Method of manufacturing timepiece component

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a timepiece part, comprising the following steps: obtaining a block to be processed; forming a timepiece component blank having a shape rotating about a rotation axis (A); wherein the method comprises the step of machining the blank with an eccentric laser beam, the direction of which is not parallel to the axis of rotation (A), does not intersect the axis of rotation (A) and is not tangent to the blank to be machined.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a timepiece component. The invention also relates to a machining device using such a manufacturing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] The manufacturing of timepiece components requires a good trade-off between the following requirements:

[0003] - a high-performance material that at least meets the high mechanical requirements imposed by timepiece applications;

[0004] - a manufacturing method that is simple enough to envisage large-scale, reliable and robust use.

[0005] A first existing solution consists in manufacturing a metal timepiece component by a turning process, which involves a mechanical cutting tool that is in direct contact with an initial block to shape it by removing material. In contrast to laser machining, which implements a remote work on such a block with a laser beam, the cutting tool is in direct contact with the block. This method enables high precision to be obtained quickly and under good control. However, depending on the alloy used, the metal has the drawback of being sensitive to magnetic fields, which can cause problems of reliability of the watch in some use cases. Furthermore, the metal is not always hard enough and requires complementary operations to increase its hardness and sometimes its surface state, which ultimately complicates the manufacturing method. Finally, some hard, non-magnetic alloys prove to be too difficult to machine because they cause excessive wear of the cutting tool.

[0006] A second existing solution relies on the choice of a non-magnetic material that is very rigid, such as a ceramic, which does not have some of the drawbacks of the metal used in the first solution. However, the manufacturing of a ceramic timepiece component requires a more complex process that generally involves laser machining, which is more difficult to control and slower than traditional machining. Indeed, laser machining cannot be used to manufacture components with complex three-dimensional geometries, in particular with the high precision required for the normal operation of a timepiece component. For example, it is not possible to machine a tooth with certain complex shapes. Furthermore, for some products such as the escape wheel pinion, the component is manufactured separately and then driven onto a shaft, which creates a play problem and a risk of breakage.

[0007] The invention thus aims to propose a solution for manufacturing a timepiece component that constitutes the best possible response to the above requirements and improves the existing solutions.

[0008] More precisely, the invention aims to define a timepiece component manufacturing solution that enables timepiece components with optimized mechanical properties to be manufactured reliably and robustly. SUMMARY

[0009] To this end, the invention is based on a method for manufacturing a timepiece component, comprising the following steps:

[0010] - obtaining a block to be machined;

[0011] - forming a watch component blank having a shape rotating around an axis of rotation;

[0012] wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0013] - machining said blank using an off-center laser beam, the direction of said off-center laser beam being non-parallel to said axis of rotation, not intersecting said axis of rotation and not tangent to said blank to be machined.

[0014] The block to be machined can be entirely in ceramic, preferably sintered hardened ceramic.

[0015] The invention also relates to a machining device comprising at least one rotating spindle configured to hold a block to be machined and a laser capable of being off-centered, the machining device being configured to employ the method of manufacturing a watch component as described above.

[0016] The invention also relates to a watch component made of a material having a hardness greater than or equal to 800 HV or greater than or equal to 1000 HV or greater than or equal to 1200 HV, in particular made of a ceramic based on zirconium oxide or aluminum oxide, wherein this watch component has a monolithic structure comprising a shaft and at least one tooth, the cross-section of said tooth in a plane perpendicular to said shaft having a shape comprising an expanded profile portion, the cross-section perpendicular to said shaft having a shape whose orthogonal radial dimension increases in a direction radially away from said shaft.

[0017] The invention is more precisely defined by the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] These objects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in greater detail in the non-limiting description of specific embodiments given below, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0019] Figure 1 schematic representation of the transverse profile of an escapement pinion that can be manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the invention.

[0020] Figure 2 schematic representation of a stage of machining an escapement pinion in the first stage of the third step of the manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0021] Figure 3 schematic representation of the layer-by-layer laser treatment of an escapement pinion blank in the first stage of the third step of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment of the invention.

[0022] Figure 4 depicts Figure 3the time distribution and duration of the laser emission of the layer represented.

[0023] Figure 5 The second method schematically represents the first phase of the third step of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment of the application, the laser treatment of the escapement pinion blank.

