Molded article, electronic device, and method for manufacturing molded article

Abstract

To provide a molding with a high appearance quality.SOLUTION: A molding includes a first area and a second area both having, on a surface, a gloss pattern comprising a first region being a low gross portion and a second region being a high gloss portion with a higher glossiness than the low gloss portion. In the first area, a height of the second region is higher than that of the first region, In the second area, a height of the second region is lower than the height of the second region in the first area. Between the first region and the second region, the molding has a third region having a glossiness different from both of the glossiness of the first region and the glossiness of the second region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a molded article having a design on its surface, an electronic device, and a method for manufacturing the molded article. [Background technology]

[0002] High designability is required for the exterior surface of resin molded products used in the housings and shells of electronic devices such as printers, cameras, and interchangeable lenses. For example, some products have a leather-tone painted texture that has a surface with unevenness that imitates natural leather grain, and the gloss of the convex parts is higher than that of the concave parts. In addition, some products achieve both aesthetic appeal and the invisibility of fingerprints and other stains by forming a surface pattern on the exterior surface that is composed of a flat glossy surface and a non-glossy surface with convex parts protruding from the flat glossy surface.

[0003] When a resin molded product having the above-mentioned uneven structure or convex portion is manufactured by injection molding or the like, the outer surface of the resin molded product may include multiple surfaces with different angles relative to the demolding direction, and various restrictions may be required for the uneven structure provided on them. For example, in a part surface that is inclined relative to the demolding direction or is composed of a curved surface, it is necessary to prevent the uneven structure from becoming a so-called undercut in order to improve the demolding property of the mold. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to omit the uneven structure from the viewpoint of design in some areas of the exterior surface of the resin molded product. In response to this, a technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a technology for suppressing the deterioration of the design appearance quality due to the omission of the uneven structure. In Patent Document 1, the unevenness of the exterior surface is reduced to a level difference that allows demolding, while maintaining the gloss pattern, thereby achieving both releasability and appearance quality. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-40381 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conventional technology, depending on the combination of the shape of the appearance surface of a resin molded product and the observation conditions, there may be a difference in visual impression between an area where the unevenness is not reduced and an area where the unevenness is reduced. This is because the shadows caused by the unevenness are also reduced when the step of the unevenness is reduced. For example, when lighting is applied to the appearance surface from a certain direction, the shadows of the convex parts are generated on the concave parts (flat parts), and part of the side of the convex parts becomes dark with the shade. The area of ​​these shadows and the area of ​​the side of the convex parts including the shade become smaller as the step of the unevenness is smaller. When the appearance surface is observed from its normal direction (i.e., from the front) or illuminated, the above-mentioned change in the shadow is difficult to see even if the step of the unevenness is large, because the shadows generated and the area of ​​the visible side are small, and no difference in impression occurs. However, when the appearance surface is viewed from an oblique direction or illuminated, the change in the shadow is visible, and the impression may be perceived differently.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a resin molded product having a higher appearance quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The molded article of the present invention has a first Glossy part Area and Second Glossy part From the area the law of nature , the second Glossy part The height of the region is the first Glossy part a first area that is higher than the height of the region; The first glossy area; The second area of ​​the first area Glossy part Less than the height of the area and a region of the second glossy portion. A second area ,before The second area is: In the second area The first Glossy part Region and the second Glossy part Between the first and second regions, Glossy part The gloss of the area and the second Glossy part A third region having a different glossiness from any of the regions. Glossy partIt is characterized by having a region.

[0008] An electronic device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising the above molded product.

[0009] The method for producing a molded article of the present invention is a method for producing a molded article using a mold, comprising the steps of: forming a first Glossy part Area and Second Glossy part and a region, Glossy part The height of the region is the first Glossy part a first area that is higher than the height of the region; The first glossy area; The second area of ​​the first area Glossy part Less than the height of the area and a region of the second glossy portion. The present invention is characterized in that the method includes a step of injecting resin into a mold having a third glossy portion region between the first glossy portion region and the second glossy portion region of the second area, the third glossy portion region having a glossiness different from that of both the first glossy portion region and the second glossy portion region of the second area, and molding a molded product. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a molded product having high appearance quality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printer as an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a resin molded product according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining a pseudo shadow portion according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a manufacturing apparatus for processing a mold for manufacturing a resin molded product according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a process for machining a mold for manufacturing a resin molded product according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a resin molded product according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a camera as an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that numerical values ​​used in the following embodiments are for reference only and do not limit the present invention.

