Apparatus and method for manufacturing composite articles including wear resistant jewelry and medical and industrial devices and components thereof

A method of manufacturing a composite article including a substrate comprising a first material and an inlay comprising a second material, and a third material disposed adjacent with and having at least a portion substantially in contact with said substrate first material, the method comprising:

• (a) preheating the substrate including the third material to a temperature within at least substantially 90% of the temperature of fusion of the second material;
• (b) contacting a depression in a surface of the substrate with the second material;
• (c) heating the second material proximate a point of contact with the substrate causing the second material to liquify and flow into the depression;
• and
• (d) moving the point of contact along the depression in the surface of the substrate while continuously feeding and heating the second material proximate the point of contact with the substrate to cause it to flow into the depression;
• the third material is at least partially disposed within and occupies a region of the depression in the surface of the substrate not filled by the flow of the second material into the depression;
• and
• the contacting a depression in the surface of the substrate with the second material further comprises contacting a depression in the surface of the substrate adjacent said third material disposed at least partially within said depression, and the heating the second material proximate the point of contact causes the second material to liquefy and flow into the depression and to fill the region of the depression not occupied by the third material so that the third material is bonded to the substrate upon solidification of the second material preventing relative movement between the substrate and the third material.

A method of manufacturing a composite article forming a jewelry ring including a ring-shaped substrate having an outer surface and comprising a first ceramic or sintered material and an inlay comprising a second material in the form of a metal wire, and a third metallic material disposed adjacent with and having at least a portion substantially in contact with said first material and the third material is at least partially disposed within and occupies a region of a depression in the surface of the substrate of the second material, the method comprising:

• contacting the depression in the surface of the substrate including a groove disposed circumferentially therein with the second material;
• heating the second material proximate a point of contact with the substrate with an electron beam to the temperature of fusion of the second material causing the second material to liquify and flow into the depression;
• and
• moving the point of contact along the depression in the surface of the substrate including rotating the ring shaped substrate to move the point of contact along the groove while continuously feeding and heating the second material proximate the point of contact with the substrate to cause it to flow into the depression;
• contacting a depression in the surface of the substrate with the second material further comprises contacting a depression in the surface of the substrate adjacent said third material disposed at least partially within said depression, and the heating the second material proximate the point of contact causes the second material to liquify and flow into the depression and to fill the region of the depression not occupied by the third material so that the third material is bonded to the substrate upon solidification of the second material preventing relative movement between the substrate and the third material;
• and
• flowing sufficient inlay material into the depression to fill the depression and any surface voids between the substrate and the third material proximate the depression.

A method of manufacturing a composite article including a ring-shaped single piece substrate having an outer surface and a depression comprising a groove disposed circumferentially in the substrate outer surface and comprising a first material and an inlay within said groove comprising a second material, the method comprising:

• (a) preheating the single piece ring shaped substrate;
• (b) contacting the depression in the outer surface of the single piece ring shaped substrate with the inlay second material in the form of a metal wire;
• (c) heating the inlay second material proximate a point of contact with the substrate causing the second material to liquify and flow into the depression;
• and
• (d) moving the point of contact along the depression in the surface of the substrate while continuously feeding and heating the metal wire second material into the depression proximate the point of contact with the substrate to cause it to flow into the depression, moving the point of contact further comprising rotating the ring shaped substrate a plurality of revolutions about an axis of rotation of said ring shaped substrate to move the point of contact along the groove and to at least partially fill the groove with the liquefied metal wire;
• said substrate further comprises a third material disposed adjacent with and having at least a portion substantially in contact with said first material, the third material is at least partially disposed within the depression in the surface of the substrate of the second material;
• the preheating (a) further comprises preheating the third material;
• and
• the contacting a depression in the surface of the substrate with the second material further comprises contacting a depression in the surface of the substrate adjacent said third material disposed at least partially within said depression, and the heating the second material proximate the point of contact causes the second material to liquify and flow into the depression and to fill regions not in contact with the substrate and the third material so that the third material is bonded to the substrate upon solidification of the second material preventing relative movement between the substrate and the third material.