[0024] Figure 6 and Figure 7 The second method schematically represents the second phase of the third step of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment of the application, the laser treatment of the escapement pinion blank.

[0025] Figure 8 and Figure 9 The second method schematically represents the second phase of the third step of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment of the application, the laser treatment of the escapement pinion blank.

[0026] Figure 10 represents a perspective view of a timepiece component according to one embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] For the sake of simplicity of the description and by convention, the longitudinal direction is the main direction along which the timepiece component concerned and / or in particular the rotation axis of the timepiece component extends. The adjective "transverse" is used to denote the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0028] The application is described in the context of the production of an escapement pinion comprising identical teeth, in which Figure 1 The transverse profile of said teeth is represented in, that is to say, its profile in the transverse plane, in other words, the section on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis A of the escapement pinion. This tooth profile 1 has a shape with the following specific features: comprising a portion 2 in which the orthogonal radial dimension o evolves in a direction radially away from the axis of the escapement pinion (direction R), that is to say, the direction R extending from the base 3 of the tooth towards its crown 4, for the sake of simplicity, this portion 2 being referred to as "expansion portion".

[0029] In particular, the profile of such a tooth can have a sharp top shape comprising a reduction in the thickness of the tooth to less than the original diameter of the pinion. The use of such a pinion tooth is to allow optimization of the initial interaction between the two meshing teeth, since the upper part having the original diameter of the pinion is designed to effectively mesh at the start of the movement. At the same time, the reduction in thickness at the base of the tooth, that is to say, its root, ensures sufficient disengagement from the opposite tooth, guaranteeing the smooth and precise transmission of the movement. This mechanism minimizes friction and favors the durability of the meshing assembly.

[0030] The concept of the application consists in using a manufacturing method based on a laser machining of a specific kind, which makes it possible in particular to efficiently manufacture such a tooth profile.

[0031] The manufacturing method which makes it possible to manufacture an escapement pinion having the same teeth with the above-described tooth profile is described in detail next.

[0032] The manufacturing method comprises a first step of obtaining a block to be machined. The block to be machined is advantageously made entirely of ceramic. The ceramic is preferably homogeneous throughout the entire block to be machined. It is advantageous to use technical ceramics and preferably sintered technical ceramics. The adjective "technical" refers to the high performance characteristics of the chosen ceramic. Indeed, in addition to chemical inertness and non-magnetism, technical ceramics can also achieve excellent mechanical, thermal and even electrical and / or biochemical properties, which make them suitable for watch components. The technical ceramics used here are different from traditional ceramics in that they are obtained from purified synthetic powders rather than from natural mineral powders such as feldspar or kaolin. By way of example, the ceramic can be based on zirconium oxide, in particular yttrium-stabilized zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide-aluminum oxide composite, silicon carbide or silicon nitride. Alternatively, the block to be machined comprises a ceramic coating.

[0033] In addition to zirconium oxide and / or aluminum oxide and / or some other type of ceramic, the ceramic can also comprise one or more of the following elements:

[0034] carbon nanotubes,

[0035] graphene,

[0036] fullerenes,

[0037] yttrium oxide,

[0038] cerium oxide,

[0039] zirconium carbide,

[0040] titanium carbide,

[0041] zirconium boride,

[0042] boron nitride,

[0043] titanium nitride.

[0044] More generally, the material of the block to be machined is advantageously a rigid and / or brittle and / or hard material with a hardness greater than or equal to 500 HV or even greater than or equal to 600 HV or even greater than or equal to 700 HV or even greater than or equal to 800 HV or even greater than or equal to 1000 HV or even greater than or equal to 1200 HV.

[0045] As an alternative to ceramics, the block to be machined can be made of a metal or a metal alloy, in particular stainless steel or austenitic or martensitic steel, or an amorphous or partially amorphous metal alloy, or a titanium alloy Ti, or a tungsten or zirconium alloy. Alternatively, the material of the block to be machined can be a cermet. In another alternative, the material can be a combination of the above-mentioned materials.

[0046] The manufacturing method then employs a second step of forming a blank of the timepiece component having a shape rotating around an axis of rotation A.

