阅读说明：本技术 具有纹理化表面的制品及其制造方法 (Article having textured surface and method of making same ) 是由 M·W·芬顿 金宇辉 T·J·基克辛斯基 于 2018-11-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：制品(100)包括：基材(102)；布置在基材的第一主表面(104)上的第一层(112),其中,根据ASTM D3359-17所述的划格粘附测试,第一层与基材的粘附大于或等于4B；以及布置在第一层上的至少一层墨层(118),其表面粗糙度Ra大于或等于50nm从而提供纹理化表面。还公开了一种制品(100’),其包括基材(102),所述基材(102)具有布置在第一主表面(104)上的涂层(110’),其中,根据ASTM D3359-17所述的划格粘附测试,涂层与基材的粘附大于或等于4B,根据ASTM D3363-05(2001)e2所述的铅笔测试,涂层的度量硬度大于或等于4H,以及根据ASTM D3363-05(2001)e2所述的铅笔测试,涂层的划痕硬度大于或等于3H。(The article (100) comprises: a substrate (102); a first layer (112) disposed on the first major surface (104) of the substrate, wherein the first layer has an adhesion to the substrate of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17; and at least one ink layer (118) disposed on the first layer, having a surface roughness Ra greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface. Also disclosed is an article (100 ') comprising a substrate (102), the substrate (102) having disposed on a first major surface (104) a coating (110'), wherein the coating has an adhesion to the substrate of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test described in ASTM D3359-17, a coating having a metric hardness of greater than or equal to 4H according to the pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2001) e2, and a coating having a scratch hardness of greater than or equal to 3H according to the pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2001) e 2.)

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface;

a first layer disposed on the first major surface, wherein the first layer has an adhesion to a substrate of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17; and

at least one ink layer disposed on the first layer, wherein a surface roughness Ra of the at least one ink layer is greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the at least one ink layer has a metric hardness of greater than or equal to 4H according to the pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

3. The article of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one ink layer has a scratch hardness of greater than or equal to 3H according to the pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

4. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein no powder coating is disposed on the at least one ink layer.

5. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first layer is a first pattern that does not completely cover the first surface.

6. The article of claim 5, wherein the at least one ink layer is a second pattern that is the same as the first pattern.

7. The article of claim 5, wherein the at least one ink layer comprises a first ink layer applied to a first portion of the first pattern and a second ink layer applied to a second portion of the first pattern.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein the first and second ink layers are different colors.

9. The article of claim 7 or 8, wherein the first ink layer and the second ink layer have different surface roughness Ra.

10. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first layer comprises a silicone resin component.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the silicone resin component comprises a silsesquioxane component.

12. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first layer is an ink.

13. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one ink layer has at least one of the following properties: (i) a 60 degree gloss of 1% to 80%; (ii) a reflection haze of 20 degrees of 1% to 100%; or (iii) an adhesion to the first layer of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17.

14. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate comprises one of: glass, glass ceramic and polymeric materials.

15. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface;

a coating disposed on the first major surface, wherein the coating adheres to the substrate greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17; the coating has a metric hardness greater than or equal to 4H according to the pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2; and the scratch hardness of the coating is greater than or equal to 3H according to the pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the coating has a thickness of at least 5 μ ι η and a surface roughness Ra of greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface.

17. The article of claim 15 or 16, wherein no powder coating is disposed on the coating.

18. The article of any one of claims 15-17, wherein the coating is a first pattern that does not completely cover the first surface.

19. The article of any one of claims 15-17, wherein the coating is a first pattern that completely covers the first surface.

20. The article of any one of claims 15-19, wherein the coating comprises a silicone resin component.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein the silicone resin component comprises a silsesquioxane component.

22. The article of any one of claims 15-21, wherein the coating is an ink.

23. The article of any one of claims 15-22, wherein the substrate comprises one of: glass, glass ceramic and polymeric materials.

24. A consumer electronic product, comprising:

a housing having a front surface, a back surface, and side surfaces;

an electronic assembly at least partially provided within the housing, the electronic assembly including at least a controller, a memory, and a display, the display being provided at or adjacent to the front surface of the housing; and

a cover substrate disposed over the display,

wherein at least one of a portion of the housing or the cover substrate comprises the article of any one of the preceding claims.

25. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 24, wherein the first major surface of the article faces a user of the consumer electronic product.