[0013] (Mode for carrying out the invention) FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic device, particularly a printer, which is an example of an article having a resin molded product according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the printer 1 is, for example, a multi-function printer, and the document cover 12 and the outer surface (exterior surface) of the housing 10 are molded from a resin of a predetermined color, for example, black. The outer surface 11 of the printer 1 is a part that is easily seen by the user and requires a high-quality appearance, and is molded with a surface pattern that is a combination of a concave-convex pattern (a pattern expressed by surface undulations) and a glossy pattern (a pattern expressed by changes in gloss). In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a surface pattern having the texture of a leather-tone coating is molded, which is composed of a concave-convex pattern that imitates leather grain and a glossy pattern associated with the concave-convex pattern.

[0014] Fig. 2 shows an example of the outer surface 11 of the manuscript cover 12 in this embodiment. Fig. 2(A) is an overall plan view of the outer surface 11, Fig. 2(B) is an enlarged view of an area 22 in Fig. 2(A), and Fig. 2(C) shows a cross-sectional configuration along the dashed line PP' in Fig. 2(B).

[0015] The outer surface 11 in Fig. 2(A) is composed of a first area (e.g., a flat portion) 20 and a second area (e.g., a curved portion inclined relative to the flat portion) 21. As shown in Figs. 2(B) and (C), both a concave-convex pattern and a glossy pattern are formed in the first area 20, and a low-gloss portion 24 as a first region is provided in the flat portion 27, and a high-gloss portion 23 as a second region is provided at the apex (upper surface) of the convex portion 26. The concave-convex pattern and the glossy pattern are formed over the entire surface of the first area 20 shown in Fig. 2(A).

[0016] On the other hand, the second area (e.g., the curved surface portion 21) is molded so as not to form an undercut in the demolding direction (upward in FIG. 2(C)). That is, only a glossy pattern is molded (no uneven pattern is molded), or an uneven pattern having convex portions lower than the convex portions of the uneven pattern of the first area is molded. In other words, there is a first area consisting of a first area (low gloss area) and a second area (high gloss area), in which the height of the second area is higher than the height of the first area, and a second area in which the height of the second area is lower than the height of the second area of ​​the first area. (In this specification, even when the heights of the first area and the second area are equal in the second area (only a glossy pattern is molded (no uneven pattern is molded)), the height of the second area is said to be lower than the height of the second area of ​​the first area.)

[0017] Therefore, in the second area 21, the shadow resulting from the uneven pattern does not occur or occurs only in a very small area. Therefore, suppose that a gloss pattern similar to that of the first area 20 (for example, a gloss pattern consisting of only the high gloss portion 23 and the low gloss portion 24) is formed in the second area 21 by a conventional method. Then, as described above, depending on the observation conditions, the appearance of the second area 21 gives an impression different from that of the first area 20. In contrast, in this embodiment, in order to compensate for the shadow resulting from the uneven pattern, the gloss pattern of the second area 21 is configured to have a pseudo shadow portion 25 as a third region at the boundary between the low gloss portion 24 (first region) and the high gloss portion 23 (second region). In this specification, the pseudo shadow portion may be referred to as an anti-glare portion. In this embodiment, the pseudo shadow portion 25 has a shape that imitates the shadow that occurs on the outer surface 11 when the high gloss portion 23 is a convex portion, and has a gloss different from that of the high gloss portion 23 and the low gloss portion 24. In general, when surfaces different only in gloss are molded using the same resin material, they are perceived as having different brightness under most observation conditions, except for very limited specific cases. Therefore, the brightness of the pseudo-shadow portion 25 appears different from that of the low-gloss portion 24 (first region) and the high-gloss portion 23 (second region), and it is misleadingly perceived as if there is a step between the high-gloss portion 23 and the low-gloss portion 24 that sandwich the pseudo-shadow portion 25. As a result, the first area 20 and the second area 21 have an appearance with approximately the same visual impression. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the first area is, for example, a flat portion and the second area is, for example, a curved portion, but this is not limited thereto. Both the first area and the second area may be flat portions, or both the first area and the second area may be curved portions.

