Surface coating for high-quality white and / or grayware

Abstract

A surface coating for high-grade white and/or gray goods, i.e. items for domestic, sanitary and/or automotive use, in particular housing elements of corresponding devices and machines, as well as decoration, for example those housing elements which specifically have metallic applications and/or elements is disclosed. The surface coating is applied on a metallic or metalized surface structure and has hydrophobic property and/or oleophobic property. The surface coating is defined by a thickness which is less than a structure depth of the surface structure. The height of the surface roughness of the surface structure can thus extend significantly beyond the thickness of the surface coating, so that the surface structure promotes blurring of undesired residues in a kind of intrinsic capillary/channeling effect. Because of the blurring the contour of a soiling is obscured until finally it becomes wholly indistinguishable.

Claims

1. A surface coating on a metallic or metalized surface structure, said surface coating comprising at least one property selected from the group consisting of hydrophobic property and oleophobic property, said surface coating defined by a thickness which is less than a structure depth of the surface structure.

2. The surface coating of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the surface coating is smaller approximately by a factor of 10 than a roughness of the surface structure.

3. The surface coating of claim 1, comprising an anti-fingerprint property.

4. The surface coating of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the surface coating is less than 400 nm.

5. The surface coating of claim 1, comprising a refractive index which lies in a range between 1.4 and 1.5.

6. The surface coating of claim 1, comprising a surface energy which lies in a range between 10 and 30 mN/m.

7. A substrate, comprising: a surface structure defined by a roughness which lies in a range of Ra=1-100 μm; and a surface coating applied upon the surface structure and having at least one property selected from the group consisting of hydrophobic property and oleophobic property, said surface coating defined by a thickness which is less than a structure depth of the surface structure.

8. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the substrate is metallic or metalized.

9. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the roughness lies in a range of Ra=5-20 μm.

10. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the thickness of the surface coating is smaller approximately by a factor of 10 than the roughness of the surface structure.

11. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the surface coating has an anti-fingerprint property.

12. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the thickness of the surface coating is less than 400 nm.

13. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the surface coating has a refractive index which lies in a range between 1.4 and 1.5.

14. The substrate of claim 7, wherein the surface coating has a surface energy which lies in a range between 10 and 30 mN/m.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0032] NONE

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] NONE

[0034] While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with currently preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and practical application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

[0035] What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents of the elements recited therein: