Inlay method and inlay product

Abstract

The present invention improves the productivity of an inlay product, increases the degree of freedom of an inlay pattern, and involves: inserting a protrusion 32 of a metal inlay member 3 into a recess 21 of a metal base material 2; deforming an opening edge section 21a of the recess 21 toward the inside of an opening by using an enlarged section 33 of the metal inlay member 3; bringing the deformed opening edge section 21a into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 32; and fixing the metal inlay member 3 to the metal base material 2.

Description

Mosaic method and mosaic product

[0007]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mosaic method and a mosaic product.

[0002] Conventional mosaic methods include various methods such as wire mosaic, flat mosaic, cloth pattern mosaic, and high-relief mosaic.

[0003] And these mosaic methods include, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, (1) a step of carving a concave portion such as a groove for fitting a mosaic material into a base material, (2) a step of cutting the mosaic material to fit the formed concave portion, (3) a step of fitting the cut mosaic material into the concave portion using a hammer or a dedicated tool, etc.

[0004] However, in conventional mosaic methods, when the pattern becomes complex or fine, the steps of carving a concave portion in the material, cutting the mosaic material, and fitting the mosaic material into the concave portion require advanced techniques and also require delicate work. Therefore, conventional mosaic methods have problems such as poor productivity and limited freedom of the mosaic pattern.

[0005] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 50-045036

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to increase the freedom of the mosaic pattern and improve the productivity of the mosaic product.

[0007] That is, the mosaic method according to the present invention is a metal mosaic technique for manufacturing a mosaic product by fitting a metal mosaic member into a metal base material. The metal base material has a concave portion, and the metal mosaic member has a decorative portion larger than the opening of the concave portion in a plan view, a convex portion formed on the lower surface of the decorative portion and inserted into the concave portion, and an enlarged portion formed at the base end portion of the convex portion and gradually expanding as it goes to the lower surface of the decorative portion. The convex portion of the metal mosaic member is inserted into the concave portion of the metal base material, the opening end portion of the concave portion is deformed inward of the opening by the enlarged portion, and the deformed opening end portion is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion to fix the metal mosaic member to the metal base material.

[0008] This inlay method allows for the creation of decorative elements on the surface of a metal substrate by inserting the protruding portion of a metal inlay member into the recess of the metal substrate. This eliminates the need to carve recesses corresponding to the inlay pattern into the metal substrate, thus requiring less advanced technology and reducing the amount of detailed work. As a result, it increases the freedom of inlay patterns and improves the productivity of inlaid products. Furthermore, during the insertion of the protruding portion of the metal inlay member into the recess of the metal substrate, the enlarged portion of the metal inlay member deforms the opening end of the recess, and the deformed opening end bites into the outer circumferential surface of the protruding portion, making it easy to fix the metal inlay member to the metal substrate. Moreover, in conventional inlay methods, the opening edge of the recess becomes the boundary of the pattern, requiring meticulous care to prevent deformation of the opening edge when embedding the inlay material. However, in this invention, the boundary of the pattern becomes the contour of the decorative element, eliminating the need to take meticulous care to prevent deformation of the opening edge of the recess as in conventional methods, and allowing for a beautiful pattern boundary.

[0009] The metal inlay member further has a constricted portion formed on the tip side of the protrusion beyond the enlarged portion, and it is desirable to fix the metal inlay member to the metal base material by making the deformed open end tightly adhere to the constricted portion. With this configuration, the deformed open end can fit into the constricted portion and make tight contact, thereby making the fixation of the metal inlay member to the metal base material even stronger.

[0010] Specifically, the inlay method preferably includes a recess-forming step of forming the recess in the metal substrate and a recess-forming step of forming a recess on the inner circumferential surface of the recess. With this configuration, since a recess is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the recess, the opening end of the recess can be easily deformed inward by the enlarged portion of the metal inlay member. Furthermore, by partially forming a recess on the inner circumferential surface of the recess, a part of the protrusion can enter the recess, preventing the metal inlay member from rotating relative to the metal substrate.

[0011] The tip surface of the protrusion is a flat surface, and the recess formation step involves making the bottom surface of the recess a flat surface corresponding to the tip surface of the protrusion. It is desirable to fix the metal inlay member to the metal substrate by bringing the deformed open end into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion, and bringing the tip surface of the protrusion into close contact with the bottom surface of the recess. With this configuration, not only is the deformed open end in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion, but the tip surface of the protrusion and the bottom surface of the recess are also in close contact, so the metal inlay member can be stably fixed to the metal substrate.

