Techniques for coating articles to have the appearance of wood, leather or other naturally occurring materials
US5413814A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 15, 1994 |
| Grant date | May 9, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 15, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB44F9/12
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Articles, such as plastic parts, having the appearance of a naturally-occurring material such as wood or leather are formed by the techniques of (1) providing a plurality of grooves in a surface of the article, (2) applying a surfactant to the surface of the article, and (3) applying one or more color solutions to the surface of the article. The article may be a solid substrate, a part or a film. A topcoat is preferably applied to the surface of the article. The techniques include controlling movement of an applicator implement for applying the surfactant and color solutions to the surface of the substrate, and controlling movement of a saturator tool for modifying and synthesizing the surfactant and color solutions on the surface of the part and permeating the surfactant and color solutions into the plurality of grooves.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.