Light-permeable metal button for automobile and manufacturing process of light-permeable metal button

Abstract

The light-permeable metal button comprises a metal surface cover and a plastic part which are arranged from top to bottom, the inner wall of the metal surface cover and the outer wall of the plastic part are attached, a transparent anti-corrosion layer and a transparent bonding layer are arranged between the inner wall of the metal surface cover and the outer wall of the plastic part, and the transparent anti-corrosion layer is arranged on the inner wall of the metal surface cover. The plastic part is provided with a transparent corrosion layer, the transparent bonding layer is located between the transparent corrosion layer and the outer wall of the plastic part, the surface of the metal surface cover is provided with a plurality of light-transmitting symbols, and the plastic part is provided with light-transmitting areas corresponding to the light-transmitting symbols. The plastic part is high in structural strength and stable in connection and has the metal texture, the plastic part is provided with the light-transmitting area, a light source can penetrate through the light-transmitting symbol of the metal face cover, and a user can clearly see the light-transmitting symbol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automobile parts, and in particular to a light-transmitting metal button for an automobile and a manufacturing process thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the automotive industry, the requirements for the aesthetics, texture and touch of automotive interiors are getting higher and higher, and many appearance realization solutions have emerged. Common solutions for automotive translucent buttons are plastic parts + spray painting + laser engraving, plastic parts + electroplating + laser engraving, translucent crystal + back vacuum plating + back spray painting + laser engraving + pad printing, and plastic parts IML process. These processes cannot provide the high-quality texture brought by metal, but metal translucent buttons have not yet been used. In order to meet industry needs, it is urgent to develop a translucent button with composite metal and plastic parts and its manufacturing process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a light-transmitting metal button for an automobile and a manufacturing process thereof.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a translucent metal button for an automobile, comprising a metal cover and a plastic part arranged from top to bottom, the inner wall of the metal cover and the outer wall of the plastic part being bonded together with a composite layer arranged therebetween, the composite layer comprising a transparent anti-corrosion layer and a transparent adhesive layer, the transparent anti-corrosion layer being arranged on the inner wall of the metal cover, the transparent adhesive layer being located between the transparent corrosion layer and the outer wall of the plastic part, a plurality of translucent symbols being provided on the surface of the metal cover, and a translucent area corresponding to the translucent symbols being provided on the plastic part.

[0005] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the plastic part includes a light-shielding part and a light-transmitting part. The light-shielding part is provided with a light-transmitting hole. The light-transmitting part is fixed in the light-transmitting hole. The surface of the light-transmitting part covers all the light-transmitting symbols and the light-transmitting part is made of transparent material.

[0006] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the light-transmitting portion is a rectangular plate, and the light-transmitting hole is a rectangular hole.

[0007] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the entire plastic part is made of transparent material; the metal cover is a rectangular frame structure and is sleeved outside the plastic part.

[0008] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the light-transmitting symbol is hollow, and a transparent filling layer is provided inside the light-transmitting symbol.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the transparent filling layer is transparent resin, transparent paint, transparent liquid glue or transparent liquid oil.

[0010] A manufacturing process for a light-transmitting metal button for an automobile comprises the following steps: S1. Provide a metal substrate with a thickness of 0.1-0.3mm and form a metal cover by stamping or hot pressing; S2. Coating a transparent anti-corrosion layer and a transparent adhesive layer on the back of the metal cover in sequence; S3, compounding the back of the metal cover with the light-transmitting material; S4. Processing a light-transmitting symbol on the front side of the metal cover by a chemical etching process, including the following sub-steps: Cleaning and degreasing: remove pollutants from metal surfaces; Mask preparation: Laminating or silk-screening the metal surface with resist ink; Exposure and development: selectively remove the mask according to the symbol pattern to expose the area to be etched; Chemical etching: Use etching solution to dissolve the exposed metal until the light-transmitting layer underneath is exposed, forming a light-transmitting symbol; Demolding and drying: remove the residual mask and dry; The surface of the translucent symbol is sealed and coated with a transparent protective layer.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, step S3 adopts any of the following methods: placing the metal cover in an injection mold and injecting translucent material to make a metal translucent button; or, placing the metal cover in a two-color injection mold, and injecting translucent material and non-translucent material respectively, the translucent material is preset below the translucent symbol, and the non-translucent material is filled in other areas of the cavity on the back of the metal cover; or, the metal cover is bonded and assembled with a black plastic part, the black plastic part is hollowed out in the area where light is required, and after bonding, transparent epoxy resin glue is dripped into the hollow position.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the transparent protective layer applied in sub-step (f) is any one of transparent paint, transparent liquid glue, transparent liquid oil, and transparent resin.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the etching solution in sub-step (d) is an acidic etching system, comprising, by mass concentration, 200-220 g / L of concentrated hydrochloric acid, 190-210 g / L of concentrated nitric acid, 190-210 g / L of hydrofluoric acid, 15-25 g / L of glacial acetic acid, 10-15 g / L of disodium hydrogen phosphate, and 300-350 g / L of water, and the etching temperature is 30-52 ° C; or, the etching solution in step (d) is a ferric chloride etching system, comprising, by volume fraction, 65% of a 40-45 ° Bé ferric chloride solution, 10% of hydrogen peroxide, and 25% of hydrofluoric acid, and the etching temperature is 30-50 ° C.