[0012] It is desirable to include an inlay member formation step in which the aforementioned metal inlay member is formed using a precision casting method.

[0013] When a metal inlay member is fixed to a metal substrate after the decorative portion has been decorated, there is a risk that the decorated pattern, such as the raised and recessed shapes, may be deformed during the fitting process. For this reason, it is desirable that the inlay method of the present invention includes a decoration step in which the decorative portion is decorated after the metal inlay member has been fixed to the metal substrate. With this configuration, the pattern of the decorative portion can be made beautiful by decorating the decorative portion after the metal inlay member has been fixed to the metal substrate. In addition, the stress generated by decorating the decorative portion causes the enlarged portion to deform the open end further, making the fixation of the metal inlay member to the metal substrate even stronger.

[0014] Furthermore, the inlaid product according to the present invention is an inlaid product formed by fitting a metal inlay member into a metal base material, wherein the metal base material has a recess, the metal inlay member has a protrusion that is inserted into the recess, a decorative portion that is wider than the protrusion and whose upper surface is decorated, and an expanding portion formed at the base end of the protrusion and gradually widening towards the lower surface of the decorative portion, wherein the protrusion of the metal inlay member is inserted into the recess of the metal base material, the opening end of the recess is deformed inward by the expanding portion, the deformed opening end adheres closely to the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion, and the metal inlay member is fixed to the metal base material.

[0015] According to the present invention configured in this way, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in inlay patterns and improve the productivity of inlaid products.

[0016] This figure shows (a) an overview of the inlay method, (b) a cross-sectional view of a metal substrate, and (c) a cross-sectional view of a metal inlay member according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart details the inlay method of the said embodiment. This figure shows the mechanism by which the metal inlay member of the said embodiment is fixed.

[0017] An embodiment of the inlay method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, for the sake of clarity, all the following figures are schematic representations, with some parts omitted or exaggerated as appropriate. The same reference numerals are used for identical components, and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0018] <Overview of the Inlay Method> As shown in Figure 1, the inlay method of this embodiment is a method for manufacturing an inlaid product by fitting a metal inlay member 3 into a metal base material 2.

[0019] The metal base material 2 is, for example, a metal base material such as iron, brass, or shibuichi (an alloy of silver and copper). The metal base material 2 may be a flat plate, or it may be processed into a predetermined shape such as a ring or a container. Furthermore, recesses 21 are formed in the metal base material 2 by a drilling tool or the like.

[0020] The metal inlay member 3 is made of a different metal than the metal base material 2, such as gold, silver, or a copper alloy. This metal inlay member 3 is fitted into the recess 21 of the metal base material 2 and has a decorative portion 31 that is larger than the opening of the recess 21 in plan view, a protrusion 32 formed on the lower surface of the decorative portion 31 and inserted into the recess 21, an enlarged portion 33 formed at the base end 32a of the protrusion 32 that gradually widens towards the lower surface of the decorative portion 31, and a constricted portion 34 formed on the protrusion 32 closer to the tip than the enlarged portion 33, into which the opening end 21a of the recess 21 fits. The detailed configuration of the metal inlay member 3 will be described later.

[0021] <Details of the inlay method> The details of the inlay method in this embodiment are described below.

[0022] The inlay method of this embodiment includes the following steps (1) to (5), as shown in Figure 2: (1) A recess formation step to form a recess 21 in the metal base material 2. (2) A recess formation step to form a recessed portion 22 on the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21 in the metal base material 2. (3) An inlay member formation step to form a metal inlay member 3. (4) A fixing step to insert and fix the protrusion 32 of the metal inlay member into the recess 21 in the metal base material 2. (5) A decoration step to decorate the decorative portion 31 of the metal inlay member fixed to the metal base material 2.

[0023] Furthermore, the order in which (1) the recess formation process and (2) the recess formation process and (3) the inlay member formation process are performed does not matter; any of them may be performed first.

[0024] (1) Recess Forming Process In the recess forming process, recesses 21 are formed in the metal base material 2 using a drill tool in accordance with the number of metal inlay members 3 to be used for decoration. The recesses 21 formed by this drill tool have a circular cross-sectional shape along the axial direction (depth direction). The diameter of the recesses 21 is, for example, 0.8 to 1.6 mm.

