Method of galvanizing part of a piece obtained by injection molding

Abstract

The present invention is a method of partially galvanizing a piece obtained by injection molding, and a partially galvanized product produced by the method. The method of the present invention includes inserting a film of non-galvanizable material into a mold and then injecting a galvanizable material into the mold. After injection, the piece is taken out of the mold and the entire piece is run through a galvanizing process. Because of the film, a portion of the piece is galvanized, while the portion having the film is not galvanized.

1 / A piece made of a galvanizable material having a portion of its visible surface galvanized, wherein the non-galvanized portion of its visible surface is covered in a film of non-galvanizable material that adheres strongly to the galvanizable material constituting the piece.  
     
     
         2 / A piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the film covering the non-galvanized visible portion of the surface carries decoration.  
     
     
         3 / A piece according to  claim 2 , wherein the decoration is coloring and/or printing.  
     
     
         4 / A piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the material constituting the piece is a plastics material.  
     
     
         5 / A piece according to  claim 4 , wherein the plastics material constituting the piece is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polycarbonate.  
     
     
         6 / A radio communications terminal comprising a shell whose outside surface is galvanized in part, wherein the non-galvanized portion of the surface of the shell is covered in a film of non-galvanizable material that adheres strongly to the material constituting the shell.  
     
     
         7 / A piece made of a galvanizable material having a portion of its visible surface galvanized, wherein said piece is made by the process comprising: 
 inserting a film in a mold;    injecting a galvanizable material into the mold;    unmolding the piece; and    galvanizing the entire piece;    said film being made of a material that is not galvanizable and that adheres strongly to the injected galvanizable material.    
     
     
         8 / The piece of  claim 1 , wherein the process includes a step of at least one of coloring and printing the film prior to inserting it in the mold.  
     
     
         9 / The piece of  claim 8 , wherein the film is printed by silkscreen printing or by ink jet printing.  
     
     
         10 / The piece of  claim 8 , wherein the film is printed on the inside face of the film that comes into contact with the injected material, said film then being constituted by a transparent material.  
     
     
         11 / The piece of  claim 8 , wherein the film is printed on the outside face of the film.  
     
     
         12 / The piece of  claim 7 , wherein the film is made of polycarbonate or of polybutylene terephthalate, or of polymethyl methacrylate.  
     
     
         13 / The piece of  claim 7 , wherein the galvanizable material injected into the mold to constitute the piece is a plastics material.  
     
     
         14 / The piece of  claim 13 , wherein the plastics material injected into the mold to make the piece is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polycarbonate.