SURFACE TREATMENT PROCESS FOR OBJECTS

Abstract

A process for surface treatment of an object, including the following steps: dipping the object in a solution comprising a concentrated acid or a mixture of concentrated acids, and having a pH of between 0 and 2, in order to impregnate the surface of the object, removing the object from the acid solution, heating the object at a temperature of between 140° C. and 180° C., until melting of the surface is obtained, and cooling the object. The process according to the presently disclosed embodiment applies in particular, but not exclusively, to objects resulting from additive manufacture techniques.

Claims

1. A process for surface treatment of an object, comprising the following steps: dipping said object in a solution comprising a concentrated acid or a mixture of concentrated acids, and having a pH of between 0 and 2, in order to impregnate the surface of said object; removing said object from said acid solution; heating said object to a temperature of between 140° C. and 180° C., until melting of the surface is obtained; and cooling said object.

2. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein said acid solution has a pH of between 0 and 1.

3. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein said acid is a mineral acid.

4. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein said acid is included in the following group: sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid.

5. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein the heating of said object is carried out at a temperature of between 155° C. and 170° C.

6. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a step of removing the surplus liquid.

7. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 6, wherein the removing of the surplus liquid is carried out by applying a centrifugal force to said object.

8. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 6, wherein the removing of the surplus liquid is carried out by causing said object to vibrate.

9. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein said heating step is carried out using a forced convection heating system.  The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein said dipping solution also comprises additives.

11. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 10, wherein said additives are deposited on the surface of the object during said dipping step.

12. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein it is applied to an object resulting from additive manufacture techniques.

13. The process for surface treatment of an object according to claim 1, wherein it is applied to an object made of polyamide.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The presently disclosed embodiment will be understood more clearly by means of the description, given hereinafter purely by way of explanation, of an aspect of the disclosed embodiment, with reference to the FIGURE in which:

[0036] FIG. 1 shows the various steps of the process according to the presently disclosed embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The presently disclosed embodiment relates to a process for surface treatment of an object, for example made of polyamide, in particular but not exclusively resulting from additive manufacture techniques.

[0038] The process according to the presently disclosed embodiment comprises the following steps: [0039] dipping the object in a solution comprising a concentrated acid or a mixture of concentrated acids, and having a pH of between 0 and 2, in order to impregnate the surface of said object; [0040] removing the object from said acid solution; [0041] heating the object at a temperature of between 140° C. and 180° C., until melting of the surface is obtained; and [0042] cooling the object.

[0043] FIG. 1 shows the various steps of the process according to the presently disclosed embodiment: dipping, drying, heating and cooling, these various steps relating to the object, which, in one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, results from additive manufacture techniques.

[0044] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, said process is applied to an object made of polyamide.

[0045] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, the acid solution has a pH of between 0 and 1.

[0046] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, the acid is a mineral acid, and, in one aspect, the acid is included in the following group: sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid.

[0047] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, the heating of the object is carried out at a temperature of between 155° C. and 170° C.

[0048] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, the process according to the disclosed embodiment also comprises a step of removing the surplus liquid. According to one variant, the removing of the surplus liquid is carried out by applying a centrifugal force to the object, and according to another variant, the removing of the surplus liquid is carried out by causing the object to vibrate.

[0049] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, the heating step is carried out using a forced convection heating system, this providing better uniformity of the heating.

[0050] In one aspect of the presently disclosed embodiment, the dipping solution also comprises additives, and according to one aspect of the disclosed embodiment, the additives are deposited on the surface of the object during the dipping step, this giving the surface of the object additional properties.

[0051] The presently disclosed embodiment is described in the aforementioned by way of example. It is understood that those skilled in the art are able to produce different variants of the presently disclosed embodiment without however departing from the context of the patent.