Decorative applications

Coatmgs of refractory carbides and nitrides are used extensively in decorative applications on jewelry, eyeglasses, and similar products in attractive colors such as gold (TiN) and metallic grey or charcoal (CrN, TaN). They provide a surface that is hard and wear resistant, sweat resistant and, in the case of gold, less costly. They are usually applied by cathode sputtering and less frequently by CVD. 

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Calendering processes, of great importance in the production of sheet materials from PVC compounds, are little used with polyethylene because of the difficulty in obtaining a smooth sheet. Commercial products have, however, been made by calendering low-density polymer containing a small amount of a peroxide such as benzoyl peroxide to give a stiff but crinkly sheet (Crinothene) which was suitable for lampshades and other decorative applications. 

Decorative applications (a) imitation wood (b) picture frames... 

In the past casein plastics were widely used for decorative applications where a pleasant appearance was of value. The button industry was by far the largest user with further use for buckles, slides, hair pins, knitting pins, pens and pencils. 

New pretreatments for aluminium to enable it to be nickel plated more easily have led to novel decorative applications including large mirrors. Wyszynski has described a proprietary process applicable to a wide range of aluminium alloys. 

Coatings. The use of photopolymer materials for the preparation of curable coatings is highly diverse. Many of the products used at home and at work have been coated with a photopolymer material for protective and decorative applications. Just a few of the many applications of photopolymer technology include UV curable pigmented (94) and clear (95-96) protective coatings, protective furniture (97) and... 

Degussa will develop composites with nanoparticles to produce wafer-thin plastic film that could be used for light emitting diodes, decorative applications, or to improve the surface properties of skis. 

The specific gravity range is from 1.45 to 2.00. The principal use of melamine compounds has been in the dinnerware field. They are widely used in electrical switch gear applications where arc track resistance is very important. In some cases the melamine phenolic compounds are used to produce electrical switch gear where arc track requirements are not so severe. Other applications are ignition systems (distributor cap), housings, and other decorative applications. 

Wood (qv) is aiguably the oldest building material used by humans to construct their dwellings. It is a natural product obtained from trees, used in both structural and decorative applications. The chemical composition of wood is largely cellulose (qv) and lignin (qv). Today there are a variety of composite or reconstituted wood products, such as plywood, particle board, wood fiber boards, and laminated structural beams, where small pieces of wood or wood fiber are combined with adhesives to make laiger sheets or boards (see Laminates). 

Other Tin Alloys. Proprietary tin—cobalt alloys having a third metal were used for a short time as a substitute for chromium in decorative applications. In spite of the cost, growing restrictions on chromium may bring renewed interest in tin—cobalt alloys. 

There was for some years debate over the advantages and disadvantages of electroless copper or nickel for plastics in decorative applications. It was said that since copper was more ductile it would give the better adhesion however, more recent improvements in etching and activation have tended to nullify any... 

In both shielding and decorative work demand has been growing for processes that will coat only selected parts of a component. For shielding usually it is only necessary to coat one surface (the inside) and any additional coating just adds to cost. Also, when an outer surface is coated there may be difficulty over the external colour finish—problems, say, over adhesion of paint to metallic film. Un-metallized plastics are comparatively easy to paint and if the outer surface is natural it either may be left like that or painted without trouble. For decorative applications selective coating can be helpful for visual effects—as an example, by contrast between bright nickel-chromium and matt black surfaces. 

Although there is much current excitement about nanomaterials, there is really nothing new about nanoscience. In fact, the earliest civilizations used nanoscale materials for a variety of applications. For example, the Mayans used a magnesium aluminum silicate clay called palygorskite, which contained nanosized channels that were filled with water. The Mesopotamian civilizations used colored glass for decorative applications that contained embedded metallic nanoparticles. 

One of the first attempts to apply LC siloxanes for decorative applications [36] was made with the non-crosslinkable materials. At room temperature this material is hard and brittle and melts above Tg as low viscous liquid crystals, which orient spontaneously on the substrate. To improve the orientation a spatula is recommended. The application temperature is 100-150°C. 

TM for high-pressure laminated sheets of melamine and phenolic plastics for decorative applications such as surfacing, adhesives for bonding laminated plastic to other surfaces. 

Glass Beads Silver and Gold - metallized beads for decorative applications MO-SCI Corporation, Rolla, MO, USA... 

Non-compatibilized blends of PS with either PEST or PEST and PMMA have been used for decorative applications or as the so-called plastic paper [Kamata et al., 1980]. Similarly, PAr blends with either SAN [Brandstetter et al, 1983], or high performance blends of LCP with thermoplastic polymers e.g., PP, PS, PC, PI) [Haghighat... 

The chromic acid-based conversion coatings and resistant barriers for decorative applications are formed according to Eq. (13.7) ... 

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