[0018] In this embodiment, the high gloss portion 23, the low gloss portion 24, and the pseudo shadow portion (anti-glare portion) 25 are formed by imparting different surface roughness to the outer surface 11. The pseudo shadow portion 25 is made to have a lower gloss than the low gloss portion 24. In the example of FIG. 2(C), the high gloss portion 23 is formed with a smooth surface (for example, a gloss level Gs(60°) of 10 gloss units or more and 20 gloss units or less) that reflects incident light. The low gloss portion 24 is formed with fine irregularities that are difficult to visually recognize so that the incident light is scattered (for example, a gloss level Gs(60°) of 5 gloss units or more and 10 gloss units or less). Furthermore, the pseudo shadow portion (anti-glare portion) 25 is formed with fine irregularities with a surface roughness rougher than that of the low gloss portion 24 (for example, a gloss level Gs(60°) of 1 gloss unit or more and 5 gloss units or less). Here, the fine irregularities of the low gloss area 24 and the pseudo-shade area 25 are irregular structures with a sufficiently small height difference that they do not cause undercuts. The surface roughness of the first area is preferably 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value. The surface roughness of the second area is preferably less than 0.5 μm in RMS value. The surface roughness of the third area is preferably 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

[0019] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an area corresponding to a shadow under specific observation conditions when the high-gloss portion 23 is a convex portion is added to the gloss pattern as a pseudo-shadow portion 25. FIGS. 3(A) and (B) are a perspective view and a side view of a virtual convex portion 28 and a nearby area when it is assumed that the high-gloss portion 23 has a virtual convex portion 28, and FIG. 3(C) is a front view showing a gloss pattern corresponding to this area. First, as shown in FIGS. 3(A) and (B), the shadow of the convex portion 28 that occurs when a specific light source direction L is assumed is calculated. Specifically, from a predetermined viewpoint position e 0 The apparent width d when observed from the direction of the line of sight E is calculated by the height of the convex portion 28, the light source direction L, and the viewpoint position e 0, calculated based on the line of sight direction E. Next, as shown in FIG. 3(C), a pseudo-shade portion 25 is provided on the gloss pattern so that the width is d, starting from the outline of the high-gloss portion 23 corresponding to the convex portion 28. The width here is the length measured along the direction L' in which the light source direction L is projected onto the gloss pattern. The method of providing the pseudo-shade portion 25 is not limited to the method described above. For example, a shadow that takes into account multiple light sources and mutual reflection may be calculated using a known computer graphics technique as the shadow of the convex portion 28. Alternatively, as a simpler method, the pseudo-shade portion 25 may be a region obtained by translating the high-gloss portion 23 on the gloss pattern by a predetermined distance in a predetermined direction, excluding the overlapping portion with the high-gloss portion 23 before the translation. In other words, the pseudo-shade portion 25 may be provided so as to be in contact with the high-gloss portion 23 and overlap with the low-gloss portion 24. The pseudo shadow portion in the present invention need only be positioned so as to give the illusion that there is a concave-convex pattern on the surface having convex portions of the same height as the convex portions of the concave-convex pattern formed in the first area, and the physical accuracy of the shadow is not essential.

[0020] In the leather-tone surface pattern realized in this embodiment, the convex portion 26 is preferably raised from the flat portion 27 by 1 μm or more and less than 100 μm. The height difference between the convex portion 26 and the flat portion 27 can be measured by measuring the height of the high-gloss portion 23 using, for example, a white light interferometer, based on the low-gloss portion 24 corresponding to the base surface of the flat portion 20. In this embodiment, this height difference was evaluated as the average value of values ​​measured at 10 points in a 1.0 mm × 1.0 mm area of ​​the molded product using a 10x objective lens using a 3D optical profiler NewView7000 from ZYGO. The height of the convex portions 26 provided on the entire surface of the flat portion 20 does not necessarily have to be uniform, and each convex portion may have a different height. Furthermore, the height within one convex portion does not necessarily have to be constant, and there may be a distribution of high and low portions within the convex portion.

