Method of manufacturing a micromechanical part
AssigneeThe Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
InventorsRudolf Dinger, Thierry Ravenel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a mechanical part includes providing a substrate of micro-machinable material; etching, using photolithography, a pattern that includes said part through said entire substrate; assembling a clip on said part so that said part is ready to be mounted without the portion made of micro-machinable material having to be touched by a tool other than the clip; releasing the part from the substrate so as to mount said part in a device such as a timepiece movement.
Claims23
A method of manufacturing a mechanical part comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a substrate of micro-machinable material;
- (b) etching, using photolithography, a pattern that includes the mechanical part, through the entire substrate;
- (c) assembling a clip on the mechanical part so that the mechanical part is ready to be mounted without the portion made of micro-machinable material having to be touched by a tool other than the clip, and mounting the substrate on a support fitted with forks, so that the forks cooperate with the mechanical part, wherein the clip is assembled on the mechanical part mounted against the support;
- and
- (d) releasing the mechanical part from the substrate so as to mount the mechanical part in a device.
A method of manufacturing a mechanical part comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a substrate of micro-machinable material;
- (b) etching, using photolithography, a pattern that includes the mechanical part, through the entire substrate;
- (c) assembling a clip on the mechanical part so that the mechanical part is ready to be mounted without the portion made of micro-machinable material having to be touched by a tool other than the clip;
- and
- (d) releasing the mechanical part from the substrate so as to mount the mechanical part in a device, wherein between steps (b) and (c), the method includes the following additional steps of
- (e) mounting the etched substrate on a base so as to leave top and bottom surfaces thereof accessible for coating of both the top and bottom surfaces;
- and
- (f) depositing a coating of better tribological quality than the micro-machinable material on an external surface of the mechanical part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.