Faucet fittings and method of manufacturing same

Abstract

To provide a metal faucet of good appearance obtained without conducting wet plating such as nickel plating, and a manufacturing method thereof.SOLUTION: A metal faucet 10 includes a substrate part 11 made of a copper base alloy and a film part 12 directly deposited on the surface 11A of the substrate part 11 by a dry process. The film part 12 has a composition composed of Cr of 10% or more and 25% or less, Ni of 4% or more and 10% or less, and the balance of Fe and inevitable components and a film thickness of 0.3 μm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a faucet fitting and a method for manufacturing the faucet fitting. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a surface treatment method for a faucet in which the surface of a faucet fitting is plated with nickel and then subjected to an ion plating treatment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-240950 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for a technology that can improve the appearance of a water faucet device without using wet plating such as nickel plating.

[0005] The present disclosure was completed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a faucet device with a good appearance without wet plating. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The faucet fitting of the present disclosure comprises a substrate portion made of a copper-based alloy and a coating portion formed directly on the surface of the substrate portion by a dry process.

[0007] The method for manufacturing a faucet fitting according to the present disclosure involves preparing a substrate made of a copper-based alloy and forming a coating directly on the surface of the substrate by a dry process. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a cross section of a water faucet device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a dry process. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum of an example. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a view showing a field emission scanning electron microscope image of an example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a view showing a field emission scanning electron microscope image of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1. Faucet fittings 10 The faucet fitting 10 supplies drinking water. The faucet fitting 10 generally has a water passage through which water flows. A surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 forms the exterior of the faucet fitting 10.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the faucet fitting 10 comprises a base material 11, a coating 12, and an exterior coating 13. The coating 12 and the exterior coating 13 are laminated in this order on the surface 11A of the base material 11, starting from the base material 11 side. The surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 is formed by the exterior coating 13. The base material 11 is exposed over almost the entire surface of the water passage of the faucet fitting 10.

[0011] (1) Base material part 11 The substrate 11 is made of a copper-based alloy. There are no particular limitations on the material of the substrate 11 as long as it is a copper-based alloy. The material of the substrate 11 can be selected from, for example, various types of brass and bronze.

[0012] (2) Coating part 12 The coating portion 12 is formed directly on the surface 11A of the substrate portion 11 by a dry process. The dry process can be selected from physical vapor deposition (hereinafter referred to as PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (hereinafter referred to as CVD). From the viewpoints of film formation speed, substrate flexibility, etc., the dry process is preferably an ion plating method, which is a type of PVD.

[0013] The coating portion 12 has a composition consisting of 10% to 25% Cr, 4% to 10% Ni, and the remainder being Fe and unavoidable components. Cr is chromium, Ni is nickel, and Fe is iron. In this disclosure, the percentage (%) of each component means atm%, i.e., atomic percent. Examples of unavoidable components include C and O. C is carbon, and O is oxygen. The amount of C is preferably 2% or less, and the amount of O is preferably 6% or less. The coating portion 12 having the above composition can be formed using a material made of stainless steel such as SUS304. The composition of the coating portion 12 can be controlled by adjusting the film formation conditions, such as the material composition and the atmosphere during film formation. A method for determining the composition of the coating portion 12 will be explained later.

[0014] The thickness of the coating 12 is 0.3 μm or less. There is no particular lower limit to the thickness of the coating 12. The thickness of the coating 12 may be greater than 0 μm, and from the viewpoint of corrosion resistance, it is preferably 0.05 μm or more. The thickness of the coating 12 can be controlled by adjusting the film formation conditions, such as the applied voltage and film formation time. A method for determining the thickness of the coating 12 will be explained later.

[0015] (3) Appearance coating part 13 The external coating 13 is formed directly on the surface 12A of the coating 12 by a dry process. The above description of the coating 12 is used for the dry process. The dry process for the external coating 13 may be different from the dry process for the coating 12, but is preferably the same as the dry process for the coating 12 from the viewpoint of sharing the same manufacturing equipment.

[0016] The main component of the external coating 13 is Cr. A method for identifying the main component of the external coating 13 will be described later. In a depth profile analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the peak value of Cr in the external coating 13 is preferably 70% or more. The external coating 13 having the above composition can be formed using a material made of Cr. The composition of the external coating 13 can be controlled by adjusting the film formation conditions, such as the composition of the material and the atmosphere during film formation. A method for determining the composition of the external coating 13 will be described later.

