Ink - Jet Texturing � A New Technology for Producing Textured Surfaces

Ink - Jet Texturing � A New Technology for Producing Textured Surfaces
Why Surface Texturing is Used
Defined as ‘the modification of the functional properties of the surface of an object’, surface engineering is typically undertaken to change the physical or visual properties of a surface. These properties, and the reasons for wanting to change them, are many and varied. There may be a requirement to reduce (or even increase) the friction between mating parts, to improve the formability of a metal sheet, to increase the surface area of a substrate (perhaps to improve the adhesion of a coating), or to enhance its decorative appeal and reduce its sensitivity to surface scratches. Surface engineering is frequently taken to mean the application of chemical processes such as coating, nitriding or ion implantation. Yet all of the above benefits, and more, can also be achieved by surface texturing - modifying the topography of the surface instead of its chemistry.

The Ink-Jet Texturing Process