[0047] The blank can be obtained by various conventional methods, such as extrusion of a mixture of powder and binder, or micro-injection. In a preferred embodiment, the blank is formed by machining: to this end, the block to be machined is mounted on a machining spindle and is rotationally driven. The lateral faces of the blank are then shaped in a conventional manner by turning or laser turning. In particular, in the case of laser turning, the laser beam can have a significant energy of about 30 pJ. The laser beam can be used by spinning in.

[0048] The manufacturing method then employs a third step of machining the blank, which can comprise two phases. This machining step advantageously employs a laser, which can be a laser operating at a wavelength of 515 nm or alternatively at a wavelength of 1030 nm.

[0049] In a first phase, the blank obtained in the aforementioned second step is machined by a laser machining device, which can be the same device used to form the blank. The laser employed, without spinning in, is preferably a laser producing ultrashort pulses of the picosecond or ideally femtosecond pulse type (pulse length of about 500 fs or even 400 fs or even less than 400 fs). This prevents the laser from heating the material. In this first phase, the laser beam acts perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly to the axis of rotation A of the blank in the same plane as the axis of rotation A of the blank. To this end, it is called a “central laser”. Thus, the laser beam machines the piece over its length and in particular cuts out a portion of the future escapement pinion tooth. Figure 2 This phase is schematically depicted. Curve 10 represents the initial shape of the blank. Curve 12 represents the shape of the tooth obtained by this first machining phase using the laser beam 11. Figure 2 The aforementioned particular flared portion 2 of the final tooth to be manufactured is further represented. In this first machining phase, this flared portion 2 of the tooth cannot be formed, since the wide portion towards the crown 4 of the tooth blocks the passage of the laser beam 11 and prevents the formation of the flared portion 2. Figure 2 The movement of the laser beam 11 depicted by the left and right-hand figures in Figure 2 enables the machining of the entire volume extending between two adjacent teeth 1.

[0050] The laser machining can employ two different methods in this first phase.

[0051] With the first method, the machining is performed continuously over the entire circumference of the blank, which is driven in rotation about its axis of rotation A on a rotating spindle of the machining device. Laser shots are applied in succession to produce laser pulses, and the teeth are formed preferably by layer-by-layer removal of material between the crowns. The rotational speed of the spindle can be greatly reduced compared to, for example, the rotational speed of the blank for shaping using the same laser machining device. The laser shots are synchronized with the rotation of the blank and form the required teeth and the cavities shown by the curve 12 in Figure 2 . Figure 3 and Figure 4 The use of this first method is depicted. Figure 3 Three curves 21, 22, 23 are shown, which correspond to three different layers processed by the laser during the rotation of the blank. Figure 4 The temporal profile and duration of the laser shots for each of the three layers are depicted, in other words the intermittent laser shots for each layer 21, 22, 23. Each high (on) portion of each of the three lines represents a corresponding laser shot 31, 32, 33, and the low (off) portion represents an interrupted laser phase during which material is not removed and thus remains on the blank to form part of the tooth being formed.

[0052] In a second method, which is an alternative to the first method, the laser machining is performed individually for each tooth. In this case, the laser acts in a continuous sequence and is moved relative to the blank to perform a calculated oscillation between two teeth, thereby achieving the machining. The laser removes material layer by layer. The repeated passage of the laser is therefore used to machine more deeply at the center of the oscillation. The amplitude of the oscillation of the blank is determined by a number of factors, such as the geometry of the required part, the laser power expressed by the laser energy density and the focus diameter. The oscillation angle is preferably adjusted so that the laser beam 11 reaches the crown 4 of two adjacent teeth 1. Figure 5 The use according to this second method is represented more specifically. An example is considered of a pinion with 10 identical and symmetrical teeth. In the case where the laser focus diameter is approximately 12 pm and the distance between the crowns of two teeth is approximately 125 pm, the oscillation angle of the part to be machined between two teeth 1 is approximately + / - 16°, centered on the root of the tooth. By reducing this angle during an additional period of time (to 8° in the figure), a more deep machining can be performed at the root of the two teeth 1 to produce a final profile shown by the curve 12, which differs from the required final profile, in particular in that it does not produce the part 2.

[0053] As already described, the first machining phase enables the first cutting of the teeth of the escapement pinion, but does not achieve the required final profile.

