the substrate 3 which forms the bottom of the negative imprint 5. Preferably, the electroformed metal in step b) comprises nickel, gold or platinum.
    Even more preferably, it appeared that a nickel-phosphorus, nickel-tungsten or nickel-cobalt-phosphorus alloy was particularly interesting to form a watch part as part of the cladding or part of the movement of the watch. a timepiece. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the negative impression 5 is in the form of a wheel.
    The method comprises a third step c) for releasing said at least one piece metal piece 7 of the substrate 3 and the mold 1 as shown in FIG. 2. In this figure, it can be seen that the one-piece metal piece 7 thus comprises a through hole 6 and a toothing 8 thus forming a wheel. Step c) depends on the type of substrate 3 used and the type of mold 1 used. It is generally used selective chemical attacks to leave intact the at least one piece metal piece 7 obtained.
    Advantageously according to the invention, the method further comprises the last step d) for desorbing the hydrogen trapped in said at least one piece metal piece during the electroplating of step b). Indeed, following a recent development, it was found that hydrogen was trapped during the electroplating stage.
    Thus, surprisingly, the control of this hydrogen desorption in said at least one piece metal piece 7 obtained allows the hardening of the outer surface of said at least one piece metal piece 7 obtained at an easily controllable depth. It is therefore clear that a hardening front from the outer surface towards the center of the part is thus achieved and easily controlled.
    As shown in FIG. 4, it is therefore understood that a composite part 17 is obtained from the part 7. Thus, the external surface 19 comprises, only to a predetermined depth E1, another form of the electroformed metal by providing a hardening relative to the rest of the body Originally electrodeposited in step b). The part 17 advantageously keeping its original shape, that is to say the toothing 18 and the through hole 16.
    Thus, it has been shown experimentally that a predetermined depth E1comprise between 0.1% and 10% of the total thickness ETde piece 17 monoblock, that is to say 2 · E1 = 0.1% - 10% · ET, surprisingly gives a piece whose wear resistance is increased by 30% while maintaining a relative magnetic permeability μR less than 10 and the possibility of being driven.
    Depending on the chosen material, the external surface may consist of an increase in the size of grains relative to the rest of the body or in a phase change with respect to the rest of the body, for example, the passage of a phase amorphous at a phase at least partially crystalline.
    According to the invention, step d) can be carried out under a controlled atmosphere at low hydrogen partial pressure or under vacuum so that the trapped hydrogen escapes from the piece 7. As a non-limiting example a possible controlled atmosphere could be a fluid of 95% nitrous and 5% dihydrogen at atmospheric pressure. Finally, depending on the material used, step d) can last between 15 and 240 minutes at a temperature between 250 ° C and 450 ° C.
    Advantageously according to the invention, the curing edge from the outer surface to the center of the workpiece is easily controlled. Indeed, FIG. 7 illustrates an example of application of the present invention to a coaxial nickel-phosphorus monoblock wheel 27 having a lower toothing 24, an upper toothing 28 and a through hole 26.
    As shown in FIG. 5, the parameters of step d) have been modified to build a graph of their repercussion on the one-piece part 27. It is possible to see, on the abscissa, the duration in hours (H) of maintaining step d) carried out at 300 ° C performed under a controlled atmosphere of 95% nitrous and 5% dihydrogen at atmospheric pressure. On the ordinate, on the left, is the Vickers hardness (HV) and, on the right, the relative magnetic permeability (μR).
    The annotated triangle line (Δ) represents the Vickers hardness at 10 g load (HV 0.01), the one annotated in a circle (O) represents the Vickers hardness at 500 g load (HV 0.5) and the annotated one in square (□) represents the difference in hardness between the test at 10 g load and that at 500 g load. The cross-annotated line (X) represents the evolution of the relative permeability μR.
    Looking at the annotated triangle curve (Δ), we see that the external hardness of the part 27 increases rapidly during the first hour of desorption under 300 ° C and then tends to an asymptote close to 1000 HV. In comparison, the curve annotated in a circle (O) which represents the hardness at about 3 μm depth, is almost stable until one hour of desorption at 300 ° C. We thus understand, as visible in the curve annotated in square (o), that a very progressive front of transformation is operated. It is also visible with the curve annotated in square (□) that an extremum, representing a difference close to 300 HV, is reached for a value of 75 minutes of heating.
    As explained above, the object of the present invention is to increase the wear resistance while maintaining a relative magnetic permeability μR less than 10 and keeping the possibility of chasing the part. A surface defined by broken lines has been drawn in FIG. 5 to represent the area in which these conditions are met. It can be seen that the duration range of step d) at 300 ° C. presenting an advantageous compromise for a nickel-phosphorus monoblock piece 27 extends between 15 and 90 minutes. Of course, depending on the application and the material used, the range may however extend between 15 and 240 minutes.
    In light of the tests, the duration of 1 hour of step d) at 300 ° C for a monoblock piece 27 nickel-phosphorus seems most optimal in that the hardness of the outer surface is about 850 HV formed by a dendritic phase transformation front which propagated towards the interior of the part as the hydrogen escaped while the hardness at approximately 3 μm depth remained unchanged at 600 HV formed by an amorphous phase. In addition, the relative permeability remains limited to 1.5, which makes the single-piece piece very insensitive to magnetic fields. Finally, after tests, it appeared that the one-piece piece 27 was still hinged on an axis according to the usual methods for forming clockwork mobiles.
