Process of dying polymer parts
AssigneeHowmedica Osteonics Corp.
InventorMichael Bezuidenhout
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a method of dyeing or otherwise surface treating a polymer part so as to provide a treated polymer part with a surface additive which has wash fastness with respect to alcohol solutions and therefore does not leach or transfer in response to contact with alcohol. The method includes preparing a surface treatment solution comprising a solvent and the surface additive; submerging a polymer part in the surface treatment solution for a set time period before in order to coat the surface of the part with the additive; air drying the part; vapor polishing the part by exposing an outer surface to vaporized hexafluoroisopropanol in order to bind the additive within the polymer; and finally washing the fixed coated part in a surfactant and water solution to produce a finished surface treated polymer part.
Claims18
A method for producing a surface dyed polymer part, comprising:
- preparing a surface treatment solution comprising a solvent and a coloring agent;
- submersing a polymer part in the surface treatment solution for a set time period before removing the polymer part from the surface treatment solution to produce a wet coated intermediate part;
- air drying the wet coated intermediate part to remove the solvent in order to produce a dry coated intermediate part,
- washing the dry coated intermediate part in a water bath to produce a wet washed intermediate part,
- air drying the wet washed intermediate part to remove water in order to produce a dry washed intermediate part;
- vapor polishing the dry washed intermediate part by exposing an outer surface to vaporized hexafluoroisopropanol, thereby reflowing the outer surface and internalizing the coloring agent into the polymer part, in order to create a bound coloring agent coated part in which the coloring agent is bound to the polymer part;
- washing the bound coloring agent coated part in a surfactant and water solution to produce the surface dyed polymer part.
A method for producing a surface treated polymer part, comprising:
- preparing a surface treatment solution comprising a solvent and an antimicrobial agent;
- submersing a polymer part in the surface treatment solution for a set time period before removing the polymer part from the surface treatment solution to produce a wet coated intermediate part;
- air drying the wet coated intermediate part to remove the solvent in order to produce a dry coated intermediate part,
- vapor polishing the dry coated intermediate part by exposing an outer surface to vaporized hexafluoroisopropanol, thereby reflowing the outer surface and internalizing the antimicrobial agent into the polymer part in order to create a bound antimicrobial agent coated part in which the antimicrobial agent is bound to the polymer part;
- washing the bound active compound coated part in a surfactant and water solution to produce the surface treated polymer part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.