Method for manufacturing jewelry and a jewelry manufacturing system using that method

Abstract

This invention provides a method and system for manufacturing jewelry that, by applying age hardening treatment to delicate and exquisite jewelry made from jewelry metal produced using the lost-wax casting method, provides the jewelry with hardness and elastic strength suitable for practical use. [Solution] The manufacturing system 100 includes a wax prototype production system equipped with a 3D CAD for creating 3D CAD data of the finished jewelry and a 3D printer for producing a wax prototype based on the 3D CAD data; a casting system equipped with a plaster casting machine for producing a plaster mold from the wax prototype and a lost-wax casting apparatus for casting the intermediate jewelry; an aging hardening treatment apparatus for performing an aging hardening treatment according to the metal if the hardness and / or elastic strength of the intermediate jewelry is lower than the hardness or elastic strength required for the shape and / or usage of the finished jewelry; and an aging hardening treatment and polishing system equipped with a barrel polishing apparatus and a buff polishing apparatus for polishing the intermediate jewelry after the aging hardening treatment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing jewelry by the lost wax method using a wax prototype produced by a 3D printer, and particularly to a method for manufacturing jewelry having hardness and elastic strength (springiness) that can withstand practical use by subjecting delicate and intricate jewelry to age hardening treatment.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a manufacturing method in which a wax mold having the same shape as a completed piece of jewelry is produced using a rubber mold, and the jewelry is cast by the lost wax method. According to this manufacturing method, it is possible to produce a piece of jewelry that was previously manufactured by being divided into a plurality of members and joining these plurality of members by brazing as an integrated piece of jewelry.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a manufacturing method in which 3D CAD data of jewelry is created using a 3D printer, slice data is created based on this 3D CAD data, a wax mold of the jewelry is produced based on this slice data, and the jewelry is cast by the lost wax method. By using a 3D printer for shaping, it is possible to produce a more delicate and intricate wax mold.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the method for manufacturing a piece of jewelry having an elongated portion described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the hardness and elastic strength of such an elongated portion are insufficient and it cannot be put into practical use as it is.

[0006] The method for manufacturing jewelry described in Patent Document 2 allows for the creation of wax molds for jewelry with intricate and delicate shapes, which was previously difficult. However, jewelry cast by pouring jewelry metal (gold or silver) into such wax molds is easily deformed and lacks durability and wear resistance, making it unsuitable for practical use as is.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a method for manufacturing jewelry that has hardness and elastic strength suitable for practical use by applying an age hardening treatment under predetermined conditions to a fine and delicate piece of jewelry made from jewelry metal produced by the lost-wax method using a wax prototype made with a 3D printer, and a system using this method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing jewelry, which involves creating 3D CAD data of an integrated piece of jewelry, creating slice data from the 3D CAD data, manufacturing a wax prototype using a 3D printer based on the slice data, and casting the integrated piece of jewelry using the lost-wax method with a selected metal. After excluding the selected metals that contain platinum, A casting method is selected according to the selected metal, Based on the selected metal The hardness and / or elastic strength of at least a portion of the cast one-piece jewelry is less than or equal to a predetermined hardness or elastic strength required for the intended use of the one-piece jewelry, If the selected metal is a gold alloy: Depending on the composition ratio of the base metal, age hardening treatment 1 or age hardening treatment 2 is applied. If the selected metal is a silver alloy that does not contain gold: Depending on the composition of the base metal, age hardening treatment 3 or age hardening treatment 4 is applied. If the selected metal does not contain either the gold alloy metal or the silver alloy metal that does not contain gold, then no aging treatment is performed. Age hardening treatment can impart the required hardness and elastic strength to jewelry, making it possible to create jewelry with intricate and delicate shapes.

[0009] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing jewelry, characterized by performing barrel polishing on the jewelry after the age hardening treatment. By polishing the jewelry after increasing its hardness through age hardening, deformation of the jewelry during the polishing process to remove sprue marks and burrs can be prevented, improving the precision of subsequent processes and enabling the jewelry to be finished with a beautiful appearance.

