Timepiece Part With Rectilinear Wall For Laser Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing timepiece components made from silicon-based or ceramic materials face challenges in welding due to stringent gap requirements, as gaps exceeding 0.5 micrometer prevent successful joining with metal parts.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a part with a substantially rectilinear wall adjacent to an oblique wall or a partially pierced rectilinear wall to achieve an isostatic configuration, reducing the welding surface and allowing for geometric adaptation, thereby ensuring successful welding by minimizing the gap to 0.5 micrometer or less.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the welding surface area is reduced to ensure precise gap control (≤0.5 micrometer), then welding reliability is improved, but the adaptability to member geometry is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The rectilinear wall is designed to be flexible rather than rigid, enabling it to dynamically adapt to the member's geometry while maintaining contact. This flexibility allows the wall to conform to surface variations without compromising the small welding surface area, thus resolving the contradiction between welding reliability and geometric adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state or properties of the rectilinear wall by introducing flexibility. This parameter change allows the wall to deform and adapt to different geometries while maintaining the precise gap control needed for reliable welding, addressing both requirements simultaneously
2Reliability
If the gap between parts is reduced to ≤0.5 micrometer for successful welding, then welding feasibility is improved, but the tolerance for manufacturing variations is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The rectilinear wall acts as a flexible element that can deform to compensate for manufacturing variations. This flexibility ensures that the gap remains within the required ≤0.5 micrometer tolerance range even when there are variations in manufacturing, thus improving welding feasibility without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible rectilinear wall provides a cushioning effect that compensates for potential gap variations before welding occurs. By anticipating and accommodating manufacturing variations through the flexible design, the system ensures reliable welding without needing perfect precision in the manufacturing process
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 configuration ensures reliable laser welding between the timepiece components, enhancing the assembly's isostatic fit and adaptability to the member's geometry, ensuring a strong and precise bond.
Implementation Method 1
how to form a timepiece component from a part comprising a silicon-based or ceramic-based material which is welded by electromagnetic radiation directly onto another part, such as, for example, a metal or a metal alloy
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a timepiece component with a part including at least one face with a geometry capable of ensuring that the part is fitted in an isostatic configuration onto a member to improve the welding thereof.