Method of decorating PVD coated surfaces and decorated surfaces obtained

Abstract

A method for decorating metallic or non-metallic surfaces treated with Physical Void Deposition, PVD, comprising: an electrochemical activation action of the decoration by means of an electrical circuit with electrodes in electrical contact and for at least one thereof with the mediation of an electrolytic solution towards a surface being treated; an electrically conductive surface facing one of said electrodes to form said surface being treated; at least one masking resistant to the electrochemical activation action of the decoration and interposed between the facing electrode and the surface being treated; and has the electrochemical action of activating the decoration of the treated surface occurs by electrochemical oxidation of the metallic oxide layer normally present on the electrically conductive surface whether it is placed below the PVD coating layer, i.e., performed before such PVD coating, or such electrochemical oxidation action is performed above said vacuum metallic coating, electrically conductive PVD layer; the electrochemical oxidation acts with the surface of the treated metal, its natural oxide, or the PVD coating itself, i.e., on the oxides, carbides, nitrides forming it, without any removal of metallic material but with the aesthetic modification of the treated surface in the shape determined by the aforesaid masking.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.