CASE STUDY 29
PLACE

AICHI METAL

OVERVIEW

Technology Case Study

Black finish with thermal-sprayed pearskin.

We apply thermal spraying technology to our coatings. The purpose of this is to prevent corrosion of steel materials and to create an uneven surface, which is then coated to prevent the paint film from peeling off. This process has already become one of our basic technologies because of the unique texture it produces. However, this is only as a base coat. Therefore, we have continued to search for a way to go one step further, to achieve decorative treatment on the thermal sprayed substrate itself, and to use it as a "finished component" as well. This is because the pear-shaped surface unique to thermal spraying has an indescribable taste, and many of our clients prefer this finish. Ironically, however, it is also this nashiji that has prevented the development of such a finish. So we have been experimenting with every possible treatment agent to see if we could create a decorative finish. As a result, we developed a method to convert the thermal sprayed material into a black finish. This allows us to achieve a black leather-like color as a surface treatment for materials that used to be bright silver after thermal spraying.

Demonstration tests were conducted with the final two companies' products.

We eventually arrived at the point where we were using treatments from two different companies and were able to derive significant results on both sides. After further research, we concluded that the difference between the blackest finish and the least black finish is due to the anti-corrosion function contained in the treatment agent itself. Naturally, since durability is required for the finishing process, we have found that these effects are similar for other products as well. On the other hand, since we want the final decorative treatment to look the way we want it to look, we have found that it is difficult to control the finish with products that are available on the market, or with the finishing agents used for the final product in the first place. We are continuing to communicate with the manufacturers of these finishing agents, and together with the progress we have made in acquiring technology that allows us to control the finishing to some extent, we are now making a significant contribution to creating a richer metal look.