Hollow Glass Relief Structures via Cyclic Acid Etching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating decorative reliefs on hollow glass articles are limited by the inability to achieve significant and reproducible height, finesse, and aesthetic rendering, with existing techniques resulting in minimal visually and tactically perceptible relief, and requiring tedious and delicate manual processes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the application of a mask resistant to acid attack, followed by cycles of acid attack and rinsing to control the thickness of the relief, allowing for the creation of reliefs up to 750 μm with precise geometry and fine details, using a soda-lime silica glass that produces insoluble fluorosilicates to maintain the mask's geometry and prevent unwanted dissolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional coating methods (screen printing, sputtering, decalcomania) are used to create decorations on glass articles, then localized application and fine detail are achieved, but no visually or tactilely perceptible relief is produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical coating methods with a chemical etching process. Instead of depositing material to create relief, the invention uses acid attack to remove glass material selectively, creating true three-dimensional relief structures with heights of several hundred micrometers that are both visually and tactilely perceptible.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter from material addition (coating thickness of 8-15 micrometers) to material removal (etching depth of several hundred micrometers). This parameter change enables the creation of significant relief height while maintaining fine detail through controlled chemical processes.
2Manufacturing precision
If chemical etching with mask is used to create transparent windows, then localized protection is achieved, but only minimal roughness (Ra 0.5-1.0 micron) and no visual relief is produced due to rapid formation of blocking deposits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by alternating between etching cycles and rinsing cycles. Each etching cycle creates relief, and each rinsing cycle removes blocking deposits to prepare for the next etching cycle. This periodic repetition allows cumulative buildup of relief height (up to 750 micrometers) that would be impossible in a single continuous etching process.
Solution Approach 2:
The rinsing cycles restore the chemical activity of the etching solution by removing blocking deposits, ensuring continuity of the useful etching action across multiple cycles. This maintains high etching efficiency throughout the process rather than allowing it to diminish over time.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual washing is used in gold decoration processes, then delicate cleanup is achieved, but the process becomes tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The rinsing cycles perform automatic cleanup of blocking deposits without manual intervention. The process self-regulates by using the rinsing water to remove deposits, eliminating the need for tedious manual washing steps while maintaining precision in the relief geometry.
4Device complexity
If single acid attack is used to create relief, then simple process is achieved, but deposits of ammonium fluorosilicate crystals block further chemical attack and limit relief height
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic alternation between etching and rinsing cycles to prevent deposit accumulation. Each rinsing cycle removes blocking deposits, allowing the next etching cycle to continue creating relief without interruption. This enables cumulative relief height of up to 750 micrometers.
Solution Approach 2:
The rinsing cycles discard blocking deposits (ammonium fluorosilicate crystals) from the surface, recovering the etching capability for subsequent cycles. This discarding of harmful deposits enables continuous progress toward greater relief height.
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 enables the production of glass articles with controlled relief thickness and high aesthetic quality, allowing for the creation of reliefs with varying heights and fine details, while maintaining the mask's geometry and preventing surface defects, resulting in a shinier and more tactilely pleasing surface.
Implementation Method 1
an acid attack phase capable of dissolving the glass on the unprotected zones
Implementation Method 2
using a soda-lime silica glass that produces insoluble fluorosilicates to maintain the mask's geometry and prevent unwanted dissolution
Data Source
Figure 1a~6
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing relief structures on a glass object (1), said method comprising the following steps: a) application of a mask (2) which is resistant to the attack of acids to areas (12) to be protected of the glass object (1); b) application of a sequence of cycles, each cycle comprising: b1) an acid attack phase that can dissolve the glass on the non-protected areas (11); and b2) a rinsing phase for removing the dissolved glass and the residues of the acid attack; and c) removing the mask (2).