[0014] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: The plastic part and the metal cover can be composited together, with high structural strength and stable connection, and with the texture of metal. In addition, the plastic part has a light-transmitting area, and the light source can pass through the light-transmitting symbols of the metal cover, so that the user can clearly see the light-transmitting symbols.

[0015] The back of the metal cover is coated with a transparent anti-corrosion material, and then coated with a transparent adhesive layer to form a transparent adhesive layer, ensuring that the metal cover is reliably bonded to the plastic part in subsequent processes.

[0016] The manufacturing process of metal translucent buttons is simple, with high production efficiency, low cost and beautiful appearance. They meet the automotive industry market's demand for novel appearance and high-quality touch of car interior buttons and can be produced in large quantities.

[0017] The reverse process of combining an ultra-thin metal cover with a composite light-transmitting layer and then etching the front surface overcomes the natural opacity of metal. The composite-first-then-etching process eliminates the difference in metal / plastic shrinkage. At the same time, chemical etching is mechanically stress-free and supports closed pattern processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure between the metal cover and the plastic part in the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] Figure numerals: 1. Metal cover; 2. Plastic part; 3. Transparent anti-corrosion layer; 4. Transparent adhesive layer; 5. Translucent symbol; 6. Translucent area; 7. Shading part; 8. Translucent part; 9. Translucent hole; 10. Transparent filling layer; 11. Circuit board; 12. LED lamp; 13. Composite layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easier to understand, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings. However, the following embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not exhaustive. Based on the embodiments in the implementation manner, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making any creative work are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Specific embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] like Figure 1-6 The shown embodiment shows a translucent metal button for automobiles and its manufacturing process, comprising a metal cover 1 and a plastic part 2 arranged from top to bottom. The inner wall of the metal cover 1 and the outer wall of the plastic part 2 are bonded together with a composite layer 13 arranged therebetween. The composite layer 13 comprises a transparent anti-corrosion layer 3 and a transparent adhesive layer 4. The transparent anti-corrosion layer 3 is arranged on the inner wall of the metal cover 1, and the transparent adhesive layer 4 is located between the transparent corrosion layer and the outer wall of the plastic part 2. Several translucent symbols 5 are provided on the surface of the metal cover 1, and translucent areas 6 corresponding to the translucent symbols 5 are provided on the plastic part 2. In this embodiment, the metal cover 1 is preferably made of aluminum alloy profile or stainless steel (SUS304, SUS316), but is not limited to these two types of materials. The material thickness is preferably 0.1mm-0.3mm, but is not limited to this thickness. The thinner the material, the better, and the more ideal the symbol effect.

[0023] The plastic part 2 and the metal cover 1 are combined together to provide a high structural strength and a stable connection, with a metallic texture. The plastic part 2 has a light-transmitting area 6, which is determined by a transparent material. If the entire plastic part 2 is made of a transparent material, the entire surface is the light-transmitting area 6. If a portion of the plastic part 2 is made of a transparent material, the portion is the light-transmitting area 6. The light source can pass through the light-transmitting symbol 5 of the metal cover 1, allowing the user to clearly see the light-transmitting symbol 5. The back of the metal cover 1 is coated with a transparent corrosion-resistant material, and then coated with a transparent adhesive layer to form a transparent adhesive layer 4, ensuring that the metal cover 1 is reliably bonded to the plastic part 2 in subsequent processes. The manufacturing process of the metal light-transmitting button is simple, with high production efficiency, low cost, and an attractive appearance. It meets the automotive industry market's demand for a novel appearance and high-quality tactile feel for automotive interior buttons and can be mass-produced. In this embodiment, the transparent adhesive layer 4 is a transparent optical structural adhesive. The transparent corrosion-resistant layer can be made of a transparent nano-coating or other transparent corrosion-resistant coating, which is commercially available and therefore not described in detail.

[0024] Embodiment 1: The plastic part 2 includes a light-shielding portion 7 and a light-transmitting portion 8. The light-shielding portion 7 is provided with a light-transmitting hole 9. The light-transmitting portion 8 is fixed in the light-transmitting hole 9. The surface of the light-transmitting portion 8 covers all the light-transmitting symbols 5 and the light-transmitting portion 8 is made of a transparent material. The light-transmitting portion 8 is a rectangular plate and the light-transmitting hole 9 is a rectangular hole. Embodiment 2: The plastic part 2 is made of a transparent material as a whole. The plastic part 2 and the metal cover 1 can be directly bonded together. The metal cover 1 is a rectangular frame structure and the metal cover 1 is sleeved on the outside of the plastic part 2. The light-transmitting symbols 5 are hollowed out. A transparent filling layer 10 is provided in the light-transmitting symbols 5. The transparent filling layer 10 is a transparent resin, transparent paint, transparent liquid glue, or transparent liquid oil.

[0025] Alternatively, the metal parts are placed in a plastic injection mold for injection molding, and the plastic material is a translucent material (PC, ABS, POM, PP, etc.) to make a metal button; or the metal cover 1 is placed in a two-color mold, and then translucent material and opaque material (PC, PC+ABS, etc.) are applied for injection molding, the translucent material is placed below the symbol to transmit light, and the opaque material is filled in other positions to prevent light leakage; or the metal cover 1 is placed in an injection mold, and then black opaque material is injected, the translucent symbol 5 of the metal cover 1 is hollowed out, and then the hollowed area is filled by a glue dripping process (transparent epoxy resin glue can be used, etc.).

[0026] It also includes a circuit board 11 and an LED lamp 12 arranged on the circuit board 11 , and the LED lamp 12 corresponds to the light-transmitting area 6 .

[0027] A manufacturing process for a light-transmitting metal button for an automobile comprises the following steps: S1. Provide a metal substrate with a thickness of 0.1-0.3 mm, and form a metal cover 1 by stamping or hot pressing; S2. Coating a transparent anti-corrosion layer 3 (commercially available, selected according to actual conditions) and a transparent adhesive layer 4 (commercially available, selected according to actual conditions) on the back of the metal cover 1; S3, compounding the back of the metal cover 1 with a light-transmitting material (PC, PS, etc.); S4, processing the light-transmitting symbol 5 on the front surface of the metal cover 1 by a chemical etching process, including the following sub-steps: a) Cleaning and degreasing: remove pollutants from metal surfaces; b) Mask preparation: laminating or screen printing anti-corrosion ink on the metal surface; c) Exposure and development: selectively remove the mask according to the symbol pattern to expose the area to be etched; d) Chemical etching: using an etching solution to dissolve the exposed metal until the light-transmitting layer underneath is exposed, forming a light-transmitting symbol 5; e) Demolding and drying: remove the remaining mask and dry; f) The surface of the light-transmitting symbol 5 is sealed and coated with a transparent protective layer.

[0028] The ultra-thin metal cover 1 is combined with a composite light-transmitting layer → a reverse process of front etching to break through the natural light-opaqueness limitation of metal. The composite-first → etching-later process eliminates the difference in metal / plastic shrinkage rates. At the same time, chemical etching has no mechanical stress and supports closed pattern processing.

[0029] The further refined steps in this embodiment include: metal surface cover 1 → cleaning and degreasing → water washing → drying → laminating or silk screen ink → drying → exposure and mapping → development → water washing and drying → etching → demolding → drying → inspection. The above processes are all common steps in the etching field. Regarding the specific parameters, this is the prior art and this application will not elaborate on them.

[0030] Step S3 adopts any of the following methods: placing the metal cover 1 in an injection mold and injecting a light-transmitting material (PC, ABS, POM, PP, etc., not limited to the above, as long as it is light-transmitting, selected according to actual conditions) to make a metal light-transmitting button; or, placing the metal cover 1 in a two-color injection mold, and injecting a light-transmitting material and a non-light-transmitting material (the non-light-transmitting material can be selected according to actual conditions) respectively, with the light-transmitting material preset below the light-transmitting symbol 5, and the non-light-transmitting material filled in other areas of the cavity on the back of the metal cover 1; or, the metal cover 1 is bonded and assembled with the black plastic part 2, and the black plastic part 2 is hollowed out in the area 6 where light transmission is required, and after bonding, transparent epoxy resin glue is dripped into the hollowed position.

[0031] The transparent protective layer applied in sub-step (f) is any one of transparent paint, transparent liquid glue, transparent liquid oil, and transparent resin.

[0032] The etching solution in sub-step (d) is an acidic etching system, comprising, by mass concentration, 200-220 g / L of concentrated hydrochloric acid, 190-210 g / L of concentrated nitric acid, 190-210 g / L of hydrofluoric acid, 15-25 g / L of glacial acetic acid, 10-15 g / L of disodium hydrogen phosphate, and 300-350 g / L of water, and the etching temperature is 30-52 ° C; or, the etching solution in step (d) is a ferric chloride etching system, comprising, by volume fraction, 65% of a 40-45 ° Bé ferric chloride solution, 10% of hydrogen peroxide, and 25% of hydrofluoric acid, and the etching temperature is 30-50 ° C.