[0021] The gloss difference between the high gloss portion 23, the low gloss portion 24, and the pseudo-shadow portion 25 may be such that the difference can be visually recognized, but it is preferable that the gloss difference between each portion is 5 or more. The gloss in this specification is a value (Gs(60°)) measured using a gloss meter based on the specular gloss at a reflection angle of 60° of JIS Z 8741. The gloss can be measured, for example, using a 60° gloss meter IQ FLEX60 from Rhopoint Instruments. Note that the gloss measurement using this device requires an area of ​​several square millimeters or more. For example, when measuring the gloss of a high gloss portion, a sample having only the high gloss portion formed thereon can be prepared and measured in an area of ​​20 mm square. The gloss of the low gloss portion and the pseudo-shadow portion can also be measured by preparing a sample in the same manner.

[0022] In addition, it is preferable that the fine unevenness for realizing the low gloss portion 24 and the pseudo shadow portion 25 is molded with a step of 15 μm or less. This is because the fine unevenness of 15 μm or less is in a range that cannot be visually recognized by an observer as unevenness, and because the shrinkage rate of the resin during injection molding and the elasticity of the resin allow for good mold release without destruction of the structure even in the undercut direction. According to experiments by the inventors, it has been confirmed that for a 100 mm wide semi-cylindrical resin molded product, if the maximum step in the direction perpendicular to the mold release direction is 15 μm or less, it is possible to easily release the resin, such as ABS or HIPS (high impact polystyrene).

[0023] Next, a method for producing a resin molded product according to this embodiment will be described.

[0024] The resin molded product according to this embodiment can be injection molded by, for example, injecting and filling a cavity formed in a mold from a gate, as will be described later in detail. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a machining center that processes a mold for molding a resin molded product according to this embodiment. The machining center 90 in FIG. 4 includes a processing machine body 91 and a control device 92. The cavity may be formed by a plurality of pieces (cavity pieces) that constitute a part of the mold. In this way, when the cavity is formed by pieces, even if the molded product has a complex shape, the transfer surface can be divided and processed, so that the manufacturing cost of the mold can be reduced. The processing machine body 91 performs cutting processing on the mold (cavity piece) 93, which is the object to be processed, to manufacture the mold. The processing machine body 91 has a spindle 95 that is a main shaft that supports a cutting tool 94, an X stage 96, a Y stage 97, and a Z stage 98. An end mill can be suitably used as the cutting tool 94. The spindle 95 rotates the cutting tool 94 around the Z axis. The Z stage 98 supports the spindle 95 and moves the cutting tool 94 in the Z direction relative to the die 93. Similarly, the X stage 96 moves the cutting tool 94 in the X direction relative to the die 93, and the Y stage 97 moves it in the Y direction. With this configuration, the processing machine body 91 can move the tip of the cutting tool 94 in the XYZ directions relative to the die 93 while rotating the cutting tool 94. The control device 92 is composed of a computer having a CPU, memory, etc., and controls the processing machine body 91 according to NC data 99. The NC data 99 includes various commands used in cutting, such as the amount of movement in the X direction, the amount of movement in the Y direction, the amount of movement in the Z direction, the rotation speed of the spindle, the feed rate in the X direction, the feed rate in the Y direction, and the movement rate in the Z direction. Under the control of the control device 92, the cutting tool 94 is moved relative to the die 93 while rotating, so that a three-dimensional shape based on the NC data 99 can be cut into the die 93.

[0025] 5 shows a manufacturing process of a first molding surface and a second molding surface of a mold 93 which respectively molds a first area (flat surface portion) 20 and a second area (curved surface portion) 21 of the resin molded product of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, transfer patterns for transferring the surface patterns of the above-mentioned first area (flat surface portion) 20 and second area (curved surface portion) 21 are processed on the first molding surface and the second molding surface of the mold 93. Note that FIG. 5 shows an example in which the second area (curved surface portion) 21 is a convex surface as shown in FIG. 2(C).

[0026] In the first die machining process shown in Fig. 5(A), a surface 101 of the die 93 is roughly machined. A radius end mill 102 is used as a cutting tool in the machining center of Fig. 4, and the radius end mill 102 is rotated to cut and scan based on NC data 99 to perform cutting on the die surface.