[0010] A wax prototype manufacturing system comprising a 3D CAD system for creating 3D CAD data of an integrated piece of jewelry, and a 3D printer for manufacturing a wax prototype based on slice data created from the 3D CAD data, A plaster casting machine for producing a plaster mold from the aforementioned wax prototype, A casting system comprising a casting apparatus for casting the one-piece jewelry by the lost-wax method by pouring the selected metal into the plaster mold, Means for excluding the aforementioned metals containing platinum, Means for excluding metals that are neither gold alloy metals nor gold-free silver alloy metals, The metals are those which exclude the aforementioned platinum-containing metals, the aforementioned gold alloy metals, and the aforementioned silver alloy metals that do not contain gold. If the hardness and / or elastic strength of at least a portion of the cast one-piece jewelry is less than or equal to a predetermined hardness or elastic strength required for the intended use of the one-piece jewelry, If the aforementioned metal is a gold alloy metal Depending on the composition ratio of the base metal, age hardening treatment 1 or age hardening treatment 2 is applied. In the case of the aforementioned metal being a silver alloy that does not contain gold an age hardening apparatus that performs age hardening treatment 3 or age hardening treatment 4 depending on the composition of the base metal, The system is characterized by comprising a barrel polishing apparatus and a buff polishing apparatus for polishing the aforementioned jewelry. By polishing the jewelry after increasing its hardness through age hardening treatment, deformation of the jewelry during the polishing process to remove sprue marks and burrs can be prevented, improving the precision of subsequent processes and making it possible to finish the jewelry with a beautiful appearance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the method for manufacturing a jewelry of the present invention, even a delicate and intricate jewelry that can be shaped by a 3D printer can satisfy the predetermined hardness and elastic strength required in terms of its shape and usage mode, and can be used as a practical article. Further, according to the present invention, since an age hardening treatment can be performed according to the type of metal, delicate, intricate and various shaped jewelry can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram for explaining a jewelry manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a schematic view of a 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart for explaining a method for manufacturing a jewelry according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view of a decorative part and post integrated earring according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is an exploded view of a main body and post integrated hoop earring according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of a main body and post integrated hoop earring according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view of a decorative part and post integrated hook earring according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a perspective view of a hollow earring according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing the component composition of a metal (jewelry) and the hardness before and after age hardening treatment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The method for manufacturing jewelry according to the present invention will be described below based on embodiments with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings schematically represent the jewelry manufacturing system, the method for manufacturing jewelry, and the peripheral components of the jewelry manufacturing system; the actual dimensions and dimensional ratios do not necessarily match those shown in the drawings. Furthermore, redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Figure 1 is a block diagram of a manufacturing system for a finished piece of jewelry 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a jewelry manufacturing system comprising a wax prototype manufacturing system 10, a casting system 20, and an age hardening treatment / polishing system 30. An intermediate piece of jewelry 40 is produced by designing with a 3D CAD 11, manufacturing a wax prototype 16 with a 3D printer 12, manufacturing a plaster mold using the lost-wax prototype 16 with a plaster casting machine 21, and casting with a lost-wax casting device 22. Then, the cast intermediate piece of jewelry 40 is subjected to a predetermined age hardening treatment with an age hardening treatment device 31 to give it the necessary hardness and elastic strength, followed by pre-treatment with a barrel polishing device 32, etc., and finish polishing with a buff polishing device 33 to produce a finished piece of jewelry 50. With this jewelry manufacturing system 100, it is possible to provide jewelry that does not easily deform, even if it has an intricate and delicate shape that was previously difficult to manufacture, and that has predetermined durability and other properties.

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the 3D printer 12. The 3D CAD data created by the 3D CAD software 11 is written out in a data format that the 3D printer 12 can read. Upon receiving the data, the 3D printer 12 sets the print settings, such as the layer pitch and infill ratio of the object, and then creates slice data, which is the shape information of each layer obtained by thinly slicing the object horizontally. The object created in this embodiment is a wax prototype 16. The wax prototype 16 is a wax prototype with the same shape as the final metal product used in lost-wax casting. The 3D printer 12 prints based on the slice data described above. In this embodiment, the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) method is employed, and as the print head 13 and nozzle 14 move in the x and y directions, heated and molten filament is extruded from the nozzle 14 and stacked in the z direction layer by layer according to the set values, and the wax prototype 16 is 3D printed.

