AU753092B2 - Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly - Google Patents
Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly Download PDFInfo
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- AU753092B2 AU753092B2 AU51770/01A AU5177001A AU753092B2 AU 753092 B2 AU753092 B2 AU 753092B2 AU 51770/01 A AU51770/01 A AU 51770/01A AU 5177001 A AU5177001 A AU 5177001A AU 753092 B2 AU753092 B2 AU 753092B2
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- Australia
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- layer
- coating
- application
- lacquer
- gloss
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Description
Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly This is a Divisional Application divided out of Australian Patent Application number 32416/97, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention concerns a process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, in particular of vehicle wheels and rims. The process is used preferably for the coating of light metal wheels to produce a metallic sheen on these. The process could be equally used for vehicle parts which are used both internally or externally. Furthermore, this process can also be used for utility articles in the most various fields of application to achieve a special visual effect or to improve their properties as well as to provide protection against corrosion. These are, for example, housings for apparatuses or instruments The subject matter of the invention is also a vehicle part produced in accordance with the process, preferably a vehicle wheel.
It is known to provide such articles, particularly vehicle "'.wheels, with a lacquer coating system to protect them against corrosion (G 81 03 758 Ul). A pigmented covering lacquer layer is applied to a cathodically deposited electrophoretic base layer, which covering layer is hardened by means of electron beams. Onto this layer a further covering lacquer layer of clear lacquer is applied, which is also hardened by means of electron beams. The disadvantage of this is that metallic bright colours can be produced only under certain conditions.
It is known to produce coloured coatings on light metal wheels (EP 0 525 867 Al). For this purpose a two-layer system is applied, wherein both layers are lacquer layers. The first layer is a lacquer containing the basic colour, and the second layer consist of a transparent lacquer containing mica pigments. The disadvantage of this is that no real metallic brightness is achieved with this, it is only imitated by the pigmentation.
W:\MaryOI DavinDivisionalsDIV32416.DOC 4 It is generally known to deposit layers having different colour and brightness effects on articles by using vacuum coating, in particular magnetron pulverisation.
The articles to be coated are arranged in a vacuum chamber opposite one or several targets, which consist of the material or one component of the layer to be deposited. Between the target and the articles a gas discharge is ignited in such a manner that a plasma is produced and dust-like particles are removed from the target. As target materials metals, metal alloys or metal compounds are used. However, metal compounds can also be deposited by reactive magnetron pulverisation, wherein the metal is pulverised and a reactive gas, like, for example, 02,, N 2 is introduced additionally into the vacuum 15 chamber. By means of an appropriate selection of the material, possibly in conjunction with a processing gas, the layers can be produced with different colours.
In order to protect the layers pulverised in this manner against light corrosion and being damaged by mechanical wear, hard and wear-resistant layers are deposited as a covering layer on the metallic bright layers by using the PVD and CVD processes. The disadvantage of metallic bright coatings protected in this manner is that this protection is inadequate 25 for high mechanical and corrosive stresses, to which vehicle wheels, for example, are subjected. In addition, the production of the protective coatings is expensive.
It would be desirable to produce a process for bright coating of parts, preferably of parts for vehicles, in particular of wheels for vehicles, with which a multiplicity of various metallic bright colour tints can be produced on their surfaces or in areas of same. The coating should be carried out preferably on vehicle wheels made of metal, particularly of light metal alloys, and then preferably on their visible surfaces. The bright coating should also be corrosion resistant and be able to withstand high mechanical loads like abrasion and being hit by stones as is the case, for example, of vehicle wheels. The process and the parts manufactured and coated by using it should be ale to be carried out in a cost-effective manner.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, in particular of vehicle wheels, by applying a coating system, including the following stages of the process: mechanical smoothening of the surface, application of a chromate coating, application of a corrosion-retardant, smooth lacquer base layer, application, in vacuum, of a high-gloss layer made of metal, a metal alloy or a metal compound by means of a magnetron, application of a transparent, wear-resistant cover layer from lacquer.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, in particular of vehicle wheels, by applying a coating system, including the following stages of the process: mechanical smoothening of the surface, application of a chromate coating, 20 application of a powder lacquer layer, application of a corrosion-retardant lacquer base layer, S application, in vacuum, of a high-gloss layer made of metal, a metal alloy or a metal compound by means of a magnetron, application of a transparent, wear-resistant cover layer from lacquer.
