Method for Producing a Component Having a Surface Provided With a Surface Texture

Abstract

A method for producing a component includes forming a component body having a surface by an additive build-up operation from a hardenable material which is built up in an additive manner or providing the component body having the surface which is formed by the additive build-up operation from the hardenable material which is built up in the additive manner. The method further includes hardening the surface of the component body and forming a surface texture on the surface of the component body prior to the hardening of the surface of the component body and/or during the hardening of the surface of the component body.

Claims

1.-11. (canceled)

12. A method for producing a component, comprising the steps of: forming a component body having a surface by an additive build-up operation from a hardenable material which is built up in an additive manner or providing the component body having the surface which is formed by the additive build-up operation from the hardenable material which is built up in the additive manner; hardening the surface of the component body; and forming a surface texture on the surface of the component body prior to the hardening of the surface of the component body and/or during the hardening of the surface of the component body.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the surface texture is formed by applying a particle structure, which generates the surface texture on the surface of the component body, onto the surface of the component body.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the particle structure is a particulate granular material comprising loose particles and/or loose particle agglomerates.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the particle structure is a planar structure having a particle surface.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the planar structure is a carrier element with particles and/or particle agglomerates fastened on the carrier element by adhesive bonding.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the particle structure is dissolvable, at least partially, in a solvent and/or is thermally decomposable.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the particle structure is water-soluble.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the particle structure has particles with a size in a range of between 10 and 100 μm.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the particle structure is pressed with a contact pressure onto the surface of the component body and/or wherein the surface of the component body is pressed with a contact pressure against the particle structure.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein the hardening is effected by thermal energy and/or energy radiation.

22. A component, comprising: a surface with a surface texture, wherein the component is produced by the method according to claim 12.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIGS. 1-3 show a respective step of a method for producing a component having a surface provided with a surface texture according to one exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIGS. 1-3 show a respective step of a method for producing a component 3 having a surface 2 provided with a surface texture 1 according to one exemplary embodiment.

[0032] The component 3 which can be produced or is to be produced according to the method is a component of a motor vehicle or of a motor vehicle body. In particular, the component 3 which can be produced or is to be produced according to the method is a trim element, that is to say in particular an interior trim element, for a motor vehicle or a motor vehicle body.

[0033] The method comprises the steps which are explained in more detail below:

[0034] In a first step of the method, at least one component body 4 having at least one surface to be provided with a surface texture is formed. The component body 4 is formed, by way of an additive build-up operation, from a hardenable material which can be built up in an additive manner. The hardenable material is a plastics material or a material based on at least one plastics material, that is to say is for example a single-constituent or multi-constituent, thermoplastic or thermosetting resin. The component body 4 may have been built up in an additive manner for example by means of a stereolithography process or a fused layer deposition process (FDM process).

[0035] Instead of forming the component body 4 by way of an additive build-up operation, it would also be possible to provide a corresponding additively built-up component body 4 in the first step.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows the component body 4 (in a purely schematic view) directly after the additive build-up.

[0037] The additively built-up component body 4, regardless of whether the latter has been formed or provided according to the method, can be hardened at least in the region of the surface 2 to be provided with a surface texture 1 and is thus not yet completely hardened. The component body 4 therefore has hardenable properties at least in the region of the surface 2 to be provided with the surface texture 1. The (entire) component body 4 therefore obtains the structural properties thereof, which are required for the intended use assigned to it, only after a yet-to-be-performed hardening operation.

[0038] In a second step of the method, at least the surface 2 of the component body 4 is hardened to form the component 3 to be produced. In the second step of the method, to form the component 3 to be produced, at least one measure for hardening at least the surface 2 of the component body 4 is therefore performed. The measure is typically selected with regard to the hardenable material. If, for example, it is a thermally hardenable material, the measure typically involves the use of thermal energy; for the hardening, the component body 4 to be hardened can therefore be brought, for example, into a heating device, such as, for example, a furnace, and be stored and heated there for a specific amount of time. If, for example, it is a material which can be hardened by electromagnetic radiation, that is to say in particular light of a certain wavelength, the measure typically involves the use of electromagnetic radiation; for the hardening, the component body 4 to be hardened can therefore be brought, for example, into an irradiating device and be stored and irradiated there for a specific amount of time. A chemically initiated hardening of the hardenable material is also conceivable.

[0039] According to the method, the surface texture in the surface 2 of the component body 4 is formed prior to the hardening and/or during the hardening of the surface 2 of the component body 4. The method therefore takes advantage of the hardenable properties of the surface 2 of the component body 4 in order to form or to generate a surface texture. The surface texture is therefore formed in a state of the surface 2 of the component body 4 in which the surface 2 of the component body 4 can still be hardened and thus can still be deformed. The hardenable or deformable properties of the surface 2 of the component body 4 therefore make it possible to form or generate the surface texture in the surface 2 of the component body 4.