[0015] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method of the finished jewelry 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the finished jewelry 50 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 3. Three-dimensional CAD data is created using three-dimensional CAD 11 (S1). The three-dimensional CAD data is sent to a 3D printer, and the 3D printer 12 that receives the data creates slice data (S2). The 3D printer 12 3D prints a wax prototype 16 based on the slice data (S3). In this embodiment, wax is used instead of the filament mentioned above. Therefore, the 3D printed object becomes the wax prototype 16.

[0016] The wax model 16 must accurately reproduce the shape of the finished jewelry 50. This is because molten metal is poured into the cavity created when the wax melts, and the shape of that cavity becomes the shape of the finished jewelry 50. In conventional rubber mold casting using rubber molds, it is necessary to divide the rubber mold in order to remove the molded product from the mold, and the dividing line remains on the wax model 16 as a parting line. For this reason, it was difficult to manufacture jewelry with intricate and delicate shapes, such as the earrings 60 with integrated ornament and post shown in Figure 4, the hoop earrings 70 with integrated body and post shown in Figure 5, and the hook earrings 80 with integrated ornament and post shown in Figure 7, using rubber molds. This is because rubber molds generate parting lines (not shown) on posts such as post 61 shown in Figure 4, post 75 shown in Figure 5, and post 81 shown in Figure 7. Furthermore, long, delicate parts are more easily deformed than ornaments 62 and 82, making it extremely difficult to remove the parting lines in subsequent processes.

[0017] Next, a wax tree (not shown) is made (S4) using multiple wax prototypes 16 to simultaneously cast intermediate jewelry 40. The collection of wax prototypes 16 is called a "wax tree" because it resembles the branches of a tree. The wax tree is made by connecting multiple wax prototypes 16 to a thick wax rod called a sprue. In the casting process described later (S8, S10), the molten metal flows evenly from the sprue, which is the trunk of the tree, down the branches to each wax prototype 16.

[0018] Next, a plaster mold (not shown) is made using the completed wax tree (S5). First, the wax tree is fixed to the bottom of the plaster casting machine 21 (see Figure 1), which is a metal container. That is, the base of the sprue of the wax tree is positioned so that it is in contact with the bottom surface of the plaster casting machine 21. Next, an investment material mainly composed of plaster is poured into the plaster casting machine 21, and then degassed. Once the investment material is filled into the plaster casting machine 21, it is left to stand for a certain period of time to harden.

[0019] Next, a suitable metal for the finished jewelry 50 is selected (S6). Pure gold and pure silver are very soft and easily scratched and deformed, so the alloy shown in Figure 9 was used as the metal. In this specification, "metal" refers to an alloy composed of several types of precious metals.

[0020] Casting is started after the alloy is selected. In this embodiment, alloys containing platinum are not shown as examples in Figure 9, but if the alloy contains platinum, centrifugal casting is used (S7, S8). The melting point of platinum is very high, about 1800°C to 2000°C, which is higher than other common precious metals (gold: about 1000°C, silver: about 950°C). To fill the mold with this high-temperature metal into its finest details, high pressure and a rapid injection speed are required. Centrifugal casting is used to reliably fill the mold with platinum, which has a high melting point, because the molten metal can be forcefully pushed into the mold by a strong centrifugal force. In the case of precious metal materials that do not contain platinum, vacuum suction casting is used, which tends to produce high-density, bubble-free, high-quality castings (S7, S10).

[0021] After casting, the plaster mold is placed in water and rapidly cooled, causing the investment material to collapse and the cast tree to appear. Subsequently, the intermediate jewelry 40 is separated from the wax tree (S9, S11). If the separated intermediate jewelry 40 has a shape that requires hardness and elastic strength, it is subjected to age hardening treatment (S12). Age hardening treatment is a phenomenon in which a metal is heated to a specific temperature to uniformly melt the alloy, then rapidly cooled, and then held at a relatively low temperature for a long period of time (aging treatment), causing the alloying elements to disperse as fine precipitates, resulting in increased hardness and elastic strength. Precious metals themselves are often relatively soft, but by alloying them, it is possible to increase their hardness and elastic strength through age hardening. In this embodiment, the hardness is improved by performing age hardening treatment on each alloy, as shown in Figure 9.

