Delivery systems and methods for compositions of materials for forming coatings and layered structures including elements for scattering and passing selectively tunable wavelengths of electromagnetic energy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025389870-A1
Application number	US-202418642554-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 22, 2024
Priority date	Jan 25, 2017
Publication date	Dec 25, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for delivering material compositions comprising particularly-formed multi-layer micron-sized particles that are substantially transparent, yet that exhibit selectable coloration based on their physical properties suspended in substantially transparent matrix or binder materials to facilitate delivery onto substrates, particularly aerosol or aspirated delivery. The disclosed physical properties of the particles are controllably selectable refractive indices to provide an opaque-appearing energy transmissive material when pluralities of the particles are suspended in the substantially transparent matrix material. The multiply-layered (up to 30+ constituent layers) particles result in an overall particle diameter of less than 5 microns, substantially equivalent to paint pigment particles. When delivered, the material compositions form layers that uniquely implement optical light scattering techniques in energy (or light) transmissive layers that appear selectively opaque, while allowing 80+% of the energy impinging on the light incident side to pass through the layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for delivering a transparent particle suspension to develop an energy transmissive layer on an object, comprising:
a material reservoir that is configured to hold a material composition of a liquid transparent binder material and transparent particulate material, the transparent particulate material comprising:
a spherical core formed of a first transparent dielectric material, the spherical core having a value of a physical diameter equal to a half wavelength of a first selected color of light component to be reflected by the particle modified by a refractive index of the first transparent dielectric material;
a plurality of material layers disposed radially outwardly from the spherical core, each of the plurality of material layers being formed of at least a second transparent dielectric material, and having a value of a physical thickness equal to a quarter wavelength of at least a second selected color of light component to be reflected by the particle modified by a refractive index of the at least the second transparent dielectric material; and
a spherical outer coating comprised of another transparent dielectric material having a selected index of refraction of 2 or less, the spherical outer coating having a thickness that substantially eliminates reflective interference between the colors reflected by adjacent particles when in contact with one another;
an air source that is configured to generate an air stream; a delivery unit that is configured to entrain the material composition in the airstream; and at least one nozzle that is configured to direct the airstream for delivery of the entrained material composition to a surface of an object.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller that is configured to control a pressure of the airstream generated by the air source; and metering of a supply of the material composition into the airstream for delivery via the at least one nozzle.

3 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a binder material source that holds a supply of the liquid transparent binder material; and a particulate material source, separate from the binder material source, that holds a supply of the transparent particulate material; the liquid transparent binder material being supplied to the material reservoir from the binder material source; and the transparent particulate material being supplied to the material reservoir from the particulate material source for mixing with the liquid transparent binder material in the material reservoir.

4 . The system of claim 3 , the controller being further configured to control at least one of the supply of the liquid transparent binder material from the binder material source, the supply of the transparent particulate material from the particulate material source, and the mixing of the transparent particular material with the liquid transparent binder material in the material reservoir.

5 . The system of claim 2 , the delivery unit being associated with an articulated robotic arm with the at least one nozzle substantially at a distal end of the articulated robotic arm.

6 . The system of claim 5 , the controller being further configured to adjust a position of the articulated arm to bring the nozzle in proximity to the object for delivery of the material composition to the object.

7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a material fixing unit that is configured to direct at least one of heat or light energy at the material composition disposed on the surface of the object.

8 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising a material fixing unit that is configured to direct at least one of heat or light energy at the material composition disposed on the surface of the object;
the controller being further configured to control the material layer fixing unit for fixing the material composition on the surface of the object.

9 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising an object transport component that is configured to transport the object to a material delivery position in a vicinity of the at least one nozzle and to a material fixing position opposite the material fixing unit.

10 . The system of claim 9 , the controller being further configured to control the object transport component to position the object at the material delivery position and the material fixing position.

11 . The system of claim 1 , the material reservoir, the delivery unit and the a least one nozzle all being integral to an aerosol container, and the air source comprising an aerosol propellant housed in the aerosol container.

Assignees

• Face Int Corp

Inventors

• Boyd Clark D
• Face Bradbury R
• Shepard Jeffrey D

Classifications

• C08L101/00 Primary

  Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• C09D7/70

  characterised by shape, e.g. fibres, flakes or microspheres · CPC title

• B05D1/02

  performed by spraying · CPC title

• C08K9/10

  Encapsulated ingredients · CPC title

• C09D201/00

  Coating compositions based on unspecified macromolecular compounds · CPC title