Moulded Tuft Marking for High-Contrast Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marking technologies on articles, especially those made of plastic or rubber, face challenges in achieving high visibility and longevity, particularly when the article is used under various constraints, and struggle to produce markings with high contrast on surfaces of the same color.
Innovation Solution
A moulding process that creates a high-contrast pattern by producing a plurality of holes with specific dimensions and densities on the mould surface, resulting in tufts protruding from the article, which enhances visibility and longevity by reducing flat surfaces and allowing for color variation effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a marking is produced by attaching an item to the article, then the marking is simple to implement, but the marking has poor longevity and visibility under usage constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The marking is merged with the article by integrating it directly into the molding process. The marking becomes an inherent part of the molded structure, eliminating the need for separate attachment steps while ensuring the marking withstands usage constraints and maintains visibility over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking is created during the molding process itself, before the article is put into service. By forming the marking as protruding elements during molding, the marking is pre-positioned and structurally integrated, ensuring longevity and visibility without requiring post-manufacturing attachment.
2Reliability
If a marking is produced by machining on the article surface, then the marking is integrated into the article, but the marking has poor visibility on surfaces of the same color
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating a marking at the same surface level as the article, the invention creates protruding elements that extend beyond the surface. This dimensional change allows the marking to cast shadows and create visual contrast against the background surface, significantly improving visibility even when the marking material has the same color as the article.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking elements are formed with curved, dome-like protrusions rather than flat machined surfaces. This curvature enhances light reflection and shadow creation, improving visual contrast and visibility on same-color surfaces while maintaining integration with the article structure.
3Illumination intensity
If the marking uses protruding elements to improve visibility, then the contrast is enhanced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The marking features are merged with the mold cavity itself. By incorporating the marking geometry directly into the mold design, the protruding elements are formed automatically during the molding process without requiring additional manufacturing steps or complex post-processing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking structure is preliminarily designed into the mold cavity before production begins. This preliminary action allows the complex protruding elements to be formed efficiently during each molding cycle, eliminating the need for complex post-manufacturing operations while achieving high visibility.
4Illumination intensity
If the hole density on the mold is increased to improve pattern density, then the marking visibility is enhanced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces mechanical methods of creating high-density markings with a molding process that uses elastomeric material properties. The elastomeric composition allows the material to flow into and fill the mold cavities accurately, achieving high pattern density without requiring extremely tight mechanical tolerances for hole positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the molding process, specifically using elastomeric material with appropriate viscosity and curing characteristics. These parameter changes allow the material to self-level and fill cavities accurately, reducing the impact of minor variations in mold cavity positioning and dimensions while maintaining high pattern density.
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 ensures a marking with very high contrast and longevity, even on surfaces of the same color, and can be easily modified by varying hole density and geometry, providing a pleasant texture and enhanced visibility, suitable for applications like tires.
Implementation Method 1
the holes are pierced by means of a laser beam
Data Source
AI summary
Article (1) having at least one visible surface (11), this surface comprising on at least part of it a pattern (2) contrasting with the surface of the article, this pattern (2) comprising a plurality of tufts (21) distributed over the entire said pattern, each tuft (21) having an average cross section between 0.003 and 0.06 mm2. Also disclosed is a moulding process for forming a high-contrast pattern on a surface of an article that can be moulded in a mould, this process consisting in producing, at the position of the pattern on the surface of the mould, a plurality of cavities of average cross section between 0.003 and 0.06 mm2.