RING AND THE MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR THE SAME PROVIDING DIFFERENT ADVANTAGES IN ASSEMBLY

Technical Field

The invention is related to the rings (wedding rings) in which two or more colors may be applied in a transverse manner and the process of fastening the pieces to each other is performed by means of laser spot welding during said application, and also to the manufacturing method for said rings.

Background of the Invention In the current situation, when it is desired to apply the colors in a transverse manner on the ring, the ring pieces are heated and welded together. Due to the welding process performed at high temperatures to enable the ring pieces to be fastened together, it is not possible to obtain a satisfactory performance with respect to colors and polish that allow a good appearance for the design, with the existing systems. In the known welding process, there is a high possibility for the ring to become damaged by the temperature, and the surface quality is impaired. In addition, since the surface is oxidized in a ring on which conventional welding is applied, the polishing and surface coating processes must be performed in the final stage of manufacture.

The figures for the invention are provided in the enclosed pages in which:

Figures to Aid in the Description of the Invention

Figure - 1 : The technical drawing for the exemplary application of the invention shown in Figure-5, which will be subjected to lathe.

Figure - 2: The appearance of the exemplary model after the lathe process.

Figure - 3: The appearance of the exemplary model after the milling process.

Figure - 4: A representative view of the pieces of the exemplary model in a state in which they are being joined together. Figure - 5: View of an exemplary embodiment (two-piece embodiment) which has been subjected to all the stages of manufacture (stages shown in Figure-1 , 2, 3, 4).

Figure - 6: View of the two pieces prior to being welded in the manual machines.

Figure - 7: View of the two pieces after being welded in the manual machines.

Figure - 8 and Figure - 9: Views of different embodiments (models) of the invention.

Reference Numbers to Aid in the Description of the Invention

1 - Female section of the ring

2- Male section of the ring

3- Spot welding point

4- Bottom length

5- Top length Description of the Invention

This invention is related to the rings, which are formed by continuous integration of more than one pieces and which preferably allow two or more colors to be applied in a transverse manner, and also to the manufacturing method for the said rings. The most important characteristic of the method developed is that it is possible to apply two or more colors transversely on the wedding ring and during said application, the process of joining together the pieces is performed by means of laser spot welding. That the pieces on the ring have a female (1 )-male (2) arrangement both enables the pieces to be integrated in a continuous manner and allows an easy application for the laser system.

In the method according to the invention, the usual welding process is not employed to join together the pieces. As a result, the manufacture of the rings is not influenced by the disadvantages resulting from the conventional welding process. Unlike the known techniques, first the polishing and coating processes are performed in this invention. Then, the laser sport welding process is carried out to bind together the pieces. The preferred manufacture process according to the invention may be described as follows (along with an exemplary embodiment to enable a better understanding of the subject matter): In this method, first the technical drawings are prepared for the model to be made. The first stage of the manufacture is performed in the CNC lathe machine. (The technical drawings for the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in Figure-5 are presented in Figure-1 . This figure is shown in transversal section for the manufacture in the CNC lathe machine.)

The materials (pieces) to be obtained from the lathe machine are indicated in detail in the technical drawing. This process is very important for the piece that is desired to be obtained. All the heights and widths must be accurate in order for the pieces to be able to be joined. For example, for the model given in Figure-5, the bottom (L1 ) size (4) for said pieces is half the top width of the ring and when they are joined, they reach the same size as the top width (5).

After the lathe, the milling process is performed, which is necessary to join together the pieces. In the method according to the invention, the motifs of the top pieces are designed in a way compatible with the system so that the bottom parts may be joined. In Figure-3, the view of the model is given following the milling process performed to enable the assembly of the exemplary model, for which the female width (1 ) and the male width (2) are identical. Once the pieces with female (1 )-male (2) structure have left CNC milling machine, the processes of determining the polish characteristics and applying the polish on the pieces are performed. Then, the obtained pieces are joined together.

In the method according to the invention, the pieces are joined together by means of the laser welding applied internally. When the laser welding is performed, the polish and thus the surface quality are prevented from being damaged. The reason is that the laser weld affects only the portion of 0,50 mm where it contacts. As the other portions of the ring do not heat up, the problems like the damage caused by the high temperature are eliminated. Therefore, the colors are preserved without any loss from their natural form. As a result, no mark forms on the colors and the gold. The laser welding system employed in the method according to the invention provides great advantage compared to the classical welding systems. Owing to the laser welding, all the problems stemming from the heating of the ring are eliminated, which in turn considerably improves the quality of the ring. According to the invention, the polishing process is applied at the initial stage and the quality of the polish is preserved without any deterioration throughout the manufacture. CNC milling and CNC lathe machines used in the method according to the invention are the machines operating in a computer-aided manner. In addition to CNC milling and lathe machines preferred according to the invention, other machines may be used alternatively. The female (1 ) and male sections (2) obtained by means of the alternative machines/tools employed in place of CNC milling and lathe machines are also joined together by means of the laser welding process. The applications alternative to CNC milling and lathe machines may be as follows:

For example, the manufacture may be performed with a lathe machine running with pipe and a CNC milling machine (manufacture with lathe and milling).

Another preferred method is the manufacture using the manual machines. That is:

In jewelry-making, the manufacture is possible also with the manual machines as an alternative to CNC milling and lathe machines. Although it is not possible to obtain as good results as in CNC lathe and milling machines, the rings according to the invention may also be manufactured with the manual machines. The manufacture with the computer-aided machines provides more precise results with desired dimensions. On the other hand, the workers obtain these dimensions by a trial and error technique using measuring instruments in the manual machines, which reduces quality. For example, in the computer-aided machines, the error margin is 0,02 mm for a desired dimension of 2 mm, whereas said margin may increase up to 0, 1 mm in a manual workbench.

In the manual machines, the bottom (4) and top widths (5) may also be made by way of welding together the two pieces. Said pieces are prepared before they are introduced into the manual machine. For example, the result in Figure-7 may be obtained by welding together the two pieces in Figure-6. Then the manual milling process may be applied on these pieces and the procedure may be continued with no requirement for CNC machines. Another preferred method is the lost-wax casting, which is the most widely used manufacturing technique in the art of jewelry.

This method is based on the principle of starting with a primary model, duplicating the model as a wax by means of rubber moulds, arranging the waxes in a tree-like manner and placing the same into a cylindrical container (bell jar), pouring diluted revetment (a kind of heat-resistant plaster) into this container and once the water content of revetment has evaporated and revetment has solidified, firing the same in the kilns (and thus enabling the wax to evaporate and disappear) and finally, casting the molten metal into the mould thus formed with the help of a machine.

As an alternative to CNC milling and lathe machines, it is also possible to use the hand tools such as a file, fret saw, etc. (for manual work).

Although the number of pieces to be used in these rings, which are obtained by way of continuous integration of the female-male sections present on the pieces, usually ranges from 2 to 8, there is no limitation for this number and it may be increased to the extent desired. According to the invention, limitless combinations may be formed with or without stones, from any kind of metal and any color.