W:\MaryO\Davin\Specil51770-01.DOC Preferably, the cover layer is applied onto the high-gloss coating by a CVD process.
Before the application of the high-gloss layer a pre-treatment in vacuum may be carried out, preferably by heating and/or etching in an inert or reactive plasma.
Before the application of the high-gloss layer a pre-treatment in vacuum may be carried out by applying an adhesion-promoting layer.
Preferably, the high-gloss layer is applied by DC application or pulse-magnetron application in an inert or reactive gas atmosphere.
Preferably, as reactive gas a gas or gas mixture, preferably 02, N 2 or lowmolecular hydrocarbon are used.
Preferably, the parts to be coated are moved during the application of the highgloss layer relative to the targets of the magnetron.
Preferably, the brightness of the part to be coated is set by adding pigments to 20 the transparent cover lacquer layer.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coated part, made of metal or metal alloy, in particular of light metal with a coating system as described above, wherein the coating system is applied at least to the 25 visible areas of the part and that the coating system comprises at least one corrosion-retardant, smooth lacquer layer, a high-gloss layer from a metal, a metal alloy or metal compound and a transparent, wear-resistant cover layer from g a lacquer.
Preferably, underneath the high-gloss layer an adhesion-promoting coating is applied.
W:\MaryO\Davin\SpecA5177O-O1 DOC Preferably, underneath the lacquer base layer a chromate coating is applied.
Preferably, between the chromate coating and the lacquer base layer a powder lacquer layer is applied.
Preferably the lacquer base layer is a progress-optimised powder baking lacquer having a thickness of 100 [tm to 500 jim, preferably 30 m to 300 jm.
Preferably, the high-gloss coating has a thickness of 10 nm to 5 jim, preferably 100 nm to 500 nm.
The high-gloss coating may be a compound of titanium-aluminium-nitrogen.
The high-gloss coating may be a compound of zirconium-aluminium-nitrogen.
The high-gloss coating may be a compound of titanium-zirconium-nitrogen.
Preferably, the cover layer is an organic/inorganic compound, preferably ormocer, having a thickness of 0.5 jim to 20 jim, preferably 2 pm to 5 pim.
Preferably, the cover lacquer layer is an organic layer on acrylate or polyurethane or epoxy resin base having a thickness of 1 jm to 100 jim, preferably 20 jm to jm.
25 According to the invention the bright coating of parts, particularly of vehicle wheels, preferably their visible areas, is produced by combining several layers. In an embodiment in the first stage of the process a corrosion-retardant, smooth base lacquer coating from, for example, a progress-optimised powder baking W:MaryO\Davin\Divisionals\DIV32416.DOC lacquer or a sputter-lacquer is applied in a known manner. Following this, in a second stage of the process, a high-gloss coating Is deposited on the coated parts in a vacuum chamber by magnetron application, with a thickness of 10 nm to 5 pm, preferably 100 nm to 500 nm. The high-gloss coating is produced, depending on the colour tint, by a metal, a metal alloy or a metal compound. The type of the magnetron application to be used is determined by the colour tint of the high-gloss coating to be obtained and the coating material, i.e. the target material, used. Basic versions are the reactive application of the target from the coating material by introducing a reactive gas or a reactive gas mixture, e.g. 02,
N
2 low molecular hydrocarbons, or the non-reactive application, DC application or pulse-magnetron pulverisation, wherein the electric energy is supplied in a pulsating manner. Furthermore, one or more targets may be used, wherein in the case of several targets these are preferably connected alternating as anode and cathode.