26. A method for producing a textured surface, the method comprising:

applying a first layer to a first surface of a substrate such that the first layer adheres to the substrate greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17; and

applying at least one ink layer to the first layer, wherein the at least one ink layer has a surface roughness Ra of greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first layer applied is a first pattern that does not completely cover the first surface.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one applied ink layer is in a second pattern that is the same as the first pattern.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one ink layer includes a first ink layer applied to a first portion of the first pattern and a second ink layer applied to a second portion of the first pattern.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first and second ink layers are different colors.

31. The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein the first ink layer and the second ink layer have different surface roughness Ra.

32. The method of any one of claims 26-31, wherein the at least one ink layer has at least one of: (i) a 60 degree gloss of 1% to 80%; (ii) a reflection haze of 20 degrees of 1% to 100%; or (iii) an adhesion to the first layer of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17.

33. The method of any one of claims 26-32, wherein the substrate comprises one of: glass, glass ceramic and polymeric materials.

34. A method, comprising:

applying a coating to a first surface of a substrate such that the coating adheres to the substrate greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17,

wherein the coating has: a hardness of 4H or more as measured by the pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e2 and a scratch hardness of 3H or more as measured by the pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the coating is at least 5 μ ι η thick and has a surface roughness Ra greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface.

Background

The present disclosure relates to articles having an improved textured surface on a substrate and methods for providing an improved textured surface on a substrate to provide tactile features on a substrate, such as for consumer articles.

As consumer sophistication continues to develop and increase, the importance of aesthetic features (e.g., tactile and visual features), particularly the integration of form and function, also increases. This is more evident in the consumer electronics field than anywhere else, such as the design of mobile electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, smart phones, tablets, tablet phones, laptops, etc.). Although having relatively comparable functional characteristics, in many cases, consumer electronic devices that exhibit some enhanced aesthetic characteristics as compared to competing devices will gain significantly greater acceptance in the marketplace.

For example, attempts have been made in the market to texturize the surface of mobile electronic devices to provide tactile features, such as on the back of a cell phone. Previous efforts to provide textured surfaces have proven expensive and time consuming. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for new articles and methods for providing textured surfaces on articles having tactile features.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, an article comprises: a substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface; a first layer disposed on the first major surface, wherein the first layer has an adhesion to the substrate of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17; and at least one ink layer disposed on the first layer, wherein a surface roughness Ra of the at least one ink layer is greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface.

In a second aspect, an article comprises: a substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface; a coating disposed on the first major surface, wherein the coating has an adhesion to the substrate of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test of ASTM D3359-17, a gauge hardness (gauge hardness) of greater than or equal to 4H according to the Pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e2, and a scratch hardness of greater than or equal to 3H according to the Pencil test of ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

In a third aspect, a consumer electronic product comprises: a housing having a front surface, a back surface, and side surfaces; an electronic assembly provided at least partially within the housing, the electronic assembly including at least a controller, a memory, and a display, the display provided at or adjacent to the front surface of the housing; and a cover substrate disposed over the display, wherein at least one of the housing or a portion of the cover substrate comprises any of the articles described herein.

In a fourth aspect, a method for producing a textured surface comprises: applying a first layer to a first surface of a substrate such that the first layer adheres to the substrate greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test described in ASTM D3359-17; and applying at least one ink layer to the first layer, wherein a surface roughness Ra of the at least one ink layer is greater than or equal to 50nm to provide a textured surface.

In a fifth aspect, a method comprises: applying a coating to a first surface of a substrate such that: the coating has an adhesion to the substrate of greater than or equal to 4B according to the crosshatch adhesion test described in ASTM D3359-17, a gauge hardness (gauge hardness) of the coating of greater than or equal to 4H according to the Pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2011) e2, and a scratch hardness of the coating of greater than or equal to 3H according to the Pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the various embodiments described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claims. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operations of the various embodiments.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary article according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the exemplary article of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of another exemplary article according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the exemplary article of FIG. 1 with an additional layer 126;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the exemplary article of FIG. 3 with an additional layer 126';

FIG. 6A is a plan view of an exemplary electronic device incorporating any of the reinforced articles disclosed herein; and

fig. 6B is a perspective view of the exemplary electronic device of fig. 6A.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

The present disclosure relates to articles having textured surfaces and methods of making such textured articles. In some embodiments, the article may be incorporated into a consumer electronic device (e.g., a mobile electronic device, a cell phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, etc.) as part of a housing, such as the back of the outside. In some embodiments, the textured surface of the article provides tactile feedback when touched. In some embodiments, a coating in the form of a first layer and at least one ink layer is applied to a surface of a substrate to form a textured surface. Forming the textured surface from the coating provides several benefits over other methods such as etching the surface to form the textured surface. The benefits include: (1) increases the mechanical strength of the substrate because etching the substrate generally reduces the surface strength of the substrate; (2) increased efficiency in terms of cost and time, since applying coatings is generally cheaper and faster than etching; and (3) increased safety and environmental friendliness, since etching typically involves the use of acidic solutions, which poses safety risks for workers and concerns for proper disposal of the acidic solutions.

The present disclosure also relates to articles having a coating with a suitable metric hardness (e.g., a value of 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H as determined according to the pencil test) and a suitable scratch hardness (e.g., a value of 3H or greater, 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H as determined according to the pencil test), and methods of making such coated articles. In some embodiments, the article may be incorporated into a consumer electronic device (e.g., a mobile electronic device, a cell phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, etc.) as part of a housing, such as the back of the outside. In some embodiments, the coating is textured and provides tactile feedback when touched.

An article and a method of manufacturing an article will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a side view of an exemplary article 100 having an exemplary substrate 102, the exemplary substrate 102 having a first major surface 104 and a second major surface 106 opposite the first major surface 104, which are connected by at least one edge surface 108. The coating 110 is disposed on the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102. In some embodiments, the coating 110 includes a first layer 112 having a first surface 114 and a second surface 116, and an ink layer 118 having a first surface 120 and a second surface 122. The second surface 116 of the first layer 112 is disposed on the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102, while the second surface 122 of the ink layer 118 is disposed on the first surface 114 of the first layer 112. The first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 functions as a textured surface of the article 100. As used herein, arranged refers to direct contact or indirect contact (e.g., with one or more layers therebetween).

The substrate 102 may be a glass-based material or a polymeric material. As used herein, "glass-based" is intended to include any object made entirely or partially from glass (including glass-ceramics, which contain amorphous and crystalline phases). Thus, the glass-based substrate may be a glass substrate or a glass-ceramic substrate. In some embodiments, the glass-based substrate may be strengthened or untempered. As used herein, the term "strengthened substrate" refers to a glass substrate or glass-ceramic substrate that has been chemically strengthened by, for example, ion-exchanging larger ions for smaller ions in the surface of the glass substrate or glass-ceramic substrate, by thermal tempering, or by other strengthening methods known in the art. In some embodiments, the glass substrate may be selected from: soda-lime-silicate glass, alkali-aluminosilicate glass, alkali-containing borosilicate glass, alkali-containing aluminoborosilicate glass, and alkali-containing phosphosilicate.

In some embodiments, when the substrate is a polymeric material, suitable polymers include, but are not limited to: thermoplastic materials including Polystyrene (PS) (including styrene copolymers and blends), Polycarbonate (PC) (including copolymers and blends), polyesters (including copolymers and blends, including polyethylene glycol terephthalate and polyethylene glycol terephthalate copolymers), Polyolefins (PO) and cyclic polyolefins (cyclic PO), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic polymers, including Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (including copolymers and blends), thermoplastic urethanes (TPU), Polyetherimide (PEI), and blends of these polymers with each other. Other exemplary polymers include epoxy resins, styrenic resins, phenolic resins, melamine resins, and silicone resins.

The substrate 102 may be substantially flat, but other embodiments may employ curved or any other shape or configuration of the substrate (e.g., having a 2.5-dimensional or 3-dimensional shape). In some embodiments, the thickness of the substrate may vary along one or more dimensions thereof for aesthetic and/or functional reasons. For example, the edges of the substrate may be thicker than more central regions of the substrate. The length, width and thickness dimensions of the substrate may also vary depending on the surrounding application or use.

In some embodiments, the first layer 112 can be any suitable material that maintains sufficient adhesion of the ink layer 118 to the substrate 102, for example, adhesion of the first layer 112 to the substrate 102 and the ink layer 118 is greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test described in ASTM D3359-17. In some embodiments, the first layer 112 may serve as a primer. In some embodiments, the first layer 112 may be a polymer-based material, and may be thermally cured (e.g., in an oven) or cured by exposure to radiation such as ultraviolet light (i.e., uv-curable). In some embodiments, the first layer 112 may contain a silicone resin component, and in some embodiments, the silicone resin component may include a silsesquioxane component. In some embodiments, the first layer 112 may be an ink, such as an inkjet. In some embodiments, the thickness of the first layer may be 3 μm or less, 2 μm or less, or 1 μm or less. In some embodiments, the first layer 112 is less thick than the ink layer 118.

