Process for producing a cast, coated vehicle wheel

A process for producing a cast, coated vehicle wheel having a face, a lip, spokes and rivets, said process comprising the following steps:

• a) acquire a metal ingot,
• b) melt the metal ingot in a furnace,
• c) transfer the melted ingot to a crucible,
• d) channel the melted metal into a wheel casting machine,
• e) release the cast wheel from the wheel casting mold and move the wheel to a staging area where the wheel is allowed to cool to room temperature,
• f) place the wheel in an oven to commence a heat treating process that changes the wheel's mechanical properties, metallurgical structure and the residual stress state of the wheel, wherein the treating process achieves T4 hardness and involves increasing the wheel temperature to a temperature ranging from 525-645 degrees Centigrade for a time period ranging from 4.7-7.0 hours,
• g) remove the wheel from the oven and quench the wheel in a heated water bath having a temperature ranging from 65 to 85 degrees centigrade, wherein the water bath rapidly cools the wheel to freeze the wheel's excited molecules to an optimum state of overall strength, elongation and ductility,
• h) place the wheel into an aging oven to further heat treat the wheel, wherein this heat treating process involves raising the wheel temperature to a temperature ranging from 255-315 degrees Centigrade for a time period ranging from 1.7-2.5 hours,
• i) remove the wheel from the aging oven and allow the wheel to cool to room temperature to enhance the wheel's overall strength and surface hardness,
• j) perform a Brinell test to verify that the hardness of the wheel is between 75 and 100,
• k) place the wheel in a computer numeric controlled (CNC) lathe to machine all the radial surfaces of the wheel, wherein this process involves at least two operations that machine the front, back, sides and the center bore of the'wheel,
• l) move the wheel to a paint staging area, where the wheel is cleansed and prepared for subsequent painting,
• m) apply a coat of primer to the wheel followed by a coating of an industrial grade or automotive grade paint,
• n) place the painted wheel in an oven or the like to harden the paint and to improve the bonding of the paint to the paint's underlying surface,
• o) wash the wheel after the wheel has dried, and
• p) fixture the wheel onto a multi-axis CNC machine, wherein the machine is used to:
• (1) remove the draft angle from the wheel casting,
• (2) cut custom design elements into the face of the wheel and the side of the spokes, and
• (3) cut custom rivet designs into the face of the wheel and/or to the lip of the wheel, wherein items (1)-(3) are performed after the wheel is painted to produce a wheel having contrasting painted surfaces that are adjacent to the machined surfaces.