[0054] Therefore, the third processing step employs the second laser processing stage, during which the laser orientation is deviated from the rotation axis of the workpiece. That is, the generated laser beam 11 is neither aligned with nor oriented to intersect the rotation axis of the workpiece. It should also be noted that the laser beam is not tangential to the edge of the workpiece; that is, it is not used for tangential incident on the processing surface. In the remainder of the specification, this laser is simply referred to in a simplified manner as an "offset laser" or "eccentric laser." This reorientation of the laser enables very precise machining of the final shape of the tooth 1, particularly the specific expansion portion 2 described in detail above.

[0055] To this end, the laser is offset to one side of the workpiece's axis of rotation, so that its laser beam 11 can reach tooth 1 at the original diameter of the workpiece without impacting the wider upper part of tooth 1. This allows material to be removed at all the depths and thicknesses required to complete the complex, full contour of said tooth 1.

[0056] The laser power is advantageously reduced in this second stage: for example, the pulsed laser energy fluctuates between 1 μJ and 20 μJ. The rotational speed of the workpiece can also be significantly reduced to enable precise machining of the specific portion 2.

[0057] This second laser processing stage can also be used with two different methods.

[0058] In the first method, the workpiece is fixed and oriented relative to the laser, such that the laser beam enters directly into the root of the tooth without being obstructed by the tooth tip. Then, the laser beam moves away from or toward the axis of rotation by translational movement of the laser beam 11, or by pivoting of the laser beam, or by a combination of both. Figure 6 The method described is used to complete laser processing on one side of the first tooth. Figure 7 The description illustrates using a first method to complete laser processing on the other side of an adjacent second tooth when the laser is symmetrically eccentric with respect to a plane of symmetry P containing the axis of rotation A of the workpiece. Figure 6 , 7 In the middle, the left and right figures depict the movement of the laser beam 11 at the horizontal level of the forming expansion portion 2. It is clear in these figures that, compared to the reference... Figure 2 and Figure 5Unlike the laser processing described, the laser beam is not oriented in a direction intersecting the rotational axis A of the workpiece. The laser beam is advantageously oriented in a direction perpendicular to or at an angle of 90° to the rotational axis A, defined by the directional mathematical vector of the straight segment of the laser beam when it does not intersect the rotational axis A, as described above. Simply put, the laser has a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis A; more generally, this direction forms an angle between 45 and 90 degrees, or even between 70 and 90 degrees, or even between 80 and 90 degrees, with respect to the rotational axis A of the workpiece.

[0059] Using the second method, the laser beam is fixed and oriented relative to the workpiece, allowing it to directly enter the root of the tooth without obstruction from the tooth tip. Therefore, compared to the first method, the workpiece is slightly pivoted about its axis of rotation A to provide direct access to the area to be machined, thus forming the expanded portion without obstruction from the tooth tip, which is already completed and cannot be further processed. Figure 8 The second method is described as being used to complete laser processing on one side of the first tooth. Figure 9 The description describes laser processing on the other side of the adjacent second tooth using a second method after the workpiece is symmetrically eccentrically positioned relative to the symmetry plane P of the two adjacent teeth 1, where the symmetry plane P contains the rotation axis A of the workpiece. In these two... Figure 8 , 9 In the middle, the left and right figures depict the variation in the tilt of the blank relative to the laser beam 11, particularly at the level of the formed expansion portion 2. It is clear in these figures that, according to the principle of an "eccentric laser," the laser beam maintains an orientation relative to the blank, similar to the orientation described with reference to the first method.

[0060] Alternatively, a combination of the two methods can be naturally envisioned, attacking the machining area of ​​the workpiece by moving the laser beam and moving the workpiece about its axis of rotation in a coordinated manner. As an example of using this third method, if the workpiece is simultaneously pivoted about its axis of rotation so that the laser beam alternately and directly enters the roots of two adjacent teeth without being obstructed by the ends of the two adjacent teeth, the laser beam can machine the roots of two adjacent teeth. This combined method ultimately enables the simultaneous or quasi-simultaneous (i.e., in the same operation) machining of half of two adjacent teeth. Therefore, compared to the first two methods, this method has the advantage of reducing the machining time in the second stage.

