The present disclosure relates to coated non-metallic substrates and coated metallic substrates and methods for producing such coated substrates. A variant of the method is characterized in that a mat or glossy coating is underneath a metallic layer obtained in some eases by way of vapor deposition and/or sputtering. In another variant, the metallic layer is sufficiently thin so that it remains transparent or translucent to visible light. The coated substrates may include multiple layers such as metallic layers, polysiloxane layers, a color layer, a conversion layer, a primer layer, and/or a transparent or colored layer. An application system for applying a metallic layer to at least one surface of a substrate may include a plasma generator and/or a corona system for treating one or more layers by plasma treatment and/or corona treatment.

An article (10), e.g. a casing, is disclosed as including a substrate (12) made of a metal or a metal alloy, such as stainless steel, and a coating (14) deposited on the substrate (12), the coating (14) including a base layer (16) of titanium (Ti) or chromium (Cr) doped with silicon (Si) or boron (B) deposited on the substrate (12), a transition layer (18) of titanium nitride (TiN) deposited on the base layer (16), and an outer decorative colored layer (20) deposited on the transition layer (18).

A sliding member including a coating film in a sliding surface on a base material. The coating film includes, when a cross section thereof is observed by a bright-field TEM image, a laminated part configured by laminating, in a thickness direction, repeating units including black hard carbon layers and white hard carbon layers and a surface layer part composed of a white hard carbon layer provided on the laminated part. A Vickers hardness of the black hard carbon layer is within a range of 700 to 1600 HV, a Vickers hardness of the white hard carbon layer is higher than a Vickers hardness of the black hard carbon layer adjacent thereto and within a range of 1200 to 2200 HV, and a Vickers hardness of the surface layer part is lower than the Vickers hardness of the white hard carbon layer and within a range of 800 to 1200 HV.

A method of applying a multi-color finish to a plumbing fixture includes depositing a first coating on the plumbing fixture; selectively applying a masking material in a graduated fashion over at least a portion of the first coating to define a gradient from a first portion of the plumbing fixture that is substantially completely covered by the masking material to a second portion of the plumbing fixture that has substantially no masking material; depositing a second coating over the masking material; and removing the masking material from the plumbing fixture such that the plumbing fixture has a surface finish including a transition region representing a gradual transition between the first coating and the second coating.

The present disclosure relates to a ceramic coloring method and a ceramic piece for electronic products. The ceramic coloring method comprises: providing a ceramic base material; plating, wherein an aluminum-containing metal film is plated on a surface of the ceramic base material; and coloring, wherein anodic oxidation coloring is performed to the aluminum-containing metal film. The electronic product ceramic piece comprises: a ceramic base material and an aluminum-containing metal film, the aluminum-containing metal film is plated on a surface of the ceramic base material, and the aluminum-containing metal film is colored by anodic oxidation. The ceramic coloring method and the ceramic piece for electronic product provided by the present disclosure are rich in colors and have a high-quality sample color effect.

A coated substrate includes a substrate having a glow-discharged surface; and a coating having a submicrometric layer thickness sputter deposited onto the substrate. The coating having a submicrometric layer thickness has a predetermined absorbance. The predetermined absorbance regulates an amount of light transmitted from a light source through the substrate from a first side to a second side of the substrate. The substrate is opaque on the second side of the substrate when the light source is deactivated on the first side of the substrate. The predetermined absorbance varies as a function of one or more controlled process parameters.

Metal substrates comprising a colored coating and/or a protective coating disposed on at least a surface of the substrate. The colored coating can include a metal oxide coating integrally bonded to the terminal and produced by heat tinting or a titanium nitride containing material. The protective coating is derived from a material comprising one or more of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, a superhydrophobic material, wherein the protective coating has a Scratch Resistance of at least about F, as determined by ASTM D336. Methods of making and using the coated metal substrates are also disclosed.

A plumbing fixture having a multi-color appearance includes a first portion including a first finish having a first appearance and a second portion including a second portion having a second appearance that differs from the first appearance. The plumbing fixture further includes a transition region between the first portion and the second portion, wherein the appearance of the third region is graduated from the first appearance to the second appearance between a first end of the transition region adjacent the first portion and a second end of the transition region adjacent the second portion. The plumbing fixture has an ombr? appearance as a result of the graduated transition between the first portion and the second portion.

A part includes a base material, a colored layer on the base material, and a surface layer on the colored layer, wherein the colored layer contains Zr, and optionally, C and/or N, a ratio (H.sub.Zr oxide/H.sub.Zr) of a peak height derived from Zr oxide (H.sub.Zr oxide) to a peak height of Zr (H.sub.Zr) at an interface of the colored layer on the side of the surface layer is more than 0 and less than 4.5, the interface is a point where Zr is detected by sputtering the part from the side of the surface layer with an XPS depth direction analysis, and the ratio (H.sub.Zr oxide/H.sub.Zr) at a point where Ar sputtering is performed for 5 minutes from the interface of the colored layer on the side of the surface layer with the XPS depth direction analysis is 0 to less than 3. The surface layer is water-repellent and exhibits a sputtering time of 5 minutes or less.

A method for producing a component with a predetermined gloss level, including the steps of: preparing a component with a metallic surface; producing a matte/glossy mixture by mixing glossy paint and matte paint in a predetermined mixing ratio; applying the matte/glossy mixture to the metallic surface of the component; and cross-linking the matte/glossy mixture.