Method of producing a decorated element for a timepiece or piece of jewellery, and element made by the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016176228-A1
Application number	US-201514883695-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The method makes it possible to produce a decorated element for a timepiece or piece of jewellery. This decorated element may be, for example, a watch dial. The method includes the steps of taking a base substrate, and micromachining on said base substrate a mould or decorative partitions in a programmed pattern, and filling the mould or the decorative partitions with at least one filler material to obtain the decorated element. The filler material may be an epoxy resin and the mould or the partitions are obtained by melting and solidifying a solder paste or powder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for producing a decorated element for a timepiece or piece of jewellery, wherein the method includes the steps of:
taking a base substrate, depositing a layer of positive or negative photosensitive resin on the base substrate, placing a contour mask of the pattern to be created on the photosensitive resin, illuminating the resin through the mask, removing the illuminated portions of the resin, if the photosensitive resin is of the positive type, or removing the non-illuminated portions of the resin, if the photosensitive resin is of the negative type, filling the removed portions of the resin with at least one solder paste or powder to produce partitions or a mould, heating the assembly formed of the base substrate, the resin and the solder paste or powder to melt the solder paste or powder prior to solidification of the solder, removing all the resin, and filling the mould or decorative partitions with at least one filler material to obtain the decorated element.

2 . A method for producing a decorated element for a timepiece or piece of jewellery, wherein the method includes the steps of:
taking a base substrate, depositing a layer of positive or negative photosensitive resin on the base substrate, placing a contour mask of the pattern to be created on the photosensitive resin, illuminating the resin through the mask, removing the illuminated portions of the resin, if the photosensitive resin is of the positive type, or removing the non-illuminated portions of the resin, if the photosensitive resin is of the negative type, depositing in the removed portions of the resin, one or more metal layers by physical vapour deposition or chemical vapour deposition, removing all the resin, depositing at least one solder paste or powder on the metal layer or layers, melting the solder paste or powder to obtain a solder liquid, which only wets the metal layer or layers, and solidifying the liquid solder to form partitions or a mould in the desired pattern, and filling the mould or decorative partitions with at least one filler material to obtain the decorated element.

3 . A method for producing a decorated element for a timepiece or piece of jewellery, wherein the method includes the steps of:
taking a base substrate, depositing a layer of positive or negative photosensitive resin on the base substrate, placing a contour mask of the pattern to be created on the photosensitive resin, illuminating the resin through the mask, removing the illuminated portions of the resin, if the photosensitive resin is of the positive type, or removing the non-illuminated portions of the resin, if the photosensitive resin is of the negative type, depositing in the removed portions of the resin, one or more non-conductive layers by physical vapour deposition or chemical vapour deposition to define a complementary pattern for the creation of partitions or a mould, removing all the resin, depositing at least one solder paste or powder in the removed portions of the non-conductive layer or layers, melting and solidifying the solder paste or powder to form the partitions or the mould, and filling the mould or decorative partitions with at least one filler material to obtain the decorated element.

4 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein at least one conductive layer, such as a metal layer, is deposited by a physical vapour deposition or chemical vapour deposition or by cathodic sputtering on the surface of the base substrate before the resin layer is deposited.

5 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein the solder paste or powder used is metal solder paste or powder.

6 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 5 , wherein the solder paste or powder used is low temperature solder paste or powder below 380° C.

7 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 6 , wherein the metal powder or powders are formed of a mixture of gold and tin, or a mixture of gold and tin in a first powder and gold in a second powder.

8 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein the solder paste or powder is formed of eutectic compositions of Au—Si or Au—Ge or Au—Sb or Au—Ga or Au—Ga—In alloys.

9 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein the solder paste or powder used includes a mixture of metal powder and ceramic particles.

10 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein the solder paste is formed of at least one metal powder with at least one organic additive or binder.

11 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein once the mould or decorative partitions are filled with the solidified filler material held to walls of said mould or of said partitions, a machining or selective dissolution operation is performed to remove the base substrate, which is metal or ceramic or ceramo-metallic or made of semiconductor material.

12 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein the base substrate is hollowed at the surface to improve the mechanical adherence of the filler material to the hollowed surface of the substrate between the partitions.

13 . The method for producing a decorated element according to claim 1 , wherein micro holes or hollows are made in the partitions or the mould to improve the mechanical adherence of the filler material.

14 . The decorated element obtained according to claim 1 , wherein the element includes a filler material held to walls of a mould or decorative partitions micromachined in a programmed pattern.

15 . The decorated element according to claim 14 , wherein the mould or decorative partitions are obtained by a soldering operation in a metal or metal and ceramic material, and in that the filler material is cold enamel, such as epoxy resin.

16 . The decorated element according to claim 15 , wherein the filler material is a thermo-hardening polymer containing colour pigments, and of a different colour from one partition to the next.

17 . The decorated element according to claim 14 , wherein the element is a watch dial.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Dubach Alban
• Vuille Pierry
• Winkler Yves
• Bourban Stewes
• Martin Jean-Claude

Classifications

• G04B19/12

  Selection of materials for dials or graduations {markings} · CPC title

• G04B19/042

  Construction and manufacture of the hands; arrangements for increasing reading accuracy (hands with illumination G04B19/305; specially shaped hands, e.g. figures or pictures G04B45/0061; clockwork in the hands G04B45/043; invisible drive of the hands G04B45/046) · CPC title

• A44C27/00 Primary

  Making jewellery or other personal adornments · CPC title

• B44C5/00 Primary

  Processes for producing special ornamental bodies · CPC title

• G03F7/0017

  for the production of embossing, cutting or similar devices; for the production of casting means · CPC title