METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HORSESHOE, AND HORSESHOE

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for producing a customized horseshoe (10), the shoe being designed to fit the form of a hoof of a specific horse for which it has been produced, the shoe including a metal part (14) which is at least partially visible. At least a portion of the outer surface of the metal part is treated in order to color same, the treatment including an anodization step and a coloring step, or the application of a decorative coating.

Claims

1. Method for producing a customised horseshoe, said shoe being designed to fit the form of a hoof of a specific horse for which it has been produced, said shoe comprising a metal part that is at least partially apparent, wherein said method comprises a step of finishing consisting in a treatment of at least one portion of the outer surface of said metal part in order to colour the latter, said treatment comprising a step of anodising and a step of colouring, or the application of a decorative coating.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein applying a decorative coating, a prior step is carried out of preparing at least said portion of outer surface, consisting in the formation of a priming coat in order to cause a mutual mechanical catching of said coating and of said at least one portion of surface.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein depositing a wear-resistant decorative coating, a precious metal is chosen from the group comprising Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Iridium, Osmium, Rhenium, Ruthenium and/or an alloy of one of these metals with one or several other metals.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the colouration of said metal part is obtained by a method chosen from the group of methods comprising a colouration via adsorption, an electrolytic colouration and a colouration via interference, then the exposure of said metal part to a cold sealing method and/or a hot sealing method.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said horseshoe also comprises at least one portion made of a non-metal resilient material, at least one portion of this non-metal part is coloured, or at least one of the non-metal parts, before its, or their, assembly with said metal part treated as such in order to form said horseshoe.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein having determined beforehand a colour value that is representative of said metal part treated as such, a shade of colouration that is identical or substantially identical to said value is chosen in such a way that said horseshoe has a desired colour.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein said metal part was produced beforehand by a method of three-dimension creation of the laser fusion type.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of said metal part is marked beforehand with one or several identifiers (11) in order to allow for an identification of said metal part.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the marking is carried out by removing material from the outer surface of said metal part.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the removal of material is obtained via laser treatment.

11. Method according to claim 9, wherein at least one coat of a colour that is separate from that of the outer surface of said metal part, is formed in the cavity created by the removal of material in order to carry out a colour contrast between said outer surface after colouration and the bottom of said cavity.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the steps of removing material and of forming at least one coat of a colour are carried out simultaneously or one directly after the other by means of femtosecond laser pulses.

13. Method according to claim 8, wherein as each metal part marked as such is processed in a batch, a reading of at least one identifier (11) of each metal part is carried out in order to identify the various parts in the batch.

14. Method according to claim 8, wherein each identifier (11) is chosen from the group comprising a name, a logo, a manufacture pattern, a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional barcode.

15. Horseshoe comprising a metal part and at least one non-metal resilient part assembled to said metal part, with the latter being at least partially apparent, wherein said metal part comprises over at least a portion of its outer surface a plating and wherein said at least one non-metal part has a shade that is identical or substantially identical to that of said plating in such a way that said shoe has a single colour.

16. Method according to claim 2, wherein depositing a wear-resistant decorative coating, a precious metal is chosen from the group comprising Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Iridium, Osmium, Rhenium, Ruthenium and/or an alloy of one of these metals with one or several other metals.

17. Method according to claim 2, wherein said horseshoe also comprises at least one portion made of a non-metal resilient material, at least one portion of this non-metal part is coloured, or at least one of the non-metal parts, before its, or their, assembly with said metal part treated as such in order to form said horseshoe.

18. Method according to claim 3, wherein said horseshoe also comprises at least one portion made of a non-metal resilient material, at least one portion of this non-metal part is coloured, or at least one of the non-metal parts, before its, or their, assembly with said metal part treated as such in order to form said horseshoe.

19. Method according to claim 4, wherein said horseshoe also comprises at least one portion made of a non-metal resilient material, at least one portion of this non-metal part is coloured, or at least one of the non-metal parts, before its, or their, assembly with said metal part treated as such in order to form said horseshoe.

20. Method according to claim 2, wherein said metal part was produced beforehand by a method of three-dimension creation of the laser fusion type.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] Other advantages, purposes and particular characteristics of this invention shall result from the following description, provided for the purposes of explanation and in no way limiting, with respect to the annexed drawings, wherein:

[0086] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows the main steps of a method for producing a customised horseshoe according to a particular embodiment of this invention, obtaining a sheet of aluminium (FIG. 1a), with the latter then being etched by femtosecond laser beam in order to generate an identifier of the which the black colour provides a contrast with the rest of the outer surface of the shoe (FIG. 1b), machining in the sheet of a custom-made horseshoe for the foot of a specific horse, with this shoe being polished without alteration of the identifier, with this identifier remaining visible after the shoes has undergone a step of anodisation and a step of coloration (FIG. 1c);

[0087] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical and perspective view of an orthopaedic fitting obtained by the method of the invention according to a second embodiment of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0088] Firstly, note that the figures are not to scale.

[0089] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows the main steps of a method for producing a customised shoe according to a particular embodiment of this invention.