[0022] If the alloy contains platinum, age hardening treatment is not performed (move from S9 to S21). This is because platinum does not respond well to age hardening treatment. Also, if hardness and elastic strength are not required, age hardening treatment is not performed (move from S12 to S21). In the decorative part and post integrated earring 60 shown in Figure 4, the post 61 is thin and easily bent, so high values ​​for hardness and elastic strength are required. For this reason, age hardening treatment is applied to the decorative part and post integrated earring 60. Also, the main body and post integrated hoop earring 70 shown in Figures 5 and 6 require age hardening treatment. The notch 71 in the main body and post integrated hoop earring 70 is the engagement part between the main body 73 and the rotating part 74, so hardness and elastic strength are required. Hardness and elastic strength are also required for the sliding part 72 where the main body 73 and the rotating part 74 slide against each other. On the other hand, the hollow earring 90 shown in Figure 8 is used as a necklace ornament, but since the post 91 and decorative part 92 have a shape that is not easily deformed, there is no need for age hardening treatment.

[0023] Next, the effects of age hardening treatment on each alloy will be explained. In the manufacturing method of the finished jewelry 50 according to this embodiment, age hardening treatment 1 is applied with a heating time and heating temperature that are suitable for the design and shape of the jewelry and the alloy used (S14). Basically, in the case of gold alloys, the target is a Vickers hardness HV of 180 HV or higher. In the case of silver alloys, the hardening effect is limited because the diffusion of alloy components such as Cu is faster than that of gold alloys, so the target is a Vickers hardness HV of 100 HV or higher. It is also necessary that the design is usable even at a predetermined Vickers hardness HV. By applying age hardening treatment 1 to the gold alloy 1 shown in Figure 3, the hardness was improved from 131 HV 0.3 to 193 HV 0.3 (S13, 14). For gold alloy 2, (S15) an aging hardening treatment 2 was applied by changing the heating temperature and heating time of aging hardening treatment 1 (S16), thereby increasing the hardness of gold alloy 2, which had a hardness of 162 HV 0.3 before aging hardening treatment 2, to 258 HV 0.3. Similarly, for silver alloy 1, (S17) an aging hardening treatment 3 was applied with heating time and heating temperature suitable for the alloy components (S18), thereby increasing the hardness from 47 HV 0.3 to 103 HV 0.3. For silver alloy 2, (S19) an aging hardening treatment 4 was applied by changing the heating temperature and heating time of aging hardening treatment 3 (S20), dramatically increasing the hardness from 66 HV 0.3 to 125 HV 0.3. This dramatic improvement in the hardness of silver alloys has made it possible to commercialize even elongated shapes that do not require springiness, such as the post 61 shown in Figure 4 (shapes that are practical with a Vickers hardness HV of 100 or higher), which were previously impossible to manufacture as a single piece. This has also expanded the freedom in selecting precious metal materials and designing the product.

[0024] The intermediate jewelry pieces 40 are polished as a finishing step after age hardening, but first, a pre-treatment is performed to remove traces of sprues and burrs. Various methods can be used for this pre-treatment, and it can also be done by hand. In this embodiment, traces of sprues and burrs are removed by barrel polishing (S21). Barrel polishing is a method of polishing by placing the intermediate jewelry pieces 40 and polishing material into a barrel polishing device 32 and applying rotation and vibration to rub the intermediate jewelry pieces 40 against each other and against the polishing material. Barrel polishing can process a large number of intermediate jewelry pieces 40 at once and can polish the fine details and interiors of intermediate jewelry pieces 40 with complex shapes.

[0025] As mentioned above, in this embodiment, barrel polishing is performed after age hardening (S21 is performed after S14 to S20). By performing polishing as a pretreatment after increasing the hardness of the intermediate jewelry 40, deformation of the intermediate jewelry 40 during the process of removing sprue marks and burrs can be prevented.

[0026] After barrel polishing, buff polishing is performed using a buff polishing device 33 (S22). Buff polishing is a method of polishing the surface of the intermediate jewelry 40 by rotating a disc called a "buff," made of soft cloth or felt, at high speed and applying polishing compound. By applying buff polishing to the intermediate jewelry 40, a mirror finish with very high gloss can be achieved, resulting in a beautiful appearance.

