Method for fabrication of a timepiece provided with a multi-level exterior element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10301732-B2
Application number	US-201715640650-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2016
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

A method for fabrication of a piece including, superposing an electrically insulating layer including a first orifice, an additional layer including a first aperture, an intermediate layer including a first hole, and a base layer surmounted by a base motif, depositing a metal layer, so that at the end of this step, the metal layer forms a shell covering electrically conductive walls of the base motif, of the first orifice, of the first aperture and of the first hole, and includes a lateral area resting on the insulating layer, dissolving the insulating layer, coating the metal or alloy layer with a volume formed by a base material of the piece, so that the volume conforms to the shapes of the metal layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabrication of a piece provided with an exterior element, comprising:
superposing an electrically insulating layer including a first through orifice, an additional layer including a first through aperture, an intermediate layer including a first through hole, and a base layer surmounted by a base motif, so as to place the base motif inside the first through hole, cover the first through hole with the first through aperture, and superpose the first through aperture and the first through orifice;
forming an electrically conductive surface on one portion of an upper face of the insulating layer located at the periphery of the first through orifice;
electrodepositing a metal or metal alloy layer, so that at the end of the electrodepositing, the metal or metal alloy layer forms a shell covering walls of the base motif, of the first through orifice, of the first through aperture and of the first through hole, and comprises a lateral area resting on the electrically conductive surface of the insulating layer;
dissolving the insulating layer;
after the dissolving the insulating layer, coating the metal or metal alloy layer with a volume at least partly formed by a base material of the piece, so that an upper end of the metal or metal alloy layer is embedded within the volume; and
after the coating, removing the volume and the metal or metal alloy layer together from the additional layer, the intermediate layer, and the base layer such that the volume forms the piece and the metal or metal alloy layer forms the exterior element protruding from an upper surface of the piece.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
forming an electrically conductive surface on at least one of the walls of the base motif, of the first through orifice, of the first through aperture and/or of the first through hole.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
forming the base motif on the base layer, including an application, irradiation and development of a photosensitive resin, including an SU-8 resin.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
forming the base layer from a silicon wafer, including coating said wafer with a conductive film.

5. A method for fabrication of a piece provided with an exterior element, comprising:
superposing an electrically insulating layer comprising a through orifice, an additional layer comprising a through aperture, and an intermediate layer surmounted by an intermediate motif, so as to place the intermediate motif inside the through aperture, and superposing the through aperture and the through orifice;
forming an electrically conductive surface on one portion of an upper face of the insulating layer located at the periphery of the through orifice;
electrodepositing a metal or metal alloy layer, so that at the end of the electrodepositing, the metal or metal alloy layer forms a shell covering the intermediate layer, and walls of the through orifice and of the through aperture, and comprises a lateral area resting on the electrically conductive surface of the insulating layer;
dissolving the insulating layer;
after the dissolving the insulating layer, coating the metal or metal alloy layer with a volume at least partly formed by a base material of the piece, so that an upper end of the metal or metal alloy layer is embedded within the volume; and
after the coating, removing the volume and the metal or metal alloy layer together from the additional layer and the intermediate layer such that the volume forms the piece and the metal or metal alloy layer forms the exterior element protruding from an upper surface of the piece.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
forming an electrically conductive surface on at least one of the walls of the intermediate motif, of the through orifice and/or of the through aperture.

7. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
forming the intermediate motif on the intermediate layer, including an application, irradiation and development of a photosensitive resin, including an SU-8 resin.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
forming the intermediate layer including laser cutting a plate made of brass.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
forming the additional layer including laser cutting a plate made of brass.

10. The method according to claim 9 , the forming the additional layer including stamping the additional layer so as to form therein an additional motif, the electrically insulating layer including a third orifice, the third orifice being placed facing the additional motif when the insulating layer and the additional layer are superposed.

11. The method according to claim 9 , the forming the additional layer including an etch of the additional layer to locally diminish the thickness thereof, the insulating layer including areas of excess thickness so that an assembly comprising the superposed additional layer and insulating layer is of constant thickness.

12. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
forming the insulating layer including an application, irradiation and development of a photosensitive resin, including an SU-8 resin, on the additional layer, so as to form the third orifice.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the volume is partly formed of a second material, different from the base material, so that the second material fills the space inside the metal or metal alloy shell.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the base material is amorphous or partially amorphous metal.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, after the removing, the exterior element includes at least two flat faces that are parallel to each other and parallel to the upper surface of the piece.

16. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the base material is amorphous or partially amorphous metal.

17. The method according to claim 5 , wherein, after the removing, the exterior element includes at least two flat faces that are parallel to each other and parallel to the upper surface of the piece.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Vuille Pierry
• Mosteiro Vazquez Yoann
• Grossenbacher Pascal

Classifications

• B81C99/008

  separating the processed structure from a mother substrate · CPC title

• C23C16/48

  by irradiation, e.g. photolysis, radiolysis, particle radiation · CPC title

• C25D1/003 Primary

  3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers · CPC title

• B81C2201/032

  LIGA process · CPC title

• G04D3/0092

  for components of the time-indicating mechanism, e.g. dials · CPC title