[0027] 5(B), a ball end mill 103 is used to machine fine irregularities on the surface 101 of the mold 93. The ball end mill 103 is scanned over the mold region forming the above-mentioned second area (curved portion) 21, and multiple recesses 104 are machined on the surface including at least the region corresponding to the pseudo shadow portion 25. As a result, fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the mold region forming the second area (curved portion) 21.

[0028] 5(C), the surface 101 of the mold 93 is machined to be smooth. A ball end mill 103 is rotated and cut into the mold area for molding the areas other than the pseudo shadow area 25, based on NC data 99, and the surface is smoothed by scanning. The fine irregularities consisting of the recesses 104 that were not smoothed here (i.e., that remain without being cut) become the fine irregularities that make up the pseudo shadow area 25 when they are transferred to a resin molded product by injection molding.

[0029] 5(D), a ball end mill 103 is used to machine concaves and convexes on the surface 101 of the mold 93. The ball end mill 103 is rotated and cut into the mold region for molding the above-mentioned first area (flat surface portion) 20, and scanned based on NC data 99 to form concaves 105. The concaves 105 are regions that become convex portions 26 when transferred to a resin molded product.

[0030] In the fifth die machining step shown in FIG. 5(E), a ball end mill 103 is used to machine the surface 101 of the die 93 to have fine irregularities different from those in the second die machining step. A plurality of recesses 106 are machined on the surfaces of the regions corresponding to the low gloss portion 24 of both the first area (flat portion) 20 and the second area (curved portion) 21. Here, the recesses 104 and the recesses 106 are machined to have at least one of density, depth, and size different from each other. This makes it possible to make the surface roughness different between the fine irregularities formed by the recesses 104 and the fine irregularities formed by the recesses 106. When the fine irregularities formed by the recesses 106 are transferred to a resin molded product by injection molding, they become the fine irregularities that form the low gloss portion 24.

[0031] As a result of carrying out the above-mentioned mold machining process, the area where neither the recess 104 nor the recess 106 is formed becomes the high gloss portion 23.

[0032] The material of the die 93 for performing the above-mentioned die processing can be stainless steel, but any other material can be used from the viewpoint of processability and durability for injection molding.

[0033] In addition, although an example is shown here in which the die for the resin molded product of this embodiment is processed by cutting, the method of processing the die is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the die may be manufactured using other processing methods, such as a laser processing machine.

[0034] Next, a method for manufacturing a resin molded product using the above-mentioned mold in an embodiment will be described. Figures 8(a) to 8(e) are schematic diagrams for explaining the manufacturing process when manufacturing a resin molded product according to an embodiment using an injection molding machine.

[0035] 8(a) is a schematic diagram showing the setup of an injection molding device, in which 81 and 82 are molds, 83 is a cylindrical cylinder for injecting resin into the molds, and 84 is a part called a hopper for pouring the resin material into the cylinder 83. A groove is formed on the molding surface of the mold 81 and / or the mold 82. In this embodiment, polycarbonate resin (colored black) mixed with about 30% glass filler is used as the resin material.

[0036] Inside the cylinder 83 is a screw (not shown), which is rotated by a motor 85 to send the resin material to the tip of the cylinder 83. The cylinder 83 is also equipped with a heater (not shown), and the solid resin material fed from the hopper 84 is heated to a temperature above the melting point on the way to the tip of the cylinder, melting it, and is stored in the space at the tip of the cylinder 83.

[0037] Next, the mold clamping process shown in Fig. 8(b) is performed. Molds 81 and 82 are aligned by a movable mechanism (not shown) and closed to form a cavity. Molds 81 and 82 are heated by a heater (not shown). Generally, a flow path for flowing high-temperature liquid is formed inside the mold, and the temperature of the mold is adjusted by controlling the flow rate and temperature of the liquid. The heating temperature of the mold in this process is called the mold temperature.

[0038] 8(c) is performed. The nozzle at the end of cylinder 83 is pressed against an injection hole provided in mold 82. Motor 85 is then operated to rotate a screw (not shown), thereby injecting molten resin 86 into the cavity formed by molds 81 and 82. The temperature of the molten resin in this process is called the resin temperature.