    Step d) according to the invention is different from a usual heat treatment of metals which is generally performed around 200 ° C to relax the internal stresses. By way of example, the phenomena described above occur, in the case of nickel-phosphorus only for temperatures substantially greater than 250 ° C.
    Of course, the present invention is not limited to the example shown but is susceptible to various variations and modifications that will occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, the same test must be performed according to the application, the temperature, the material used and the duration of step d) in order to determine the optimum parameters of the part to be manufactured.
    By way of example illustrated in FIG. 8, a clock spring, such as a motor spring 37, does not have to be driven like a mobile but only fitted by its eyelet 38 to the hook of the bung of the barrel shaft (not shown). As such, it can certainly be the subject of a step d) of longer duration, that is to say for example between 90 and 240 minutes, to provide a higher power reserve piece watchmaking. In addition, the motor spring 37 being electroformed, the blade 34 may have a variable section intended to provide a substantially constant elastic torque during expansion of the motor spring 37 and / or comprise a flange 38 integral with the blade 34.
    Similarly and as illustrated in FIG. 6, the application of the present invention is not limited to a part of a watch movement but can also be advantageously applied in particular to the dressing of a timepiece. Indeed, if the bottom 41 and the bezel 43 of a timepiece are generally driven, this is not the case of the middle part 45, the bracelet 47, the pusher 42 or the crown 44.
    Thus, in a nonlimiting manner, the middle part 45 or the links 46 of the bracelet 47 can certainly be the subject of a step d) of longer duration, that is to say for example between 90 and 240 minutes, to provide a higher wear resistance for the timepiece is less marked to wear.
    The method is also capable of being adapted without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, it is conceivable to deposit a sacrificial volume in the hole 6 before step d) making it possible to limit the advance of the curing edge at the wall of the hole 16, 26 and thus make it even easier for the future hunting of the one-piece part 17, 27.
    权利要求:
    Claims (19)
    [1]
    1. Monobloc piece (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) having an electroformed metal body characterized in that the outer surface (19) of the body comprises, only to a predetermined depth (E1 ), another form of the electroformed metal providing hardening relative to the rest of the body to improve the wear resistance of the one-piece piece (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) while maintaining a relative magnetic permeability (μR) of less than 10 and the possibility of being driven out.
    [2]
    2. Part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the predetermined depth (E1) is between 0.1% and 10% of the thickness total (ET) of the one-piece piece (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47).
    [3]
    3. Part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the metal is electroformed in amorphous form and the outer surface (19) comprises a phase at least partially crystalline electroformed metal.
    [4]
    4. Part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outer surface (19) has a grain size greater than the electroformed metal of the rest from the body.
    [5]
    5. Part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electroformed metal comprises nickel, gold or platinum.
    [6]
    6. Part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the electroformed metal is a nickel-phosphorus, nickel-tungsten or nickel-cobalt-phosphorus alloy .
    [7]
    7. Timepiece characterized in that it comprises a part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) according to one of the preceding claims.
    [8]
    8. Timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that said one-piece piece forms part of the dressing of said timepiece.
    [9]
    9. Timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that said one-piece piece forms part of the movement of said timepiece.
    [10]
    10. A method of manufacturing a one-piece part (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47) comprising the following steps:a) forming a mold (1) on an electrically conductive substrate (3);b) filling the mold (1) by electroplating to form at least one piece (6) monobloc metal;c) releasing said at least one one-piece metal part of said substrate and said mold;characterized in that the method further comprises:d) desorbing the hydrogen trapped in the at least one piece of metal during electroplating to form, only to a predetermined depth (E1) of the outer surface (19) of the body, another form of the electroformed metal by bringing a hardening compared to the rest of the body.
    [11]
    11. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the predetermined depth (E1) is between 0.1% and 10% of the total thickness (ET) of the one-piece piece (17, 27, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47).
    [12]
    12. The method of claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the metal is electroformed in step b) in amorphous form and the outer surface comprises an at least partially crystalline phase of the electroformed metal.
    [13]
    13. The method of claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the outer surface has a larger grain size compared to the electroformed metal in step b).
    [14]
    14. Method according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the electroformed metal in step b) comprises nickel, gold or platinum.
    [15]
    15. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the electroformed metal in step b) is a nickel-phosphorus, nickel-tungsten or nickel-cobalt-phosphorus alloy.
    [16]
    16. Method according to one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that step d) is performed under controlled atmosphere at low hydrogen partial pressure.
    [17]
    17. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the controlled atmosphere is formed at 95% of dinitrogen and 5% of dihydrogen at atmospheric pressure.
    [18]
    18. Method according to one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that step d) is carried out under vacuum.
    [19]
    19. Method according to one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that step d) lasts between 15 and 240 minutes at a temperature between 250 ° C and 450 ° C.
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    同族专利:
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    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    CH01594/14A|CH710265B1|2014-10-17|2014-10-17|Monobloc piece made of electroformed metal, timepiece and method of manufacture.|CH01594/14A| CH710265B1|2014-10-17|2014-10-17|Monobloc piece made of electroformed metal, timepiece and method of manufacture.|
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