Embossed Glass Substrate Finishing for Material Texture Replication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glass products fail to replicate the aesthetic and surface texture of construction materials like stone, wood, granite, marble, or porcelain, despite efforts to reduce reflection and achieve embossed surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A method involving surface abrasion, optional varnish primer application, digital inkjet screen printing, drying, and a tempering process to create a glass substrate with an embossed surface finish that simulates the texture of various construction materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If digital inkjet screen printing is applied to glass, then the glass can be decorated with patterns and colors, but the smooth glass appearance prevents effective replication of embossed surface textures of construction materials
Solution Approach 1:
The glass surface is pre-treated with abrasion (sandblasting, acid etching, or mechanical grinding) before applying the digital inkjet screen printing. This preliminary action creates the embossed texture that will then be decorated with printed patterns, allowing both texture replication and decorative functionality to coexist.
2Manufacturing precision
If frosting is applied to glass to create texture, then the glass gains a matte appearance, but the process is complex and does not achieve the desired embossed surface finish
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the texture creation function from the frosting process itself and separates it into a distinct preliminary abrasion step. This allows the frosting/etching to focus solely on creating the embossed texture, while the subsequent digital printing handles the decorative aspects, simplifying each individual process.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of trying to create complex textures through complicated frosting processes, the patent uses relatively simple abrasion methods (sandblasting, acid etching) that effectively copy the embossed surface characteristics of construction materials like stone, wood, or brick.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a metal anti-reflective layer is deposited on glass, then reflection is reduced, but the smooth glass appearance still prevents effective texture simulation
Solution Approach 1:
The glass surface is pre-treated with abrasion to create the embossed texture before applying any anti-reflective coatings or digital printing. This ensures the texture is established on the base glass surface itself, not obscured by subsequent layers.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional screen printing is used on glass, then decorative patterns can be applied, but the method cannot produce embossed surfaces with construction material appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The glass surface is pre-treated with abrasion (sandblasting, acid etching, or mechanical grinding) to create the embossed texture that simulates construction materials. Only after this texture is established is the digital inkjet screen printing applied to add decorative patterns, ensuring both texture and decoration are achieved.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional screen printing with digital inkjet printing technology, which offers greater precision, flexibility, and control for creating realistic textures and patterns that accurately replicate construction materials like stone, wood, or brick.
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 effectively produces a glass substrate with an embossed surface that closely mimics the appearance and feel of construction materials, achieving both optical and tactile similarity at a lower cost than natural materials.
Implementation Method 1
a tailored tempering process to achieve an embossed surface finish
Implementation Method 2
techniques like sandblasting
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method comprising the steps of: Abrasion, preferably but non-limited by means of sandblasting which produces mechanical roughing on the surface of the glass substrate, optionally applying a primer on the roughed surface, and applying an ink on this primer by means of screen printing which may be digital inkjet screen printing, drying the injected ink deposited by means of digital screen printing, and performing a tempering process. A glass substrate with an embossed surface finish is achieved which simulates the aesthetic and surface texture of different construction materials, such as stone, wood, granite, marble or porcelain, among others.