[0040] In this case, the surface texture 1 is formed in particular by applying a particle structure 5, which generates a surface texture 1 in the surface 2 of the component body 4, onto the surface 2 of the component body 4. Here, the particle structure 5 has properties which generate and thus shape the surface texture 1, or a shaping surface, such that, as a result of application of the particle structure 5 onto the, as mentioned, deformable surface 2 of the component body 4, a surface texture 1 can be generated in the surface 2 of the component body 4. The surface texture 1 can therefore be generated by deformation of the surface 2 of the component body 4 as a result of application of the particle structure 5 onto the surface 2 of the component body 4.

[0041] In order to form or to generate a sufficiently fine surface texture 1, a particle structure 5 having a (mean) particle size in a range of between 10 and 100 μm, in particular in a range of between 10 and 75 μm, can be used.

[0042] In order to obtain a particularly clear formation or generation of the surface texture 1, it may be expedient for the particle structure 5 to be applied or pressed with a specific pressure or contact pressure onto the surface 2 of the component body 4, and/or for the surface 2 of the component body 4 to be pressed with a specific pressure or contact pressure against the particle structure 5. The application of a corresponding pressure or contact pressure may also be expedient for realizing a certain compression of the surface 2 of the component body 4.

[0043] On the basis of FIG. 2, it can be seen that the particle structure 5 used can be a particulate granular material 6 comprising loose particles and/or loose particle agglomerates. The particulate granular material 6 may have been spread on, scattered on or sprayed on, for example. The particles or the particle agglomerates of the particulate granular material 6 typically have a granular form (morphology). The geometric properties of the surface texture 1 result substantially from the form of the particles or of the particle agglomerates. The geometric properties of the surface texture 1 can also be influenced via other parameters of the particulate granular material 6, that is to say in particular the particle size-related composition of the particulate granular material 6. The geometric properties of the surface texture 1 can therefore be influenced in a targeted manner by the targeted selection for example of the distribution of the particle sizes or particle agglomerate sizes in the particulate granular material 6.

[0044] On the basis of FIG. 2, it can further be seen that the particle structure 5 used is a planar structure 8 having a particle surface 7. A particle surface 7 is understood to mean a surface having a particulate, that is to say in particular granular, structure. The principle for forming or generating the surface texture 1 is analogous to the use of a particulate granular material 6.

[0045] As shown in exemplary fashion in FIG. 2, use can be made of a planar structure 8 which has an, in particular flat, carrier element 9 with particles and/or particle agglomerates fastened thereon. The carrier element 9 can therefore have, at least on one side, a particle surface 7 which is defined by corresponding particles and/or particle agglomerates. The particles and/or particle agglomerates can be fastened on the carrier element 9 by adhesive bonding.

[0046] It is also conceivable to use a carrier element 9 which inherently has a corresponding particle surface 7 and on which, on account of its surface structure which inherently has a corresponding particle surface 7, it is therefore not necessary to fasten any separate particles and/or particle agglomerates. However, in principle, this is of course nevertheless possible.

[0047] The carrier element 9 can be of film-like or film-shaped configuration, and thus the carrier element 9 can be a film. Such a carrier element 9 can be removed by simple peeling of the element off from the component body 4.

[0048] In principle, it is also conceivable to use, as particle structure 5, a planar structure 8 having a surface texture surface, that is to say already having a surface texture or an image of a surface texture.

[0049] The particle structure 5 can be dissolved in at least one solvent. After the surface texture 1 has been formed or generated, the particle structure 5 can therefore be removed in a simple and thus practical manner by a solvent. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that there are no undesired interactions between the solvent and the component body 4. This can also apply for the carrier element 9; thus, in particular solvent-soluble carrier elements 9 come into consideration.

[0050] A conceivable solvent is for example water, and therefore it is for example possible to use a water-soluble particle structure 5. Particular consideration is therefore given to water-soluble particles or particle agglomerates as particles or particle agglomerates. In particular, in this connection, water-soluble salts or salt compounds should be contemplated. Salts or salt compounds can also be expedient on account of their typically high thermal stability.

[0051] It is likewise conceivable to use a thermally decomposable particle structure 5. Such a particle structure 5 can be removed by application of thermal energy, for example in a burn-out operation.

[0052] FIG. 3 shows the component 3 (in a purely schematic view) after removal of the particle structure 5 and thus in the finished state.