Patterned Stainless Steel Sheet for Low-Glare Sparkle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing stainless steel sheets with improved visual characteristics, such as low reflectance and low glare, often require additional washing, polishing, or plating steps, which complicate the manufacturing process and increase costs, while maintaining a decorative appearance is challenging without compromising washability or sparkle.
Innovation Solution
A method involving cold deformation of stainless steel sheets, followed by heat treatment and mechanical treatment, including skin-pass rolling or blasting, to create a patterned surface with low reflectance and glare, while maintaining the inherent sparkle, using a continuous process to achieve uniform quality and reduced manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If additional washing, polishing, or plating steps are used to improve visual characteristics, then surface quality and sparkle are improved, but process complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple process steps (cold deformation, heat treatment, and mechanical treatment) into an integrated sequence that achieves both surface quality improvement and visual characteristic modification without requiring separate washing, polishing, or plating steps. The mechanical treatment step with patterned rolls simultaneously creates the desired surface texture and visual effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The stainless steel sheet itself serves as the medium for creating visual effects through controlled surface patterning and texture modification. The inherent properties of the stainless steel are utilized and enhanced through the processing steps rather than adding external coatings or layers through plating.
2Manufacturing precision
If additional washing, polishing, or plating steps are used to improve visual characteristics, then surface quality and sparkle are improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple process steps (cold deformation, heat treatment, and mechanical treatment) into an integrated sequence that achieves both surface quality improvement and visual characteristic modification without requiring separate washing, polishing, or plating steps. The mechanical treatment step with patterned rolls simultaneously creates the desired surface texture and visual effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses cost-effective mechanical treatment methods with patterned rolls instead of expensive plating materials or extensive polishing operations. The surface modification is achieved through controlled deformation and texturing that leverages the inherent properties of stainless steel rather than requiring costly external coatings.
3Illumination intensity
If the surface is made smooth and polished to achieve low glare, then reflectance is reduced, but the inherent sparkle of stainless steel is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different surface characteristics to different scales: at the micro-scale, the surface has controlled roughness elements that scatter light to reduce glare, while at the macro-scale, the overall surface maintains smoothness and reflectivity to preserve sparkle. The patterned rolls create localized texture features that do not eliminate the inherent metallic luster.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical treatment with patterned rolls creates curved and rounded surface features rather than sharp, flat textures. These rounded micro-structures scatter light more effectively to reduce glare while maintaining the ability to reflect light in a way that preserves the characteristic stainless steel sparkle.
4Illumination intensity
If cold deformation and mechanical treatment are used to create patterns, then visual characteristics are improved, but surface homogeneity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different surface characteristics to different scales: at the micro-scale, the surface has controlled roughness elements that scatter light to reduce glare, while at the macro-scale, the overall surface maintains smoothness and reflectivity to preserve sparkle. The patterned rolls create localized texture features that do not eliminate the inherent metallic luster.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention controls the parameters of mechanical treatment (roller pattern geometry, applied pressure, number of passes) to achieve the desired balance between surface homogeneity and visual characteristics. By carefully selecting and controlling these parameters, the process creates uniform micro-texture across the surface that provides consistent glare reduction while maintaining overall surface quality.
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 achieves a superior surface homogeneity with low specular reflectance and a sparkling appearance, reducing reflectance to less than 10% in the visible wavelength range, while maintaining the liveliness and sparkle of stainless steel, and is applicable for various applications including building materials and kitchen equipment.
Implementation Method 1
The cold deformed stainless steel sheet is pretreated by at least one heat treatment step and at least one mechanical treatment step
Implementation Method 2
skin-pass rolling or blasting, to create a patterned surface
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a patterned stainless steel sheet with modified visual characteristics in the wavelength area of visible light the deformed stainless steel having a thickness of 0.3-3.5 mm. In the method the deformed stainless steel sheet is pretreated by at least one heat treatment step and at least one mechanical treatment step on at least one surface of the heat treated stainless steel sheet. The pretreated stainless steel sheet is further transferred to a patterning process, and at least one heat treatment step is carried out on the patterned stainless steel sheet surface.