Method for manufacturing a timepiece component
AssigneeRolex SA
InventorsRichard Bossart, Edward Michelet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method which comprises the steps of providing a plate (2) made of a micromachinable material, forming the timepiece component (1) with at least one attachment (3) for keeping the component attached to the rest of the plate (2), by etching the plate (2); and creating, along a desired breakage line of the attachment, a pre-detachment area (4) comprising at least one gap (5) obtained by etching into the body of the plate (2).
Claims18
A horology component made of a micromachinable material having a uniform thickness, comprising a partially etched fracture zone, wherein the partially etched fracture zone comprises:
- an etched surface etched into the thickness of the component, and
- a fractured surface adjacent to the etched surface and extending in a tangential direction of an edge face of the horology component, formed by detachment of an attachment at a connecting end of the attachment that connected the attachment to the component in the fracture zone,
- wherein the fractured surface is aligned with a portion of the etched surface adjacent the fractured surface,
- wherein the fractured surface and the etched surface are aligned with a free edge of the component adjacent the fracture zone,
- wherein a material of the component is a brittle material, and wherein the material of the component is selected from the group consisting of silicon, diamond, quartz and ceramic, and
- wherein said horology component is made of the micromachinable material wherein a width of an opening of the partially etched fracture zone is less than a width of a through-opening defining the free edge of the horology component.
A horology component made of a micromachinable material having a uniform thickness, comprising a partially etched fracture zone, wherein
- a) the horology component is a component of a horology movement;
- and
- b) the partially etched fracture zone comprises:
- an etched surface etched into the thickness of the component, and
- a fractured surface adjacent to the etched surface and extending in a tangential direction of an edge face of the horology component, formed by detachment of an attachment at a connecting end of the attachment that connected the attachment to the component in the fracture zone,
- wherein the fractured surface is aligned with a portion of the etched surface adjacent the fractured surface,
- wherein the fractured surface and the etched surface are aligned with a free edge of the component adjacent the fracture zone, and
- wherein a material of the component is a brittle material, and wherein the material of the component is selected from the group consisting of silicon, diamond, quartz and ceramic.
A horology component made of a micromachinable material having a uniform thickness, comprising a partially etched fracture zone, wherein the partially etched fracture zone comprises:
- an etched surface etched into the thickness of the component, and
- a fractured surface adjacent to the etched surface and extending in a tangential direction of an edge face of the horology component, formed by detachment of an attachment at a connecting end of the attachment that connected the attachment to the component in the fracture zone,
- wherein the fractured surface is aligned with a portion of the etched surface adjacent the fractured surface,
- wherein the fractured surface and the etched surface are aligned with a free edge of the component adjacent the fracture zone,
- wherein a material of the component is a brittle material, and wherein the material of the component is selected from the group consisting of silicon, diamond, quartz and ceramic, and
- wherein the partially etched fracture zone further includes:
- a) a width of the fractured surface being between 20 to 150 μm;
- and
- b) said etched surface and said fractured surface including an alternating succession of etched surfaces and fractured surfaces, and wherein said alternating succession of etched surfaces either a) has a depth less than the thickness of the component or b) has a depth extending entirely through the thickness of the component.
A horology component made of a micromachinable material having a uniform thickness, comprising a partially etched fracture zone, wherein the partially etched fracture zone comprises:
- an etched surface etched into the thickness of the component, and
- a fractured surface adjacent to the etched surface and extending in a tangential direction of an edge face of the horology component, formed by detachment of an attachment at a connecting end of the attachment that connected the attachment to the component in the fracture zone,
- wherein the fractured surface is aligned with a portion of the etched surface adjacent the fractured surface,
- wherein the fractured surface and the etched surface are aligned with a free edge of the component adjacent the fracture zone,
- wherein a material of the component is a brittle material, and wherein the material of the component is selected from the group consisting of silicon, diamond, quartz and ceramic, and
- wherein the partially etched fracture zone further includes:
- a) a width of the fractured surface being between 20 to 150 μm;
- and
- b) said etched surface including a fully etched part and said fractured surface including a fully fractured part, which are arranged one above the other in the thickness direction, and wherein a depth of the etched surface adjacent the fractured surface is less than or equal to 60% of the thickness of the component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.