Particularly advantageous for the production of a high-gloss coating, consisting of a multi-component compound, e.g. titanium-aluminium-nitride, is the reactive pulse-magnetron sputtering, known per se, for which purpose simple targets of the metals, titanium and aluminium are used in a reactive 0 o *o W:\MaryO\Davin\Spect \1770-01.DOC nitrogen atmosphere. The pulse-magnetron sputtering allows on the one hand a stable, reliable and reproducible process management, which is not feasible with other coating processes due to the frequently occurring electric arcing. On the other hand the composition of the coating and consequently the colour of the bright layer for the targets of the two different metals can be adjusted and kept constant in a wide range by purely electrical means, namely the setting of the pulse to the pause times.
In a subsequent stage of the process a transparent, wearresistant cover layer is applied in a known manner to the highgloss layer. This cover layer, with a thickness of 0.5 pm to 100 gm, consists of an acrylate or polyurethane or epoxy resin base or of an organic/inorganic compound, preferably ormocer.
.o It has been found that only by combining two known stages of the process of applying lacquer following the pulverisation of one layer in vacuum is a coating system produced which satisfies the high demands placed on visual impression and protection against corrosion.
An advantageous way to carry out the bright coating takes place so that the surface of the parts, particularly those areas which are to be coated, are mechanically polished before applying the corrosion-retardant, bright base lacquer layer, with a subsequent application of a chromate layer.
S Furthermore, according to a further development of the process it is advantageous to apply a powder lacquer layer after the chromate layer and before the corrosion-retardant basic lacquer layer.
An advantageous development of the process is also one wherein the lacquer cover layer, as the last one of the coating system, is applied to the high-gloss layer by a CVD process.
Thus coatings with visually decorative properties are produced by magnetron application which cannot be produced with conventional lacquering processes as far as colour and brightness are concerned. The colour tints, which can be produced in a great range, are metallic bright, i.e. the metallising is not imitated by corresponding pigmentation. The colour palette extends from dark and light silver, through gold, reddish brown up to purple. The titanium-aluminium-nitrogen system has proved itself as a particularly advantageous one. With this system alone a large number of colour tints can be produced. However, other systems, e.g. zirconium-aluminium-nitrogen and titanium-zirconium-nitrogen can also be used to produce further colour tints. Further colour tints can be achieved by using copper or brass.
Moreover, the application of the high-gloss coating by means of magnetron application is simple and cost-effective. A good, all-round covering of threedimensional complicated parts is achieved, which cannot be achieved with other vacuum coating processes, like electron beam vapourising, arc vapourising, boat vapourising or ion coating.
A further advantage is that with the process according to the invention the 20 relatively sensitive high-gloss coating is protected against great loads and environmental influences also, e.g. agairist caustic and acidic attacks. The elasticity of the relatively thick lacquer base and cover layers contributes greatly to the dampening of strong mechanical effects, like being hit by stones or abrasion. In addition, with the lacquer base layer a protection against the 25 corrosion of the parts to be coated is achieved and surface roughnesses, like the ones occurring, for example, in forged or cast light metal wheels, are compensated for. By virtue of this a smooth surface is obtained for the subsequent coating with the high-gloss layer and the adhesive property of this layer is improved.
ITn 1 W:lrOtai pc 700 .DOC By adding additives to the transparent cover lacquer layer it is possible to set additionally a targeted brightness of the bright coating, so that several stages of brightness can be achieved corresponding to the aesthetic and fashion requirements.
Further advantageous developments of the invention are that before the application of the lacquer base layer a mechanical polishing of the surface to be coated is carried out. In addition, the adhesive properties of the high-gloss layer is improved if, before the application of this coating a pretreatment is carried out by heating and/or etching in an inert or reactive gas plasma or by applying an adhesion-promoting layer.
In case of light metal wheels it is an advantage to coat only the visible areas instead of the entire surface. This will also reduce the coating costs.