[0090] Prior to the machining of the horseshoe 10, the latter here being made entirely of aluminium, the measurements required for the production of this shoe adapted to the hoof of a specific horse to be shod were determined. An identifier of this horse was also associated with these measurements as well as an alphanumeric code allowing the foot to be located in relation to the front or rear of the horse.

[0091] By way of example, the data file comprising these measurements as well as the identifier of this horse comprises a code “FL” which makes it possible to associate the measurements determined as such with the front left foot of the horse.

[0092] In order to carry out these operations, this hoof was visualised at least partially, for example by means of an optical reading device, in order to acquire an image of this hoof and the measurements were determined using a dedicated piece of software that runs on a central unit such as a personal computer or a workstation.

[0093] The reading device such as a digital camera, is advantageously connected to this central unit in order to directly transmit the data acquired as such.

[0094] These measurements were then processed in order to deduce a provisional shape of the horseshoe 10. Possibly, a step of correcting the parameters of the horseshoe 10 determined as such, corresponding to at least an adjustment of the outer curve, or of the contour, of the horseshoe was carried out by the operator. This operator is here a farrier.

[0095] The final parameters for this horseshoe 10 were then recorded in the form of a numerical data file, which constitutes a definition file of the customised horseshoe 10.

[0096] The operations described hereinabove were carried out successively for each other foot of this horse.

[0097] All of these shoes are here obtained using the same sheet of aluminium by using all of the data obtained as such. For each one of these shoes, a marking is made beforehand on the sheet via localised removal of material by femtosecond laser processing (FIG. 1B).

[0098] Typically, to carry out this etching, a femtosecond pulse beam (not shown) produced by a femtosecond laser is applied on a zone of the outer surface of the sheet in order to generate a unique identifier 11 for each one of the shoes to be machined. This identifier is here a two-dimensional barcode such as a Datamatrix.

[0099] Recall that a femtosecond pulse, also called “ultra short”, has a duration typically between a few femtoseconds and a few hundred femtoseconds (1 femtosecond=1 fs=10.sup.−15 second).

[0100] Simultaneously to this marking 11, a black coloration of the bottom surface of this etching is carried out which makes it possible to visually reveal this unique identifier 11 of the horseshoe 10 in relation to the rest of the surface thereof.

[0101] Then, the aluminium sheet is machined in order to produce each one of the custom horseshoes 10. As a manipulation as well as an individual treatment of each shoes are not required, time is as such saved.

[0102] Each horseshoe obtained as such is visually inspected in order to ensure that it is compliant with the shoe that was predefined by calculation.

[0103] This set of horseshoes is advantageously grouped together with custom-made shoes for other horses and intended to undergo the same operations in order to form a batch to be processed.

[0104] The shoes of the batch formed as such are then placed on a support device for simultaneous treatment of all of the elements of the batch.

[0105] Before the start of the treatment, an optical reading of the identifier 11 of each horseshoe 10 is carried out in order to make it possible on the one hand to check that no error of assigning the horseshoe 10 to this batch has occurred and on the other hand in order to ensure a following of the operations undergone by each horseshoe 10. Possibly, the identifier 11 of each shoe can be read between each operation.

[0106] Then, this batch of horseshoes is immersed in a cleaning solution such as an alkaline solution in order to remove any contaminant. Then these horseshoes are stripped, or deoxidised in an acidic solution.

[0107] A simultaneous polishing via electrolysis of the shoes of this batch is then obtained by immersion of the batch in a hot aqueous solution containing a mixture of nitric, phosphoric and sulphuric acids.

[0108] This batch of aluminium horseshoes is then anodised in an acidic solution and a coloration is carried out by a method of electrolytic coloration.

[0109] The horseshoes of this batch treated as such are exposed to a cold sealing method (FIG. 1C).

[0110] Finally, the horseshoes of this batch are dried.

[0111] It is advantageously observed that the coloration in black of the identifier obtained during the etching of this identifier via femtosecond laser beam on the outer surface of the horseshoe 10, is not affected by the polishing of the shoe and provides a sufficient contrast of the identifier after coloration of this shoe for an optical reading of this identifier.

[0112] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical view and in perspective of an orthopaedic fitting obtained by the method of the invention according to a second embodiment of the invention. This fitting that is mounted on the hoof 12 of a specific horse for which it was custom produced comprises three layers assembled by gluing.

[0113] The layer 13 intended to be in contact with the ground is a sole made of rubber used to dampen the impacts. Between this sole 13 made of rubber and a metal part 14 made of aluminium coming directly in contact with the hoof 12, is placed a sole 15 made of moulded polymer. For the purposes of information, this here is a charged and fibred polymer obtained by a method of pultrusion/extrusion.

[0114] This horseshoe 10 advantageously has a low density while still having adequate mechanical resistance. In order to ensure the following of the production of this horseshoe 10, an identifier 16 was etched with a laser beam on the outer surface of the shoe intended to come in contact with the hoof of the horse, with this identifier remaining advantageously visible after finishing of the horseshoe.