[0033] The basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention are shown and described above. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The above-described embodiments and descriptions are merely preferred examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various changes and improvements may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Such changes and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A light-transmitting metal button for an automobile, characterized in that: The invention comprises a metal cover (1) and a plastic part (2) arranged from top to bottom, wherein the inner wall of the metal cover (1) and the outer wall of the plastic part (2) are bonded together and a composite layer (13) is arranged between the two, wherein the composite layer (13) comprises a transparent anti-corrosion layer (3) and a transparent adhesive layer (4), wherein the transparent anti-corrosion layer (3) is arranged on the inner wall of the metal cover (1), and the transparent adhesive layer (4) is located between the transparent corrosion layer and the outer wall of the plastic part (2), wherein a plurality of translucent symbols (5) are arranged on the surface of the metal cover (1), and a translucent area (6) corresponding to the translucent symbols (5) is arranged on the plastic part (2).

2. The light-transmitting metal button for automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plastic part (2) comprises a light-shielding portion (7) and a light-transmitting portion (8); a light-transmitting hole (9) is provided on the light-shielding portion (7); the light-transmitting portion (8) is fixed in the light-transmitting hole (9); the surface of the light-transmitting portion (8) covers all the light-transmitting symbols (5); and the light-transmitting portion (8) is made of a transparent material.

3. The light-transmitting metal button for automobile according to claim 2, characterized in that: The light-transmitting portion (8) is a rectangular plate, and the light-transmitting hole (9) is a rectangular hole.

4. The light-transmitting metal button for automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plastic part (2) is entirely made of a transparent material; the metal cover (1) is a rectangular frame structure, and the metal cover (1) is sleeved outside the plastic part (2).

5. The light-transmitting metal button for automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light-transmitting symbol (5) is hollowed out, and a transparent filling layer (10) is provided inside the light-transmitting symbol (5).

6. The light-transmitting metal button for automobile according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transparent filling layer (10) is transparent resin, transparent paint, transparent liquid glue or transparent liquid oil.

7. The process for manufacturing a light-transmitting metal button for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1, providing a metal substrate with a thickness of 0.1-0.3 mm, and forming a metal cover (1) by stamping or hot pressing; S2, coating a transparent anti-corrosion layer (3) and a transparent adhesive layer (4) on the back of the metal cover (1); S3, compounding the back of the metal cover (1) with a light-transmitting material; S4, processing the light-transmitting symbol (5) on the front side of the metal cover (1) by chemical etching process, comprising the following sub-steps: a) Cleaning and degreasing: remove pollutants from metal surfaces; b) Mask preparation: laminating or screen printing anti-corrosion ink on the metal surface; c) Exposure and development: selectively remove the mask according to the symbol pattern to expose the area to be etched; d) Chemical etching: using an etching solution to dissolve the exposed metal until the underlying light-transmitting layer is exposed, forming a light-transmitting symbol (5); e) Demolding and drying: remove the remaining mask and dry; f) Performing sealing treatment on the surface of the light-transmitting symbol (5) and coating it with a transparent protective layer.

8. The manufacturing process according to claim 7, characterized in that: Step S3 adopts any of the following methods: placing the metal cover (1) in an injection mold and injecting a light-transmitting material to make a metal light-transmitting button; or, placing the metal cover (1) in a two-color injection mold, and injecting a light-transmitting material and a non-light-transmitting material respectively, with the light-transmitting material preset below the light-transmitting symbol (5), and the non-light-transmitting material filling other areas of the back cavity of the metal cover (1); or, bonding the metal cover (1) and the black plastic part (2) together, hollowing out the black plastic part (2) in the area (6) where light transmission is required, and dripping transparent epoxy resin glue into the hollowed position after bonding.

9. The manufacturing process according to claim 7, characterized in that: The transparent protective layer applied in sub-step (f) is any one of transparent paint, transparent liquid glue, transparent liquid oil, and transparent resin.

10. The manufacturing process according to claim 7, characterized in that: The etching solution in sub-step (d) is an acidic etching system, comprising, by mass concentration, 200-220 g / L of concentrated hydrochloric acid, 190-210 g / L of concentrated nitric acid, 190-210 g / L of hydrofluoric acid, 15-25 g / L of glacial acetic acid, 10-15 g / L of disodium hydrogen phosphate, and 300-350 g / L of water, and the etching temperature is 30-52 ° C; or, the etching solution in step (d) is a ferric chloride etching system, comprising, by volume fraction, 65% of a 40-45 ° Bé ferric chloride solution, 10% of hydrogen peroxide, and 25% of hydrofluoric acid, and the etching temperature is 30-50 ° C.

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