[0017] The film thickness of the external coating 13 is 0.1 μm or less. There is no particular lower limit to the film thickness of the external coating 13. The film thickness of the external coating 13 may be greater than 0 μm, and is preferably 0.01 μm or greater in terms of improving the appearance. The film thickness of the external coating 13 can be controlled by adjusting the film formation conditions, such as the applied voltage and film formation time. A method for determining the film thickness of the external coating 13 will be explained later.

[0018] (4) Measurement method of component composition and film thickness The component composition and film thickness of the coating portion 12 and the outer coating portion 13 are measured by depth profile analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (hereinafter referred to as XPS). Figure 3 is an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum of an example. The horizontal axis represents the sputtering time, and the vertical axis represents the element ratio. The unit of sputtering time is "min." The unit of element ratio is "%," i.e., "atm%." A sputtering time of 0 min corresponds to the position of the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10. To convert the sputtering time on the horizontal axis to depth, the sputtering rate is calculated and multiplied by the sputtering time. In the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum shown in Figure 3, the sputtering rate is 20 nm / min.

[0019] The film thicknesses of the coating 12 and the external coating 13 are calculated as follows: Cr, which shows the maximum peak in the external coating 13, increases from the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 in the depth direction, and the value at which it reaches a maximum is taken as X; Cr decreases from the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 in the depth direction, and the value at which it becomes approximately constant is taken as Y. In Figure 3, the Cr element proportion X is 74.7%, and Y is 20.1%. The depth at which the Cr element proportion reaches the value of (X + Y) / 2 is taken as the boundary between the external coating 13 and the coating 12. The film thickness of the external coating 13 is calculated as the dimension from the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 to the boundary between the external coating 13 and the coating 12.

[0020] The main component of the external coating 13 is identified as the component that shows the maximum peak in the range from the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 to the boundary between the external coating 13 and the coating 12. Note that substances containing C and O may adhere to the surface of the external coating 13 during the formation of the external coating 13. Because it is difficult to completely remove substances containing C and O, the C and O components are not taken into consideration when identifying the main component of the external coating 13. The C and O spectra are omitted in Figure 3.

[0021] Next, the Fe element proportion, which shows the maximum peak in the coating 12, increases from the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 in the depth direction, and the value at which it reaches a maximum is defined as V. The Fe element proportion decreases from the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 in the depth direction, and the value at which it becomes approximately constant is defined as W. In Figure 3, V is 71.9% and W is 9.5%. The depth at which the Fe element proportion reaches the value of (V + W) / 2 is defined as the boundary between the coating 12 and the substrate 11. The film thickness of the coating 12 is calculated as the dimension from the boundary between the exterior coating 13 and the coating 12 to the boundary between the coating 12 and the substrate 11.

[0022] The composition of the coating 12 is determined based on the components observed in the range from the boundary between the appearance coating 13 and the coating 12 determined above to the boundary between the coating 12 and the substrate 11. When C and O are observed, they are identified as unavoidable components. The proportion of each component is defined as the average value of the element proportions when they become approximately constant within the above range.

[0023] (5) Surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 The diameter of the non-fused metal particles appearing on the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 is less than 0.1 μm. "The diameter of the non-fused metal particles is less than 0.1 μm" includes the case where the diameter of the non-fused metal particles is 0 μm, i.e., the case where no non-fused metal particles are observed on the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10. Non-fused metal particles are metal particles present in the exterior coating 13. Non-fused metal particles are also called droplets. The diameter of the non-fused metal particles appearing on the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 can be reduced, for example, by placing a physical barrier 6 (see Figure 2) between the material of the exterior coating 13 and the object to be coated when the exterior coating 13 is formed.

[0024] The diameter of the non-fused metal particles is measured as follows. The surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 is observed at 10,000 magnification using a field emission scanning electron microscope (hereinafter referred to as FE-SEM) to obtain a 5 μm × 5 μm observation image. FIG. 4 is an FE-SEM image of an example described below. FIG. 5 is an FE-SEM image of a comparative example described below. In the FE-SEM image of FIG. 5, the approximately circular outer shape of the non-fused metal particles can be confirmed by the difference in contrast with the surrounding area. The observation image is analyzed, and the maximum diameter of the non-fused metal particles is measured as the diameter. If there are no non-fused metal particles with a diameter of 0.1 μm or more in the 5 μm × 5 μm observation image, the diameter of the non-fused metal particles is defined as being less than 0.1 μm.