The process for high-gloss coating can be used for the coating of parts made of steel, light metals, like, for example, magnesium, aluminium as well as their alloys, and also of plastic materials. The vehicle parts produced from these materials are, for example, housings for mirrors, vent grilles, radiator grilles, door handles, actuating knobs, parts of the instrument panel and the like. All interior and exterior parts of the vehicle can be provided with a bright coating. These .2 parts may be castings, die cast parts or parts combined from plastic and sheet metal. When coating plastic parts the special conditions for their coating needs to be observed by adapting the process parameters to suit, especially when pulverising the high-gloss layer and for the possible included corona cleaning.
The invention is explained in detail on an embodiment, with several versions. A vehicle wheel made of a light metal alloy of Al, Mg, Ti should receive a bright coating of purple mainly in the region of the rim spider. For this purpose the vehicle wheel, after having been polished mechanically, is coated in a first stage of the process in a known manner with a powder baking lacquer, optimised for the process.
Subsequently, in a second stage of the process, the vehicle wheel is introduced into a vacuum chamber in such a manner that the external side of the vehicle wheel will be situated against two targets of the magnetron application sources provided in the vacuum chamber. One target is from aluminium and one from titanium. After the vacuum chamber has been evacuated, argon is introduced into the vacuum chamber and in this inert gas atmosphere a corona discharge is ignited. The application of the high-gloss layer is carried out in a known manner by pulse-magnetron application. On this occasion the aluminium and the titanium target are charged with a frequency of 10 kHz alternating as the anode and the cathode of the corona discharge. The total power supplied to the targets is kW. Additionally 80 cm 3 nitrogen is introduced into the vacuum chamber as reactive gas, so that a working pressure of 200 Pa is produced. To obtain a uniform coating, the vehicle wheel is rotated while being coated about its axis of symmetry. In a coating time of 3 minutes a purple, 200 nm thick high-gloss layer is deposited on the vehicle wheel.
":In a third stage of the process, a polyurethane based cover lacquer layer is applied subsequently in a known manner to the high-gloss layer, with a thickness of 30 pm.
25 If the part, in this example the vehicle wheel, is made of magnesium, it would be advantageous to carry out the mechanical polishing as the so called smooth grinding before the application of the coating system. This stage of the process may, however, be advantageous also for parts made of another material for the purpose of removing impurities off the surface which would otherwise have a deleterious effect on the quality of the coating.
W:MaryOlDavinSpecl51770-01.DOC The above process can be usefully carried out also so that after the mechanical polishing a chromate layer is applied as a first layer and onto this a powder lacquer layer.
The chromate layer is applied preferably chemically and its main purpose is to act as a corrosion-retardant, whereby the lacquer base coating as additional corrosion-retardant layer may have a diminished effect. The powder lacquer layer forms a plastic resistance against external influences, like, in case of vehicle wheels, being hit by stones.
*oo
Claims (22)
1. A process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, in particular of vehicle wheels, by applying a coating system, including the following stages of the process: mechanical smoothening of the surface, application of a chromate coating, application of a corrosion-retardant, smooth lacquer base layer, application, in vacuum, of a high-gloss layer made of metal, a metal alloy or a metal compound by means of a magnetron, application of a transparent, wear-resistant cover layer from lacquer.
2. A process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, in particular of vehicle wheels, by applying a coating system, including the following stages of the process: mechanical smoothening of the surface, application of a chromate coating, application of a powder lacquer layer, application of a corrosion-retardant lacquer base layer, 20 application, in vacuum, of a high-gloss layer made of metal, a metal alloy or a metal compound by means of a magnetron, application of a transparent, wear-resistant cover layer from lacquer. l *l W:\MaryO\DavinlSpecl5177001 .DOC
3. A process according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the cover layer is applied onto the high-gloss coating by a CVD process.
4. A process according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein before the application of the high-gloss layer a pre-treatment in vacuum is carried out, preferably by heating and/or etching in an inert or reactive plasma.
A process according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein before the application of the high-gloss layer a pre-treatment in vacuum is carried out by applying an adhesion-promoting layer.
6. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the high-gloss layer is applied by DC application or pulse-magnetron application in an inert or reactive gas atmosphere.
7. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein as reactive gas a gas or gas mixture, preferably 02, N 2 or low-molecular hydrocarbon are used.
8. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the parts to be 20 coated are moved during the application of the high-gloss layer relative to the targets of the magnetron.
9. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the brightness of *the part to be coated is set by adding pigments to the transparent cover lacquer 25 layer.
10. A coated part, made of metal or metal alloy, in particular of light metal, with a coating system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the coating system is applied at least to the visible areas of the part and that the coating system includes at least one corrosion-retardant, smooth lacquer layer, a high- sgloss layer from a metal, a metal alloy or metal compound and a transparent, S wear-resistant cover layer from a lacquer. W:\MaryO\Davin\Spec\51770-01.DOC
11. A coated part according to claim 10, wherein underneath the high-gloss layer an adhesion-promoting coating is applied.
12. A coated part according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein underneath the lacquer base layer a chromate coating is applied.
13. A coated part according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein between the chromate coating and the lacquer base layer a powder lacquer layer is applied.
14. A coated part according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the lacquer base layer is a progress-optimised powder baking lacquer having a thickness of 100 [tm to 500 pm, preferably 30 j.m to 300 pm.
15. gloss oo o go o*
16. gloss
17. gloss A coated part according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the high- coating has a thickness of 10 nm to 5 jpm, preferably 100 nm to 500 nm. A coated part according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the high- coating is a compound of titanium-aluminium-nitrogen. A coated part according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the high- coating is a compound of zirconium-aluminium-nitrogen.
18. A coated part according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the high- gloss coating is a compound of titanium-zirconium-nitrogen.
19. A coated part according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the cover layer is an organic/inorganic compound, preferably organic/inorganic hybrid polymer, having a thickness of 0.5 uim to 20 mrn, preferably 2 upm to 5 jpm.
W:\MaryO\Davin\Specl\51770-01.DOC A coated part according to any one of claims 10 to 19, wherein the cover lacquer layer is an organic layer on acrylate or polyurethane or epoxy resin base having a thickness of 1 to 100 pmrn, preferably 20 pm to 30 pm.
21. A process for bright coating of parts according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein described.
22. A coated part according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein described. DATED: 22 July 2002 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: DR. ING. h.c.F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT S So *S W:MaryO\Davin\Spec\51770-01 .DOC
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU51770/01A AU753092B2 (en) | 1996-07-31 | 2001-06-06 | Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE19630818 | 1996-07-31 | ||
| DE19702566 | 1997-01-24 | ||
| AU51770/01A AU753092B2 (en) | 1996-07-31 | 2001-06-06 | Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly |
Related Parent Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU32416/97A Division AU3241697A (en) | 1996-07-31 | 1997-07-31 | Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| AU5177001A AU5177001A (en) | 2001-08-23 |
| AU753092B2 true AU753092B2 (en) | 2002-10-10 |
Family
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU51770/01A Ceased AU753092B2 (en) | 1996-07-31 | 2001-06-06 | Process for bright coating of parts, preferably for vehicles, particularly of vehicle wheels and part coated accordingly |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU753092B2 (en) |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4131530A (en) * | 1977-07-05 | 1978-12-26 | Airco, Inc. | Sputtered chromium-alloy coating for plastic |
| US5290625A (en) * | 1992-05-22 | 1994-03-01 | Davidson Textron Inc. | System for making bright aluminum parts |
-
2001
- 2001-06-06 AU AU51770/01A patent/AU753092B2/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4131530A (en) * | 1977-07-05 | 1978-12-26 | Airco, Inc. | Sputtered chromium-alloy coating for plastic |
| US5290625A (en) * | 1992-05-22 | 1994-03-01 | Davidson Textron Inc. | System for making bright aluminum parts |
| US5384161A (en) * | 1992-05-22 | 1995-01-24 | Davidson Textron Inc. | System for making bright aluminum parts |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU5177001A (en) | 2001-08-23 |
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