Glass-Ceramic Plate Surface Roughness for Inkjet Print Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glass and glass-ceramic plates used in cooking appliances face challenges in achieving high print quality, particularly with inkjet printing, due to issues with flatness and surface roughness, which affect the quality and consistency of printed images.
Innovation Solution
The development of glass or glass-ceramic plates with a flatness of less than 0.1% of their lateral dimension and a mean surface roughness of less than 0.5 μm, along with a coating that differs by no more than 10% in raggedness between subregions, allowing for improved inkjet printing quality and enhanced image resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If inkjet printing is used instead of screen printing, then production flexibility and smaller series can be produced, but print quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface roughness parameter of the glass-ceramic plate to less than 0.5 μm, which creates optimal conditions for inkjet printing. This parameter modification enables the substrate to receive inkjet deposits with high precision, resolving the quality issue while maintaining the flexibility advantage of inkjet printing.
2Manufacturing precision
If surface roughness is reduced to improve inkjet printing quality, then print quality improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary surface treatment to the glass-ceramic plate during the manufacturing process, achieving the required surface roughness of less than 0.5 μm before the printing process. This preliminary action ensures that the substrate is pre-prepared with optimal surface properties, eliminating the need for complex adjustments during printing and simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
3Manufacturing precision
If flatness is increased to less than 0.1% of lateral dimension, then inkjet printing quality improves, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies a flatness parameter of less than 0.1% of the lateral dimension, which creates the ideal surface geometry for inkjet printing. This precise flatness control ensures uniform drop deposition across the entire plate surface, achieving high print quality while the specification provides clear manufacturing targets that simplify process control.
4Stability of the object's composition
If surface roughness is reduced for better printing, then coating uniformity improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves the required surface roughness of less than 0.5 μm as a preliminary step during plate manufacturing, before the printing process begins. This pre-preparation ensures that when printing occurs, the coating is deposited uniformly across the surface without requiring repeated passes or adjustments, thereby maintaining coating uniformity while minimizing additional processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
A glass or glass-ceramic plate is provided that has two side faces, a thickness of between 2 mm and 6 mm, a circumferential edge face, a flatness less than or equal to 0.1%, and a region of a first face having a mean surface roughness of less than 0.5 μm and a standard deviation of the surface roughness of less than 0.1 μm. The mean surface roughness and the standard deviation are determined by measuring a roughness at nine points on the first face by measuring a line profile with a stylus device and with evaluation according to ISO 4827. The nine points are at least 5 cm apart from one another. The plate further includes a coating on two subregions of the region that are at least 3 cm apart from one another, where the coating has a raggedness in the subregions that differ by not more than 10%.