In some embodiments, the ink layer 118 may be any suitable ink that maintains sufficient adhesion to the first layer 112, for example, adhesion of the ink layer 118 to the first layer 112 is greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test described in ASTM D3359-17. In some embodiments, the ink layer 118 is a solvent-based ink. In some embodiments, the ink layer 118 may be thermally cured (e.g., in an oven) or cured by exposure to radiation such as ultraviolet light (i.e., uv curable). The ink layer 118 may be composed of at least one ink layer. Thus, in some embodiments, the ink layer 118 may be a single ink layer, and in other embodiments, the ink layer 118 may be a multi-layer ink layer (e.g., a two-layer ink layer, a three-layer ink layer, a four-layer ink layer, etc.).

The first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 provides a textured surface for the article 100. In some embodiments, the textured surface also functions as a tactile feature that provides tactile feedback when touched. In some embodiments, the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 provides a textured surface that functions as a tactile feature based on a surface roughness Ra of the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 of at least 50 nm. In some embodiments, the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 has a surface roughness Ra as a result of the plurality of features 124.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the ink layer 118 is in the following range: 5 μm to 25 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 5 μm to 15 μm, 10 μm to 25 μm, 10 μm to 20 μm, 15 μm to 25 μm, or any range and subrange therebetween. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ink layer 118 may be at least 5 μm, at least 10 μm, at least 15 μm, or at least 20 μm. Thickness is measured using an optical surface profiler (e.g., a 3D optical surface profiler available from Zygo, inc.). In some embodiments, the thickness specified above facilitates tactile feedback based on surface roughness Ra.

In some embodiments, the ink layer 118 is damage and scratch resistant. For example, the ink layer 118 may have a metric hardness value of 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H according to the pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2011) e2, and/or a scratch value of 3H or greater, 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H according to the pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the first layer 112 covers only a portion of the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102. For example, the first layer 112 may be applied to the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102 in a first pattern. In some embodiments, the first pattern may be applied as a single contiguous body (single contigous body), or in other embodiments, may be applied as a plurality of non-contiguous bodies. In fig. 2, the first pattern is shown as a series of triangular shapes. However, this is merely exemplary, and the first pattern may include, but is not limited to, lines, shapes, and designs. In some embodiments (not shown), the first layer 112 covers the entire first major surface 104 of the substrate 102.

In some embodiments, the ink layer 118 may be applied to the first layer 112 in a second pattern, wherein the second pattern is the same as the first pattern. In other embodiments, the second pattern may be different from the first pattern such that portions of the first layer 112 are not covered by the ink layer 118. In some embodiments, such as shown in fig. 2, the ink layer 118 may include a first ink layer 118 'applied to a first portion of the first pattern formed by the first layer 112 and a second ink layer 120' applied to a second portion of the first pattern formed by the first layer 112. The first ink layer 118 'and the second ink layer 120' may be different in one or more of the following places: pattern, color, thickness, surface roughness Ra, reflection haze, transparency, average feature cross-sectional size, average feature height. Fig. 2 is merely exemplary, and the ink layer 118 may further include a third ink layer, a fourth ink layer, and the like.

In some embodiments, an exemplary method of manufacturing an article disclosed herein comprises the steps of: applying the first layer 112, curing the first layer 112, applying the ink layer 118, and curing the ink layer 118.

The first layer 112 may be applied to the first surface 104 of the substrate 102 using conventional methods suitable for applying the first layer 112 in a desired pattern. For example, the first layer 112 may be ink-jet printed, screen printed, roll coated, or spray coated.

The first layer 112 may be cured prior to applying the ink layer 118. When the first layer 112 is thermally curable, the first layer 112 can be cured using a conventional heat source, including but not limited to an oven. When first layer 112 is curable by exposure to radiation, first layer 112 can be cured using conventional radiation sources, including but not limited to an ultraviolet (uv) light source. The first layer 112 may be applied as a single layer or in multiple sub-layers.

