Laser Decorated Part with High-Lightness Resin Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for decorating automobile interior parts using laser processing on black surfaces face challenges in expressing chromatic colors due to absorption of laser energy, leading to surface bulging, reduced reflectance, and poor adhesion, resulting in inadequate design quality and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a high-lightness resin base-material with a chromatic base coat-layer and a low-lightness surface coat-layer, where infrared laser processing creates grooves to expose the base coat-layer, preventing surface bulging and ensuring flatness and strong adhesion, while additional shallower grooves enhance design complexity without compromising gloss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a black surface coat-layer is used on a deep color resin base-material for laser processing, then infrared laser processing is easy to perform, but chromatic colors cannot be expressed and the base coat-layer absorbs laser energy causing surface bulging
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the lightness parameter of the resin base-material from dark (black) to light (white, lightness level 70 or more) or clear, which fundamentally alters the laser energy absorption characteristics. This parameter change prevents the resin base-material from absorbing excessive laser energy that would cause surface bulging, while still allowing the dark surface coat-layer to be effectively removed by laser processing to expose the chromatic base coat-layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure consisting of three distinct layers: a light-colored or clear resin base-material, a chromatic base coat-layer, and a dark surface coat-layer. This composite structure combines the advantages of each layer: the resin base-material provides low laser energy absorption, the base coat-layer provides chromatic color expression, and the surface coat-layer provides contrast and protection that is selectively removed during laser processing.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the resin base-material absorbs laser-light energy, then the resin on the surface is gasified into air-foam forming bulges, but this reduces reflectance and makes the base coat-layer cloudy with insufficient color contrast
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the optical parameter of the resin base-material from high absorption (dark color) to low absorption (light color or clear). This parameter change ensures that when infrared laser is irradiated, the resin base-material does not absorb excessive energy that would cause gasification and air-foam formation. Instead, the laser energy passes through to selectively remove the dark surface coat-layer without damaging the underlying structure, maintaining surface flatness and color contrast.
3Illumination intensity
If a chromatic base coat-layer is exposed by laser processing on a black surface, then vivid accent can be provided, but the adhesion of the base coat-layer against the resin base-material is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the lightness parameter of the resin base-material from dark to light or clear, which prevents excessive laser energy absorption and the resulting air-foam formation. By eliminating the bulging problem, the interface between the base coat-layer and resin base-material remains intact, preserving adhesion strength while still allowing the chromatic base coat-layer to be exposed for vivid color expression.
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
This approach allows for the creation of automobile interior parts with distinctive, high-contrast chromatic designs and reliable adhesion, maintaining surface flatness and preventing air-foam formation, thus achieving excellent design quality and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a laser-processed groove that goes through the surface coat-layer and that exposes partially the base coat-layer is provided on the surface of the decorated part
Implementation Method 2
the resin base-material that is colored in white, milky-white, grayish-white or ivory with a lightness level of 70 or more... the resin on the surface of such base material to be gasified into an air-foam
Data Source
AI summary
This invention provides a method for manufacturing decorated-parts of high design-quality and reliability, since the exposed surface of the base coat-layer is not bulged, and thus the color of said coat-layer is distinct. The method for manufacturing decorated-parts of this invention comprises a base coat-layer-forming process, a surface coat-layer-forming process and a laser-decorating process. In the base coat-layer-forming process, a resin-base material of a highly light color at a lightness-level of 70 or more or a clear and colorless resin base-material is formed. In the surface coat-layer forming process, the surface coat-layer of a less-bright color at a lightness-level of 20 or less is formed on the base coat-layer. In the laser-decorating process, the first laser-processed groove penetrating the surface coat-layer and exposing partially the base coat-layer is made by irradiating the infrared laser onto such surface coat-layer, thus providing a fine decoration onto the surface of said decorated-part.