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US 9,034,166 B2Granted
Anodization and polish surface treatment
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsMasashige Tatebe, Howard Bujtor, Jody Akana, Jonathan P. Ive
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A metal surface treated to have a distinct cosmetic appearance such as an integral layer that is glossy may be used in electronic devices. The surface treatment may include polishing a metal surface, texturing the polished metal surface, polishing the textured surface, followed by anodizing the surface, and then polishing the anodized surface. The metal surface may also be dyed to impart a rich color to the surface.
Claims21
A method of treating a metal surface comprising:
- forming a uniformly flat metal surface by polishing the metal surface until the metal surface has a surface roughness of about 0.1 micrometers or less;
- forming a textured metal surface by texturing and then polishing the uniformly flat metal surface such that the textured metal surface has a plurality of substantially isolated and rounded peaks separated by a plurality of valleys, wherein the texturing and polishing of the uniformly flat metal surface is performed to achieve a desired sparkling effect and glossy appearance, wherein a level of glossy appearance is associated with a proportion of rounding of the plurality of peaks and a level of sparkling effect is associated with a proportion of valleys on the textured metal surface;
- anodizing the textured metal surface to form an oxide layer on the textured metal surface, the oxide layer being an integral part of the textured metal surface;
- imparting a color to the oxide layer by depositing a dye composition within the oxide layer;
- and
- creating a finished surface by polishing the oxide layer until the oxide layer attains a desired finish, wherein the desired sparkling effect and glossy appearance imparted to the textured metal surface is visible through the polished oxide layer, wherein the desired sparkling effect and glossy appearance of the textured metal surface, the color of the oxide layer, and the desired finish of the oxide layer combine to provide a gloss value of the finished surface within a predetermined gloss value range.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.