Glass-Ceramic Cooktop Plates with Roller-Imprinted Micro-Roughness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing glass-ceramic cooking plates require complex and costly processes to achieve aesthetic and functional variations, such as matte-gloss contrasts, which can weaken the material and pose risks of microfractures or porosity, affecting mechanical properties and ease of cleaning.

Innovation Solution

A manufacturing process that modifies the glass surface during rolling by applying a differentiated surface condition using shot-blasting on the rollers, creating micro-roughness without sharp angles, allowing for contrasting appearances without compromising mechanical strength or cleanliness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If additional operations are applied to create aesthetic variations on glass-ceramic plates, then visual appeal is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates and risk of microfractures increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic variation processVSAvoidmechanical strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies preliminary action by creating the differentiated surface condition during the rolling process itself, before the glass is cut and before ceramization. The patterned roller imprints the surface differentiation on the molten glass ribbon as it is being formed, integrating the aesthetic feature creation into the base manufacturing process rather than requiring separate post-processing steps that would weaken the material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses parameter changes by modifying the surface condition of the rolling roller (its temperature, surface pattern, and material properties) to transfer a differentiated surface condition to the glass. The roller is maintained at a temperature suitable for glass deformation and is patterned with specific geometric designs that are transferred to the glass surface through controlled contact during rolling, achieving aesthetic variation without mechanical stress.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If additional operations are applied to create aesthetic variations on glass-ceramic plates, then visual appeal is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic variation processVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the aesthetic feature creation with the base glass rolling process. The patterned roller serves dual purposes: it shapes the glass ribbon to the desired thickness and width while simultaneously imprinting the differentiated surface condition. This consolidation eliminates separate decoration or texturing operations, reducing manufacturing complexity despite achieving sophisticated visual effects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of manufacture

If additional operations are applied to create aesthetic variations on glass-ceramic plates, then visual appeal is improved, but risk of porosity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic variation processVSAvoidporosity risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention exploits phase transitions by working with the glass in its molten state during rolling, when it is sufficiently plastic to accept the surface pattern from the roller without resistance. The differentiated surface condition is imprinted while the glass is still soft and deformable, then the glass is cut and subjected to ceramization heating that completes the transformation. This sequence ensures the pattern is embedded in the material structure without creating voids or porosity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #36Phase transitions

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 process produces glass-ceramic plates with visually appealing, imperceptible micro-roughness that maintains mechanical properties and ease of cleaning, enabling aesthetic contrasts without additional operations or risks of weakening the material.

Implementation Method 1

transferring a differentiated surface condition (advantageously slight differentiation as specified later) created on one of the rolling rolls, or both, to the surface of the ribbon of glass coming out of these rollers

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSurface transfer through contact:

Implementation Method 2

the cut plates are fired (and, if necessary, previously coated with decorative and/or functional areas) according to the thermal profile chosen to transform the glass into a polycrystalline material called 'vitroceramic' whose coefficient of expansion is zero or almost zero and which resists a thermal shock of up to 700° C.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCeramization:

Data Source

PatentEP1979278B1Glass-ceramic plates, their manufacturing process, and cooktops equipped with these plates

Publication Date: 2013.03.13 EUROKERA SOC & NOM COLLECTIF

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Figure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a glass-ceramic plate intended for example to be fitted into a cooktop, which plate includes, on at least one of its sides, a differentiated surface finish formed in the bulk of said bare glass-ceramic plate. The invention also relates to processes for manufacturing said plate and to equipment relating to said plate.