Inlaid Watch Component Cold Metallization for Flawless Recess Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for creating watch components with inlaid ceramic decorations are complex, costly, and time-consuming, and struggle to achieve a flawless visual appearance due to difficulties in perfectly filling cavities and differentiating design elements from the sapphire crystal's hue.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing process involving cold metallization through successive layers of metallic and/or ceramic particles is used to fill recesses in watch components, ensuring precise adhesion and visual quality, with optional anodizing for localized coloring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If successive layers are deposited by cold spray to completely fill the recess, then the visual quality and readability of the design are improved, but the manufacturing time and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is pre-treated by laser engraving or texturing before particle deposition to improve particle adhesion and ensure complete filling. This preliminary preparation prevents subsequent manufacturing steps from taking longer to achieve the same result.
Solution Approach 2:
The cold spray process parameters (carrier gas flow rate 85-90 m³/h, pressure 45-60 bar, temperature 800-1000°C, particle mass flow rate 70-80 g/min) are optimized to achieve complete filling in fewer deposition cycles, reducing total manufacturing time while maintaining precision.
2Reliability
If multiple successive layers are deposited to ensure complete filling, then the durability and wear resistance are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cold spray process parameters are optimized to achieve complete filling and durable adhesion in fewer deposition cycles. The carrier gas temperature (800-1000°C), pressure (45-60 bar), and particle mass flow rate (70-80 g/min) are specifically tuned to reduce the number of layers needed while maintaining wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional multi-step galvanic deposition process is replaced with cold spray metallization, which achieves comparable or superior wear resistance with fewer steps and lower cost. The cold spray process uses kinetic energy of particles rather than electrochemical reactions.
3Manufacturing precision
If the recess depth is increased to at least 100 μm to ensure complete filling, then the visual quality is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cold spray process parameters (particularly particle velocity, gas pressure 45-60 bar, and temperature 800-1000°C) are optimized to efficiently fill deeper recesses (≥100 μm) in fewer passes. This reduces the number of deposition cycles needed compared to shallower recesses processed with conventional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The recess geometry is pre-defined with depth ≥100 μm during the body formation step, and the surface is pre-treated by laser engraving to enhance particle adhesion. This preliminary preparation simplifies the subsequent deposition process by ensuring uniform filling without requiring complex process adjustments.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to an inlaid watch component (1) comprising a body (10) made of metallic and/or ceramic material having at least one recess (11) forming the impression of a decoration (12). According to the invention, said at least one recess is entirely filled by successive layers (13, 14, 15) formed by an agglomeration of particles (16) via cold metallization in order to form a watch component (1) inlaid with at least one decoration (12).