Vehicle decorative parts and methods for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To solve a problem that design processing is difficult to be performed and manufacturing cost is difficult to be reduced by using steel materials for a conventional vehicle decorative article.SOLUTION: A vehicle decorative article 10 has: a nickel base material 11; a first coating film layer 12 formed on a surface 11A of the nickel base material 11; and a second coating film layer 13 formed on a surface 12A of the first coating film layer 12. The nickel base material 11 has a plate thickness thicker than film thicknesses of the first and second coating film layers 12 and 13. According to this structure, the nickel base material 11 functions as a mother material for the vehicle decorative article 10, and the vehicle decorative article 10 satisfies the desired rigidity, durability and usability as a vehicle component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle ornament having a nickel base material formed to a desired plate thickness by an electroforming method and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a painted stainless steel member used for conventional automotive parts. The painted stainless steel member is configured by forming a wood strike nickel plating layer on a stainless steel base material and forming a cationic electrodeposition coating film layer on the wood strike nickel plating layer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the painted stainless steel member, by forming a wood strike nickel plating layer between the stainless steel base material and the cationic coating film layer, a strong oxide film formed on the stainless steel base material is removed, and the re-formation of the oxide film is prevented. Then, by forming a cationic electrodeposition coating film layer on the wood strike nickel plating layer, sufficient coating adhesion and corrosion resistance are realized in thin film coating.

[0005] However, in conventional automotive parts, since a stainless steel base material is used, as described above, there is a problem that a manufacturing cost is difficult to reduce because a forming process of a wood strike nickel plating layer is required.

[0006] Furthermore, while stainless steel substrates offer excellent corrosion resistance, their high hardness makes decorative processing such as cutting and pressing difficult. In particular, it is difficult to create designs with fine irregularities on the surface of stainless steel substrates. For example, it is difficult to apply designs with irregularities to vehicle parts with narrow design surfaces, such as fuel lid garnishes.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vehicle decorative part having a nickel substrate formed to a desired plate thickness by electroforming, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle ornament that is attached to the outer panel of a vehicle and is formed by electroforming, having a uniform thickness and a three-dimensional uneven shape. It consists of, and also consists of a single layer The invention comprises a nickel substrate, a first coating layer formed on the surface of the nickel substrate, and a second coating layer formed on the surface of the first coating layer, wherein the thickness of the nickel substrate is greater than the sum of the thickness of the first coating layer and the thickness of the second coating layer.

[0009] Furthermore, in a method for manufacturing vehicle ornaments, which is one embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional uneven shape is produced with a uniform plate thickness by electroforming. It consists of, and also consists of a single layer The method comprises a first step of forming a nickel substrate, a second step of forming a first coating layer on the surface of the nickel substrate by cationic electrodeposition, and a third step of forming a second coating layer on the surface of the first coating layer by spray coating, wherein the first step is characterized in that the nickel substrate is formed such that the thickness of the nickel substrate is greater than the sum of the thickness of the first coating layer and the thickness of the second coating layer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention of a vehicle ornament comprises a nickel substrate, a first coating layer formed on the surface of the nickel substrate, and a second coating layer formed on the surface of the first coating layer. The thickness of the nickel substrate is greater than the thickness of the first and second coating layers. With this structure, the nickel substrate functions as the base material for the vehicle ornament, and the vehicle ornament can satisfy the desired rigidity, durability, and feel as a vehicle component.

[0011] Furthermore, in a method for manufacturing a vehicle ornament, which is one embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises: a first step of forming a nickel substrate by electroforming; a second step of forming a first coating layer on the surface of the nickel substrate by cationic electrodeposition; and a third step of forming a second coating layer on the surface of the first coating layer by spray painting. This manufacturing method makes it possible to form the thickness of the nickel substrate to a thickness that functions as a base material for a vehicle ornament, and to apply a design with fine irregularities to the surface of the nickel substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle ornament, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle ornament, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a process diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing vehicle ornaments, which is another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] First, a vehicle ornament 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In this description, the same reference numeral will be used for identical components as a general rule, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the vehicle ornament 10 of this embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vehicle ornament 10 of this embodiment.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle ornament 10 is a member that is used by being attached to the outer panel of the vehicle via a double-sided tape or the like and forms the design surface of the vehicle. The vehicle ornament 10 is, for example, a sheet-like member in which a design including characters such as company names and vehicle types is three-dimensionally formed. And the vehicle ornament 10 is attached to, for example, the surface of the fuel flap of the fuel filler lid device of the vehicle and used as the design surface of the vehicle.