The ink layer 118 may be applied to the first surface 114 of the first layer 112 using conventional methods suitable for applying ink layers in a desired pattern. For example, the ink layer 118 may be ink jet printed or screen printed. Depending on the application method and the desired properties of the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 (e.g., thickness, surface roughness Ra, average characteristic cross-sectional dimension, average characteristic height, etc.), the ink may be applied in multiple sub-layers to achieve the desired properties. In some embodiments, as discussed above in connection with fig. 2, the ink layer 118 may include portions having different properties (e.g., the first ink layer 118' and the second ink layer 118 "). In some embodiments, achieving different thicknesses of different portions of the ink layer 118 may be accomplished by at least one or more of: different inks, different application methods, and/or different numbers of sub-layers are applied. In some embodiments, achieving different colors, reflection haze, and transparency of different portions of ink layer 118 may be accomplished, at least, by employing different inks. In some embodiments, achieving different surface roughness Ra, average feature cross-sectional size, and average feature height may be accomplished by at least one or more of: different inks are used, different application methods are used, and/or different numbers of sub-layers are applied.

When the ink layer 118 is thermally curable, the ink layer 118 may be cured using a conventional heat source, including but not limited to an oven. When the ink layer 118 is curable by exposure to radiation, the ink layer 118 may be cured using conventional radiation sources, including but not limited to an ultraviolet (uv) light source. When the ink layer 118 is applied in multiple sublayers, the ink may be cured after each sublayer is applied, or the ink may be cured once all of the sublayers have been applied. When the ink layer 118 has different portions, such as the first layer 118' and the second layer 118 "and the different portions are applied at different times, the different portions may be cured at the same time or at different times.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of an exemplary article 100'. The article 100 'is similar to the article 100 in that the same type of substrate 102 may be used, but an alternative coating 110' is disposed on the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102. In some embodiments, the coating 110' has one or more of the following characteristics: (i) adhesion to the substrate 102 of greater than or equal to 4B according to the cross-hatch adhesion test described in ASTM D3359-17; (ii) a metric hardness value of 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H according to the pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2; and (iii) a scratch value of 3H or greater, 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H according to the pencil test described in ASTM D3363-05(2011) e 2. Thus, in some embodiments, the coating 110' may exhibit suitable adhesion to the substrate, damage resistance, and/or scratch resistance.

In some embodiments, the coating 110' may be a polymer-based material, and may be thermally cured (e.g., in an oven) or cured by exposure to radiation such as ultraviolet light (i.e., uv-curable). In some embodiments, the coating 110' may contain a silicone resin component, and in some embodiments, the silicone resin component may include a silsesquioxane component. In some embodiments, the coating 110' may be an ink, such as an inkjet.

In some embodiments, the first surface 120 ' of the coating 110 ' provides a textured surface to the article 100 '. In some embodiments, the textured surface also functions as a tactile feature that provides tactile feedback when touched. In some embodiments, the first surface 120 'of the coating 110' provides a textured surface that functions as a tactile feature based on a surface roughness Ra of the first surface 120 'of the coating 110' of at least 50 nm. In some embodiments, the first surface 120 ' of the coating 110 ' has a surface roughness Ra as a result of the plurality of features 124 '. In some embodiments, the thickness of the coating 110' is in the following range: 5 μm to 25 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 5 μm to 15 μm, 10 μm to 25 μm, 10 μm to 20 μm, 15 μm to 25 μm, or any range and subrange therebetween. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ink layer 118 may be at least 5 μm, at least 10 μm, at least 15 μm, or at least 20 μm. Thickness is measured using an optical surface profiler (e.g., a 3D optical surface profiler available from Zygo, inc.). In some embodiments, the thickness specified above facilitates tactile feedback based on surface roughness Ra. In some embodiments, the coating 110' may be comprised of at least one layer. Thus, in some embodiments, the coating 110 'can be a single layer, and in other embodiments, the coating 110' can be multiple layers (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) to achieve a desired thickness.

As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the coating 110' covers only a portion of the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102. For example, the coating 110' may be applied in a pattern to the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102. In some embodiments, the pattern may be applied as a single contiguous body (single contiguous body), or in other embodiments, may be applied as a plurality of non-contiguous bodies. Patterns may include, but are not limited to, lines, shapes, and designs. In some embodiments (not shown), the coating 110' covers the entire first major surface 104 of the substrate 102.