[0039] Next, the dwelling process and the cooling process shown in Fig. 8(d) are performed. In the dwelling process, the pressure applied to the molten resin 86 injected into the cavity is kept at a predetermined level by controlling the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder 83. This predetermined pressure is called the dwelling pressure. The dwelling pressure is selected so that the molten resin 86 reaches every corner of the space inside the cavity. In other words, the resin fills the unevenness of the molding surface of the mold without leaving any gaps. Then, an appropriate dwelling pressure is applied to the molten resin so that the transfer pattern that transfers the surface pattern of the first area (flat surface portion) 20 and the second area (curved surface portion) 21 processed in the mold is transferred to the resin with high shape accuracy.

[0040] In the cooling process following the pressure holding process, the molds 81 and 82 are cooled by a cooling mechanism (not shown) while being arranged as shown in Fig. 8(d), and the resin inside the cavity is cooled to a temperature below the glass transition point and solidified. As the cooling mechanism, for example, a method in which a coolant flow path is arranged around the mold and the coolant is circulated to cool the mold can be used.

[0041] When the resin in the cavity is solidified, the mold opening step and the mold release step shown in Fig. 8(e) are performed. First, in the mold opening step, the mold 81 and / or the mold 82 are moved by a driving mechanism (not shown) to separate them from each other.

[0042] In the subsequent demolding process, the resin molded product 87 adhering to one of the molds is peeled off and removed from the mold by, for example, protruding an ejector pin (not shown). If necessary, gate marks (burrs left at the injection gate position) formed on the removed resin molded product 87 may be removed.

[0043] By using the manufacturing method described above, in this embodiment, a resin molded product can be manufactured in which a transfer pattern that transfers the surface patterns of the first area (flat portion) 20 and the second area (curved portion) 21 to the outer surface is formed with high shape accuracy.

[0044] The above describes the molding of a resin molded product by injection molding and the manufacturing process of the mold, but the manufacturing method is not limited to the above. Molding of a resin molded product having the above-mentioned first area (e.g., flat surface portion) 20 and second area (e.g., curved surface portion) 21 may be performed by any appropriate method other than the above-mentioned injection molding. More specific examples of this embodiment will be described below. However, in the following, the same reference symbols will be used for the same members, dimensions, directions, etc., and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0045] The article having a resin molded product to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the printer shown in Fig. 1. According to the present invention, the surface pattern of the present invention can be imparted to resin molded products having various shapes and functions.

[0046] For example, the surface pattern of the present invention can be applied to the surface of exterior part 121 of the camera body or exterior part 122 of the lens barrel of the camera shown in Fig. 9. The camera is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 9, and may be a single-lens reflex camera with interchangeable lenses, a mirrorless camera, a compact camera, or a smartphone with a shooting function.

[0047] In addition, the printer is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1, but can be applied to various forms such as a dedicated printer, a copier, and a multifunction machine with a reading function, and the recording method is not particularly limited and can be an electrophotographic type, an inkjet type, a thermal transfer type, or the like.

[0048] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to resin molded products such as cameras and printers, but can also be applied to resin molded products that are desired to be visually recognized as having a lustrous appearance by an observer, such as interior parts of automobiles and outer boxes for cosmetics. The resin molded product may be in the form of a thin flat plate such as a sheet or film, or may be in the form of a three-dimensional shape having a curved surface, or may be flexible. EXAMPLES

[0049] 6(A) to 6(C) are diagrams showing a resin molded product according to Example 1. FIG. 6(A) is a plan view showing a height distribution, FIG. 6(B) is a plan view showing a gloss distribution, and FIG. 6(C) is a cross-sectional view. As shown in these figures, an uneven and glossy pattern expressing the texture of a leather-tone coating was formed on a plate-shaped resin molded product 60 having a thickness of 1.6 mm. The resin molded product 60 has a flat portion 61 and a curved portion 62 provided on the edge thereof and inclined with respect to the flat portion 61. The radius of curvature of the curved portion 62 is 60 mm, and the inclination angle (θ) of the tangent of the curved surface with respect to the flat portion 61 is a maximum of 45 degrees. The step of the convex portion 63 with respect to the normal direction of the flat portion 64 is 20 μm. For convenience of illustration, the curved surface portion 62 in Fig. 6(A) is shown as having a height distribution of 0 μm, but as is clear from the cross-sectional view in Fig. 6(C), a fine uneven pattern with a maximum height difference of 4 μm exists in the curved surface portion 62. The pseudo-shaded portion 67 is provided with a width of 20 μm in the direction indicated by the arrow 68 in Fig. 6(B).

