Elastomeric Grained Skin Coating for Texture Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elastomeric grained skins exhibit poor visibility of texture due to light source and viewer position, as the texture is often not visible when light does not directly fall on the grained surface.
Innovation Solution
Applying a coating layer with effect pigments in a transparent or translucent medium as an in-mould coating, ensuring more composition accumulates on the peaks of the texture, enhancing visibility and creating shadow effects with a dark skin layer, while maintaining a thin coating layer that does not completely hide the skin layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a coating layer is applied to enhance texture visibility, then the texture visibility is improved, but the coating layer may completely hide the skin layer if it is too thick
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the coating layer by using transparent or translucent pigments instead of opaque pigments. This allows the coating layer to have sufficient thickness to provide color and protect the skin layer while still allowing light to pass through and reveal the underlying texture, thus resolving the contradiction between coating thickness and texture visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite coating layer that combines transparent or translucent pigments with binding agents. This composite material provides both the color protection function of a traditional coating and the light-transmitting property needed to maintain texture visibility, effectively balancing coating thickness requirements with texture visibility requirements
2Loss of information
If light falls directly onto the grained surface, then the texture visibility is improved, but the texture becomes invisible when light source is behind the skin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses transparent or translucent pigments that interact with light differently than opaque pigments. These pigments allow light to pass through the coating layer and reach the skin layer texture from various angles, creating optical effects that enhance texture visibility regardless of the light source position, thus reducing dependency on specific illumination angles
3Reliability
If a thick coating layer is applied to provide color and protection, then the hiding power is improved, but the texture visibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the optical parameter of the coating layer by specifying transparent or translucent pigments. This parameter change allows the coating to achieve sufficient thickness for protection and color provision while maintaining light transmission properties that preserve texture visibility, effectively resolving the contradiction between protection function and texture visibility
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
The method significantly enhances the visibility of the texture on the elastomeric skin, maintaining the texture's prominence even at varying light angles and providing improved shadow effects without impairing the skin's appearance.
Implementation Method 1
ensuring more composition accumulates on the peaks of the texture
Implementation Method 2
a coating layer with effect pigments in a transparent or translucent medium
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for producing an elastomeric grained skin which comprises at least an elastomeric skin layer and a coating layer overlying the skin layer. The skin has at least a portion which hasa grained surface, which comprises at least one elastomeric skin layer and which has at least one coating layer overlying the skin layer. To produce the skin a coating composition is applied onto at least a portion of a mould surface, which portion is grained, to produce said coating layer; and the elastomeric skin layer is moulded at least against a back side of said coating layer to produce said portion of the elastomeric skin. In order to accent the grain texture so that it stands out more clearly and so that the visibility thereof is less dependent on the direction of the incident light and the position of the viewer use is made of a coating composition which comprises effect pigment particles contained in a transparent or translucent medium.