[0016] In FIG. 2, a cross section in the direction of line A-A of the vehicle ornament 10 shown in FIG. 1 is shown. The vehicle ornament 10 mainly has a nickel base material 11, a first coating film layer 12 formed on the surface 11A of the nickel base material 11, and a second coating film layer 13 formed on the surface 12A of the first coating film layer 12, and has a three-layer laminated structure. And when attaching the vehicle ornament 10 to the upper surface of the outer panel, an adhesive layer such as a double-sided tape is formed on the back surface 11B of the nickel base material 11. Although not shown, an adhesive layer and a release paper may be formed on the back surface 11B of the nickel base material 11 in advance, and the vehicle ornament 10 may have a five-layer laminated structure.

[0017] The nickel base material 11 is, for example, a plate material formed by an electroforming method, and its plate thickness is formed within the range of 0.15 to 0.45 mm. The vehicle ornament 10 is handled as a sheet-like member, and the nickel base material 11 functions as a base material of the vehicle ornament 10 by being a plate material thicker than the first and second coating film layers 12 and 13.

[0018] That is, depending on the design of the vehicle ornament 10, it is preferable that most of the plate thickness of the nickel base material 11 is about 0.3 mm. As described above, since the vehicle ornament 10 is used by being attached to the upper surface of the outer panel, the vehicle ornament 10 can satisfy the desired rigidity, durability, and usability as a vehicle part according to the plate thickness of the nickel base material 11.

[0019] Here, in the present embodiment, the nickel base material 11 is formed by electroforming, so that a design corresponding to the concavo-convex shape formed on the master mold is decorated on the surface 11A side of the nickel base material 11. And, although the nickel base material 11 has a concavo-convex shape due to the design, the plate thickness t1 of the nickel base material 11 is formed as a uniformly substantially identical thickness.

[0020] Also, in the vehicle ornament 10, without using a plate material such as an aluminum steel plate or a stainless steel plate, the nickel base material 11 by electroforming is used as a base material. With this structure, within the range of the concavo-convex shape that can be formed on the master mold, designs such as fine concavo-convex shapes and curves are decorated on the surface 11A of the nickel base material 11. And, even in a narrow area such as a fuel flap, a vehicle ornament 10 with excellent designability is formed.

[0021] The first coating film layer 12 is formed, for example, by cationic electrodeposition, and its film thickness is formed within the range of 15 μm to 25 μm. The first coating film layer 12 is a film formed mainly of a black epoxy resin-based paint, and has a uniform film thickness even with respect to the gaps of the fine concavo-convex shape on the surface 11A of the nickel base material 11, and is formed as a film with high adhesion. Further, since the first coating film layer 12 is formed by cationic electrodeposition, it is formed as a film in which pinholes are hardly generated. That is, the first coating film layer 12 functions as a film having excellent rust prevention performance and high corrosion resistance.

[0022] As described above, the first coating film layer 12 is formed on the surface 11A of the nickel base material 11. Although the nickel base material 11 itself is a material with excellent rust prevention performance, the first coating film layer 12 in which pinholes are hardly formed is formed on its surface 11A. With this structure, even after long-term use, water hardly penetrates to the nickel base material 11 and rust is hardly generated, and a vehicle ornament 10 with excellent rust prevention performance and corrosion resistance is realized.

[0023] The second coating layer 13 is formed, for example, by a spray coating method, and its film thickness is in the range of 40 μm to 50 μm. The second coating layer 13 is a film mainly formed from a black polyester resin-based paint, and is formed as a topcoat film on the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first and second coating layers 12 and 13 are formed in black, and by coating the nickel substrate 11 with a textured design, a high-quality vehicle ornament 10 is realized. Furthermore, by forming the second coating layer 13 to have a thickness of 40 μm or more, it can function as an exterior ornament for a vehicle.

[0025] Next, a method for manufacturing the vehicle ornament 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for the same components as those described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0026] Figure 3 is a process diagram illustrating the manufacturing process of the vehicle ornament 10 according to this embodiment.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the manufacturing method for the vehicle ornament 10 mainly comprises: a first step of forming a nickel substrate 11 of the vehicle ornament 10 using an electroforming method; a second step of forming a first coating layer 12 on the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11 using a cationic electrodeposition method; and a third step of forming a second coating layer 13 on the surface 12A of the first coating layer 12 using a spray painting method.

