Structured Insert for Timepiece Mold Texture
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing elastomer timepiece or jewelry components, such as bracelet strands, lack versatility in producing textured surfaces, are complex, and do not allow for easy changes in patterns, making them unsuitable for small batches and precise texture reproduction.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a structured insert for a mold, where a template element with a pattern is coated with a molding resin to create a negative pattern, which is then solidified and separated to form a flexible structured insert that can be used to produce components with complex shapes and small features, allowing for easy pattern changes and high precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a steel metal mold with predefined texture is used to manufacture bracelet strand, then the surface appearance is predefined and attractive, but the versatility is poor and pattern changes require changing the mold
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the mold into two independent parts: a steel metal mold providing structural support and a separate structured insert providing the texture pattern. This segmentation allows the insert to be changed independently to achieve different patterns while maintaining manufacturing precision through the structured insert's designed surface features.
Solution Approach 2:
The structured insert serves as a reusable template that copies the desired pattern onto multiple bracelet strands. By creating a master structured insert with the desired texture, the same high-precision pattern can be replicated across different production batches without changing the fundamental mold structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If a steel metal mold with textured surface is used, then the texture can be produced directly, but the manufacturing complexity increases and the surface cannot be repaired
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the textured surface into a detachable structured insert rather than permanently machining it into the steel mold, the system simplifies manufacturing. The insert can be produced using additive manufacturing or other techniques and easily replaced if damaged, reducing overall device complexity and enabling repair through insert replacement rather than mold reconstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameter from traditional subtractive machining of the mold to additive manufacturing or alternative fabrication methods for the structured insert. This allows complex textures to be produced more simply and enables easy replacement or modification of the insert without affecting the main mold structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If additional finishing steps like calendering are added to modify surface appearance, then the aesthetic appearance can be improved, but the method complexity increases and not all textures can be formed
Solution Approach 1:
The desired surface texture is built into the structured insert before the molding process begins. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent finishing steps like calendering, as the texture is already present on the insert and will be transferred to the bracelet strand during injection molding, simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The structured insert acts as a master template that copies the exact desired surface appearance directly onto the bracelet strand during molding. This direct copying approach can form any texture type limited only by the insert's design capabilities, eliminating the need for additional finishing steps that may not be able to achieve all texture types.
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
Enables the production of timepiece or jewelry components with complex, high-resolution structured surfaces suitable for small batches, allowing for precise reproduction of patterns and easy modification, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Implementation Method 1
covering said structured surface of the template element with a molding resin capable of reproducing a negative pattern of said pattern of the structured surface, and leaving the molding resin to solidify in order to obtain a structured insert
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a structured insert (10) for a mold for manufacturing a timepiece or jewelry component, for example a bracelet strand,including: —providing (E1) a template element (50) comprising a structured surface (51) with a pattern to be reproduced on a surface of a timepiececomponent; —covering (E2) the structured surface (51) of the template element (50) with a molding resin capable of reproducing a negative pattern of the pattern of the structured surface, and leaving the molding resin to solidify in order to obtain a structuredinsert (10); —separating (E3) the structured insert (10) from the template element (50), the structured insert (10) comprising a surface comprising the negativepattern; —optionally, cutting the structured insert (10) to the format corresponding to at least part of the timepiece component to be manufactured.