[0061] In all cases, the third step employs the second stage described above, which forms the core of the inventive concept to enable the simple acquisition of complex shapes of watch components, particularly at least one expanded portion of at least one tooth. This second stage ends in a step where the laser beam and the blank are driven by a relative motion suitable for the desired result, wherein the laser is eccentric, that is, its axis is not aligned with and more generally not parallel to the axis of rotation of the blank relative to the straight line segment defined by the incident laser beam, does not intersect with the axis of rotation of the blank, and is not tangent to the blank to be processed.

[0062] Note that in this third step, the first stage is optional. Depending on the geometry to be processed, it can be omitted. Therefore, it is optional.

[0063] In one implementation, the third step can be performed simultaneously with the first two stages; that is, the workpiece is processed simultaneously using a laser with a central axis and an offset laser. Therefore, these two processing steps can be performed in the same operation.

[0064] The third step has already been described for the partial machining of two adjacent teeth. This step is naturally repeated for all teeth of the workpiece. For this purpose, the workpiece can be pivoted continuously or discontinuously during and / or after each of the above machining steps to expose all teeth to the offset laser. As previously described, the offset laser alternatively or additionally moves about the workpiece's axis of rotation.

[0065] Note that, compared to traditional methods, the laser and the corresponding selected orientation of the blank not only enable the easy formation of complex shapes but also achieve improved surface finishes. At the end of the third step, the watch component is completed or partially completed. However, the manufacturing method may optionally include a final finishing step to achieve a predetermined surface roughness.

[0066] For example, such a final finishing step can be performed using abrasive media, preferably on all surfaces of the watch components. In particular, this step may include mechanical treatment using an abrasive mixture to impact, preferably by vibration, oscillation, or rotational motion, typically carried out in a container. One or more watch components may be positioned in such a container, particularly in loose bulk, to process them simultaneously.

[0067] Without limiting the invention, the final finishing step can be performed by tumble polishing, friction finishing, ultrafine sandblasting or wet spraying.

[0068] Furthermore, this final finishing step is applied to the entire surface of the watch component, or alternatively to only a portion of the surface, advantageously at least to the visible surface of the watch component.

[0069] Alternatively, the final finishing step may include polishing, which may be performed directly by the laser machine used in the third step of the method. This polishing may be performed continuously or discontinuously during or after the various laser ablation stages (third step) described above.

[0070] In the above embodiments, a method for manufacturing an escapement pinion comprising teeth all having the same geometry has been described. It can be naturally used to form any toothed watch component or any gear train. Furthermore, in all cases, the teeth can all have the same profile or different profiles. This method is applicable to manufacturing watch components comprising spur teeth, helical teeth, spiral teeth, or herringbone teeth and / or asymmetrical teeth and / or partial teeth and / or teeth that evolve circumferentially, in depth, or in length. In all cases, the invention is particularly advantageous because it enables the simple manufacture of any tooth, and even more generally, any shape comprising a transverse profile having at least one extended portion, regardless of the shape of that extended portion (i.e., the portion having an orthogonal radial width that increases in the direction away from the axis of rotation).

[0071] The method of the present invention can be used to form multiple watch parts. In particular, it is useful for manufacturing pinions or gears and their shafts and / or gear teeth. In fact, one advantage is that the method allows the shaft and the toothed portion of the same watch part to be manufactured simultaneously in a monolithic manner (i.e., integrally), thus avoiding the disadvantage of post-assembly of separate shafts and toothed portions.

[0072] to this end, Figure 10 A view of an integral watch component 40 according to the invention is depicted, the integral watch component 40 including a shaft having two pivots 41 at respective ends and a toothed pinion 42. Figure 10 The transverse profile of each tooth 1 of the toothed pinion 42 is shown, which substantially corresponds to Figure 1 The horizontal outline in the middle.

[0073] This manufacturing method enables the production of new shaft and / or tooth geometries with optimized meshing. For example, it allows for the optimization of shaft construction for winding in one direction and non-meshing in another.

[0074] The present invention also relates to a watch component, which is wholly or partially composed of a material with a hardness greater than or equal to 800 HV or even greater than or equal to 1000 HV or even greater than or equal to 1200 HV, particularly composed of zirconium oxide or alumina-based ceramics, and wherein the watch component has a monolithic structure including an axis and at least one tooth, the tooth having a cross-section including an expanded portion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the watch component.