[0028] The first step mainly comprises the steps of preparing a nickel bath, preparing a mold, forming a nickel substrate 11 by electroforming, and peeling and cutting the nickel substrate 11 from the mold.

[0029] First, in the nickel bath preparation process, a nickel bath is prepared with a bath composition of, for example, 298.7 g / L nickel sulfamate, 3.1 g / L nickel chloride, 26.1 g / L boric acid, a bath pH of 3.96, a specific gravity of 1.176, and a bath temperature of 49 degrees Celsius. To maintain the bath composition of the nickel bath, the above bath composition is maintained by appropriately supplementing with 31 L of 60% nickel sulfamate and 9.8 g of boric acid.

[0030] Next, in the mold preparation process, a mold is prepared in which a design with a reverse pattern of the uneven shape shown in Figure 1 is formed on the molding surface of the mold. As mentioned above, since the vehicle decorative part 10 is used by being attached to the upper surface of the outer panel of the vehicle, it is necessary to satisfy the desired rigidity, durability, and feel as a vehicle part.

[0031] Therefore, the molding surface of the matrix is ​​formed with a recessed shape corresponding to the above design by cutting or other processes, and the recessed shape is formed such that the thickness of the nickel substrate 11 is within the range of 0.15 mm to 0.45 mm.

[0032] Furthermore, in the electroforming process described above, the uneven shape of the molded surface is reproduced with high precision, allowing for visual inspection of the molded surface for scratches, deformations, etc., and a thin layer of organic solvent is applied to the molded surface to form a release coating layer.

[0033] Next, in the nickel substrate 11 formation process, the matrix is ​​used as the cathode and immersed in the nickel bath, and then, while maintaining the bath temperature at 50 degrees Celsius, a current of 1.3 A / dm³ is applied. 2 From 4.0A / dm 2 The current is continuously supplied while appropriately adjusting the current density within the specified range.

[0034] In this embodiment, by performing the electrolytic formation process within the range of 400 AH to 500 AH, a nickel substrate 11 with a uniform, approximately identical thickness is formed within the aforementioned thickness range. In demonstration experiments conducted by changing the electrolytic conditions, it was found that when the electrolytic conditions were less than 400 AH, areas of the nickel substrate 11 became thinner than 0.15 mm, and when the electrolytic conditions were greater than 500 AH, areas of the nickel substrate 11 became thicker than 0.45 mm.

[0035] As described above, in the nickel substrate 11 formation process, by performing the electrolysis within the range of 400 AH to 500 AH, the thickness of the nickel substrate 11 is kept within the range of 0.15 mm to 0.45 mm, enabling mass production that satisfies the desired yield. Furthermore, by suppressing variations in the thickness of the nickel substrate 11, the vehicle decorative parts 10 satisfy the desired rigidity, durability, and usability as vehicle parts.

[0036] Next, in the nickel substrate 11 peeling process, for example, by heating or cooling the mold, the difference in thermal expansion is utilized to peel the peeling film layer and the nickel substrate 11 from the mold as a single unit. The nickel substrate 11 is then formed, for example, into a quadrilateral shape to match the shape of the molding surface of the mold.

[0037] In the cutting process of the nickel substrate 11, the excess area is removed by cutting, for example, about 30 mm outside the outer shape of the vehicle decorative part 10 shown in Figure 1, thereby reducing the material cost in the subsequent coating layer formation process.

[0038] Subsequently, the peeling film layer on the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11 is cleaned and removed, and the appearance of the design formed on the nickel substrate 11 is inspected, before proceeding to the next second step.

[0039] As shown in the diagram, the second step mainly includes the step of preparing a cationic electrodeposition bath, the step of forming the first coating layer 12 by cationic electrodeposition, and the step of cutting the nickel substrate 11.

[0040] First, in the preparation process for the cationic electrodeposition bath, a paint solution, such as a black epoxy resin-based paint, is prepared. The temperature of the paint solution is controlled within the range of 29 to 31 degrees Celsius, and the pH of the paint solution is controlled within the range of 5.6 to 6.2.

[0041] Next, in the process of forming the first coating layer 12, the nickel substrate 11 formed in the first step is prepared, and after the nickel substrate 11 is placed on a transport rack, as a pretreatment step, oil and dirt adhering to the nickel substrate 11 are removed by a degreasing step, and a zinc phosphate film is formed on the surface of the nickel substrate 11 by a coating treatment step.

