Zipper Component and Slide Zipper, and Method for Producing Zipper Component

Abstract

A zipper component includes a metal plating film provided on the surface of a component body made of a metal. Further, in the zipper component, at least a part of the component body has been thermally treated before bending and thus the metal plating film has a recrystallized structure wherein at least a part of the metal plating film been recrystallized. Accordingly, since the ductility of the metal plating film can be improved, even when the zipper component is bent, the metal plating film can be deformed to follow the deformation of the component body. Therefore, the occurrence of crevicing or cracking in the metal plating film can be prevented.

1 . A zipper component for a slide zipper, including:
 a metal plating film formed on the surface of a component body made of a metal; and   at least a part of the component body subjected to bending after the metal plating film is formed, wherein the metal plating film has a recrystallized structure in which at least a part of a crystal structure has been recrystallized by performing thermal treatment before the bending.   
     
     
         2 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the recrystallized structure is formed by forming the metal plating film as a columnar crystal structure on the surface of the component body, and then subjecting the metal plating film to the thermal treatment to recrystallize at least a part of the columnar crystal structure. 
     
     
         3 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the component body is made of copper or a copper-zinc-based alloy. 
     
     
         4 . The zipper component according to  claim 3 , wherein the component body is made of copper in an amount of at least from 75 wt % to 100 wt % and zinc in an amount of from 0 wt % and 25 wt %. 
     
     
         5 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the component body has a metal body made of zinc or a zinc-based alloy and a base plating film which is provided on the surface of the metal body and is made of copper. 
     
     
         6 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the component body has a metal body made of an aluminum-based alloy, a first base plating film which is provided on the surface of the metal body and is made of zinc, and a second base plating film which is provided on the surface of the first base plating film and is made of copper. 
     
     
         7 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal plating film is composed of at least one selected from the group consisting of a copper-zinc-based alloy, a copper-tin-based alloy and a tin-nickel-based alloy. 
     
     
         8 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal plating film having the recrystallized structure has a film thickness of from 1 μm to 10 μm. 
     
     
         9 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal plating film having the recrystallized structure has a Vickers hardness of from Hv50 to Hv100. 
     
     
         10 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the zipper component has a diffusion layer formed by diffusing a metal included in the metal plating film in the surface layer portion on the metal plating film side of the component body. 
     
     
         11 . The zipper component according to  claim 1 , wherein the zipper component is at least one component selected from the group consisting of a zipper element, stoppers, an opening-type separable bottom end stop and a slider. 
     
     
         12 . A slide zipper, wherein the zipper component according to  claim 1  is bent and used. 
     
     
         13 . A method for producing a zipper component for a slide zipper, wherein a metal plating film is provided on the surface of a component body made of a metal and at least a part of the component body is subjected to bending after the metal plating film is formed, including:
 forming the metal plating film on the surface of the component body; and   subjecting the metal plating film to thermal treatment at a temperature which is equal to or more than the recrystallized temperature before the bending to form a recrystallized structure in which at least a part of the metal plating film has been recrystallized.   
     
     
         14 . The method for producing a zipper component according to  claim 13 , including:
 forming the metal plating film provided on the surface of the component body as a columnar crystal structure; and   subjecting the metal plating film having the columnar crystal structure to the thermal treatment to form the recrystallized structure.   
     
     
         15 . The method for producing a zipper component according to  claim 13 , including:
 allowing the metal plating film to be made of a copper-zinc-based alloy; and   heating the metal plating film to from 300° C. to 400° C. through the thermal treatment.   
     
     
         16 . The method for producing a zipper component according to  claim 13 , including:
 allowing the metal plating film to be made of a copper-tin-based alloy; and   heating the metal plating film to from 400° C. to 500° C. through the thermal treatment.   
     
     
         17 . The method for producing a zipper component according to  claim 13 , including:
 allowing the metal plating film to be made of a tin-nickel-based alloy; and   heating the metal plating film to from 500° C. to 600° C. through the thermal treatment.   
     
     
         18 . The method for producing a zipper component according to  claim 13 , including:
 controlling the Vickers hardness of Hv120 or more which the metal plating film has to from Hv50 to Hv100 through the thermal treatment.