[0075] The present invention also relates to a processing apparatus comprising at least one rotating spindle and a laser, the rotating spindle being configured to hold a block to be processed, the laser being an offset laser, the processing apparatus being configured to perform the method of manufacturing watch parts as described above.

[0076] Thanks to this invention, lasers can process any material without requiring specialized milling tools for a specific tooth shape. The use of milling tools is even more problematic, as they degrade and must be replaced periodically. Therefore, “custom” designs of parts can be produced, and more specifically, “custom” designs of expanded teeth can be produced.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a watch component, comprising the following steps: - Obtain the block to be processed; - Form a clock component blank having a shape that rotates about a rotation axis (A); The method includes the following steps: - The blank is processed using an eccentric laser beam, the direction of which is not parallel to the axis of rotation (A), does not intersect the axis of rotation (A), and is not tangent to the blank to be processed.

2. The method for manufacturing a watch component according to claim 1, wherein, The step of processing the blank using an eccentric laser beam forms at least one shape including an expanded profile portion, and the cross section perpendicular to the axis of rotation (A) of the blank has a shape in which its orthogonal radial dimension increases in a direction radially away from the axis of rotation (A).

3. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The step of processing the blank using an eccentric laser beam employs a laser whose laser beam angle is between 45 and 90 degrees, or even between 70 and 90 degrees, or even between 80 and 90 degrees, relative to the axis of rotation (A) of the blank.

4. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The step of machining the blank using an eccentric laser employs a laser that generates ultrashort pulses, particularly a femtosecond pulse laser.

5. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The step of machining the blank using an eccentric laser beam involves pivoting the blank about its axis of rotation and / or moving the laser to access the area of ​​the blank that needs to be machined.

6. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The block to be processed is made entirely of ceramic or includes a ceramic coating, preferably a sintered, hardened technical ceramic.

7. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The ceramic is based on zirconium oxide, particularly yttrium-stabilized zirconium oxide, or alumina, or a zirconium oxide-alumina composite, or silicon carbide or silicon nitride.

8. The method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The block to be processed is made of a rigid and / or brittle and / or hard material with a hardness greater than or equal to 500 HV, or even greater than or equal to 600 HV, or even greater than or equal to 700 HV, or even greater than or equal to 800 HV, or even greater than or equal to 1000 HV, or even greater than or equal to 1200 HV.

9. The method of manufacturing a watch component according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or claim 8, wherein, The block is made of metal or metal alloy, particularly stainless steel or austenitic steel or martensitic steel, or amorphous or partially amorphous metal alloy or titanium alloy Ti or tungsten or zirconium alloy or cermet or combination of said materials.

10. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The method includes a supplementary step of processing the blank by means of a central laser, the central laser generating a laser beam whose direction intersects the rotation axis of the blank, the step of processing the blank by means of the central laser being performed before or simultaneously with the step of processing the blank using an eccentric laser.

11. The method of manufacturing a watch component according to claim 10, wherein, The step of processing the blank using a central laser is performed on the blank driven by continuous rotation and by a laser acting in a sequential manner, and / or the step of processing the blank using a central laser is performed on the blank driven in an oscillating manner.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The steps for forming a watch component blank with a rotationally symmetrical shape are either by extruding a mixture of powder and binder, or by micro-injection and / or laser turning and machining, or by turning and machining with cutting tools using a turning process.

13. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The method includes a final finishing step to achieve a predetermined surface roughness.

14. A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The method manufactures all or part of a single clockwork component, particularly a pinion or gear, the single clockwork component including at least one shaft and at least one gear tooth, particularly including straight teeth, helical teeth, spiral teeth or herringbone teeth at the depth or length of the clockwork component.

15. A processing apparatus comprising at least one rotating spindle configured to hold a block to be processed and an eccentric laser, said processing apparatus being configured to employ a method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims.

16. A watch component made of a material with a hardness greater than or equal to 800 HV, or greater than or equal to 1000 HV, or greater than or equal to 1200 HV, particularly made of a ceramic based on zirconium oxide or alumina, wherein the watch component has a monolithic structure comprising an axis and at least one tooth, the tooth having a cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the axis having a shape including an expanded profile portion, the cross-section perpendicular to the axis having a shape in which its orthogonal radial dimension increases in a direction radially away from the axis of rotation.

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