Haptic Glass Coating with Fused Particles for Durable Texture
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for creating haptically perceptible surfaces on glass or glass ceramic substrates, such as cooktops and displays, face challenges with mechanical stability, temperature resistance, and cost-effectiveness, often resulting in surfaces that are prone to damage and have limited texture variety due to complex and expensive production processes.
Innovation Solution
A coated glass or glass ceramic substrate with a layer comprising inorganic and/or polysiloxane-based texturing particles fixed by a layer-forming material, which produces haptic textures and can include additional layers for enhanced properties like visibility, cleanliness, and chemical resistance, applied using screen printing or sol-gel processes, ensuring good process control and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical methods such as polishing or sandblasting are used to produce haptic structures, then haptic properties are achieved, but production cost increases and surface damage occurs reducing strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical surface treatment methods (polishing, sandblasting) with a chemical deposition process where a glass frit layer is applied and fired to create haptic structures. This substitution eliminates mechanical surface damage while maintaining production efficiency and reducing costs associated with complex mechanical processing equipment and multiple processing steps.
2Ease of manufacture
If printing is used to apply layers with haptic properties, then production cost decreases, but temperature resistance and mechanical stability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite glass frit composition containing inorganic particles (such as aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, or titanium oxide) dispersed in a glass matrix. This composite structure provides both the cost-effectiveness of a printed/applied layer and the mechanical stability and temperature resistance of inorganic materials, as the glass frit fuses to the substrate forming a strong, heat-resistant bond.
3Adaptability or versatility
If etching processes are used for patterning glass surfaces, then haptic textures are created, but production complexity increases and texture variety is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves texture variety by changing parameters of the glass frit layer including particle size distribution, particle shape, particle concentration, and layer thickness. By controlling these parameters during the firing process, diverse haptic textures can be created without complex etching masks or multiple processing steps, simplifying production while increasing versatility.
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 solution provides a cost-effective, mechanically stable, and thermally resistant haptic surface with adjustable texture, reducing sensitivity to fingerprints and allowing for easy production, suitable for various applications including cooktops, displays, and architectural elements, while maintaining optical properties and chemical resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a glass frit for producing heat-resistant layers which can be applied to substrate surfaces... wherein the layer is fired at a temperature from 700 to 950 °C
Data Source
AI summary
A coated glass or glass ceramic substrate with a local-area and/or full-area layer having haptic properties is provided. The layer has a haptically perceptible texture and includes texturing inorganic and/or polysiloxane-based particles that are fixed on the substrate by a layer-forming material. The particles cause protrusions on the layer and so produce the haptically perceptible texture. The substrate is also provided, at least partially, with at least one additional layer.