System and method for the identification of a mechanical component, in particular a rolling bearing ring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12038048-B2
Application number	US-202117343052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2021
Priority date	Jun 12, 2020
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

System and method for the identification of a mechanical component, in particular a bearing or a hub bearing unit of a vehicle or a ring thereof, consisting of a marking applied directly onto an exposed surface of the mechanical component, performed using a photopolymerizable ceramic ink which is printed on the exposed surface by an inkjet printer having a resolution equal to, or greater than, 700 dpi and which is at least partly vitrified using a heat treatment at a temperature equal to or higher than 700° C., preferably after fixing of the ceramic ink on the exposed surface by UV irradiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An identification system for a mechanical component comprising:
a surface of the mechanical component, wherein the mechanical component is selected from a bearing, a hub bearing unit of a vehicle, and a ring of a hub bearing unit of a vehicle; and
a marking applied directly on said surface of the mechanical component; wherein the marking is formed by a ceramic ink which is at least partially in a vitrified state;
wherein at least one of the mechanical component and the marking is phosphatized.

2. The identification system according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the mechanical component is an external or internal lateral surface of the mechanical component, which is ring shaped.

3. The identification system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the mechanical component and said surface of the mechanical component on which the marking is applied is metallic.

4. The identification system according to claim 1 , wherein said surface of the mechanical component has been one of machined and coated with a metal layer by one of hot deposition and electrolytic deposition so as to have a low roughness.

5. A method for the identification of a mechanical component:
providing the mechanical component with an exposed surface, wherein the mechanical component is selected from a bearing, a hub bearing unit of a vehicle, and a ring of a hub bearing unit of a vehicle;
applying a marking directly on the exposed surface of the mechanical component, wherein said marking is formed by:
a) digital printing the marking comprising directly printing the marking on the exposed surface of the mechanical component using a ceramic ink and an inkjet printer having a resolution equal to, or greater than, 700 dots per inch;
b) heat treating the marking, performed after the digital printing, comprising heating at least one of said exposed surface and the whole mechanical component to a temperature and for a time sufficient to obtain at least partial vitrification of the ceramic ink; and
c) phosphatizing at least one of the mechanical component and the marking.

6. The identification method according to claim 5 , wherein the ceramic ink is a photopolymerizable ink; and
further comprising irradiating the photopolymerizable ink so as to fix the photopolymerizable ink on the exposed surface and wherein the exposed surface with the marking printed thereon is irradiated with UV light, the irradiating the photopolymerizable ink being performed immediately after the digital printing.

7. The identification method according to claim 6 , wherein the irradiating the photopolymerizable ink is performed using a power of at least 10 watts per inch and by conveying the digitally printed exposed surface past a UV lamp.

8. The identification method according to claim 5 , wherein the heat treating is performed by heating the digitally printed exposed surface to a temperature of between 200° C. and 700° C. for at least two minutes, wherein the heat treating is performed by one of an electric oven, an induction oven, localized UV and laser heating.

9. The identification method according to claim 5 , wherein the heat treating is performed by heating the digitally printed exposed surface to a temperature of at least 700° C. for at least two minutes, wherein the heat treating is performed by one of an electric oven, an induction oven, localized UV and laser heating.

10. The identification method according to claim 5 , wherein the ceramic ink comprises one or more ceramic pigments, a fatty diacid, an ester, a polyester, and a solvent selected from an aliphatic solvent, a glycol ether solvent and a water-based solvent, wherein the ceramic ink is photopolymerizable by UV light.

11. The identification method according to claim 5 , further comprising, before the digital printing, at least one of machining said exposed surface and coating said exposed surface with a metallic layer carried out by one of hot deposition and electrolytic deposition, in order to reduce roughness of the exposed surface.

12. A metallic mechanical component provided with an identification marking obtained with the method comprising:
providing the mechanical component with an exposed surface, wherein the mechanical component is selected from a bearing, a hub bearing unit of a vehicle, and a ring of a hub bearing unit of a vehicle;
applying a marking directly on the exposed surface of the mechanical component, wherein said marking is formed by:
a) digital printing the marking comprising directly printing the marking on the exposed surface of the mechanical component using a ceramic ink and an inkjet printer having a resolution equal to, or greater than, 700 dots per inch;
b) heat treating, performed after digital printing, comprising heating at least one of said exposed surface and the whole mechanical component to a temperature and for a time sufficient to obtain at least partial vitrification of the ceramic ink; and
c) phosphatizing at least one of the mechanical component and the marking.

13. The metallic component according to claim 12 , wherein the ceramic ink is a photopolymerizable ink; and
further comprising irradiating the photopolymerizable ink so as to fix the photopolymerizable ink on the exposed surface and wherein the exposed surface with the marking printed thereon is irradiated with UV light, the irradiating the photopolymerizable ink being performed immediately after the digital printing.

14. The metallic component according to claim 12 , wherein the irradiating the photopolymerizable ink is performed using a power of at least 10 watts per inch and by conveying the digitally printed exposed surface past a UV lamp.

15. The metallic component according to claim 12 , wherein the heat treating is performed by heating the digitally printed exposed surface to a temperature of between 200° C. and 700° C. for at least two minutes, wherein the heat treating is performed by one of an electric oven, an induction oven, localized UV and laser heating.

16. The metallic component according to claim 12 , wherein the heat treating is performed by heating the digitally printed exposed surface to a temperature of at least 700° C. for at least two minutes, wherein the heat treating is performed by one of an electric oven, an induction oven, localized UV and laser heating.

17. The metallic component according to claim 12 , wherein the ceramic ink comprises one or more ceramic pigments, a fatty diacid, an ester, a polyester, and a solvent selected from an aliphatic solvent, a glycol ether solvent and a water-based solvent, wherein the ceramic ink is photopolymerizable by UV light.

18. The metallic component according to claim 12 , further comprising, before the digital printing, at least one of machining said exposed surface and coating said exposed surface with a metallic layer carried out by one of hot deposition and electrolytic deposition, in order to reduce roughness of the exposed surface.

Assignees

• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Bosco Luisella
• Pieroni Alberto
• Richaud Stefano
• Teggi Francesco

Classifications

• B41J2/2107

  characterised by the ink properties (supplying ink in a solid state B41J2/17593) · CPC title

• C09D11/322

  Pigment inks · CPC title

• C09D11/101

  Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing · CPC title

• B41M7/009

  using thermal means, e.g. infrared radiation, heat · CPC title

• B41M7/0081

  using electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams · CPC title