The coating 110 'may be applied to the first surface 104 of the substrate 102 using conventional methods suitable for applying the coating 110' in a desired pattern. For example, the coating 110' may be ink-jet printed, screen printed, roll coated, or spray coated. When the coating 110 'is thermally curable, the first coating 110' can be cured using conventional heat sources, including but not limited to an oven. When the coating 110 'is curable by exposure to radiation, the coating 110' can be cured using conventional radiation sources, including but not limited to ultraviolet (uv) light sources. The coating 110' may be applied as a single layer or in multiple sub-layers.

In some embodiments, the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 or the first major surface 120 'of the coating 110' may have a surface roughness Ra range as follows: 50nm to 1,000nm, 50nm to 900nm, 50nm to 800nm, 50nm to 700nm, 50nm to 600nm, 50nm to 500nm, 100nm to 1,000nm, 100nm to 900nm, 100nm to 800nm, 100nm to 700nm, 100nm to 600nm, 100nm to 500nm, 200nm to 1,000nm, 200nm to 900nm, 200nm to 800nm, 200nm to 700nm, 200nm to 600nm, 200nm to 500nm, 300nm to 1,000nm, 300nm to 900nm, 300nm to 800nm, 300nm to 700nm, 300nm to 600nm, 300nm to 500nm, 400nm to 1,000nm, 400nm to 900nm, 400nm to 800nm, 400nm to 700nm, 500nm to 1,000nm, 500nm to 900nm, 500nm to 800nm, 500nm to 700nm, or all ranges and subranges therebetween. In some embodiments, the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 and the first major surface 120 'of the coating 110' may have a surface roughness Ra as follows: at least 50nm, at least 100nm, at least 150nm, at least 200nm, at least 250nm, at least 300nm, at least 400nm, or at least 500 nm. Surface roughness Ra measurements can be made on a sample surface segment having dimensions of about 0.5mm by 0.5mm using an optical surface profiler (e.g., a 3D optical surface profiler available from Zygo, Inc.).

In some embodiments, the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 and the first surface 120 ' of the coating layer 110 ' have a surface roughness Ra as a result of the plurality of features 124, 124 ', respectively. In some embodiments, the features 124, 124' have the following cross-sectional dimension ranges: 20 μm to 200 μm, 20 μm to 150 μm, 20 μm to 100 μm, 20 μm to 50 μm, 30 μm to 200 μm, 30 μm to 150 μm, 30 μm to 100 μm, 30 μm to 50 μm, 40 μm to 200 μm, 40 μm to 150 μm, 40 μm to 100 μm, 50 μm to 200 μm, 50 μm to 150 μm, 50 μm to 100 μm, or all ranges and subranges therebetween. The average cross-sectional dimension of a feature can be measured by: a 0.5mm by 0.5mm segment of the first surface 120 of the ink layer 118 or the first surface 120 'of the coating 110' is selected, the segment is viewed with an optical microscope at 200 x magnification, the longest cross-sectional dimension of each feature in the x-y plane is measured, and the average is calculated.

In some embodiments, the average height of the features 124, 124' in the z-direction is in the range: 0.5 μm to 100 μm, 0.5 μm to 75 μm, 0.5 μm to 50 μm, 0.5 μm to 25 μm, 1 μm to 100 μm, 1 μm to 75 μm, 1 μm to 50 μm, 1 μm to 25 μm, 3 μm to 100 μm, 3 μm to 75 μm, 3 μm to 50 μm, 3 μm to 25 μm, 5 μm to 100 μm, 5 μm to 75 μm, 5 μm to 50 μm, 5 μm to 25 μm, 10 μm to 100 μm, 10 μm to 75 μm, 10 μm to 50 μm, 10 μm to 25 μm, or all ranges and subranges therebetween. The average height of the features can be measured using an optical surface profiler (e.g., a 3D optical surface profiler available from Zygo, inc.) on a sample surface segment having dimensions of about 0.5mm by 0.5 mm.

