Method for fabrication of a composite part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11701708-B2
Application number	US-201716093424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2017
Priority date	May 3, 2016
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

A method for fabrication of a composite component including a first material containing steel 316L and a second material containing zirconia powder formed in a single sintering. The method for fabrication includes:a) forming a first injection molding composition including steel 316L powder and a second injection molding composition including zirconia powder;b) agglomerating via injection molding one of the first and second compositions to form at least a first part of a blank;c) agglomerating by injection molding the other of the first and second materials against the first part of the blank to form at least a second part of the blank; andd) non-consecutively sintering the first and second compositions forming the blank to obtain the composite component formed of steel 316L and zirconia.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for fabrication of a composite component for a timepiece, the method comprising:
a) forming a first injection molding composition including steel 316L powder and a second injection molding composition including zirconia powder;
b) agglomerating via injection molding one of the first and second injection molding compositions to form at least a first part of a blank;
c) agglomerating by injection molding the other of the first and second injection molding compositions against the first part of the blank to form at least a second part of the blank; and
d) non-consecutively sintering the first and second injection molding compositions forming the blank to obtain the composite component formed of steel 316L and zirconia,
wherein the first part forms a main bezel body of the timepiece having recesses, and the second part is filled in the recesses to form one or more graduations.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in a), grains of steel 316L powder and grains of zirconia powder are arranged to allow substantially identical shrinkage in d).

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a final finishing improving aesthetics of the composite component formed in d).

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the final finishing includes machining and/or brushing and/or polishing.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second injection molding composition is agglomerated in b), and subsequently the first injection molding composition is agglomerated in c).

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Luebbe Henning
• Bourban Stewes

Classifications

• B22F2003/247

  Removing material: carving, cleaning, grinding, hobbing, honing, lapping, polishing, milling, shaving, skiving, turning the surface · CPC title

• B22F3/1021

  Removal of binder or filler (removal of binder from ceramics C04B35/638) · CPC title

• B22F3/24

  After-treatment of workpieces or articles {(B22F3/1146 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B22F5/10

  of articles with cavities or holes, not otherwise provided for in the preceding subgroups · CPC title

• B22F3/225

  by injection molding · CPC title