Appliance manufacturers searching for ways to achieve product differentiation may find them in today’s nameplate and decorative trim techniques. Two such options are described here.
Doming
Doming is a technique that adds luster to nameplates while enhancing durability. As one manufacturer puts it, “Doming is a way to make a ten-cent part look like a million dollars.” Doming involves covering a plastic or metal plate or screen-printed label with clear epoxy or UV-cure resin to form a lens-like surface that gives the nameplate or logo beneath it an elegant look while protecting it from wear and tear.
Doming materials include two-part epoxies and single-component, UV-cure resins. Epoxies are commonly used for exterior applications like auto emblems because of their superior weather resistance, but can take a long time to cure. For appliances where the item will not be exposed to the elements, UV-cure resins that harden quickly under a UV light source can provide faster throughput.
Controlled application of the doming material is critical to the appearance of the finished piece. Enough resin must be applied so that the coating extends completely and evenly to the edge of the piece, but not so much that it runs over the edge. Once the correct resin volume has been determined, it needs to be repeated so that the coating thickness or “dome height” is the same on every part. Besides uniform product appearance, standardizing the resin deposit helps eliminate bottlenecks by assuring that the coating on each piece cures at the same rate.
EFD Inc., East Providence, R.I., offers two dispensing systems that help ensure a perfect coating on every nameplate. One system is designed for automated production lines, the other for benchtop processes in which resin is manually applied. Both systems operate on compressed air and electricity and use EFD’s timed-pulse technology to provide exact control over the amount of resin applied.
The 752V-SS system is designed for high-volume automated production lines and includes a precision dispense valve, valve controller, and pressurized resin tank. The amount of resin applied is determined by the pressure at which the resin is supplied to the valve, the length of the air pulse used to open the valve, and the gauge of the dispensing tip.
The 752V-SS dispense valve features a low-maintenance diaphragm design that has no seals to wear out or leak. It also features an adjustable stroke control that allows the user to increase the resin flow rate without increasing air pressure, thereby reducing the chance of bubbles ruining the coating. A clean cutoff at the end of the dispensing cycle prevents drips that could mar the finish.
Valve operation is controlled by an EFD VALVEMATE™ controller with a “teach” function that simplifies system setup. The controller’s microprocessor-based timer lets the user adjust valve open time in tenths, hundredths, or thousandths of a second, for accurate control of both coverage and dome height.
For benchtop applications where resin is applied by an operator, EFD’s 1500XL timed-pulse dispensing system will assure that the same amount of resin is applied to every piece. With the 1500XL, resin is applied from a disposable syringe that is connected to the dispenser console by a thin, flexible air line. Like the valve system, the 1500XL uses a teach function and microprocessor-based timer to control the volume of the resin. To apply the resin, the operator holds the syringe like a pen, places the tip in position, and presses an electric foot pedal to initiate the timed air pulse and dispense an identical amount of resin on every nameplate.
Deep-draw technology
Deep-draw technology enables designers of appliance-control consoles to realize soft shapes with the aesthetic appearance characteristics of aluminum. Until recently, most control consoles were made from folded aluminum or steel panels assembled with plastic end caps. The downside to this type of console are the seams, cracks, and gaps on the face that are difficult to clean and detract from appearance. Drawn panels move seams to the sides and rear of the console.
Market research on consoles conducted by Burke Inc. for American Trim, LLC, Lima, Ohio, has shown that 73 percent of consumers prefer drawn panels rather than flat folded panels with end caps. The leading preference attributes identified by consumers for drawn panels were cleanability (77 percent) and attractiveness (77 percent). Respondents also noted that the drawn-panel samples had no open spaces or cracks for grease and dirt.
Appearance of the coated aluminum substrate allows for higher gloss and depth of image (DOI) with American Trim coatings and processes. Gloss levels from 95 to 105 are typical with DOI readings in the 1990s. Market research indicates that high gloss is important to 76 percent of consumers tested, while high DOI is preferred by 72 percent.
A majority (77 percent) of consumers report that the drawn console is the one they would prefer to have in their kitchen or laundry room. Of those respondents, 33 percent indicated they would be willing to pay more for a drawn console if available.
Deep-drawn technology is a combination of American Trim Organo-Metallic pretreatment for aluminum substrates, engineered aluminum alloys, coatings technology, and forming technology.
American Trim can predecorate flat sheets of aluminum in high speed in-line graphic processors and then form the shape, while preserving coating performance. Drawn panels are more expensive than folded console panels. However, the total system cost of console assemblies is less when component and assembly labor savings are factored into the cost model.
American Trim, LLC, is a partnership formed between Superior Metal Products, Lima, Ohio, and Alcoa, Pittsburgh, an aluminum products supplier. This partnership merged Stolle Products, Sidney, Ohio, into the family of Superior Metal Products companies. The synergy of these two companies in decorative technologies for aluminum enabled American Trim to accelerate development and production of differentiated control panel shapes.