[0025] Furthermore, in the recess formation process, the bottom surface of the recess 21 is made flat. Here, after forming the recess 21 with a drill tool, the bottom surface of the recess 21 is made flat using an end mill tool with a flat tip. The depth to the bottom surface of the recess 21 formed in this way is approximately the same as or slightly shorter than the length of the protrusion 32 of the metal inlay member 3. For example, the depth to the bottom surface of the recess 21 is 0.8 mm. Also, the bottom surface of the recess 21 corresponds to the tip surface of the protrusion 32, and the bottom surface of the recess 21 and the tip surface of the protrusion 32 are in close contact when the metal inlay member 3 is fixed to the metal base material 2.

[0026] (2) Recess Formation Process In this recess formation process, the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21 formed in the recess formation process is partially recessed radially outward to form a recess 22. Here, a grinding tool is used to partially remove the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21 to form the recess 22. The recess 22 may be formed as a single recess on the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21, or multiple recesses may be formed intermittently along the circumferential direction.

[0027] (3) Inlay Member Forming Process In this inlay member forming process, a metal inlay member 3 is formed using a precision casting method. Here, for example, the lost-wax method can be used as the precision casting method. In the lost-wax method of this embodiment, a prototype of the metal inlay member 3 is made from wax, the area around this prototype is covered and hardened with casting sand, and the wax inside is melted out and removed by heating, into which molten metal is poured to manufacture the metal inlay member 3.

[0028] In the metal inlaid member 3 of this embodiment, the upper surface of the decorative portion 31 is decorated by engraving or the like. The lower surface of the decorative portion 31 is shaped to conform to the surface of the metal base material 2. Here, the upper surface of the metal base material 2 is flat, and the lower surface of the decorative portion 31 is also flat. This decorative portion 31 extends radially outward from the opening of the recess 21.

[0029] Furthermore, the protrusion 32 has a shape corresponding to the recess 21 of the metal base material 2, and specifically has a cylindrical shape (see Figure 1(c)). The external dimensions of this protrusion 32 are approximately the same as the opening dimensions of the recess 21, for example, 0.8 to 1.6 mm.

[0030] Furthermore, the enlarged portion 33 is a rounded portion that continuously expands in diameter from the base end 32a of the protrusion 32 towards the lower surface of the decorative portion 31 (see Figure 1(c)). The radius of the rounded portion is, for example, 0.05 to 0.1 mm. The enlarged portion 33 may also be a tapered portion. In addition, the enlarged portion 33 may be formed on the entire outer circumference of the protrusion 32, or it may be formed intermittently on the outer circumference of the protrusion 32. Moreover, the enlarged portion 33 may have a shape that deforms the open end 21a of the recess 21 inward.

[0031] Furthermore, the constricted portion 34 is formed in the convex portion 32 on the tip side of the enlarged portion 33, either continuously with or adjacent to the enlarged portion 33 (see Figure 1(c)). Also, the constricted portion 34 is a portion having a smaller cross-sectional area than the convex portion 32, and may be formed by cutting out the entire circumferential direction of the convex portion 32, or by partially cutting out a part of the circumferential direction of the convex portion 32. This constricted portion 34 may be integrally molded by the precision casting method described above, or it may be formed by filing down the convex portion 32 of the metal inlay part 3 formed by the precision casting method with a file or the like. This constricted portion 34 has a curved cross-sectional shape, but it may also have a triangular or rectangular cross-sectional shape. In addition, the shape of the constricted portion 34 is not limited as long as the deformed open end 21a fits in and fits tightly into it.

[0032] (4) Fixing process In this fixing process, the protrusion 32 of the metal inlay member 3 is inserted into the recess 21 of the metal base material 2, and the metal inlay member 3 is pressed against the metal base material 2. As shown in Figure 3, the enlarged portion 33 formed at the base end 32a of the protrusion 32 presses the open end 21a of the recess 21 downward. Here, since a recessed portion 22 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21, when the open end 21a of the recess 21 is pressed downward by the enlarged portion 33, it deforms inward. The deformed open end 21a then fits into the constricted portion 34 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 32 and becomes tightly attached. Also, by configuring the length dimension of the protrusion 32 to be larger than the depth dimension of the recess 21, the protrusion 32 deforms to bulge radially outward and fits into the recessed portion 22 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21. In this state, the tip surface of the protrusion 32 is tightly attached to the bottom surface of the recess 21. As a result, the metal inlay member 3 is fixed to the metal base material 2.

