Aesthetics gloss

PET/PBT (polyethylene terephthalate/polybutylene terephthalate) good colorabUity, excellent surface aesthetics, gloss, chemical resistance, impact, and electrical properties. Apphcations include appliances, electrical apphcations, building and construction. 

Aesthetic properties are of greatest concern in decorative laminates. These include gloss, appearance, cleanabiUty, wear resistance, stain resistance, and other surface properties. Physical properties are of most importance for industrial laminates. These include strength, electrical and thermal properties, expansion coefficient, and punchabiUty. The definitions of the laminate grades in these standards foUow. 

Miscellaneous Types. Various decorative effects have been developed which meet specific aesthetic requirements. These laminates may have special visual appeal, such as gloss finish, deeply embossed textures, and metallic surfaces. They are designed for specific installations and may not be suitable for all apphcations. For this reason, they are not included in these standards. Information concerning thein proper appHcation, properties, and care should be requested from the manufacturer. 

A vitreous enamel coating is, as the name implies, a coating of a glassy substance which has been fused onto the basis metal to give a tightly adherent hard finish resistant to many abrasive and corrosive materials. The purpose of modern vitreous enamels is twofold, i.e. to confer corrosion protection to the metal substrate and at the same time to provide permanent colour, gloss and other aesthetic values. 

Colour, gloss and surface texture are critical for many applications of plastics whose functions are aesthetic or where a colour match is required. 

Cellulosics are appreciated for their easy processability aesthetics transparency high gloss pleasant feel aptitude for colouring and decoration low electrostatic build up balance of fair mechanical properties and chemical resistance to oils, greases and aliphatic hydrocarbons possibilities of plasticization allowing very low moduli to be obtained fair electrical insulating properties fair performance/cost ratios food contact possibilities. 

Cellulosics are only used for aesthetic applications related to colour, gloss and feel. 

Development of a glossy, aesthetic and unpainted roof module on the Smart Roadster by DaimlerChrysler AG s Smart. The two-piece, removable roof, built by ArvinMeritor, is surfaced with a thermoformable three-layer film (Lexan by GE Plastics) that can be co-moulded with either thermoplastic or thermoset substrates. The film exhibits 95% gloss retention after the equivalent of 10 years of Florida sun exposure. Weight saving is 50% versus a painted steel roof system. 

Aesthetic qualities (gloss and coating smoothness) of the final coated tablet... 

Transparency, gloss, color, refractive index, and reflectance are the properties normally associated with aesthetics of plastic materials. In some areas, changes in optical properties, increases in haze after abrasion testing (285), color differences after weathering, and birefringence analysis of residual stress within a transparent part (286) are all used to measure the effects of applied stresses. Measurements of color, gloss, refractive index, and haze apply to many products beyond plastics and use similar techniques. Reference should be made to this general topic for detailed information (see Color). 

Plastic selection ultimately depends upon the performance criteria of the product that usually includes aesthetics and cost effectiveness. Analyzing how a material is expected to perform with respect to requirements such as mechanical space, electrical, and chemical requirements combined with time and temperature can be essential to the selection process. The design engineer translates product requirements into material properties. Characteristics and properties of materials that correlate with known performances are referred to as engineering properties. They include such properties as tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, impact, hardness, chemical resistance, flammability, stress crack resistance, and temperature tolerance. Other important considerations encompass such factors as optical clarity, gloss, UV stability, and weatherability.1 248>482... 

The most visually obvious attribute developed in plastics formulation and compounding is the aesthetic appearance observed in the final fabricated part. Although the visual acceptability of the component may involve characteristics such as gloss and the absence of surface imperfections, color is one of the most evident and... 

Optical parameters, which are properties of the surface, gloss, reflectance, and color, are in principle relevant to all polymer materials, but it is not frequently that rubbers and foams are used where these aesthetic qualities are important. Not that these properties are entirely a matter of appearance, because color and reflectance are important in terms of solar energy reflected and hence the temperature rise in an exposed material. Roofing sheet is a particular example, but generally the color would only need to be approximately matched. Gloss is also important in terms of glare from a surface and would be controlled in such products as artificial sports surfaces. Surface texture will affect gloss and reflectance and how a surface looks, but it is not in itself an optical property. 

Optical properties are of most relevance for plastics, although color and gloss can be important for any of the material classes for products where aesthetic considerations are of intere.st. In fact for most plastics products it is the aesthetic properties, such as surface texture, color, gloss, and reflectance, that are important. Light transmission characteristics and refractive index measurements are needed for only a relatively few products such as lenses and windows where the transparency or transluccncy of the material is a paramount consideration. This is unfortunate, as light transmission and refractive index are a good deal easier to define and and to correlate with visual experience than the other properties mentioned. Meeten [I] has edited a detailed text on the optical properties of polymers. 

The measurement and control of color and gloss parameters is critical because of aesthetic reasons and provides an indirect measure to control process parameters. The impression gloss consists of several appearance phenomena - specular gloss, haze, DOI and surface smoothness. The evaluation of surface smoothness has major influence on the total appearance and is currently only evaluated visually. The presented new measurement technique correlates with the visual assessment of orange peel and objectively measures surface smoothness. The measurement results of the new orange peel instrument (long - and short-term waviness) were related to different process parameters, such as substrate roughness, in an actual case study. 

Achievement of smooth and aesthetic films at various degrees of light reflection up to high gloss. 

The surfaces of plastics are sometimes additionally treated or covered by a coating of metal or glass, for technical (surface hardness, friction) or aesthetic reasons (gloss). 

Poly(lactic acid)s (PLA)s have been produced for many years. PLAs resemble clear poly(styrene) and have good gloss and clarity for aesthetic appeal, along with physical properties weU suited for use as fibers, films, and thermo-formed packaging. PLA is biocompatible and have been used extensively in medical and surgical applications, i.e. sutures and drug delivery devices (1). 

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