Method For Coating And Texturing A Surface

Abstract

The surface of a polished metallic panel is coated with a sizing and a heavy transparent ink is then silk screened in a pattern thereon. Next the surface is abraded, with the transparent ink protecting the areas it covers to produce a pattern of bright and dull areas. The entire surface is next covered with a protective lacquer coating, following which additional layers of transparent ink are silk screened thereonto substantially in registration with the first layer, yielding lense-like ink accumulations which produce an optical effect giving an illusion of depth to the panel surface. The built up areas actually appear as depressions.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to decorative surfaces, and more particularly to metallic panels or the like having decorative patterns and textures thereon.

Various methods for coating or treating surfaces to make them more attractive are well known in the art. These include coating them with attractive surface materials, as by spraying, rolling, brushing, and so on, or texturing the surfaces as by hammering, etching, etc.

Where it is desired to employ the attractive qualities inherent in naturally reflective surfaces, such as metallic surfaces, it is common to begin with a polished metallic panel. The panel surface is sometimes coated with appropriate materials, sometimes is mechanically or chemically etched, and often is selectively painted in attractive patterns. The final product is then usually given a protective coating to preserve the metallic luster.

As is well known, however, these methods suffer from certain disadvantages. If a very complex etching pattern is desired, mechanical means for selectively abrading the metallic surface become impractical for obvious reasons. The cost of producing such a pattern then becomes amplified since selective chemical etching means must be employed. Similarly, where a textured surface is to be produced having the appearance and feel of depth, the surface must be worked mechanically, as by hammering, or rolling under extreme pressure. Alternatively, heavy inks may be applied in a given pattern to produce built up areas, but considerable amounts of such material are usually required to yield the desired visual appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, a preferred embodiment of this invention includes a polished metallic panel having selected surface areas abraded or made selectively dull in a complex and highly decorative pattern, while the remainder of the surface retains a high luster. The pattern may be random, geometric, or a combination of each. The dull areas are abraded by an inexpensive mechanical means and the non-abraded or bright areas have a nominal build up thereon of transparent inks which produce a lense like or optical effect giving an illusion of three dimensional depth to the panelled surface.

In the method of this invention, a metal panel is first polished to a high luster and a transparent sizing is then applied to the surface and cured. Next a transparent ink, such as a transparent epoxy, is silk screened onto the surface in the desired pattern by applying the ink to the areas which are to retain their luster. After the transparent ink is cured, the entire panel is mechanically abraded, as by buffing or brushing. The transparent ink protects the areas therebeneath, acting as an efficient resist.

After the panel is abraded it is cleaned and the entire panel is then coated with a transparent lacquer to protect the abraded areas from oxidation. Finally, several more layers of transparent ink are silk screened onto the surface substantially in registration with the first silk screened layer.

The transparent ink selectively applied thus makes possible the use of inexpensive mechanical methods of abrading the surface to form highly selective and complex patterns of contrasting bright and dull areas, and the several layers thereof additionally yield to the surface a unique optical illusion of reversed texture or depth. That is, the built up ink layers over the polished portions of the surface actually appear depressed, while the abraded areas appear raised. The optical illusion is due at least in part to the lense like action of the accumulations of transparent ink.

It is accordingly an important object of this invention to provide a metallic panel with a complex and highly decorative pattern of relatively bright and dull areas provided with an illusion of three dimensional surface depth characterized by the use of simple manufacturing techniques, and to provide methods of making the same.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a method of making a decorative surface as outlined above, in which relatively dull areas are selectively formed on a bright metallic surface by the use of inexpensive mechanical abrading or brushing techniques.

A more particular object of the invention is the provision of an article, and a method of making the same, in which a silk-screened transparent pattern forms a resist, permitting the remaining surface to be mechanically abraded to provide a desired pattern of selective abraded and non-abraded areas. In the preferred embodiment, additional silk-screened transparent layers are applied in substantial registration with that of the first layer to provide a build up forming a reverse illusion of depth.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of a decorative panel according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a small portion of the FIG. 1 device taken along line 2--2 thereof, and illustrating the various layers of material on the abraded and non-abraded surface areas;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the steps and method for producing a decorative panel according to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3A is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the layers of material on the panel immediately following the cleaning step in FIG. 3 .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated the decorative sheet or panel 10 of this invention. Panel 10 includes a metallic substrate 12, the surface of which has been polished and treated to yield a decorative, textured surface thereon.

With reference to FIG. 3, panel 10 is prepared by first taking a sheet of the metallic substrate 12 and polishing a surface thereof to a high luster. A layer of sizing material 14 is then applied to the sheet 12 by a coating roller 16. The sizing is cured by baking, following which a first layer of transparent ink 20, such as a transparent epoxy, is silk screened onto the sizing layer 12 in the desired pattern. While a random pattern is shown in FIG. 1, a geometric pattern may also be used.

After the transparent ink 20 is cured, the entire surface of the panel is subjected to mechanical abrading, such as by a wire brush 22. The choice of the brush type, or the use of a buffer, sand blast, and so on, is governed by the texture desired in the final product. The transparent ink layer 20 acts as a resist, protecting the corresponding portions of the metallic surface thereunder from brush 22, while the sizing 14 and the surface portions not protected by the ink 20 are abraded by the brush. The surface is now characterized by a pattern of bright areas protected by the coating 20 and a complementary pattern of relatively duller areas as identified by the regions 23 in FIGS. 1 and 3A.