[0033] (5) Decoration process In this decoration process, after the metal inlay member 3 is fixed to the metal base material 2, decoration is applied to the decorative portion 31 of the metal inlay member 3. Here, as decoration to the decorative portion 31, for example, an engraving process in which patterns or designs are engraved on the surface (upper surface) of the decorative portion 31 can be mentioned. This engraving process deforms the decorative portion 31, causing the enlarged portion 33 to deform the opening end 21a further and to adhere closely to the constricted portion 34, thereby making the fixation of the metal inlay member 3 to the metal base material 2 even stronger.

[0034] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the inlay method of this embodiment, a decorative portion 31 can be provided on the surface of the metal substrate 2 by inserting the protrusion 32 of the metal inlay member 3 into the recess 21 of the metal substrate 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to engrave recesses corresponding to the inlay pattern in the metal substrate 2, eliminating the need for advanced technology and reducing the amount of detailed work. As a result, the degree of freedom in the inlay pattern can be increased, and the productivity of inlaid products can be improved.

[0035] Furthermore, as the protrusion 32 of the metal inlay member 3 is inserted into the recess 21 of the metal base material 2, the enlarged portion 33 of the metal inlay member 3 deforms the open end 21a of the recess 21, and the deformed open end 21a bites into the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 32, thus making it easy to fix the metal inlay member 3 to the metal base material 2.

[0036] Furthermore, in conventional inlay methods, the opening edge of the recess 21 becomes the boundary of the pattern, requiring meticulous care to prevent deformation of the opening edge of the recess 21 when embedding the inlay material. However, in this embodiment, the boundary of the pattern becomes the contour portion of the decorative part 31, eliminating the need to take meticulous care to prevent deformation of the opening edge of the recess 21 as in conventional methods, and allowing for a beautiful pattern boundary.

[0037] <Modified Embodiments of the Invention> However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0038] For example, although the recess 21 in the above embodiment had a recessed portion 22, it may also be a dovetail groove.

[0039] Furthermore, although the metal inlaid member 3 in the above embodiment had a configuration having one protrusion 32, it may also have a configuration having two or more protrusions 32.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the recess 21 had a circular cross-section and the protrusion 32 had a cylindrical shape, but the shapes of the recess 21 and the protrusion 32 may be other shapes, such as an elliptical or rectangular cross-section.

[0041] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit.

[0042] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the productivity of inlaid products and increase the degree of freedom in inlay patterns.

[0043] 100...Inlaid product 2...Metal base material 21...Recess 21a...Open end 22...Recessed part 3...Metal inlaid member 31...Decorative part 32...Convex part 33...Enlarged part

Claims

1. An inlay method for manufacturing an inlaid product by inlaying a metal inlay member into a metal substrate, wherein the metal substrate has a recess, the metal inlay member has a decorative portion that is larger than the opening of the recess in a plan view, a protrusion formed on the lower surface of the decorative portion and inserted into the recess, and an expanding portion formed at the base end of the protrusion and gradually widening towards the lower surface of the decorative portion, the method comprising inserting the protrusion of the metal inlay member into the recess of the metal substrate, deforming the opening end of the recess inward by the expanding portion, and fixing the metal inlay member to the metal substrate by bringing the deformed opening end into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion.

2. The inlay method according to claim 1, wherein the metal inlay member further has a constricted portion formed on the tip side of the protrusion beyond the enlarged portion, and the deformed open end is brought into close contact with the constricted portion to fix the metal inlay member to the metal base material.

3. The inlay method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a recess forming step of forming the recess in the metal substrate, and a recess forming step of forming a recess on the inner circumferential surface of the recess.

4. The inlay method according to claim 3, wherein the tip surface of the protrusion is a flat surface, the recess forming step is to make the bottom surface of the recess a flat surface corresponding to the tip surface of the protrusion, and the deformed open end is brought into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion, and the tip surface of the protrusion and the bottom surface of the recess are brought into close contact to fix the metal inlay member to the metal base material.

5. The inlay method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising an inlay member forming step of forming the metal inlay member using a precision casting method.

6. The inlay method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a decoration step of applying decoration to the decorative portion after fixing the metal inlay member to the metal substrate.

7. An inlaid product formed by embedding a metal inlay member into a metal base material, wherein the metal base material has a recess, the metal inlay member has a protrusion that is inserted into the recess, a decorative portion that is wider than the protrusion and whose upper surface is decorated, and an expanding portion formed at the base end of the protrusion and gradually widening towards the lower surface of the decorative portion, the protrusion of the metal inlay member being inserted into the recess of the metal base material, the opening end of the recess being deformed inward by the expanding portion, the deformed opening end being in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion, and the metal inlay member being fixed to the metal base material.

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