Home Appliance Décor Panel Rolling for 3D Patterns Without Thinning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for forming patterns on metal sheets for exterior décor panels of home appliances, such as rolling, result in uneven surfaces where only the front surface receives a stereoscopic pattern due to high rolling pressure, leading to reduced thickness and limited aesthetic options.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that form recesses on the rear surface of a metal sheet using a rolling process, transferring the pattern to the front surface to create protrusions, allowing for a second patterned portion with curved, rounded surfaces that provide a stereoscopic effect without significant thickness reduction, using a pair of rollers with different patterns to achieve this.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If high rolling pressure is applied to form a stereoscopic pattern on the front surface of a metal sheet, then a pronounced pattern is achieved, but the metal sheet thickness is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies rolling pressure to the rear surface of the metal sheet instead of the front surface. The rear surface is pressed against a rolling mold with a stereoscopic pattern, causing the front surface to form a corresponding pattern through the metal's elasticity. This inversion of the pressing direction allows pattern formation without direct high-pressure contact on the front surface, thereby maintaining thickness while achieving the desired stereoscopic effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of pressure application location from front surface to rear surface. By applying pressure to the rear surface rather than the front surface, the metal sheet deforms elastically to create the pattern on the front surface without experiencing the full thickness-reducing effect of direct high-pressure rolling on the patterned surface.
2Shape
If high rolling pressure is applied to form a pattern, then a stereoscopic effect is achieved, but the surface becomes uneven and aesthetic quality decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the pressure application to the rear surface, the front surface forms a pattern through elastic deformation rather than direct plastic deformation. This results in a more uniform and aesthetically pleasing surface with consistent pattern depth and shape, avoiding the unevenness caused by direct high-pressure rolling.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional rolling is used to form patterns, then manufacturing is simple, but only the front surface can be patterned with limited aesthetic options
Solution Approach 1:
The inverted rolling method allows patterns to be formed on the front surface by pressing the rear surface, enabling versatile pattern designs including curved and rounded surfaces that cannot be achieved by conventional front-surface rolling. This maintains manufacturing simplicity while dramatically expanding aesthetic options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional flat patterns to three-dimensional curved and rounded patterns by applying pressure through a stereoscopic rolling mold on the rear surface. This creates patterns with varying depths and curvatures on the front surface, adding dimensional complexity and aesthetic versatility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the economical and precise formation of stereoscopic patterns on the front surface of metal sheets, enhancing durability and aesthetic appeal while reducing manufacturing complexity and costs, with the ability to form patterns that appear differently colored due to light reflection.
Implementation Method 1
The successive recesses are formed by applying a force to the first surface, thereby transferring the force to the second surface to form the successive protrusions
Data Source
AI summary
An exterior décor panel for a home appliance includes a metal sheet having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The metal sheet includes a first patterned portion having successive recesses formed in the first surface, where each of the successive recesses have a prescribed depth, and a second patterned portion having successive protrusions formed at the second surface, where the successive protrusions correspond to the successive recesses. The successive recesses are formed by applying a force to the first surface, thereby transferring the force to the second surface to form the successive protrusions.