[0042] Next, the transport rack on which the nickel substrate 11 is installed is immersed in the paint liquid, and the nickel substrate 11 is used as the cathode, and the electrode plate installed in the diaphragm chamber of the cationic electrodeposition bath is used as the anode. By applying a voltage, for example, in the range of 150V to 200V, and passing a DC current, a first coating layer 12 is formed on the surface of the nickel substrate 11.

[0043] As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness of the first coating layer 12 is formed within the range of 15 μm to 25 μm. Furthermore, since the first coating layer 12 is formed by cationic electrodeposition, it is formed as a film with a uniform thickness and high adhesion even to the gaps in the fine uneven shape of the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11. In addition, since the first coating layer 12 is formed as a film that is less prone to pinhole formation, it functions as a film with excellent rust prevention performance and high corrosion resistance.

[0044] Next, as a post-processing step, the nickel substrate 11 is washed with water in a washing step, and then the first coating layer 12 is baked and cured in a drying oven to obtain adhesion between the nickel substrate 11 and the first coating layer 12.

[0045] Next, in the nickel substrate cutting process, a nickel substrate 11 with the first coating layer 12 formed on it is prepared, and the nickel substrate 11 is cut by press molding along the outer shape of the vehicle decorative part 10 shown in Figure 1. Specifically, the outer portion of about 30 mm that remained in the first step is cut off. After that, the appearance of the first coating layer 12 and burr inspection of the nickel substrate 11, etc. are performed, and then the process moves on to the next third step.

[0046] As shown in the diagram, the third step mainly consists of a polishing step of the nickel substrate 11 on which the first coating layer 12 is formed, and a step of forming the second coating layer 13.

[0047] First, in the polishing process for the nickel substrate 11, the nickel substrate 11 on which the first coating layer 12 was formed in the second step is prepared. Then, the outer edges of the nickel substrate 11 are polished so that they are rounded, and a burr inspection is performed on the nickel substrate 11 and the first coating layer 12.

[0048] Next, in the process of forming the second coating layer 13, a black polyester resin-based paint is prepared as the paint liquid. The paint liquid is stirred in a stirrer for 10 minutes until its viscosity reaches approximately 20 to 25 seconds. Then, using a spray device, the paint liquid is applied to the surface 12A of the first coating layer 12 of the nickel substrate 11 under painting conditions such as an atomization pressure of 0.1 MPa, a discharge rate of 0.4 g / second, and a coating pattern of 1.5 rotations.

[0049] Next, the nickel substrate 11 coated with the second coating layer 13 is dried in a drying oven at an internal temperature of 150 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, thereby forming the second coating layer 13 on the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11. As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness of the second coating layer 13 is formed within the range of 40 μm to 50 μm. The second coating layer 13 is formed as a topcoat film on the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11, and by having a thickness of 40 μm or more, it can function as an exterior decorative part for a vehicle.

[0050] In this embodiment, the manufacturing method for the vehicle ornament 10 has been described in which the first and second coating layers 12 and 13 are formed on the surface 11A of the nickel substrate 11 by the first to third steps described above, but the invention is not limited to this case. In addition to forming the second coating layer 13, an adhesive layer such as double-sided tape may be formed on the back surface 11B of the nickel substrate 11 as a fourth step, and release paper may be formed on the surface of the adhesive layer. In this case, the vehicle ornament 10 will be formed as a five-layer laminated structure. Furthermore, various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 10 Vehicle trim 11 Nickel substrate 12. First coating layer 13. Second coating layer

Claims

1. A vehicle decorative item that is attached to the outer panel of a vehicle, Formed by electroforming, it has a uniform thickness and a three-dimensional uneven shape, and consists of a single layer nickel substrate, A first coating layer formed on the surface of the nickel substrate, The invention comprises a second coating layer formed on the surface of the first coating layer, The vehicle decorative product is characterized in that the thickness of the nickel substrate is greater than the sum of the thickness of the first coating layer and the thickness of the second coating layer.

2. The vehicle decorative article according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the second coating layer is at least 40 μm or more.

3. The first step involves forming a nickel substrate with a uniform thickness and a three-dimensional uneven shape, and consisting of a single layer, using an electroforming method. A second step involves forming a first coating layer on the surface of the nickel substrate by a cationic electrodeposition method, The process includes a third step of forming a second coating layer on the surface of the first coating layer by a spray coating method, A method for manufacturing a vehicle decoration, characterized in that, in the first step, the nickel substrate is formed such that the thickness of the nickel substrate is greater than the sum of the thickness of the first coating layer and the thickness of the second coating layer.

Images