After the surface has been abraded as desired, it is cleaned, resulting in a configuration substantially as shown in FIG. 3A. The surface is then covered in its entirety with a protective lacquer coating 25. The lacquer protects the appearance of the surface, prevents oxidation and deterioration, and assures long life for the panel.

After the lacquer coating has been cured, several additional layers of transparent ink, such as layers 27 and 28, are applied as desired to the surface of the panel substantially in registration with the first layer 20. These additional layers are each individually cured, resulting in an embossed build up producing a surface which has an embossed feeling to the touch.

The build up also produces an optical illusion. The heavy layers of transparent ink produce lense like or optical effects in which the built up areas actually appear depressed while the abraded areas appear raised. The shifting light patterns against the substantially uni-colored background produce this effect since the eye cannot perceive or resolve the actual surface structure at ordinary viewing distances.

It is well known, of course, that with opaque materials bright areas appear to stand out while dark areas appear to recede. This effect also obtains with this invention, since the abraded areas, being duller, have a "whiter" appearance than the metallic areas. However, this effect is very much enhanced by the light patterns which result from the lense like action of the built up ink areas. The effect is an illusion of reversed depth, and may be enhanced by placing the layers 27 and 28 slightly out of registration with the layer 20.

As a specific example of the method and product of this invention, aluminum panels have been successfully prepared according to this invention by first polishing a surface thereof to a high luster and then roller coating a layer of size coating thereon. The size coating used was Lilly's No. 78 Size Coat, produced by Lilly Industrial Coatings, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind. The size coat was cured by baking at 275.degree.F for 20 minutes.

Next the transparent ink or emboss material was silk screened in the desired pattern over the size coating. The emboss material was a clear epoxy produced by the Naz-Dar Company, Chicago, Ill., and was cured by baking at 275.degree.F for 10 minutes.

After the surface was abraded and cleaned, the entire surface was roller coated with No. 447 clear epoxy lacquer, manufactured by the Egyptian Lacquer Manufacturing Company, Newark, N.J. The lacquer was baked at 275.degree.F for 10 minutes.

Two additional layers of transparent ink or emboss material of the same type as the first emboss layer were then silk screened as above, and the first additional layer was similarly cured. The last coating was baked at 300.degree.F for 20 minutes.

Variations may of course be made in performing this invention, without departing therefrom. As indicated, for example, the number of coats of material may be varied according to the final result desired. Similarly, color tinting material may be added to one or more of the sizing, lacquer, and/or emboss materials. With the appropriate choice of color configurations the effect of the optical illusion can be enhanced by means of color brightness contrasts, as discussed earlier. Powdered metals may also be used as long as the powder is fine enough to pass through the silk screen.

An appropriate method other than silk screening may be used to apply the emboss material to the panel. Similarly, the sizing and lacquer may be applied by other appropriate techniques, such as spray coating or curtain coating. As previously mentioned, the registration of successive ink emboss layers may be shifted, for example, from approximately three to five thousandths of an inch, to enhance the effect of the optical illusion while still keeping the emboss layers substantially in registration.

As may be seen, therefore, this invention has numerous advantages. In addition to being compatible with a wide variety of specific production designs, depending upon available equipment, convenience, and the particular application involved, the overall method is inexpensive and highly efficient. An almost infinite range of patterns and combinations may be obtained, and all produced on a common production line, if desired, with only nominal changes from one pattern to another. The end product itself is highly attractive and highly durable. The surface has a textured feel as well as appearance. The visual appearance of texturing is quite substantial due to the peculiar optical effects discussed above.

This invention thus provides a new and inexpensive method for abrading surfaces which method simultaneously yields a highly desirable optical effect in conjunction therewith. The invention thus enables the inexpensive fabrication of highly decorative and atrTRACTIVE textured panels.

While the process and product herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method and article, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for coating and texturing the surface of a substrate to produce a decorative pattern thereon, comprising:

a. applying a curable liquid transparent sizing to the surface,

b. curing said sizing,

c. applying a first coat of curable transparent ink onto certain selected areas on top of said sizing,

d. curing said first ink coat,

e. abrading the coated surface to remove said sizing in the areas not protected by said transparent ink,

f. cleaning the abraded surface,

g. applying a curable transparent lacquer coating over the surface including the remaining said sizing and ink coatings,

h. curing said lacquer coating,

i. applying at least one additional coat of curable transparent ink on top of said lacquer coating in the same pattern as said first ink coating and substantially in registration therewith, and

j. curing each said additional coating of transparent ink after the application thereof and before the application of a further said ink coating on top thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said sizing, lacquer, and transparent ink coats includes color tinting material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate is a metallic sheet, and further comprising the step of polishing said metallic sheet to a high luster prior to the application of said coat of transparent sizing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said curing steps is by baking.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said transparent ink coats are applied by silk screening.

6. The method of claim 1 where said sizing and lacquer materials are roller coated.

7. A method of coating and texturing a surface of a metallic sheet to produce a decorative pattern having an illusion of depth on the textured sheet surface, comprising:

a. polishing the surface of the metallic sheet to a high luster,

b. silk screening a first coat of transparent ink onto certain selected areas of said sheet surface in a predetermined pattern,

c. drying said first ink coat,

d. abrading said sheet to change the reflectance characteristics of said surface in the areas not protected by said transparent ink,

e. cleaning the surface,

f. coating said panel surface with a liquid transparent sealing coating, and

g. silk screening at least one additional coat of transparent ink on top of said sealing coating in the same pattern as said first ink coating and substantially in registration therewith.