[0027] Thus, the manufacturing method for the finished jewelry 50 according to this embodiment has multiple patterns for performing the age hardening treatment (S14, S16, S18, S20 in Figure 3). When manufacturing the finished jewelry 50, the required hardness and elastic strength are determined by at least one of the shape and intended use, and an age hardening treatment can be selected to impart the required hardness and elastic strength to the finished jewelry 50. This makes it possible to commercialize jewelry with intricate and delicate shapes. Furthermore, by performing polishing as a pretreatment after increasing the hardness of the intermediate jewelry 40, the processing accuracy of subsequent processes is improved, enabling the production of high-quality finished jewelry 50. In this embodiment, the alloy shown in Figure 9 is used, but this is just one example, and the type of alloy used is not particularly limited.

[0028] The age hardening treatment apparatus 31 includes a temperature control device (not shown) that maintains an optimal temperature depending on the type of alloy, and a heating time adjustment timer (not shown) that stops heating after a set time has elapsed. The temperature control device and heating time adjustment timer allow for setting the conditions of the age hardening treatment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 10 Wax Prototype Production System 11 3D CAD 12 3D printers 13 Printheads 14 nozzles 15 tables 16 Wax prototype 20 Casting Systems 21 Plaster casting machine 22 Lost-wax casting apparatus 30. Age-hardening treatment and polishing system 31. Age-curing treatment device 32 Barrel polishing machine 33 Buffing and polishing equipment 40. Intermediate jewelry 50 Finished jewelry 60. Earrings with integrated decorative element and post. 61 posts 62 Decorative parts 63 Ishidomebe 70. Hoop earrings with integrated post and body. 71 Notch 72 Sliding part 73 Main unit 74 Rotating part 75 posts 80. Hook earrings with integrated decorative element and post. 81 posts 82 Decorative parts 90 Hollow Earrings 91 Post 92 Decorative parts 100 Jewelry Manufacturing Systems

Claims

1. In a method for manufacturing jewelry, which involves creating 3D CAD data of a one-piece piece of jewelry, creating slice data from the 3D CAD data, manufacturing a wax prototype using a 3D printer based on the slice data, and casting the one-piece piece of jewelry using the lost-wax method with the selected metal, After excluding the selected metals that contain platinum, A casting method is selected according to the selected metal, If the hardness and / or elastic strength of at least a portion of the one-piece jewelry cast from the selected metal is less than or equal to a predetermined hardness or elastic strength required for the intended use of the one-piece jewelry, and the selected metal is a gold alloy, then age hardening treatment 1 or age hardening treatment 2 is performed according to the composition ratio of the metal. If the selected metal is a silver alloy that does not contain gold, age hardening treatment 3 or age hardening treatment 4 is performed according to the composition of the metal. A method for manufacturing jewelry, characterized in that if the selected metal does not contain either the gold alloy metal or the silver alloy metal that does not contain gold, no aging treatment is performed.

2. The method for manufacturing jewelry according to Claim 1, characterized in that the heating time and / or heating temperature are adjusted according to the composition ratio of the selected metal, and any of the aging treatments 1 to 4 is performed so that the Vickers hardness of the metal becomes 100 HV or more.

3. A wax prototype manufacturing system comprising a 3D CAD system for creating 3D CAD data of an integrated piece of jewelry, and a 3D printer for manufacturing a wax prototype based on slice data created from the 3D CAD data, A plaster casting machine for producing a plaster mold from the aforementioned wax prototype, A casting system comprising a casting apparatus for casting the one-piece jewelry by the lost-wax method by pouring the selected metal into the plaster mold, Means for excluding the aforementioned metals containing platinum, Means for excluding metals that are neither gold alloy metals nor gold-free silver alloy metals, An aging treatment apparatus is provided that, if the hardness and / or elastic strength of at least a portion of the one-piece jewelry cast from the platinum-containing metal, and the metal that is neither the gold alloy metal nor the gold-free silver alloy metal, is less than or equal to a predetermined hardness or elastic strength required for the intended use of the one-piece jewelry, and if the metal is a gold alloy metal, an aging treatment 1 or aging treatment 2 is applied according to the composition ratio of the metal, and if the metal is a gold-free silver alloy metal, an aging treatment 3 or aging treatment 4 is applied according to the composition of the metal, A jewelry manufacturing system characterized by comprising a barrel polishing device and a buffing device for polishing the aforementioned jewelry.

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