Appliance Design - March 2008 - (Page 43)

METALS no evidence of adhesion failure or blistering. The material can come with a protective strippable sheet and can be ordered in coil form or in precoated blanks. The material, which is most often applied to steel and aluminum, can be purchased laminated on both sides depending on the application. Clad-Rex also offers a metal-to-metal laminate, where two pieces of steel enclose a core material such as foam or other insulating materials. Vinyl-laminated products, with its extra thickness, naturally offer sound damping and sound insulation properties and the metal-to-metal laminate product offers even greater sound deadening and insulation properties, Liebrock says. He adds that these sound-damping properties, as well as the low cost and durability of vinyl are just a few reasons for designers to choose it. One example of a new application is a walk-in cooler like those found at a convenience store. In the past, these units were often in the back of the store because they were not attractive and they could be loud, especially when the condensing motor cycled on. Vinyl-coated panels solved both these problems, Liebrock says. “It made it quieter and with vinyl, the front panels could be made to match the store’s design or make the units more attractive.” Liebrock says that the variety of decorative finishes now available allows appliance manufacturers a chance to better satisfy their customers in a world market. Many countries, especially many Asian countries, have embraced colors and patterns. “U.S. manufacturers can’t live in a cocoon,” he says. “They have to think like a world supplier and because of the wide use of vinyl through the Asian and European market, they should explore more vinyl coated products and provide more decorative finishes.” If manufacturers do move toward more diverse appliance fronts, other suppliers, whether offering vinyl or another decorative prefinished metal, are ready to offer them. For example, Sandvik is expanding the range of colors and finishes available for its Decorex stainless steel materials. Sandvik has targeted Decorex as an alterapplianceDESIGN March 2008 43 A range of colors and finishes of Sandvik’s Decorex prdouct line. tunity to use a rainbow of colors, many different finishes and three-dimensional textures, and combine them to achieve even greater combinations. Liebrock has been in the industry for more than 30 years. He was part of the team that help GE convert their in-house paint operations to purchasing prepainted metal. Converting to prepainted metals took some work, he says, in that the OEMs had to change material handling practices so the finish didn’t get damaged during manufacturing and assembly operation. Tooling and dies often had to be changed. Assembly procedures had to be rethought as products could no longer be weld assembled as the process would burn the paint. Instead, they would have to use mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding or other types of joining techniques. Manufacturers who currently buy prepainted material, and are interested in using vinyl-laminated metals will not have to go through such an ordeal, Liebrock says. Because the industry is already using prepainted and precoated materials, switching to vinyl – a precoated product – allows them to use their skill sets; they already know how to handle, form, cut and assemble these types of materials. Some tooling and dies may need to be adjusted because vinyl is 6-mils to 8-mils thick, as compared to paint, which is 1-mil thick. This might be a small price to pay for the www.applianceDESIGN.com available choices as Liebrock says that there are hundreds of combinations of looks that can be achieved with vinyl. “Vinyl not only has color, but it also has texture and patterns and can add flair to a design,” he says. For example, many appliances today feature a metallic look. That design can be achieved with metallic-look vinyls giving the appearance of platinum, pewter, brass, stainless steel, and more. Vinyls are also available in granite patterns, or wood grains, and can be used to match the look of kitchen cabinetry or counter tops. “If you have a wood grain such as a light maple or cherry, you can use a platinum product, that introduces a beige effect, which softens the look of the appliance. But, it still looks like an appliance.” The vinyl is also very durable, he says. It can undergo shearing, trimming and cutoff, bending, drawing, roll forming and other processes. It is resistant to chemicals and abrasions. For instance, in chemical resistance testing, the vinyl laminate was subjected to 17 days of exposure to a variety of solutions including 10 percent sulfuric acid, 10 percent nitric acid, and others, and there was no noticeable effect. It did, however, swell slightly when subjected to 10 percent formaldehyde and had a slight shrink when it was exposed to ethanol. It has been heat tested, in which the material was exposed to 150 DegF for 600 hours and showed no loss of adhesion or tendency toward delamination. Similarly, it was exposed for 1,000 hours to an environment with 100 percent relative humidity at 150 DegF, and it showed http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - March 2008

Appliance Design - March 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A New Appliance is Set to Break into Homes Soon - the Micro CHP Unit, which Generate both Heat and Power. Thermally Enhanced Varistors Help Protect Low-Power Systems Against Damage Caused by Over-Current, Over-Temperature and Over-Voltage Faults. Hybrid Controller Reduces Standby Power Consumption and Improves Active-Mode Efficiency. Battery-Management ICs Solve Design Challenges for Cordless Appliances Using High-Voltage, Lithium-Ion Battery Technology. A Semiconductor Solution Protects the Relay in a Temperature Controller for a Cooking Appliance. New Polyurethane Foam Insulation System Optimizes both Insulation Performance and Productivity. Innovations in Decorative, Pre-Finished Metals Expand Range of Design Options for Appliance Designers. Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - March 2008

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