Oven Coating Film with Liquid Repellency to Reduce Cleaning Effort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric ovens require frequent high-temperature Pyro cleaning to remove contaminants from the inner walls, which is time-consuming and inefficient, and existing liquid-repellent coatings fail to prevent small oil droplets from adhering and becoming stubborn stains at high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A coating film with a thickness of 0.2 μm to 3 μm, made from silicon-based or alkyl-based materials with silsesquioxane skeletons, is applied to the oven walls, providing durable liquid repellency and preventing contaminants from adhering, while a vibrating mechanism and contaminant collecting portion help in easy removal of small droplets without high-temperature cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If Teflon coating is applied to the inner wall of the oven to provide liquid repellency, then contaminants become easier to remove, but the coating generates harmful gas and fails at high temperatures over 250°C
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters of the coating by using silane-based or silicone-based compounds with specific chemical structures (containing Si-O-Si bonds and organic groups) that provide both liquid repellency and high-temperature stability up to 420°C, replacing Teflon's inadequate thermal performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite coating system combining inorganic silane/silicone base materials with organic liquid-repellent components, achieving a material that integrates both the thermal stability of inorganic compounds and the liquid-repellent properties of organic compounds
2Ease of operation
If the oven is cleaned by Pyro cleaning at 420°C or higher, then oil stains are effectively removed, but the process takes 2 to 4 hours and increases failure risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a preventive coating action beforehand that creates a liquid-repellent surface, preventing contaminants from strongly adhering to the oven wall in the first place, so that subsequent cleaning requires much less time and lower temperature
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the normally harmful effect of high-temperature pyrolysis into a beneficial cleaning process by using controlled heating to activate the coating's liquid-repellent properties and facilitate contaminant removal at lower temperatures (60-80°C) over extended periods, replacing the need for extreme 420°C Pyro cleaning
3Ease of operation
If a coating film with liquid repellency is applied to the inner wall, then large contaminants are repelled, but small oil droplets still adhere and become stubborn stains after repeated heating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the coating thickness parameter to a specific range (50-500 nm) that provides sufficient durability against heat load while maintaining liquid-repellent properties, and uses silane/silicone chemistry that remains stable under repeated heating cycles without degrading or losing effectiveness
4Strength
If the coating film thickness is increased to ensure durability against heat load, then the coating resists cracking better, but the liquid repellency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies and controls the optimal coating thickness parameter range (50-500 nm) that simultaneously achieves both durability against heat load and effective liquid repellency, using silane/silicone materials that maintain their functional properties within this specific thickness window
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an ultra-thin film coating approach that provides adequate protection and durability while maintaining the flexibility and surface properties needed for liquid repellency, avoiding the need for thick rigid coatings that would compromise surface functionality
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 coating film effectively prevents contaminants from adhering to the oven walls, reduces cleaning effort, and extends the time between cleaning cycles, while maintaining the oven's performance and reducing the risk of failure.
Implementation Method 1
a coating film having a liquid repellency and formed on a cooking chamber inner wall
Implementation Method 2
a vibrator vibrating the cooking chamber inner wall in at least a vertical direction
Implementation Method 3
a heater heating the inside of the cooking chamber
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an oven having an improved structure for keeping a cooking chamber clean. The oven includes a main body, a cooking chamber provided inside the main body, a main heater disposed inside the cooking chamber, a fan disposed inside the cooking chamber to circulate air heated by the main heater, a coating film formed on at least a part of a cooking chamber inner wall and having a liquid repellency, and a contaminant collecting portion having a liquid repellency smaller than that of the coating film and provided on the cooking chamber inner wall with which air circulated by the fan collides.