Transparent Polychromic Glazed Unit via Etched Roller Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies fail to efficiently produce transparent glazed units with polychromic heterogeneous decorations that can easily be industrialized, offering aesthetic variations in reflection based on layer thickness and observation angle, suitable for various applications like cars, buildings, and domestic appliances.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mineral coating with variable thickness deposited using an etched roller and subsequent heat treatment on a glass substrate, creating a discontinuous surface with discrete patterns that produce distinct colors in reflection, allowing for a seamless color gradient effect through controlled pattern geometry and height distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a continuous variation of coating thickness is used to produce color gradients, then a seamless color transition effect is achieved, but the manufacturing complexity and difficulty of controlling uniform discrete patterns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous coating surface is segmented into discrete patterns (dots, squares, or other geometric shapes) with controlled heights. These discrete patterns are arranged in sequences to create color gradient effects, replacing the need for continuous thickness variation while achieving similar visual results through controlled discontinuities.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the coating are given different local qualities through varying the height, size, and distribution of discrete patterns. This allows precise control over color appearance in different areas, creating seamless gradients through carefully designed local variations in pattern geometry rather than continuous thickness changes.
2Ease of manufacture
If discrete patterns with variable heights are used to create polychromic effects, then multiple colorings in reflection are achieved, but the precision required for pattern height control and uniformity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention controls multiple parameters of the discrete patterns simultaneously - height, base area, spacing, and material composition - to achieve desired color effects. By adjusting these parameters within defined ranges (e.g., pattern heights creating specific interference colors), the system achieves polychromic effects with controlled precision suitable for industrial manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating system incorporates dynamic control capabilities where pattern parameters can be varied continuously across the substrate surface to create different color zones and gradients. This dynamic adjustment of pattern characteristics allows flexible production of diverse polychromic designs while maintaining manufacturing precision through automated control systems.
3Ease of manufacture
If transparent thin layers with varying thickness are deposited, then aesthetic variations in reflection are achieved, but the complexity of industrializing the deposition process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a master template or mask that defines the discrete pattern geometry, which is then replicated across the entire substrate surface through conventional deposition techniques. This copying approach allows complex polychromic patterns to be produced using standard industrial deposition equipment, reducing process complexity while maintaining design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The deposition system is designed to be multi-functional, capable of producing various pattern types (dots, squares, lines, or custom geometries) and color configurations using the same basic equipment and process steps. This universal approach eliminates the need for specialized deposition equipment for each design variation, facilitating industrialization.
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 transparent glazed units with industrial scalability, achieving a range of aesthetic effects from gentle transitions to sharp contrasts, enhancing the visual appeal of glazed units for diverse applications.
Implementation Method 1
deposition, in discrete patterns, of a thickness of between 5 and 60 μm of a liquid precursor of the mineral coating, in particular of a sol, by means of an etched roller having locally calibrated cavities of different depths
Implementation Method 2
followed by a heat treatment at a temperature of between 30° and 800° C. for 30 s to 1 h, in particular a heat strengthening treatment of the glass substrate
Implementation Method 3
Transparent thin layers (sol-gel, ink) have different colorings in reflection according to the thickness of the layers and the angle of observation, in accordance with Newton's law of colors
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a glazed unit having a glass substrate which bears a mineral coating which forms a discontinuous surface made up of discrete patterns, the substrate provided with the coating remaining transparent, wherein the thickness of the mineral coating is not constant, with each thickness value of the coating producing a characteristic color in reflection, said discrete patterns having locally controlled variable heights. The method includes the deposition, in discrete patterns, of a thickness of between 5 and 60 μm of a liquid precursor of the mineral coating by an etched roller having locally calibrated cavities of different depths, followed by a heat treatment at a temperature of between 30° and 800° C. for 30 s to 1 h.