Loading patent…
AssigneeMercedes-Benz AG
InventorsJurgen Gunter, Siegfried Kohler, Siegfried Lang, Luise Schellhorn, Erwin Lutz
Estimating the term…
A process brings out a high contrast in natural grain of a naturally pale wood via infrared irradiation having a wavelength which is as long as possible. This infrared radiation can come from a conventional infrared emitter or, more preferably, from a carbon dioxide laser. Due to the contact-free heating near the surface which is effective in a stagnant ambient atmosphere, the new wood part of the grain is browned, while the harder old wood part remains essentially unbrowned. This causes the natural grain of the wood to stand out in contrast. Due to the contact-free and turbulence-free mode of operation of the heating, the grain pattern produced is uniform. Any scratches or chatter marks in the wood are simply covered over and remain invisible.
A process for bringing out a contrast in a grain pattern of a wood component having portions of different age which have insufficient original contrast relative to each other and consisting essentially of one of a solid piece of wood, a veneered component and a veneer sheet, comprising the step of applying heat to a visible face of the component near the surface thereof for a period of time sufficient only to cover the entire surface of the compound with uniform heat intensity for bringing out the contrast, in a contact-free manner, through infrared radiation in a stagnant ambient atmosphere.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.