[0050] In this embodiment, the uneven pattern with a large height difference consisting of the convex portion 63 and the flat portion 64 is formed only on the flat portion 61, and the uneven pattern with a large height difference is not formed on the curved portion 62. The gloss pattern is composed of the high gloss portion 65, the low gloss portion 66, and the pseudo shaded portion 67, and the high gloss portion 65 and the convex portion 63 are associated with each other. The pseudo shaded portion 67 is formed only on the curved portion 62, and the pseudo shaded portion 67 is not formed on the flat portion 61. The low gloss portion 66 is formed with fine unevenness with a height of 2 μm, and the surface roughness is RMS=1.0 μm and the glossiness is Gs(60°)=7GU. The pseudo shaded portion 67 is formed with fine unevenness with a height of 2 μm, and the surface roughness is RMS=1.5 μm and the glossiness is Gs(60°)=2GU. The high gloss portion 65, which does not have fine irregularities, has a surface roughness of RMS = 0.45 μm and a glossiness of Gs (60°) = 18 GU. The cross-sectional structure of the flat portion 61 and the curved portion 62 is as shown in Figure 6(C).

[0051] The material of the mold for manufacturing the resin molded product of this embodiment was stainless steel, and rough machining was performed using a machining center shown in Fig. 4 with a radius end mill attached. Then, a ball end mill was used to machine the mold into an inverted shape of a leather tone pattern consisting of a convex portion 63, a flat portion 64, a high gloss portion 65, a low gloss portion 66, and a pseudo-shade portion 67. Then, injection molding was performed using the mold to obtain a resin molded product 60. Note that black HIPS was used as the resin material, and in this case, the resin molded product 60 could be released from the mold without any structural damage.

[0052] The outer surface of the obtained resin molded product was visually observed by an observer with normal eyesight, and the difference in impression between the flat portion 61 and the curved portion 62 was evaluated. As a result, although there were cases where a difference in shading due to the presence or absence of unevenness was perceived depending on the viewing angle or lighting angle, it was confirmed that the difference was less noticeable because the unevenness' shading was visually compensated for by the pseudo-shaded portion. In particular, it was confirmed that the difference in visual impression was significantly reduced compared to a resin molded product by a conventional method in which a pseudo-shaded portion was not molded into the curved portion 62.

[0053] <Other Examples> In the above-mentioned embodiment and example, an example was shown in which a surface pattern having a texture of leather-tone painting was applied to the outer surface of a resin molded product, but the surface pattern is not limited to this. Also, although a high gloss portion and a convex portion, and a low gloss portion and a flat portion (concave portion) were associated with each other, the correspondence between gloss and unevenness is not limited to this. It goes without saying that a decorative surface expressing a specific design can be expressed by a surface pattern in which a low gloss portion and a convex portion, and a high gloss portion and a concave portion are associated with each other, for example, a configuration in which fine unevenness is formed on the convex portion of a resin molded product.

[0054] Also, although an example has been described in which the pseudo-shade portion has a lower gloss than the low-gloss portion, the gloss of the pseudo-shade portion is not limited to this. As shown in Fig. 7(A), the pseudo-shade portion 71 may have a higher gloss than the high-gloss portion 72, or as shown in Fig. 7(B), the pseudo-shade portion 71 may have a gloss between the high-gloss portion 72 and the low-gloss portion 73. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 7(C), the pseudo-shade portion 71 may be configured by mixing a gloss higher than the high-gloss portion 72 and a gloss lower than the low-gloss portion 73.

[0055] In addition, the gloss of the convex portion and the flat portion may be the same. Examples of pseudo-shade portions in this case are shown in Figures 7(D) to (F). Figure 7(D) shows an example where the pseudo-shade portion 71 is low gloss, Figure 7(E) shows a case where the pseudo-shade portion 71 is high gloss, and Figure 7(F) shows a case where the pseudo-shade portion 71 is configured with a mixture of low gloss and high gloss.

