MIM Watch Component Blanks Machined Before Sintering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional watch manufacturing methods, such as forging and CNC machining of hardened metal billets, are time-consuming and costly, limiting the flexibility to produce custom metal component parts for different watch designs without significant tooling investments.
Innovation Solution
The Metal Injection Molding (MIM) process combined with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling, allowing for the creation of metal component parts like casings, bezels, and watch bands from a single MIM blank, which can be customized in shape and geometry before sintering, reducing the need for multiple tooling and streamlining production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional forging and CNC machining of hardened metal billets is used, then manufacturing precision and strength are achieved, but production time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the metal component part in a soft, uncured state before final hardening. The MIM process creates a green state blank that can be easily machined, and then the part is hardened through sintering afterward. This reverses the traditional sequence of hardening first and then machining, allowing preliminary shaping before the material becomes difficult to work with.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming the material state from soft and uncured (green state) to hard and cured (sintered state) through controlled sintering parameters. This parameter transformation enables the material to be easily machined in the green state and then permanently hardened through sintering, resolving the contradiction between ease of machining and final strength.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional forging and CNC machining of hardened metal billets is used, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the metal component part in a soft, uncured state before final hardening. The MIM process creates a green state blank that can be easily machined, and then the part is hardened through sintering afterward. This reverses the traditional sequence of hardening first and then machining, allowing preliminary shaping before the material becomes difficult to work with.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming the material state from soft and uncured (green state) to hard and cured (sintered state) through controlled sintering parameters. This parameter transformation enables the material to be easily machined in the green state and then permanently hardened through sintering, resolving the contradiction between ease of machining and final strength.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple tooling is used for different watch designs, then design versatility is achieved, but tooling cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a single MIM tooling system that can produce blanks for multiple different watch designs. The green state blanks from one tooling setup can be machined into various final designs, eliminating the need for separate hardened tooling for each design variant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming the material state from soft and uncured (green state) to hard and cured (sintered state) through controlled sintering parameters. This parameter transformation enables the material to be easily machined in the green state and then permanently hardened through sintering, resolving the contradiction between ease of machining and final strength.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables rapid production of customized metal components with significant time and cost savings, allowing for multiple watch designs to be produced from a single MIM blank, reducing tooling costs and lead times while maintaining internal mechanical feature repeatability.
Implementation Method 1
Metal Injection Molding (MIM) process
Implementation Method 2
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling
Implementation Method 3
sintering process
Data Source
AI summary
Each type of metal component part for two or more watch designs can be derived from instances of that corresponding type of MIM blank for that component part, which is formed from a same injection molding tool (respectively for each type of component part). An example instance of the MIM blank formed for a type of component part then has at least a portion of the instance of the MIM blank subtracted through a CNC milling process to form an interim shape and geometry of an instance of the type of component part for a given watch design. The CNC milling process can be applied to the MIM blank for that component part when the MIM blank is in its interim shape and geometry and has not yet been hardened to a finished shape and geometry of an instance of that type of component part for the watch design.