One-piece electroformed metal component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214831-B2
Application number	US-201514880329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Oct 17, 2014
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a one-piece metal component including an electroformed metal body, the external surface of the body including, only over or to a predetermined depth, less trapped hydrogen than the rest of the electroformed metal body causing a hardening relative to the rest of the body in order to improve the wear resistance of the one-piece component while preserving a relative magnetic permeability of less than 10 and the ability to be driven or pressed fit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating a one-piece component, comprising:
a) forming a mould on an electrically conductive substrate;
b) filling the mould by electroforming to form at least one one-piece metal component comprising an electroformed metal body;
c) releasing the at least one one-piece metal component from the electrically conductive substrate and from the mould;
wherein the method further comprises:
d) effecting desorption of trapped hydrogen in the at least one one-piece metal component during electroforming so as to form, only over a predetermined depth of an external surface of the body, a hardening relative to the rest of the body,
wherein the metal is electroformed in the filling b) in amorphous form and the external surface comprises an at least partially crystalline phase of the electroformed metal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined depth represents between 0.1% and 10% of the total thickness of the at least one one-piece component.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the external surface includes a larger grain size than the metal that is electroformed in the filling b).

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal electroformed in the filling b) is a nickel-phosphorus, nickel-tungsten or nickel-cobalt-phosphorus alloy.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the effecting d) is performed in a controlled atmosphere with a partial pressure of hydrogen sufficiently low so that trapped hydrogen escapes from the component.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the controlled atmosphere is formed of 95% dinitrogen and 5% dihydrogen at atmospheric pressure.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the effecting d) is performed in a vacuum.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the effecting d) lasts between 15 and 240 minutes at a temperature comprised between 250° C. and 450° C.

Assignees

• Nivarox Sa

Inventors

• Dubois Philippe
• Charbon Christian

Classifications

• G04B15/14

  Component parts or constructional details, e.g. construction of the lever or the escape wheel {(assembly and manufacture of the spring G04B1/145; assembly and manufacture of components, e.g. pinions, spindles G04B13/02; lubrication of clockwork bearings G04B31/008; oils for clockwork bearings in general G04B31/08)} · CPC title

• C22C19/03

  based on nickel · CPC title

• G04B37/22

  Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases {(machines or tools for the manufacture of clockwork cases G04D3/0064, G04D3/0097, G04D3/029; decoration or tools therefor G04B45/0076)} · CPC title

• C22C45/04

  with nickel or cobalt as the major constituent · CPC title

• B81C1/00674 Primary

  Treatments for improving wear resistance · CPC title