Claims:
1. A method of producing a printed glass comprising of the following procedures:
a. a float glass of 2mm to 12 mm thickness is cleaned with caustic soda, water and spirit solution (101).
b. Polyester urethane of 30-micron thickness is applied on one side of the glass and placed for baking up to 260-degree Celsius for three and a half hours and rested (102).
c. Then it is placed on pressing unit of 100-ton capacity (103). The transferable pigment sheet and over it a heat resistant Teflon cloth sheet (104) will be kept on top of the polymer surface 20 minutes at optimum pressure and temperature. Once glass is returned to room temperature the Teflon cloth and transferable sheet are removed.
d. The glass is placed for baking again with 55 microns of polyester urethane at 280-degree Celsius for 2 hours (106).
2. The method of producing a printed glass as claimed in claim 1, wherein the float glass can be a regular glass of very high quality with no aberrations or surface contamination.
3. The method of producing a printed glass as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine operated process consists of designs pigment which are transferred to glass surface through various steps at the right the right temperature and correct electrical settings.
, Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention comes under the field of digital printing process, more specifically to the macromolecular coating using polymers on substrates including glass. In our invention, a substrate which is a glass is coated with a heat transferable pigment at a particular temperature following certain procedures, thereby resulting in a highly customised, designed product of better quality and durability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
background, definitions, existing patents, differences, limitations, what is different in our present system
our present system offers is a low-cost solution to obtain
The art of glass making has been known since the olden ages, with different methods of making, designing glass for architectural and aesthetic purposes. Mixing colours in glass, etching, staining, lacquering are various forms of incorporating colours and designs in glasses in the olden days. With changing technologies and ever innovative discoveries, the art of incorporating designs onto glass has evolved.
There are different types of glasses based on how they are manufactured and the different technical work incorporated; for example, there are float glasses, plate glasses, tempered glasses, laminated glasses, bullet-proof glasses, sheet glasses, etc. Float glasses are manufactured by “floating” the molten liquid glass composition over a bed of molten tin. Then it is passed over to a conveyor system of air or ceramic rollers, it slowly cools and forms a long band of solidified glass that can be cut. Laminated glass on the other hand is sandwiching a thin sheet of lamination between two or glass pieces, for improving the security of the glass. Tempered glass is heating glass to high temperatures and colling it down rapidly, thereby tempering it, so that it is stronger and holds down instead of braking into shards when broken, thereby increasing the safety.
One type of printing designs onto glass involves sticking or laminating a design over the glass surface. But as glass is essentially a non-crystalline, amorphous solid, the adhesive quality of the design is highly dependent on the chemicals used as the design colours and the adhesive material used to stick the design over the glass substrate. This method is not very effective as sometimes wavy effect is seen due to changes in climatic temperatures, and this method is not long-lasting as its prone to blistering or cracking and peeling off, resulting in reducing the glass and surrounding aesthetics and functionality.
Developments in this area include altering the chemical composition of the glass, addition of polycarbonates or other chemicals, different adhesive materials and compositions and innovations in the ink material. But such changes do result in changes in the overall nature of the glass.
Some patents which involve glass designs have been discussed below:
The patent US10611677B2 - Method for producing a coated substrate, planar substrate, comprising at least two layers applied by means of heating, and the use of the coated substrate, relates to a method of producing a panel like, double-sided coated substrate. The panel like substrate includes at least two layers applied by heating, the first layer being applied on a first side of the substrate and having at least a glass component and structure-forming particles, the particles producing elevations on the first layer, and the softening temperature or the melting temperature of the particles being greater than the softening temperature of the glass component, and the second layer being applied on a second side of the substrate.
The patent JP2012522713A -Glass article relates to a a glass article having improved ink adhesion. The glass article includes a glass plate, an adhesive layer provided on at least a part of the glass plate and the adhesive layer. An ink layer for forming an image provided on at least a part of the ink; the adhesive layer includes an acrylic resin. The inventive method of implementing a UV curable ink includes the additional step of curing the ink by exposing the ink to ultraviolet light. This curing step can be performed continuously after ink deposition.
These patents provide different methods of increasing the ink adhesion to the glass. In our invention, we provide a simpler effective way of printing digital designs on float glasses by following specific procedures and temperature conditions.
OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION
The main objective of our invention is to provide high quality, long lasting digital printed glasses which can be customised for individual preferences for aesthetic, construction and other purposes. The secondary objective of our invention is to enable long lasting imprinting of digital designs on high quality glasses at a particular temperature by following a set of procedures to prevent the cracking/peeling of the design and to prevent breakability of the glass.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following summary is provided to facilitate a clear understanding of the new features in the disclosed embodiment and it is not intended to be a full, detailed description. A detailed description of all the aspects of the disclosed invention can be understood by reviewing the full specification, the drawing and the claims and the abstract, as a whole.
The major problem addressed by the invention is towards the development of a printed glass which is long lasting and aesthetically unique and customisable. In our invention, a float glass of 2mm to 12 mm thickness is cleaned with caustic soda and washed. Spirit solution is used to wipe to ensure that glass is very clean for processing. One side of the glass surface is applied with polyester urethane 30 micron and placed for baking to 260-degreeCelsius reach ability for three and a half hours for soaking. Then it is taken out and rested for an hour and mildly buffed. Further it is placed on pressing unit of 100-ton capacity. Polymer based surface is kept on the upper side of the glass. The transferable pigment sheet will be kept on top of the polymer surface. And over it a heat resistant Teflon cloth sheet is placed. This setup is kept for 20 minutes at optimum pressure and temperature. After removing, it is placed for cooling off. Once glass is returned to room temperature the Teflon cloth and transferable sheet are removed. The glass is checked and inspected for any damages and placed for baking again with 55 microns of polyester urethane at 280-degree Celsius for 2 hours on the same surface over which the design was applied previously and heated again. After further cooling down and inspection, the product is deemed ready for commercial use.