[0025] The arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the faucet fitting 10 is 0.10 μm or less. The lower limit of the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the faucet fitting 10 is not particularly limited and may be 0.00 μm. The arithmetic mean roughness Ra is measured in accordance with JIS B 0601:2013.

[0026] It is preferable that the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10 has a color difference ΔE of 4.0 or less with respect to a reference color having a lightness L of 70, a chromaticity a of -0.3, and a chromaticity b of -1.0. The reference color is the color of a faucet fitting that is NiCr plated. A color difference ΔE of 4.0 or less with respect to the reference color is within the above range, which is an indicator that the faucet fitting 10 has an appearance equivalent to that of a NiCr plated faucet fitting.

[0027] The image clarity of the faucet fitting 10 is preferably 80% or more, and more preferably 90% or more. There are no particular limitations on the upper limit of the image clarity of the faucet fitting 10. The upper limit of the image clarity of the faucet fitting 10 is generally 99% or less. In this disclosure, the image clarity of the faucet fitting 10 refers to the DOI value measured using a Wave-Scan DOI measurement device (manufactured by BYK Gardner, Wave-Scan).

[0028] The arithmetic mean roughness Ra, color difference ΔE, and image clarity can be adjusted by appropriately setting film formation conditions such as the material of the appearance coating portion 13 and the presence or absence of a shielding object 6 described below.

[0029] 2. Manufacturing method of faucet fitting 10 The method for manufacturing the faucet fitting 10 involves preparing a base member 11 made of a copper-based alloy, directly depositing the coating portion 12 on the surface 11A of the base member 11 by a dry process, and then directly depositing the exterior coating portion 13 on the surface 12A of the coating portion 12 by a dry process. In other words, the faucet fitting 10 can be manufactured without going through a wet plating process. Hereinafter, the process of preparing the base member 11 will also be referred to as the preparation process. The process of directly depositing the coating portion 12 will also be referred to as the first coating process. The process of directly depositing the exterior coating portion 13 will also be referred to as the second coating process.

[0030] The faucet fitting 10 can be manufactured using an ion plating apparatus 1 shown in Figure 2. The ion plating apparatus 1 includes a chamber 2, an arc evaporation source 3, a support stand 4, a bias power supply and an arc power supply (not shown), an exhaust unit and a gas supply unit (not shown), and a shield 6.

[0031] In the preparation step, the base member 11 is placed on the support base 4. In Figure 2, the base member 11 is conceptually depicted, with the water passages of the faucet fitting 10 and the like omitted. After the preparation step, the chamber 2 is sealed and depressurized to a predetermined vacuum level.

[0032] The first film formation step is performed by an ion plating method using an ion plating device 1. Specifically, a target 8, which is the material of the coating portion 12, is used as the cathode of an arc discharge circuit, and the material of the coating portion 12 is evaporated and ionized by an arc. The ionized material of the coating portion 12 is accelerated by an electric field generated by application of a bias voltage and deposited on the surface 11A of the substrate portion 11 to form the coating portion 12. The film formation conditions, such as the applied voltage, film formation time, and reactive gas, are set appropriately depending on the characteristics of the coating portion 12.

[0033] In the dry process, a physical shield 6 is placed between the target 8 and the substrate 11, and the coating 12 is formed. The shield 6 is provided so that the ionized material of the coating 12 flows around the shield 6 and is deposited on the substrate 11. Specifically, the shield 6 is made of a plate-like member that is placed approximately parallel to the evaporation surface of the target 8. The shield 6 is placed so as to cover at least a portion of the evaporation surface of the target 8.

[0034] The second film-forming step can be performed in the same manner as the first film-forming step, using a target that is the material of the exterior coating portion 13. For details, the explanation of the first film-forming step is cited.

[0035] 3. Effects of this embodiment The faucet fitting 10 comprises a substrate 11 made of a copper-based alloy and a coating 12 formed directly on the surface 11A of the substrate 11 by a dry process. This configuration increases the corrosion resistance of the faucet fitting 10 and improves the appearance of the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10. In particular, because the coating 12 is formed directly on the surface 11A of the substrate 11 by a dry process, defects in the coating 12 can be reduced, and corrosion of the substrate 11 due to defects can be prevented.