Claims

1. a first area on the surface, the first area being composed of a first glossy area and a second glossy area, the height of the second glossy area being higher than the height of the first glossy area, and a second area having the first glossy area and the second glossy area being lower than the height of the second glossy area in the first area; A molded product characterized in that the second area has a third glossy area between the first glossy area and the second glossy area of ​​the second area, the third glossy area having a glossiness different from both the glossiness of the first glossy area and the glossiness of the second glossy area.

2. 2. The molded product according to claim 1, wherein the first glossy area has a lower gloss than the second glossy area.

3. The molded product according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface roughness of the first glossy area is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second glossy area is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third glossy area is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

4. 2. The molded product according to claim 1, wherein the first glossy area has a higher gloss than the second glossy area.

5. The molded product according to claim 4, characterized in that the surface roughness of the first glossy area is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second glossy area is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third glossy area is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

6. 6. The molded product according to claim 1, wherein the third glossy portion region is in contact with the second glossy portion region and overlaps with the first glossy portion region.

7. A surface including a first area consisting of a first region and a second region, the height of the second region being higher than the height of the first region, and a second area, the height of the second region being lower than the height of the second region of the first area; the second area has a third region between the first region and the second region, the third region having a glossiness different from both the glossiness of the first region and the glossiness of the second region; A molded product characterized in that the surface roughness of the first region is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second region is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third region is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

8. A surface including a first area consisting of a first region and a second region, the height of the second region being higher than the height of the first region, and a second area, the height of the second region being lower than the height of the second region of the first area; the second area has a third region between the first region and the second region, the third region having a glossiness different from both the glossiness of the first region and the glossiness of the second region; A molded product characterized in that the surface roughness of the first glossy area is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second glossy area is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third glossy area is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

9. An electronic device comprising the molded product according to claim 1 .

10. A method for manufacturing a molded product using a mold, comprising the steps of: a first area on the surface, the first area being composed of a first glossy area and a second glossy area, the height of the second glossy area being higher than the height of the first glossy area, and a second area having the first glossy area and the second glossy area being lower than the height of the second glossy area in the first area; The method for manufacturing a molded product is characterized in that the second area includes a step of injecting resin into a mold having a third glossy area between the first glossy area and the second glossy area of ​​the second area, the third glossy area having a glossiness different from both the glossiness of the first glossy area and the glossiness of the second glossy area, and molding a molded product.

11. The method for producing a molded product according to claim 10, wherein the first glossy area has a lower glossiness than the second glossy area.

12. The method for manufacturing a molded product described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the surface roughness of the first glossy area is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second glossy area is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third glossy area is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

13. The method for producing a molded product according to claim 10, wherein the first glossy area has a higher glossiness than the second glossy area.

14. The method for producing a molded product according to claim 13, characterized in that the surface roughness of the first glossy area is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second glossy area is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third glossy area is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

15. A method for manufacturing a molded product using a mold, comprising the steps of: a first area on a surface, the first area being composed of a first region and a second region, the height of the second region being higher than the height of the first region, and a second area being lower than the height of the second region in the first area; the second area includes a step of injecting a resin into a mold having a third region between the first region and the second region, the third region having a glossiness different from both the glossiness of the first region and the glossiness of the second region, and molding a molded product; A method for manufacturing a molded product, characterized in that the surface roughness of the first region is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second region is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third region is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

16. A method for manufacturing a molded product using a mold, comprising the steps of: a first area on a surface, the first area being composed of a first region and a second region, the height of the second region being higher than the height of the first region, and a second area being lower than the height of the second region in the first area; the second area includes a step of injecting a resin into a mold having a third region between the first region and the second region, the third region having a glossiness different from both the glossiness of the first region and the glossiness of the second region, and molding a molded product; A method for manufacturing a molded product, characterized in that the surface roughness of the first glossy area is less than 0.5 μm in RMS value, the surface roughness of the second glossy area is 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.2 μm in RMS value, and the surface roughness of the third glossy area is 1.2 μm or more in RMS value.

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