Ceramic Tile Relief Structure for Natural-Looking Printed Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceramic tiles with printed patterns often exhibit monotonous surfaces, artificial relief, and noticeable height differences when installed, especially when imitating natural materials like wood or stone, leading to undesirable light reflection and aesthetic issues.
Innovation Solution
Ceramic tiles with a relief structure that corresponds to the printed pattern, featuring irregular or random relief features to diffuse light reflection and minimize height differences, using a combination of digital printing and structured press elements or matrices to create a natural-looking surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a printed pattern is applied to ceramic tiles to imitate natural materials, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the surface appears artificial and monotonous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface qualities to different parts of the tile surface. Specifically, it creates relief structures that correspond to the printed pattern, giving certain areas elevated texture while other areas remain flat. This local differentiation makes the printed pattern appear more natural by adding three-dimensional variation rather than a uniform monotonous surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional printed pattern to a three-dimensional surface by adding relief structures. The relief features extend the printed design into the third dimension, creating depth and shadow effects that make the surface appear more natural and less flat and artificial.
2Illumination intensity
If a relief structure is added to the tile surface to enhance natural appearance, then the aesthetic quality is improved, but height differences become noticeable when tiles are installed in offset relationships
Solution Approach 1:
The relief structures are localized to correspond specifically with the printed pattern features rather than covering the entire tile surface uniformly. This means relief features are concentrated where needed to enhance the natural appearance of the pattern, while other areas maintain a flatter profile, thereby reducing overall height differences between adjacent tiles.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full relief coverage across the entire tile surface, the patent applies relief structures partially, only where they correspond to the printed pattern. This partial action achieves the natural appearance effect where needed while minimizing the cumulative height differences that would result from complete surface relief.
3Ease of manufacture
If a smooth glaze layer is applied to ceramic tiles, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the surface reflects light mirror-like and appears white and glossy
Solution Approach 1:
The relief structures are formed on the tile surface before the glaze layer is applied. This preliminary action allows the glaze to conform to the three-dimensional surface features, creating a finish that follows the relief contours rather than filling them in. The result is a surface that maintains the relief's light-diffusing properties while still having a glaze coating.
Solution Approach 2:
The glaze layer is effectively segmented by the relief structures, with different portions of the glaze occupying different elevations and orientations. This segmentation causes light to reflect from multiple angles rather than creating a uniform mirror-like surface, as each glaze segment reflects light according to its local surface orientation.
Data Source
AI summary
Ceramic tile having a ceramic base layer and a cover glaze layer including a printed pattern, where the surface of the ceramic tile has a relief having structural features corresponding to the printed pattern. The relief being basically formed as a plurality of excavations present in the generally plane upper surface of the ceramic tile and the structural features have a depth such that they are completely situated above the ceramic base layer.