In some embodiments, the article 100, 100 ' may exhibit the following reflection haze ranges (measured at the surface 120 of the ink layer 118 or the surface 120 ' of the coating layer 110 '): 1% to 100%, 1% to 90%, 1% to 80%, 1% to 70%, 1% to 60%, 1% to 50%, 1% to 40%, 1% to 30%, 1% to 20%, 5% to 100%, 5% to 90%, 5% to 80%, 5% to 70%, 5% to 60%, 5% to 50%, 5% to 40%, 5% to 30%, 5% to 20%, 10% to 100%, 10% to 90%, 10% to 80%, 10% to 70%, 10% to 60%, 10% to 50%, 10% to 40%, 10% to 30%, 10% to 20%, 20% to 100%, 20% to 90%, 20% to 80%, 20% to 70%, 20% to 60%, 20% to 50%, 20% to 40%, 20% to 30%, 30% to 100%, 30% to 90%, 30% to 80%, 30% to 70%, 30% to 60%, 30% to 50%, 30% to 40% to 100%, 10% to 30%, 20% to 100%, 20% to 20%, 20% to 80%, 20% to 70%, 40% to 90%, 40% to 80%, 40% to 70%, 40% to 60%, 40% to 50%, 50% to 100%, 50% to 90%, 50% to 80%, 50% to 70%, 50% to 60%, or all ranges and subranges therebetween. Reflection haze was measured according to ASTM E430-11 using Rhopoint IQ from Rhopoint instruments.

In some embodiments, the article 100, 100 ' may exhibit the following gloss range at 60 ° (measured at the surface 120 of the ink layer 118 or the surface 120 ' of the coating layer 110 '): 1% to 80%, 1% to 70%, 1% to 60%, 1% to 50%, 1% to 40%, 1% to 30%, 1% to 20%, 5% to 80%, 5% to 70%, 5% to 60%, 5% to 50%, 5% to 40%, 5% to 30%, 5% to 20%, 10% to 80%, 10% to 70%, 10% to 60%, 10% to 50%, 10% to 40%, 10% to 30%, 10% to 20%, 20% to 80%, 20% to 70%, 20% to 60%, 20% to 50%, 20% to 40%, 20% to 30%, 30% to 80%, 30% to 70%, 30% to 60%, 30% to 50%, 30% to 40%, 40% to 80%, 40% to 70%, 40% to 60%, 40% to 50%, 50% to 80%, 50% to 70%, 50% to 60%, or all ranges and subranges therebetween. The 60 ℃ gloss was measured according to ASTM D523-14 using Rhopoint IQ from Rhopoint instruments.

In some embodiments, as described above, the ink layer 118 and the coating layer 110 'have a suitable metric hardness (e.g., a value of 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H as determined according to the pencil test) and/or a suitable scratch hardness (e.g., a value of 3H or greater, 4H or greater, 5H or greater, or 6H as determined according to the pencil test) such that no additional protective coating is required to improve the damage resistance and/or scratch resistance of the ink layer 118 and the coating layer 110'. Thus, in some embodiments, no additional protective coating, such as a powder coating, is disposed on the ink layer 118 or the coating 110'.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the layer 126 may be applied to the second major surface 106 of the substrate 102. In such embodiments, the substrate 102 may be sufficiently transparent so that the layer 126 is visible when viewed from the first major surface 104 of the substrate 102. In some embodiments, the layer 126 may correspond to and align with the pattern of the first layer 112 or coating 110'. In other embodiments, layer 126 may correspond to and align with only a portion of first layer 112 or coating 110'. In some embodiments, the layer 126 may have a higher resolution than the ink layer 118 or the coating 110', such that it creates a depth to the substrate.

The articles disclosed herein may be integrated into another article, such as an article (or display article) having a display screen (e.g., consumer electronics, including mobile phones, tablets, computers, navigation systems, and the like), a construction article, a transportation article (e.g., vehicles, trains, aircraft, navigation, and the like), or an electrical article. An exemplary article incorporating any of the substrates as disclosed herein is shown in fig. 6A and 6B. Specifically, fig. 6A and 6B show a consumer electronic device 600 comprising: a housing 602 having a front surface 604, a back surface 606, and side surfaces 608; electronic components (not shown) at least partially located or entirely within the housing and including at least a controller, a memory, and a display 610 located at or adjacent to the front surface of the housing; and a cover substrate 612 positioned at or above the front surface of the housing so that it is positioned over the display. In some embodiments, at least one of the housing or a portion of the cover substrate comprises an article/substrate disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the article 100, 100' is incorporated into a consumer electronic device 600 such that the first major surface 102 of the substrate 100 faces a user of the consumer electronic device 600. In some embodiments, the coating 110, 110 'may be applied before or after the article 100, 100' is incorporated into other articles.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.