Watch Strap Co-Extrusion Embedding Decorations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manufacturing processes for complex patterned bracelets are unsuitable for high-volume production due to multi-step batch processes, surface printing limitations, adhesion issues, and sensitivity to mechanical and chemical wear, which lead to aesthetic degradation over time.
Innovation Solution
A co-extrusion coating process that integrates printing or engraving of decorations on a substrate before coating with synthetic materials, allowing for complex patterns to be embedded within the bracelet, ensuring stability and adhesion, and using transparent or translucent outer layers to reveal the design while protecting it from external damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If digital printing is used on the surface of molded substrates, then design variety is improved, but mechanical wear resistance deteriorates and adhesion to low surface energy materials is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the printed decorative film within the substrate material itself, nesting the design between two protective layers of the substrate. This integration protects the design from mechanical wear while maintaining design variety through the printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing process is performed on the substrate surface before the final molding process completes. This preliminary action allows the design to be embedded within the material structure, ensuring it is protected from wear from the outset rather than applied as a surface coating.
2Adaptability or versatility
If injection molding process is used with printed film, then design integration is improved, but manufacturing complexity and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the printing process with the extrusion molding process by printing directly on the substrate as it is being formed, and then completing the molding in the same continuous operation. This merging eliminates separate steps for film application, positioning, and protective layer formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate material serves multiple functions: it provides the structural base, the printing surface, and the protective encapsulation layer. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate protective films and simplifies the overall manufacturing process.
3Ease of manufacture
If surface printing is used on silicone-type bracelets, then design application is simplified, but ink adhesion deteriorates due to low surface energy
Solution Approach 1:
The printing is performed on the substrate surface before the final molding encapsulates it. This preliminary printing on the raw substrate surface, before any protective coatings are applied, ensures better ink penetration and adhesion to the base material.
Solution Approach 2:
The printed design is embedded within the substrate structure, nested between layers of the molded material. This integration protects the ink from surface wear and chemical damage while maintaining adhesion to the substrate.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multi-step batch manufacturing processes are used, then design complexity is improved, but production rate deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous extrusion process where the substrate is formed and printed upon in a single continuous operation, rather than through discrete batch steps. This continuity maintains design complexity while dramatically increasing production rate by eliminating idle time between steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the substrate formation and decorative printing steps into a single integrated process. By combining these operations that were previously separate batch steps, the process achieves both complex designs and high production rates.
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 cost-effective, high-rate production of personalized bracelets with intricate designs that are durable and resistant to wear, maintaining aesthetic appeal over time by embedding patterns within the material and using compatible ink adhesion techniques.
Implementation Method 1
coating by co-extrusion of the first and second faces of the substrate
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a production method for a trim part for a watch or jewellery piece, in particular a bracelet or watch strap (5), comprising the steps of: - providing a substrate (1) comprising a first face opposite a second face, - coating by co-extrusion on the first face and on the second face of said substrate (1) with, respectively, a first and a second strip (2) of synthetic material; the first strip (2) forming on the first face a transparent or translucent layer allowing the substrate (1) to be held entirely or partially visible.