[0036] The coating 12 of this embodiment has a composition consisting of 10% to 25% Cr, 4% to 10% Ni, and the remainder being Fe and unavoidable components. The thickness of the coating 12 is 0.3 μm or less. This configuration improves the corrosion resistance of the faucet fitting 10 and improves the appearance of the surface 10A of the faucet fitting 10. In particular, the coating 12 with the above composition and thickness forms a strong oxide coating, suppressing corrosion of the coating 12 and the base material 11.

[0037] The faucet fitting 10 of this embodiment has an exterior coating 13 formed directly on the surface 12A of the coating 12 by a dry process. The main component of the exterior coating 13 is Cr. The thickness of the exterior coating 13 is 0.1 μm or less. This configuration can further improve the appearance of the faucet fitting 10. Specifically, the exterior coating 13 formed by a dry process has a smooth surface and can be expected to have an appearance with a metallic luster equivalent to that of conventional NiCr plating.

[0038] In the faucet fitting 10 of this embodiment, the diameter of the unmelted metal particles appearing on the surface 10A is less than 0.1 μm. This configuration makes the coating portion 12 dense, further improving corrosion resistance and appearance.

[0039] The faucet fitting 10 of this embodiment has an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 0.10 μm or less. This configuration makes the coating portion 12 dense, further improving corrosion resistance and appearance.

[0040] The method for manufacturing the faucet fitting 10 of this embodiment involves preparing a base material 11 made of a copper-based alloy and then forming the coating 12 directly on the surface 11A of the base material 11 by a dry process. This configuration allows the manufacture of a faucet fitting 10 with a good appearance without going through a wet plating process.

[0041] The method for manufacturing the faucet fitting 10 of this embodiment involves a dry process in which a physical barrier 6 is placed between the material of the coating portion 12 and the substrate portion 11, and the coating portion 12 is formed. This configuration reduces the number of unmelted metal particles that appear on the surface 10A, making it possible to manufacture a faucet fitting 10 with a good appearance. [Example]

[0042] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples. 1. Preparation of Examples and Comparative Examples A coating was formed directly on the surface of a substrate made of a copper-based alloy by ion plating. SUS304 was used as the material for the coating. A physical barrier was placed between the coating material and the substrate. Next, an external coating was formed directly on the surface of the coating by ion plating. Cr was used as the material for the external coating. A physical barrier was placed between the coating material and the coating. In this manner, samples of the example were produced.

[0043] The sample of the comparative example was prepared in the same manner as in the example, except that the ion plating method was carried out twice without disposing a shield.

[0044] 2. Depth profile analysis using XPS Depth profile analysis was performed on the samples of the example using XPS. The sputtering rate in the depth profile analysis was 20 nm / min. The sum of the elemental proportions of C, O, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn was taken as 100%. The obtained X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum is shown in FIG. 3. For ease of explanation, the C and O spectra are omitted from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum. The elemental proportion of C showed a maximum value of 46.5% at time 0 min. The elemental proportion of O showed a maximum value of 35.9% at time 0 min. Based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum, the composition and film thickness of the coating portion and the external coating portion were measured using the method described in the embodiment.

[0045] 3.FE-SEM Observation The surfaces of the samples of the example and comparative example were observed at 10,000 magnifications using an FE-SEM. An FE-SEM image of the example is shown in Figure 4. An FE-SEM image of the comparative example is shown in Figure 5. The diameters of the unmelted metal particles were measured using the method described in the embodiment.

[0046] 4. Measurement of arithmetic mean roughness Ra, color difference ΔE, and image clarity The surfaces of the samples of the examples were measured for arithmetic mean roughness Ra, color difference ΔE, and image clarity by the methods described in the embodiment.

[0047] 5.Results The results for the example samples are as follows: The coating had a composition consisting of 20.6% Cr, 4.8% Ni, and the remainder Fe, C, and O. The coating thickness was 0.3 μm. The main component of the external coating was Cr. The peak value of Cr was 74.7%. The coating thickness was 0.05 μm. The diameter of the non-molten metal particles appearing on the surface was less than 0.1 μm. The arithmetic mean roughness Ra was 0.01 μm. The color difference ΔE relative to the reference color with lightness L=70, chromaticity a=-0.3, and chromaticity b=-1.0 was 4.0. The image clarity was 90% or more. This example provides a faucet with a good appearance.

