Floating metallized element assembly and method of manufacturing thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326268-B2
Application number	US-201815911694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2018
Priority date	May 14, 2015
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A floating metallized element assembly and method of manufacturing thereof are disclosed. The floating metallized element assembly includes a work piece of a plateable resin and a non-plateable resin including a front side and a back side. The work piece includes at least one plated decorative region on the plateable resin at the front side. The work piece also includes at least one network of the plateable resin at the back side. The work piece additionally includes a plurality of discrete current paths of the plateable resin extending from the at least one network to the at least one plated decorative region. The work piece also includes at least one non-plated decorative region of the non-plateable resin adjacent the at least one decorative region. Metal surfaces are adhered to and disposed on the at least one plated decorative region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a floating metallized element assembly, comprising the steps of:
initiating a multi-shot injection process to mold a work piece;
injecting a non-plateable resin into a mold cavity;
injecting a plateable resin into the mold cavity;
forming a plurality of plated decorative regions on a front side of the work piece each visibly surrounded by the non-plateable resin;
forming a plurality of networks of plateable resin on a non-visible back side of the work piece;
forming a plurality of discrete current paths extending from the plurality of networks to the plurality of plated decorative regions to form circuits;
connecting a positive terminal of each of a first power source and a second power source that is separate from the first power source to a plurality of anodes and immersing the plurality of anodes in an aqueous solution having a specific chemistry;
connecting a negative terminal of each of the first power source and the second power source to one of a plurality of points of contact on one of the plurality of networks of the plateable resin of the work piece;
fully immersing the work piece in the aqueous solution;
positively charging the plurality of anodes using the positive terminals of the first power source and the second power source and negatively charging the plurality of networks and plated decorative region of the plateable resin through the plurality of points of contact using the negative terminals of the first of power source and the second power source;
and
creating a plurality of metal surfaces having different surface finishes having different gloss levels on the plurality of plated decorative regions of the same work piece, wherein the plurality of metal surfaces are disposed over a three-dimensional surface of the work piece, wherein different surface finishes of the plurality of metal surfaces are created via application of separate currents through separate circuits from the separate first and second power sources;
wherein the first and second power sources provide the separate currents, where the separate currents have different current levels that are increased or decreased relative to each other, wherein the different gloss levels result from the different current levels that are applied in combination with the specific chemistry of the aqueous solution.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further including the step of rendering the plateable resin conductive.

3. The method as set forth in in claim 2 , wherein the step of rendering the plateable resin conductive includes depositing a catalyst on the plateable resin.

4. The method as set forth in in claim 2 , wherein the step of rendering the plateable resin conductive includes etching the plateable resin.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further including the step of surrounding the plurality of discrete current paths with the non-plateable resin.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further including the step of locating a conductive insert in the mold cavity to be encapsulated by the plateable resin and the non-plateable resin.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 , further including the step of connecting a power source to the conductive insert.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6 , further including orienting the conductive insert so that a first surface of the conductive insert passes through and past the plateable resin and a second surface exposed on the back side of the work piece.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further including the step of providing an increased electrical current to the at least one of the plurality of metal surfaces as compared to the electrical current provided to the another of the plurality of metal surfaces.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of metal surfaces being different from another of the plurality of metal surfaces.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metal surfaces is selected from the group consisting of chromium, copper, nickel, palladium, gold, or cobalt.

12. The method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the conductive insert is a metal pin.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of plated decorative regions have a first molded texture on the front side of the work piece and the non-plateable resin has a second molded texture different than the first molded texture.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the different gloss levels are different chrome gloss levels.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the different metal surface finishes having different gloss levels includes a bright chrome finish and a satin chrome finish.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the different metal surface finishes having different gloss levels includes a dark trivalent chrome finish and a bright trivalent chrome finish being brighter than the dark trivalent chrome finish.

17. The method as set forth in claim 14 , the different metal surface finishes having different gloss levels includes a dark hexavalent chrome finish and a bright hexavalent chrome finish being brighter than the dark hexavalent chrome finish.

18. A method of manufacturing a floating metallized element assembly, comprising the steps of:
initiating a multi-shot injection process to mold a work piece;
injecting a non-plateable resin into a mold cavity;
injecting a plateable resin into the mold cavity;
forming a plurality of plated decorative regions on a front side of the work piece each visibly surrounded by the non-plateable resin;
forming a plurality of networks of plateable resin on a non-visible back side of the work piece;
forming a plurality of discrete current paths extending from the plurality of networks to the plurality of plated decorative regions to form circuits;
creating at least one barrier in electrical conductivity on each of the front side and the back side of the work piece to define the plurality of decorative regions being separately conductive and electrically isolated from one another, the at least one barrier on the front side of the work piece being formed using a method different than that used to form the at least one barrier on the back side of the work piece;
connecting a positive terminal of each of a first power source and a second power source to a plurality of anodes and immersing the plurality of anodes in an aqueous solution having a specific chemistry;
connecting a negative terminal of each of the first power source and the second power source to one of a plurality of points of contact on one of the plurality of networks of the plateable resin of the work piece;
fully immersing the work piece in the aqueous solution;
positively charging the plurality of anodes using the positive terminals of the first power source and the second power source and negatively charging the plurality of networks and plated decorative region of the plateable resin through the plurality of points of contact using the negative terminals of the first of power source and the second power source; and
creating a plurality of metal surfaces on the plurality of plated decorative regions, including a first surface finish and a second surface finish, wherein the plurality of metal surfaces are disposed over a three-dimensional surface of the work piece, wherein the first and second surface finishes are different having different gloss levels via application of separate currents through the separately conductive decorative regions;
wherein the first and second po

Assignees

• Lacks Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Lavallee Michael
• Chase Lee

Classifications

• C25D5/627

  Electroplating characterised by the visual appearance of the layers, e.g. colour, brightness or mat appearance · CPC title

• C23C18/1605

  by masking · CPC title

• C25D5/12

  at least one layer being of nickel or chromium · CPC title

• C23C18/2086

  with use of organic or inorganic compounds other than metals, first · CPC title

• C25D5/60

  Electroplating characterised by the structure or texture of the layers · CPC title