[0048] On the other hand, in the comparative sample, a plurality of unmelted metal particles having a diameter of 0.1 μm or more were observed on the surface. The comparative sample had poor appearance.

[0049] The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments detailed above, and for example, the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0050] The faucet fitting does not have to have an external coating portion. That is, the surface of the faucet fitting may be formed by a coating portion. When the surface of the faucet fitting is formed by a coating portion, the diameter of the non-melted metal particles appearing on the surface of the faucet fitting and the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface can be the same as the configuration described in the embodiment. The explanation of the diameter of the non-melted metal particles and the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface when the surface of the faucet fitting is formed by a coating portion is appropriately cited from the explanation of the above embodiment.

[0051] The composition and thickness of the coating are not particularly limited. For example, the material of the coating may be stainless steel other than SUS304, or may be a metal other than stainless steel. If the composition of the coating is different from that of the embodiment, the element showing the maximum peak may be identified, and the composition and thickness may be measured by the method described in the embodiment, substituting Fe. The thickness of the coating may be greater than 0.3 μm. Even in this case, the thickness of the coating is preferably 1.0 μm or less.

[0052] The composition and thickness of the external coating are not particularly limited. For example, the material of the external coating may be a metal other than Cr. If the composition of the external coating differs from that of the embodiment, the element showing the maximum peak may be identified and, instead of Cr, the composition and thickness may be measured using the method described in the embodiment. The thickness of the external coating may be greater than 0.1 μm. Even in this case, it is desirable that the thickness of the external coating be 1.0 μm or less.

[0053] The diameter of the non-fused metal particles, the arithmetic mean roughness Ra, the color difference ΔE, and the image clarity of the surface of the faucet fitting are not particularly limited. Of the requirements for the diameter of the non-fused metal particles, the arithmetic mean roughness Ra, the color difference ΔE, and the image clarity described in the embodiments, some requirements may not be satisfied.

[0054] The method for manufacturing a faucet fitting is not particularly limited as long as the desired faucet fitting can be obtained. Faucet fittings may be manufactured using a dry process other than ion plating. Examples of such dry processes include vacuum deposition, sputtering, and plasma CVD. In the manufacturing method for a faucet fitting, the presence or absence of a shield, and the shape, size, and position of the shield when one is installed, can be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1... ion plating apparatus, 2... chamber, 3... arc evaporation source, 4... support stand, 6... shield, 8... target, 10... faucet fitting, 10A... surface of faucet fitting 10, 11... substrate portion, 11A... surface of substrate portion 11, 12... coating portion, 12A... surface of coating portion 12, 13... external coating portion

Claims

1. a substrate portion made of a copper-based alloy; A faucet fitting comprising: a coating portion formed directly on the surface of the base material by a dry process; the coating portion is made of metal, The surface of the faucet has a color difference ΔE of 4.0 or less with respect to a reference color of lightness L=70, chromaticity a=-0.3, and chromaticity b=-1.

0.

2. The coating portion is Cr: 10% or more and 25% or less, Ni: 4% or more and 10% or less, The balance is composed of Fe and unavoidable components, 2. The faucet according to claim 1, wherein the film thickness of the coating portion is 0.3 μm or less.

3. an exterior coating portion formed directly on the surface of the coating portion by a dry process; The main component of the external coating portion is Cr, 3. The faucet according to claim 2, wherein the external coating has a thickness of 0.1 μm or less.

4. 4. A faucet fitting according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the non-molten metal particles appearing on the surface is less than 0.1 μm.

5. 5. The faucet according to claim 4, wherein the arithmetic mean roughness Ra is 0.10 μm or less.

6. a substrate made of a copper-based alloy is prepared; A method for manufacturing a faucet fitting in which a coating portion is directly formed on the surface of the base material by a dry process, the coating portion is made of metal, A method for manufacturing a faucet fitting, wherein the surface of the faucet fitting has a color difference ΔE of 4.0 or less relative to a reference color of lightness L=70, chromaticity a=-0.3, and chromaticity b=-1.

0.

7. 7. The method for manufacturing a faucet fitting according to claim 6, wherein the coating is formed by a dry process, with a physical barrier disposed between the material of the coating and the substrate.

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